If you had had asked me 7 years ago whether or not this event had any
longevity, I would have been dubious but now I’m convinced that this thing has
legs. Starting out as a small home grown event dedicated to the origins of the
humble fish and attracting local aficionados, the Fish Fry has become a global
event with variations on the theme being organised in beaches across the world.
Organiser and fish fanatic Grant Newby has carefully groomed the event year
after year, tailoring the day to keep it fresh and revitalised. This years
incarnation included all foam sliders from our little twin fin friends to logs,
quads, asymmetrical, paipos, alaias and hand planes, a veritable line up of
equipment which at a grass roots level is changing the face of surfing as we
know it.
We are in an interesting time with surfing right now where people are
open to alternatives, about the experimentation, about challenging convention
and having a go themselves. There is definitely a simmering undercurrent. Small
pockets of individuals on a journey of rediscovery - rebuilding surfing from
the garage upwards, backyard innovators forming a ground swell of enthusiasm,
revitalising the stoke and re-evoking the soul. At its core this is what the
Fish Fry is about, has become! A forum for like-minded individuals, a gathering
of surfing’s true core shapers, glassers, artists and visionaries. The future
is looking very bright indeed, thanks to the craftsmanship in Eden Saul's Dead
Kooks fabric inlaid hull entry pintails, in Sam Yoon’s Flying Soul heavy rake
finned logs, in Shoji Mujo's geometric Fantastic Plastic Machine hex-nosed
flyer pintails, Grant Newby's foam core paulownia timber vacuum-bagged, lanolin rubbed, snub nose simmons. It is with the support of master shapers
like Rich Pavel from California who has attended every Fish Fry on the Gold
Coast, who takes the time to talk, encourage and support young shapers who turn
up with their home grown creations. These young shapers work in other fields but
love the challenge of crafting something for themselves and close friends in
their garage, under the house, just like it used to be. This is where the next
generation is born. It is where fresh ideas come to mind, free of the worries
of running a business and trying to makes ends meet in a competitive industry
with small margins.
Along with this came an eccentric mix of beautifully hand crafted wooden hand planes, a travelling Japanese soul surfer and musician, families enjoying surf culture together and in the many strange and wonderful saltwater sleds that saw the light of day at the heart of what the Fish Fry means to people. The phoenix had risen and the forefathers of surfing are smiling once again.
Eden Saul the Dead Kooks man with inlaid log.
Grant Newby's Alley Slider.
Fully raked fin on Grant Newby's Salty Sled.
Grant Newby's Paulownia vacuum bagged Simmon's fleet with Papa Nui's Quad in green.
Eden Saul's Kooky logo.
The Alley Tee.
Papa Nui's Simmon's Fish hybrid Quad with Japanesesque fin setup.
Shoji Muto's stringerless quiver.