Page 89 - Bulletin 23- 2020
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end of the tunnel (literally) and emerged at the end of the tunnel to see Fish Hoek lying
down below me in the valley. What a relief to breathe fresh air again, after the mustiness
of the cave. After a while we turned and went back into the cave and made our way back
to the Kalk Bay side. When we arrived back at “Upcott”, he gave me half-a-crown for my
bravery, at going through with the crawl through the cave.
Jack Moore was also a renowned fisherman. I was fortunate to interview his daughter Edith then
aged 87 in 2000. She was born in Woodbine Cottage [Essex Road] in 1913 and lived in Kalk Bay
her whole life.
Jack was friendly with Leo Biden the well-known fisherman and author of the renowned Sea
Angling Fishes of the Cape. The Bidens lived at Drumahoe opposite the harbour gates. Jack
spent a lot of time helping edit the book and he and Biden spent many hours sitting in the
armchairs in the lounge working through the proofs of the book.
Jack was meticulous about recording all his catches in diaries which I was shown – a truly
amazing collection of information. He fished off the harbour and rocks every day he could and
an example of a month’s catch was in 1907 when he caught 408 fish of all varieties.
Klip fish 113 Hottentot 80 Galjoen 65 Fransmadam 48 John Brown 41
Rooiman 39 Silverfish 14 Dasje 13 Gurnet 3 White Stump 1
Red Steenbras 1
Between 1907 and 1930 his total catch was 8,745 fish.
A fish that became a legend
In 1912 Jack became a fishing legend when he caught this enormous kabeljouw off the rocks at
Kalk Bay. After being weighed it was brought to Upcott where it was hung up by Portuguese
fisherman John Baptiste. (Fig. 3.22). Next day, after being photographed, the fish was given to
Baptiste who sold it to the Majestic Hotel for a princely five shillings (50c). Edith remembered
her mother being very embarrassed because the fish was hanging in an iron shed at the back of
the house and some of the guests from the Majestic Hotel, in all their finery, came to look at it.
