Angling in Chennai rides a wave of growing interest after COVID-19

At Olive Beach, Muttukadu, the hands of the salty wayward sea are quick to erase the footprints of anglers on its bank. A billowing blue flows from every distance.  Bait boxes are spread out along the sandy banks and gusty winds reverberate. As the crabs scuttle with the ebbing waves, a string of anglers has their eyes on the drifting currents — to hook a prized catch.  

After a COVID-19-induced pause, professional and recreational anglers have taken to the sport like fish to water. As the pandemic saw people spending a lot of time on online platforms like YouTube — videos posted by angling associations in Chennai like Poseidon Sport Fishing Tackles and Charter and Anglers Fishing Tackles have sent ripples among enthusiasts.  

Angling is a kind of sport fishing that requires a blanket of calm, crisp blue skies and serene weather. The meditative sport is played with the help of a fishing rod which has a lure or bait attached to its tip. Lures are shiny plastic devices that resemble smaller species of fish. There are primarily two kinds of fishing — seawater and river water fishing.

As interest in the sport grows, people have also taken to fishing in lakes, ponds, and smaller water bodies. Angling tackles are priced between ₹2,000 and ₹2,00,000. While Poseidon has discontinued boat rides for fishing, Anglers Fishing Tackles offers boat rides that cost ₹3,000 per person for a 2-3 hour trip.

Catch and Release 

A redeeming feature of the sport is that the fish hooked by each angler is released within five seconds of it being caught. “In all professional angling competitions, fish must be released into the water within the stipulated time. On failing to do so, the participant is disqualified from the games,” says professional angler Dinesh Kumar Ravindran, owner of Anglers Fishing Tackles. The thrill of the sport depends on hooking a fish, taking a photograph with it, and immediately releasing it back into the waters. Commercial fishermen, on the other hand, go on to sell the fish in markets.    

In Chennai, Anglers Fishing Tackles organises All India Game Fishing Association (AIGFA) Tamil Nadu Fishing Competition which is held on salt waters. Since its inception in 2013, the competition has been held in the fish-laden waters of Malvan, Ganapatipule (Maharashtra), Mangalore, Mysore, Neil Island in Andaman and Kovalam beach in Chennai.

The competition usually draws more than 110 professional anglers from across the country. The participant hooking various species of fish is given the first place along with a prize money of about ₹4 lakh.

Angling enthusiast Nambi Rajan, a security guard says, “I have been watching videos posted by Dinesh. In the process, I have learnt how to fish within six months. My biggest catch has been a 22kg Giant Trevally fish,” says a smiling Nambi — elated to serendipitously meet his virtual coach at the beach. 

Standing a few steps away from Nambi is his friend Sendhil, an AC mechanic, who has been angling for six years now. As he speaks about his passion which is also his second job, he speaks with a glint in his eye. “Once you touch the fishing rod, that’s it!,” exclaims Sendhil. “Once you catch a fish, you get hooked, not the fish,’’ chuckles the professional.  

An angler for the last 23 years, Prasanna, owner of Poseidon, a hook and tackle shop in Chennai‘s Ayyavoo Colony in Aminjikarai says that the sport calms him. “When I am angling, I don’t just cast out the bait, I also cast out my worries,” says the angler lyrically. Prasanna’s prized catch has been a rare nine-foot marlin, which he caught in the deep waters of Chennai.  

Homemaker Anitha Visnu has been angling since 2018. “During the lockdown, angling was a stress buster for me and my family. Although there are no all-women angling groups in Chennai, young school-going girls are taking to the sport which is demanding, requires stamina and is expensive to pursue,’ says the homemaker. Anitha’s biggest catch has been a 35kg stingray which she caught while shore-fishing in Chennai.  

A wider net

After the pandemic, Poseidon saw a 30- 40% increase in sales. “More people realised the need to be outdoors. Now, most of my customers are IT professionals, police officers and doctors who like to go fishing with their families in quiet environs,” says Prasanna. 

Speaking about the spurt in interest, Dinesh says, “Post 2019, we have seen a growth in interest and an increase in fishing equipment sales.” Anglers Fishing Tackles, along with Poseidon are two of the major units in Chennai selling accessories essential to fishing such as fishing rods, reels, baits, camping accessories, swivels and sinkers.

Talking about the growth of angling societies in Chennai, veteran angler and software professional Suresh Kaul has an unpopular opinion. Circling the world of fishing, like an ominous black bird, are superstitions held even by senior anglers. Suresh says, “I thought my Juventus jersey was lucky for me. But everytime I wore it, I would return with small catches. When a friend asked me to switch clothes, I gradually was able to hook stingrays and sharks!” laughs Suresh. 

Previously Anglers Fishing Tackles used to see one or two walk-ins a day. After the pandemic boom the shop has 15-20 walk-ins per day with a significant increase in online sales. “Per month equipment sales have gone from ₹50,000 in a month to ₹30,00,000 per month”, says Dinesh. As the world of angling in Chennai continues to rage in blue. Like a page from a Hemingway novel, the salty waters are symbolic of the oceanic yet fiery zeal of fishing enthusiasts. With each experience and failed expedition, anglers continue to ride the tides of time.