You may find this article in English at the end of the Greek version.
Title: Finally a decent sea bass...
Video & Φωτογραφία : Ζαχαρίας Σκευοφύλαξ.
Έφυγα πολύ νωρίς το πρωί για να προλάβω την αλλαγή του καιρού. Η πρόβλεψη έλεγε ότι θα ενισχυθεί η δύναμη του αέρα από το μεσημέρι και μετά. Βρέθηκα στον Β Ευβοϊκό με το που ξεπρόβαλε ο ήλιος. Εκεί που ετοιμαζόμουν για να βουτήξω βλέπω κάτι πρωτόγνωρο. Σε ένα πεταμένο πλαστικό ποτήρι του καφέ, πάνω από μια ντουζίνα σαλιγκάρια το έχουν κάνει σπίτι τους!!! Η φύση κατάφερε για άλλη μια φορά να μετατρέψει την ασυδοσία του ανθρώπου (να πετάει τα σκουπίδια του όπου βρει) σε χρήσιμη ομορφιά.
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| 'Όταν η φύση έχει κέφια!!! |
Χαμογέλασα και βούτηξα. Τα νερά κρύα, εννοείται 15οC και η θολούρα οριακή. Σε κάποια μέρη όμως ήταν πιο πολύ απ΄ότι ήθελα. Σε ένα από τα πρώτα μου καρτέρια, προσγειώθηκα σε ένα τέτοιο μέρος. Με το ζόρι διέκρινα μισό μέτρο πέρα από το ψαροντούφεκο. Έτσι προς το τέλος του καρτεριού, διέκρινα μια καλή σκιά και πάτησα την σκανδάλη. Το σκοινί ξετυλίχτηκε σαν τρελό, χωρίς να ξέρω τι στόχο είχα πετύχει. Μετά από λίγο είχα στα χέρια μου το πρώτο ψάρι της ημέρας που ήταν ένας κέφαλος του ενάμισι κιλού (1,5 κιλά ).
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| Ο 1ος κέφαλος και ο μεγαλύτερος... |
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| Η χοντρή σουπιά της ημέρας... |
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| Ο 2ος κέφαλος... |
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| Ο 3ος και μικρότερος... |
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| Μόλις που πρόλαβα να την δω... |
Γύρισα γρήγορα το ψαροντούφεκο, αλλά... και βγήκα. Οδήγησα λίγο πιο κάτω και βούτηξα. Πριν προλάβω να τακτοποιήσω τον εξοπλισμό μου, μπροστά μου κάθεται ένα καπόνι. Οπλίζω όσο πιο γρήγορα μπορώ και από την επιφάνεια χωρίς να βουτήξω του ρίχνω.
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| Το καπόνι για την σούπα, αλλά λίγο μικρό... |
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| Η 2η σουπιά για σήμερα... |
"Ας κάνουμε μερικά καρτέρια ακόμη και βλέπουμε. Έχω αρχίσει να κουράζομαι..." είπα στον εαυτό μου. Είμαι σχεδόν 4 ώρες στο νερό κι έχω κάνει 68 βουτιές όπως λέει το καταδυτικό ρολόι. Έκανα μερικά, καρτέρια αλλά μάταια. Δεν είδα τίποτα.
"Μια τελευταία στο γνωστό σημείο και βγαίνουμε..." είπα στον εαυτό μου. Πήρα μια τελευταία βαθιά ανάσα για να τελειώσω με το σημερινό ψάρεμα. Βούτηξα, σύρθηκα, χωρίς να κουνάω τα πέδιλα, να φτάσω εκεί που ήθελα με τις αισθήσεις μου στο μάξιμουμ. Εκεί μέσα στην θολούρα υπήρχε μια γνωστή φιγούρα. Το λαβράκι σάστισε κι έστριψε για να φύγει ήρεμα. Εγώ σημάδεψα και πάτησα την σκανδάλη. Από το ξέφρενο ξετύλιγμα του μουλινέ, κατάλαβα ότι είχα πετύχει τον στόχο μου και ότι ήταν αρκετά μεγάλο. Μετά από μερικά δευτερόλεπτα, είχα στα χέρια μου αυτό που ποθούσα.
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| Επιτέλους ένας δίκιλος λύκος της θάλασσας!!! |
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| Τέλος για σήμερα. |
Υ.Γ. 2. Το μεγάλο λαβράκι μαζί με ένα ακόμη τα φάγαμε με εκλεκτή παρέα μερικές μέρες αργότερα. Εννοείται τα συνόδευαν και οι εκλεκτοί μεζέδες της Σταυρούλας!!!
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| Με καλή παρέα, όλα είναι πιο νόστιμα!!! |
Translation of the above article.
Title: Finally a decent sea bass...
Video & photos : Zacharias Skevofilax.
I left very early in the morning to be in the chosen fishing spot, before the change of weather. The forecast said that the wind would increase from midday onwards. I found myself in the North Euboea Bay, just as the sun was rising. Where I was getting ready to dive, I saw something unprecedented. In a discarded plastic coffee cup, over a dozen snails have made it their home!!! Nature had once again managed to transform man's impunity (throwing his rubbish wherever he could) into useful beauty. I smiled and dived. (1st Picture: When nature is in a good mood!!!). The waters were cold, 15οC and the turbidity was borderline. But in some places it was more than I wanted. In one of my first ambushes, I landed in such a place. I could barely see half a meter beyond the speargun. So towards the end of the dive, I spotted a good shadow and pulled the trigger. The rope unwound like crazy without knowing what I had achieved. After a while I had in my hands the first fish of the day. It was a mullet (Mugil cephalus) weighing one and a half kilos (1.5 kg). (2nd Picture: The first and biggest mullet...).
"Well done...into this darkness..." I thought and continued. A little further down and while the visibility had somewhat improved, the moment I landed on the bottom, a good common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) jumped out next to me. I turned off the underwater camera, surfaced, always looking towards the cuttlefish. It had gone and hid next to a stone. I immediately dived in, activated the camera and shot it before I lost it for good in the murky waters. But the speed of the dive and the shot resulted in me not having the video of the shot. The bottom was filled with ink from the cuttlefish's struggle to escape. I finally caught the cuttlefish, which was quite big (480gr). (3rd Picture: The fat lady of the day...). I happily hang it on my buoy and continued. A little further down and while I was on the bottom waiting, above and to my right, two mullet appeared. The second one was bigger so I waited a bit for it to pass and pulled the trigger. And so it happened. The spear hit the mullet in its spine and it landed on the muddy bottom (1.2kg). (4th Picture: The second mullet of the day...). I happily put it on with the rest of the fish and continued undeterred. I found a discarded wire mesh on the bottom and hid behind it. I waited long enough, when from my right again a lonely mullet appeared. I let it to approach me even more, although I had a shot, but I wanted to see how big it was or if someone bigger was following it. When I realised it was alone and big enough, I shot it and caught the third mullet of the day, which was the smallest (1.1kg). (5th Picture: The third and smallest mullet of the day...).
"No more mullets today Zac. We caught the ones we wanted..." I said to myself. As if they heard or understood my thoughts, mullets appeared in several dives. Sometimes in schools, sometimes individually. In one of them a mullet came from my right and carelessly passed very close to me. At the same time another came from my left and after a while another from my right, testing my resolve not to shoot them. I smiled and left them alone. In another ambush and while I was waiting on the bottom looking left and right, I perceived at the last moment a large striped sea bream (Lithognathus mormyrus) that came with great speed to see me and with the same speed disappeared into the murky waters. (6th Picture: I barely saw the fish...). I quickly turned the speargun towards the fish, but... and swam out. I drove a little further down and dived again. Before I was ready, a sea robin (Chelidonichthys spinosus) was laying on the seabed in front of me. I armed as fast as I could and from the surface without diving I shot it. Unfortunately it was a bit smaller than I thought, but it would complement the soup that friends and acquaintances had requested. (7th Picture: It is bit small, but it is ok for the soup...). I knew there was a sheet metal that I usually grab while doing shallow ambushes. Approaching it, I found that the sheet metal was occupied. There was another tenant. It was a common cuttlefish. Easy target. I lower the strength of the speargun, aimed and shot it. The cuttlefish filled the sea with ink and I caught my second 350 gr. cuttlefish. (8th Picture: The second cuttlefish of the day...).
"Fishing today has been much better than I expected... but the big one is missing..." I thought.
"Let's do some more ambushes and see. I'm getting tired..." I said to myself. I had been in the water for almost 4 hours and I had done 68 dives according to my diving watch. I did a few, ambushes but.... I did not see anything.
"One last dive at the familiar spot and we're out..." I said to myself. I took one last deep breath to finish today's fishing. I dived, crawled, without moving the flippers, to get where I wanted with my senses at their maximum. There in the blur was a familiar figure. A sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) startled and turned to calmly to swim away. I aimed and pulled the trigger. From the frantic unfurling of the speargun's rope, I knew I had hit my target and that it was quite large. After a few seconds, I had in my hands what I craved. (9th Picture: Finally, a two kilo sea wolf!!!). It was a large sea bass weighing two kilos. Joys and festivities, hugs, kisses apologies and thanking the Heavens for Their amazing gifts, I went out. I took the photos I wanted, cleaned the fish and made my way back, tired but full of life... (10th Picture: Done for today...).
PS 1. The sea bass had eaten an annular sea-bream (Diplodus annularis), while in the sea robin's stomach I found a tiny goby (Gobius sp.) and a tine common sole (Solea vulgaris)!!! (11th Picture: ...).
PS 2. We consumed the large sea bass together with a smaller sea bass with special friends a few days later. Of course, they were also accompanied by the fine delicacies of Stavroula!!! (12th Picture: Everything tastes better with a good company!!!).
