Fishing With Your Feet
I went recently to the sands of Arnside in Lancashire to see if the ancient art of 'wet-footing' worked, where flounder can be caught just by standing on them. Yes, not a hook in sight. And no licence needed, as with all coastal fishing (apart from certain species & areas - check online if you're not sure & don't blame us if you run into trouble!). Once we established the right area, it was just a case of walking round, slowly and concentrating, until the first encounter. I was aware of what it was like, but it's still a massive shock to feel a dinner-plate-sized lifeform suddenly move under your bare foot! After the first few (mostly smaller, saucer-sized ones) I slowly learned to walk like someone in a minefield, imagining that every step will find a similar experience. Alas, several dozen steps later, I realised it wasn't the limitless cornucopia of the most sustainable fish I was to encounter, but eventually I managed to step on one and keep it there. I dived down with my hands and grabbed the little blighter, to raise it up out of its watery home and off to shore I waded. A small crowd gathered, including some children, and out came the digicams. To preserve the flounder's dignity (and ours) we moved away to despatch the poor thing. A couple of clouts with a priest put an end to the fish's suffering, and eventually put a meal on the table. After going back to the sea for some more, I only had a further two chances - one swam away in a wake of turbulent sand as it slipped from under my foot, and the other eluded my grip as I bought it to the surface. The nearby heron made fishing look so easy.
The marsh ecology around the area revealed many edible plants - sea plantain, orache, elder flowers, marsh samphire. We even found a chicken-of-the-woods mushroom growing on a yew tree, and decided that it might have absorbed some of the yew's famously deadly alkaloids, so we left it to grow on. So, one fish for supper! Even though it took about 2 hours to catch one fish, it was my first time, and I learned so much about it, as well as enjoying the whole thing.The result? Milk-poached flounder with sea plantain risotto. A tasty, healthy meal resulting from a great day out. What more could you ask for?
Kit List
My GoLite Peak pack came in handy for the day. I always have some drybags handy for collecting wild resources, along with a sigg flask (I like my water cool) and an adapted coffee tin to use as a cooking pot/mug if needed. I also have a honey stove permanently with me as I'm addicted to open fires. I was wearing a lightweight Haglofs shirt - the Paleo - as I knew it'd dry quickly (which it did) and offered some wind-resistance, but the onshore winds were a little nippy (especially when the clouds covered the sun) so my old faithful Rab Microlight Down Vest came out, even though I risked a drenching if I fell in. This feather-light waistcoat has also lived in my daypack (or on my back in winter) with waterproofs for that cozy, almost smug, feeling you get when the weather changes unexpectedly. My trousers were Oxford weave cotton combat pants, and with a DWR coating did surprisingly well. They got wet as I couldn't resist the deeper parts of the channel, but dried much quicker than I anticipated. I decided on dense-weave cotton as it has sun protection, it's tough woth gorse & nettles and I'm assessing its much-maligned properties as an outdoor material - 'On the hills, cotton kills!' as opposed to 'On the fells, plastic smells!'. My old faithful (more cotton!) Tilley hat completed the day's kit list, with full-brim protection, head & chin straps for security, and that constant wetness which helps cool you down. Altogether a most pleasing day, and plenty more to come. Fred
