Angling for fun

It's 10.00 am. The winds are calm and the deep blue sea is almost still, it's all quiet on board. The Sneak Away, operated by the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, is trawling lazily at about seven knots. Suddenly the lull is shattered by an air of extreme excitement on board as chief mate Eddie exclaims. "We've got a big one." The fishing rod is dipping towards the sea. Captain Angus steadies the boat and passes quick instructions around.

Andy (an amateur angler, like the rest of us on board) puts on a 'belt' around his waist and sits on the 'hunting seat', puts the rod on the belt, ready to the chase the game. "Reel it in when you lower, hold on to the reel when you pull," instructs the captain of the 32-footer sports fishing boat.

The mysterious catch is slowly being tugged in. We're all eagerly anticipating as to what's at the end of the line. There's more speculation but skipper Angus, an experienced sea-farer, is confident. "It's a big one, maybe a barracuda or kingfish," he says.