Barra Fishermen

Every morning between 5 & 6 a.m. the fishermen from Barra begin their day. They roar into the lagoon on their pangas to catch their daily bait. Typically there is one man driving and one who stands on the bow with a large net in his hands. When the bow man sees a fish “boil” the driver stops the panga and the front guy throws the net out and hauls in a wriggling mass of small fish. There are usually quite a number of pangas racing around the anchored boats, stopping, starting, throwing nets and hollering to one other. By 8:30 or so the fishermen have usually collected all the bait they need for the day and they head out to sea to set their lines. They lay long lines (sometimes extending several miles) to which are attached individual baited lines that hang down in the water. A black flag is attached to one end and every 25 or 30 ft an empty plastic pop bottle or jug is attached to act as a float. It is very difficult to see the floats in the ocean (not to mention black flags so when we are lucky enough to find a panga at the other end to guide you through it is a real blessing. I've heard many horror stories from cruisers who have ended up with lots of fishline wrapped around their propellers, keels, rudders, etc and that causes all manner of problems. Around here all the fishing is done during the day but I’ve been told that as you travel farther south there are lines out at night or around the clock. As hard as it is to see the lines during the day I am not looking forward to sailing where they fish at night!