The One that didn't get away

Reprinted from The Hosteller Spring 1986

Bruce Meincke is renowned for his skills and experience as a bushwalker. But Bruce may not be so well known for his expertise as a fisherman; this photo is evidence of the story.

A youthful looking Bruce is proudly holding a brown trout just over half a metre long - a mean catch by anyone's standards. But Bruce caught this one with his bare hands!

It was Easter 1980. Bruce says he was sponging off in the Moroka River at the end of the day when he first saw the fish. He noticed the still fin breaking the surface behind the undercut of a rock close by. Approaching the fish from behind Bruce "tickled" the trout into submission. This is a technique of careful stroking by hand which mesmerised the trout.

Bruce soon had the big trout by its gills in his hand. The fish measured 52cm and Bruce estimates weighed 2kg. Bruce says the trout tasted as good as it looks. This would be verified by the other seven or so people there that night who shared the prize catch.

He might have been lucky to catch this one but Bruce says he has caught fish this way before. He also has caught many equally big trout by conventional methods. But these stories remain to be told another time.