Rio Cobre Dam: A fishing haven
Published:Wednesday | January 20, 2021 | 12:12 AM
Dams are among the most overlooked fishing places, but for two brothers, the Rio Cobre Dam in St Catherine is their fishing haven.
The dam was the first major endeavour to develop irrigated agriculture in Jamaica and was completed between 1874 and 1876.
However, the flood rains of May 21, 1991, resulted in the collapse of the Rio Cobre Dam and much disruption to irrigation and domestic water supplies.
It was reconstructed by May 1995 at a cost of J$257.5 million and today, it is the source of water for agricultural, industrial and domestic purposes, serving the St Catherine plains and communities in and around Spanish Town.
Alpha and Omega Doeman, 21 and 18 years old, respectively, are self-taught fishers who live in lower Sligoville. Their bait is morass, and tilapia or perch is the most common fish caught in the water body.
“It’s kinda challenging. I have to condition my mind for the days when I come and don’t catch any fish at all. I really catch fish to sell back,” Alpha told The Gleaner, as he reeled in the bait
before casting it again.
Alpha added that there are no risks to fishing at the dam, but a major requirement is being an experienced swimmer.
His younger brother Omega shared that he began fishing six years ago, and it is now a part of his daily routine to swim and fish.
“From mi a likkle boy coming up, mi come a river and start swim. I watch what other people do and learn, until I become a pro,” he boasted.
UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
He explained that the current of the river, which is often high, makes each fishing experience unique.
“It’s not like the sea, where the water is flat; yuh can’t predict this water. At sea, if di wave a come in, it’s bad for the fishing,” he explained.
The teen added that he catches an average of five fish on each trip and sometimes none, “as it depends on my luck”.
Based on the day’s catch, he decides whether to prepare steamed or fried fish at home or to make a sale along the Bog Walk Gorge.
“Sometimes the rain fall and mi haffi go home early, and yuh have a season when fish stop bite,” he said of the slow periods.