You may find this article in English at the end of the Greek version.
Title: Long live our fishing madness.....
Φωτογραφία - video: Ζαχαρίας Σκευοφύλαξ.
Το άρθρο αυτό είναι ιδιαίτερα αφιερωμένο σε όλους τους τρελούς εραστές της θάλασσας!!!
Το μετεωρολογικό δελτίο ανήγγειλε ότι έρχεται ο παγετός ονόματι Ελπίδα. Έτσι κι εγώ τα φόρτωσα όλα στο αμάξι και με την ελπίδα ότι τα λαβράκια θα έχουν έρθει στα ρηχά, τράβηξα για τον ψαρότοπο που είχα επιλέξει. Τα χάραμα με βρήκε να ντύνομαι με 3οC, ενώ η Ελπίδα μου έδειχνε τα δόντια της.
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| Είχε λίγο κρύο!!! |
Φυσούσε ένας παγωμένος βοριάς και μετά από λίγο άρχισε να πέφτει το χιόνι. Στην σκέψη μου ήρθε η μάνα μου, που αν μπορούσε να με δει θα έλεγε:
"Τρελάθηκες παιδί μου, που πας με τέτοιο καιρό???? Θα κρυώσεις...." Χαμογέλασα... Πόσες φορές κατά το παρελθόν να έχει συμβεί αυτό??? Αμέτρητες. Βούτηξα στα κρύα νερά των 13οC. Ορατότητα αρκετά καλή μπορώ να πω. Έκανα τις βουτιές μου για να ανοίξουν τα πνευμόνια μου και ξεκίνησα τα καρτέρια. Δεν είδα τίποτα. Σε ένα από τα πολλά καρτέρια μου, προσγειώθηκα σε μια τούφα από φύκια. Τίποτα. Μπροστά μου όμως και αριστερά υπήρχε ένας σπυρογράφος. Είχε ανοίξει τα σκούρα πέταλά του και μάζευε πλαγκτόν για το πρωινό του.
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| Μια ακόμη θαλάσσια ομορφιά!!! |
Όταν είδα ότι τίποτε δεν κυκλοφορούσε, προχώρησα για να τον έχω σε καλύτερο πλάνο. Στο τέλος της βουτιάς μου τον ακούμπησα. Με μια απαλή και ήρεμη κίνηση χώθηκε μέσα στο καλαμάκι-σπίτι του και χάθηκε από μπροστά μου... Η όλη σκηνή με γέμισε ελπίδα και αναπολώντας ανάλογες στιγμές από το παρελθόν, συνέχισα τα καρτέρια μου. Λίγο πιο κάτω, ενώ δεν έχω δει κάτι το ιδιαίτερο... αλλά μια πέτρα πάνω στον αμμώδη βυθό, μου τράβηξε την προσοχή. Πλησιάζω και βλέπω έναν κατεστραμμένο τσιμεντόλιθο. Όμως στην μια μεριά του φιλοξενούσε ένα χταπόδι. Με το ζόρι χωρούσε μέσα. Το πλησίασα για να δω πόσο μεγάλο ήταν. Έπαιξα μαζί του, το χάιδεψα και σε μια στιγμή έβγαλε ένα πλοκάμι του έξω. Το έπιασα κι εκείνο πετάχτηκε έξω. Ήταν περίπου ένα κιλό.
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| Καλά-καλά δεν χωρούσε!!! |
Πήρε δρόμο για τα πιο ρηχά κι εγώ απλώς το χάζευα και το ζήλευα για την ευκολία του να γλιστρά μέσα στο νερό. Συνέχισα τα καρτέρια χωρίς ιδιαίτερη επιτυχία. Σε ένα από αυτά προσγειώνομαι στον βυθό και περιμένω. Ο καιρός έχει θολώσει αρκετά τα νερά, αλλά σιγά μην πτοηθώ. Ενώ έχει περάσει ένα λεπτό και 10'', συνειδητοποιώ ότι μπροστά μου έχει έρθει το πρώτο καλό λαβράκι. Το ψάρι ήρθε κάθετα στο καρτέρι μου, ενώ εγώ στην κοσμάρα μου ονειροπολούσα και παραλίγο να χάσω το ψάρι. Με το που στρίβει για να φύγει του ρίχνω στα πλευρά και πιάνω το πρώτο ψάρι της ημέρας που είναι 1,28 κιλά.
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| Το πρώτο της ημέρας.... |
"Δεν μπορεί, κάτι υπάρχει τριγύρω..." σκέφτηκα. Μετά την απαραίτητη ξεκούραση, βουτιά στο ίδιο σημείο. Όμως οι γόπες είχαν εξαφανιστεί. Περιμένω όσο πιο πολύ μπορώ, μήπως φανεί κάποιος κυνηγός. Μετά από λίγο, διακρίνω από τα αριστερά μου κάτι να έρχεται καταπάνω μου. Η σιλουέτα του μου θυμίζει λαβράκι και πρέπει να είναι καλό. Όντως μου ήρθε πολύ κοντά και με το που έκανε να στρίψει του έριξα. Η βέργα βρήκε τον πολυπόθητο στόχο της ψιλά στην πλάτη και το λαβράκι έπεσε στον βυθό. Αμέσως όμως άρχισε να χτυπιέται για να απαλλαγεί από την βέργα, αλλά... Ήταν ένα υπέροχο λαβράκι των 1,7 κιλών.
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| Να και το μεγάλο... |
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| Βρε καλώς τον.... |
"Είσαι τυχερός φιλαράκο που δεν είναι εδώ ο Πέτρος ή δεν σε συνάντησα στην Κάρπαθο... Τα αποτελέσματα θα ήταν εντελώς διαφορετικά!!!" του είπα χαμογελώντας, καθώς χανόταν στα βαθειά. Εκεί είχα φτάσει στο τέλος του ψαρότοπου και βγήκα. Πήγα με το αμάξι σε ένα άλλο μέρος, που ήθελα να δω τι γίνεται σε αυτό το μέρος που είναι μικρό. Κατά την άποψη μου, το καλό μέρος είναι περίπου καμιά πενηνταριά μέτρα. Βούτηξα και ξεκίνησα τα καρτέρια. Δύο μικρά λαβράκια μου ήρθαν, έκαναν έναν κύκλο γύρω μου κι έφυγαν. Στο επόμενο καρτέρι μια από τα ίδια. Μόνο που αυτήν την φορά ήταν ένα λαβράκι κι ένας κέφαλος μετρίου μεγέθους και πάλι και δεν ασχολείθηκα. Στο επόμενο και τελευταίο καρτέρι, ενώ περιμένω κρυμμένος πίσω από μια πέτρα, αντιλαμβάνομαι μια λάμψη από τα δεξιά μου. Γυρίζω απαλά και διαπιστώνω δύω ωραίες μπάφες να με πλησιάζουν. Άφησα την πρώτη να περάσει και σημάδεψα την δεύτερη που μου φάνηκε λίγο πιο μεγάλη.
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| Και το τελευταίο...για σήμερα.... |
Η βέργα πέτυχε τον στόχο της στην πλάτη κι εγώ έπιασα έναν κέφαλο των 1,2 κιλών και κολύμπησα για να βγω. Στο ένα μέτρο βάθος όμως υπήρχε μια ροζ-μοβ τσούχτρα, από τις πολλές που είδα σήμερα. Παρόλο που τα μακρυά και λεπτά της πόδια ήταν κομμένα (δεν ξέρω τον λόγο), ένα τσούρμο λιλιπούτεια ψαράκια βρήκαν καταφύγιο ανάμεσα στα χοντρά της πόδια, γλιτώνοντας έτσι από επίδοξους θηρευτές. Πήρα το πλάνο που ήθελα και βγήκα.
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| Τους παρέχει και προστασία!!! |
Υ.Γ. 1. Μόνο κάποιος που βιώνει αυτά που βίωσα σήμερα ή και στα άλλα ψάρεματά μου μπορεί να καταλάβει αυτήν την τρέλα.... και δεν την ανταλλάσσω με τίποτα....
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| Ααα ρε Μιλτάρα... θα μας λείψεις... |
Υ.Γ. 2. Μόλις τελείωσα αυτό το άρθρο, με πληροφορήσαν ότι ο φίλος μου ο Μιλτιάδης δεν είναι πια μαζί μας. Καλό ταξίδι φίλε και αδελφέ μου. Είθε το χώμα που θα σε σκεπάζει να είναι ελαφρύ. Ποιος ξέρει Μιλτάρα, ίσως ξανανταμώσουμε κάποτε κι εύχομαι υπό καλύτερες συνθήκες ειδικά για σένα. (Δείτε το άρθρο Άστεγα Χριστούγεννα)
Translation of the above article.
Title: Long live our fishing madness.....
Photo- video: Zacharias Skevofilax.
The weather forecast announced that the frost named Elpida (Hope) was approaching. So I loaded all my diving gear in the car and with the hope that the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) would have come to the shallows, I drove for the fishing spot I had chosen. The dawn found me dressing at 3οC, while Elpida was showing me its teeth. (1st Picture: It was a bit cold!!!). An icy north wind was blowing and after a while the snow started to fall. My mother came to my mind.... if she could see me would say:
"Are you crazy my son, where are you going with such weather???? you are going to catch a cold...." I smiled... How many times in the past this had happened??? Countless times. I dived in the cold waters of 13οC. Visibility was good enough I could say. I did several dives to worm-up my lungs and started the ambushes. I did not see anything. In one of my many ambushes, I landed on a tuft of seaweed. Nothing. But in front of me and on the left there was a Mediterranean fanworm (Sabella spallanzanii). It had spread its dark petals and was gathering plankton for its breakfast. (2nd Picture: Another sea beauty!!!). When I realised that nothing was approaching me, I proceeded it to get a better video shot. At the end of my dive I touched it. With a gentle and calm movement, it moved into its straw-house and disappeared... The whole scene filled me with hope and reminiscing some similar moments from the past, I continued my ambushes. A little further down, while I had not seen anything special... a stone on the sandy sea floor, caught my attention. I approached and saw a damaged concrete cement block. But in one side it hosted a common octopus.(Octopus vulgaris). It could barely fit in. I approached it to see how big it was. I played with it, caressed it and in an instant it stretched out one of its tentacle. I caught it and the octopus jumped out of the hole. It was about a kilo. (3rd Picture: It could !!!). It made its way to shallower waters and I just stared at it and envied it for its easiness of sliding through the water. I continued the ambushes without much success. In one of them I landed at the seabed and waited. The north winds had blurred the water a lot, but I did not mind at all. While a minute and 10'' had passed, I realised that a good size sea-bass had swam in front of me. The fish came straight to my ambush, while I was dreaming and I almost lost the fish. When it turned to leave, I shot it in the side and caught the first fish of the day which weighted 1.28 kg. (4th Picture: The first one of the day...)
"Thank God that we got out of lethargy on time and did not lose the fish Zac..." I said to myself. I did not see anything in the next ambushes and so I got out of the water and drove to another fishing spot. In an ambush, a large school of bogue (Boops boops) appeared to my right. The fish were a little nervous and were constantly changing directions, showing me that something was chasing them. I waited but saw nothing again.
"There is a predator around..." I thought. After the necessary rest, dived again in the same spot. But the bogues had disappeared. I waited as long as I could, in case a predator might appeared. After a while, I noticed from my left something was coming at me. Its silhouette reminded me of sea bass and probably it was good in size. It really came very close to me and as it turned, I pulled the trigger. The spear found its coveted target in the back and the sea bass fell on the seabed. Immediately it started shaking to get rid of the spear, but... It was a wonderful sea bass off 1.7 kg. (5th Picture: Here is the biggest one...). I was impressed that it had marks on its head, silver dots. I have rarely seen this in the sea bass that I have caught in the past. After a while I found again in the school of the bogues. I do not know if it was the same school of fish, but it also had countless members. But these fish were all swimming together towards one direction, unlike our previous meeting. I was waiting hidden in my post... when something appeared on the horizon. Something white, triangular and in the blurry waters. I was not able to see it clearly. It seemed that it was approaching me without making any movements!!! A large common eagle ray (Myliobatis aquila) appeared in front of me in full glory. Rarely, it fluttered its wings and was sliding in the water for long distance. I left my post and crawled towards the eagle ray. It fearlessly continued its course. I could see its hazy colours, but they gave it an eerie nobility. Its back had dark oily colour with hazy blue-light blue vertical wavy lines. Towards the tail the lines were broken as if the Poet of Heaven took His brush and simply Touched it in various places. Its tail was thin, long and was over 2 meters long. It passed by me so close that I touched it with my speargun and then he fluttered violently its wings and disappeared into the deep blue with incredible speed. It must have been over 30 kilos in weight!!! (6th Picture: Hi there...).
"You are very lucky my friend that Peter is not here or we did not met in Karpathos island... The results would have been completely different!!!" I told the eagle ray with a smile, as it got lost into the deep. At that moment, I had reached the end of this fishing grounds and so I got out. I went by car to another fishing spot, mainly because I wanted to see what was going on in this place that was small. In my opinion, the best fishing spot was about fifty meters long. I dived and started the ambushes. Two little sea bass swam towards me, made a circle around me and left. In the next ambush the same thing happened. Only this time it was a sea bass and a medium-sized mullet (Mugil cephalus) again and I did not bother them. In the next and last ambush, while waiting hidden behind a rock, I perceive a glow from my right. I turned gently and saw two nice mullets approaching me. I let the first one to pass and aimed the second one that seemed a little bigger. (7th Picture: The last one of the day...). The spear hit its target in the back and I caught a 1.2 kg mullet and swam to get out. But at the depth of about one meter, there was a pink-purple jelly fish (Pelagia noctiluca ), one of the many I had seen today. Although its long and slender tentacles were amputated (I do not know why), a school of lilliputian fish found shelter between its thick tentacles, thus escaping from any possible predators. I got the video shot I wanted and went out. (8th Picture: Even wounded, it provided shelter!!!). I got dressed as fast as I could, because the north winds were very cold and the sun was biting, I cleaned the fish and went home.
P.S.1. Only someone who experiences what I had experienced today or in any other fishing expeditions can understand this madness.... and I do not exchange it for anything....(9th Picture: We are going to miss you Miltara...)
P.S.2. As soon as I finished this article, I was informed that my friend Miltiadis is no longer among us. Have a good trip my friend and brother. May the earth rests lightly on you. Who knows Miltara, maybe we will meet again one day, hopefully under better conditions, especially for you. (See the article "Homeless Christmas")
"Are you crazy my son, where are you going with such weather???? you are going to catch a cold...." I smiled... How many times in the past this had happened??? Countless times. I dived in the cold waters of 13οC. Visibility was good enough I could say. I did several dives to worm-up my lungs and started the ambushes. I did not see anything. In one of my many ambushes, I landed on a tuft of seaweed. Nothing. But in front of me and on the left there was a Mediterranean fanworm (Sabella spallanzanii). It had spread its dark petals and was gathering plankton for its breakfast. (2nd Picture: Another sea beauty!!!). When I realised that nothing was approaching me, I proceeded it to get a better video shot. At the end of my dive I touched it. With a gentle and calm movement, it moved into its straw-house and disappeared... The whole scene filled me with hope and reminiscing some similar moments from the past, I continued my ambushes. A little further down, while I had not seen anything special... a stone on the sandy sea floor, caught my attention. I approached and saw a damaged concrete cement block. But in one side it hosted a common octopus.(Octopus vulgaris). It could barely fit in. I approached it to see how big it was. I played with it, caressed it and in an instant it stretched out one of its tentacle. I caught it and the octopus jumped out of the hole. It was about a kilo. (3rd Picture: It could !!!). It made its way to shallower waters and I just stared at it and envied it for its easiness of sliding through the water. I continued the ambushes without much success. In one of them I landed at the seabed and waited. The north winds had blurred the water a lot, but I did not mind at all. While a minute and 10'' had passed, I realised that a good size sea-bass had swam in front of me. The fish came straight to my ambush, while I was dreaming and I almost lost the fish. When it turned to leave, I shot it in the side and caught the first fish of the day which weighted 1.28 kg. (4th Picture: The first one of the day...)
"Thank God that we got out of lethargy on time and did not lose the fish Zac..." I said to myself. I did not see anything in the next ambushes and so I got out of the water and drove to another fishing spot. In an ambush, a large school of bogue (Boops boops) appeared to my right. The fish were a little nervous and were constantly changing directions, showing me that something was chasing them. I waited but saw nothing again.
"There is a predator around..." I thought. After the necessary rest, dived again in the same spot. But the bogues had disappeared. I waited as long as I could, in case a predator might appeared. After a while, I noticed from my left something was coming at me. Its silhouette reminded me of sea bass and probably it was good in size. It really came very close to me and as it turned, I pulled the trigger. The spear found its coveted target in the back and the sea bass fell on the seabed. Immediately it started shaking to get rid of the spear, but... It was a wonderful sea bass off 1.7 kg. (5th Picture: Here is the biggest one...). I was impressed that it had marks on its head, silver dots. I have rarely seen this in the sea bass that I have caught in the past. After a while I found again in the school of the bogues. I do not know if it was the same school of fish, but it also had countless members. But these fish were all swimming together towards one direction, unlike our previous meeting. I was waiting hidden in my post... when something appeared on the horizon. Something white, triangular and in the blurry waters. I was not able to see it clearly. It seemed that it was approaching me without making any movements!!! A large common eagle ray (Myliobatis aquila) appeared in front of me in full glory. Rarely, it fluttered its wings and was sliding in the water for long distance. I left my post and crawled towards the eagle ray. It fearlessly continued its course. I could see its hazy colours, but they gave it an eerie nobility. Its back had dark oily colour with hazy blue-light blue vertical wavy lines. Towards the tail the lines were broken as if the Poet of Heaven took His brush and simply Touched it in various places. Its tail was thin, long and was over 2 meters long. It passed by me so close that I touched it with my speargun and then he fluttered violently its wings and disappeared into the deep blue with incredible speed. It must have been over 30 kilos in weight!!! (6th Picture: Hi there...).
"You are very lucky my friend that Peter is not here or we did not met in Karpathos island... The results would have been completely different!!!" I told the eagle ray with a smile, as it got lost into the deep. At that moment, I had reached the end of this fishing grounds and so I got out. I went by car to another fishing spot, mainly because I wanted to see what was going on in this place that was small. In my opinion, the best fishing spot was about fifty meters long. I dived and started the ambushes. Two little sea bass swam towards me, made a circle around me and left. In the next ambush the same thing happened. Only this time it was a sea bass and a medium-sized mullet (Mugil cephalus) again and I did not bother them. In the next and last ambush, while waiting hidden behind a rock, I perceive a glow from my right. I turned gently and saw two nice mullets approaching me. I let the first one to pass and aimed the second one that seemed a little bigger. (7th Picture: The last one of the day...). The spear hit its target in the back and I caught a 1.2 kg mullet and swam to get out. But at the depth of about one meter, there was a pink-purple jelly fish (Pelagia noctiluca ), one of the many I had seen today. Although its long and slender tentacles were amputated (I do not know why), a school of lilliputian fish found shelter between its thick tentacles, thus escaping from any possible predators. I got the video shot I wanted and went out. (8th Picture: Even wounded, it provided shelter!!!). I got dressed as fast as I could, because the north winds were very cold and the sun was biting, I cleaned the fish and went home.
P.S.1. Only someone who experiences what I had experienced today or in any other fishing expeditions can understand this madness.... and I do not exchange it for anything....(9th Picture: We are going to miss you Miltara...)
P.S.2. As soon as I finished this article, I was informed that my friend Miltiadis is no longer among us. Have a good trip my friend and brother. May the earth rests lightly on you. Who knows Miltara, maybe we will meet again one day, hopefully under better conditions, especially for you. (See the article "Homeless Christmas")
