When twentysomething angler Andy Lee was snapped reeling in a big one off Central last month, he made a splash in two ways.
Jaws dropped not only at the size of the one-metre Japanese sea bass hanging from his rod, but also at the youth of the seasoned fisherman regularly dropping a line into the city's waters. But big fish and young anglers are more common in Hong Kong than Victoria Harbour's murky waters and the pastime's grizzled reputation would suggest.
Thomas Chu and Raymond Chan are just two of the young enthusiasts drawn to the water's edge on a Friday night. As fog descends on the harbourfront about 11.30pm, they drop their lines into the inky blackness to test for signs of life.
They're usually only at the Central ferry pier once or twice a month, but news of last month's mega-catch has lured them out again. 'I've caught a fish that was almost one metre long out here before as well,' Chu said, as a ferry bobbed at a pier.
The 20-year-old university student digs out a point-and-shoot camera from his black bag and flicks through frames of sea bass, bream, speckled flatfish all lined up next to a tape measure. Most are about 20cm to 30cm, but there is the occasional one-metre whopper.
Chu and his friends spend hours whiling away the night together and they're among the growing ranks of recreational fishermen found anywhere there's water.