Like father, like son

By Emma Sun
FOR Ron Smith, there are few things in life that are more pleasurable than being on a boat and fishing.
The 28-year-old from Bunyip has had a deep passion for fishing since a young age, and the thrill that got him started is still keeping him going.
“I’ve been into fishing since I was five,” Ron said.
“It was my father’s influence. He was into fishing and bought a boat in 1998. After that, we just fished every weekend at a little place called Yarram in South Gippsland.
“I just fell in love with fishing, the thrill of catching fish and listening to family friends talking about fish, so I pursued it myself as I grew older.”
He has always been keen to promote fishing as a hobby for the whole family, and it has recently transformed into more than just a hobby for him.
He now co-hosts a fishing television show called Catch and Cook, which is on channel 31 and Aurora on Foxtel.
“I grew up watching Rex Hunt on television and always dreamt of doing something along those lines,” Ron said.
“I’ve always wanted to do a show about fishing and show the world how passionate I am about doing it.”
He was quick to clarify that the television show, and all his other fishing related endeavours, was not an ego thing.
“It’s mainly for self satisfaction – you put in the hard yards and when you get rewarded with a good fish or a particular fish you’ve been trying to target, it feels good,” he said.
“For a fisherman to target a particular species and get it is good. I don’t do it to build up my ego, it’s just more of a personal thing – I just love to do it.”
Ron has always advocated that people don’t have to travel great lengths to get a great catch, and he revealed that Western Port Bay is the perfect place to catch any kind of fish.
“Western Port is really a fishery of dreams,” Ron said.
“I caught my biggest ever snapper there, as well as gummies, school sharks and a mulloway.”
Ron said his most prized catch would, without a doubt, be the mulloway.
“I went out fishing a couple of years ago and caught a mulloway, which is a prize catch for any fisherman in Victoria,” he said.
“It’s like the holy grail. They’re a very elusive fish, very smart and cunning. You know you’re doing pretty good to be able to catch one, you’re lucky to catch one in your lifetime. So for an ordinary angler like myself, I’ve done alright.”
Ron’s five-year-old son William has already picked up fishing and has caught a number of spectacular fish for his young age. A particular instance was when Ron took him on a trip during Christmas.
“He blew me away. He caught five King George Whiting. It was just great to hear the young fella yell ‘dad I’ve got one!’” Ron said.
“We caught 32 fish that day – my father was there too. It was a father, son, son day. It was really good. I’ll always remember it and I’m sure he will too.”