Hooked on fishing 



Photo by Jim Bahen 



Sherry Banner says 

 her husband, John, isn't 

 a typical recreational 

 fisherman — he's a 

 fanatic. John admits 

 that, weather per- 

 mitting, he spends 

 almost every weekend 

 fishing 20 to 30 miles off 

 Wrightsville Beach or 

 Southport. 



He primarily slow 

 trolls with bait for king 

 mackerel. But he also 

 "plugs" (casts with ar- 

 tificial bait) for speckled 

 trout in the fall and win- 

 ter. 



John says he has 

 always been interested in 

 recreational fishing — 

 saltwater and fresh- 

 water. But his family's 

 move to Wilmington five 

 years ago turned him 

 from an occasional 

 fisherman to a hardcore 

 angler. He admits to 

 already clocking 400 

 hours on the 22-foot 

 Mako he bought last 

 April. 



What draws John to bait a hook and cast a line? He en- 

 joys matching wits with fighting game fish and the taste 

 of freshly caught fish hot out of the oven. 



But he stresses that fishing for the Banners "is a 

 family affair." Sherry and son. Jay, often accompany 

 John on his offshore trips. "It has really given me a lot of 

 one-on-one time with my son," John says. "And Jay's 

 become such a good fisherman that he's almost to the 

 point where he's teaching me." 



And a good offshore angler is one with experience to his 

 credit, sturdy tackle in his hand and good equipment on 

 his console, John says. John's boat. Whiskey -Jack, is 

 equipped with a VHF radio, LORAN-C and a chart 

 recorder. 



"I rely on electronic equipment quite heavily," he 

 says. "It helps you to find underwater structures, ledges 

 or wrecks where game fish congregate, and it allows you 

 to go back to those same spots time and time again." 



But electronic equipment, a good boat and sturdy 

 tackle can amount to a hefty bill for the offshore fisher- 

 man. John estimates that a boat like his, light tackle (20- 

 pound class) and a few electronics could easily cost a 



Jay and John Banner 



recreational fisherman 

 $20,000 to $22,000. 



And then there's the 

 matter of gasoline and oil 

 for each trip. John uses 

 about 60 gallons of gas- 

 oline per trip, costing 

 him from $65 to $85. 

 But John often pays for 

 his gasoline by selling 

 his catch to local fish 

 dealers. (Recreational 

 fishermen must buy a 

 license to sell their 

 catch.) And he catches 

 his own bait with a 12- 

 foot cast net. 



Each year John puts 

 his fishing skills to the 

 test during five to six 

 king mackerel tourna- 

 ments. "I enjoy the com- 

 petition, the friends you 

 make and the chance to 

 make some pretty good 

 money." (Tournaments 

 award cash prizes for the 

 largest catches, and a 

 participant jackpot, 

 called the Calcutta, is 

 divided among the win- 

 ners.) 



Although John is an avid angler, he also is concerned 

 about conservation. He feels that many stocks are over- 

 fished commercially and recreationally. "I think it is 

 time that we had more controls — net sizes, catch 

 quotas, licenses — on recreational and commercial 

 fishing. There's got to be some compromises on both 

 sides." 



John favors a saltwater fishing license if the money 

 from the license is funneled back into the recreational 

 fishery through better regulations, more enforcement 

 and development of artifical reefs. "A saltwater license 

 would show just how many saltwater fishermen there are 

 out there," he says. "I think people will be surprised at 

 that number." 



John believes most recreational fishermen favor a 

 license. A license would offer anglers an opportunity to 

 provide input into regulations that are inevitable, he 

 says. "With increased catches and better equipment and 

 boats, it's hard for a fish to find a place to hide," he says. 

 "That's why I think we have got to have better con- 

 servation." 



— Kathy Hart 



