Scott nthQld
03-08-2008, 11:34 AM
Well what a day, Got to the ramp and launched at about 4.30 with out a hitch......so I thought. Coming back from parking the car, I noticed the boat was a little ass heavy at first thinking it could be the extra fuel I was carrying for my forst offshore journey. But NO....it was sinking further.....oh not again...THE BUNGS!! In my excitement of the good weather and first trip to the shoals, I'd forgotten them. Ronnie was quick to bring the boat back to the ramp and beach her on some rocks while I waited in line to back the trailer down. Well after 1/2 hour of draining, it was finally my turn to relaunch the boat, making sure the bungs were firmly in this time. Thinking to myself, well, last time this happened (about 8-9 months ago), I got a few nice fish on middle reef inside Maggie, so hoping I was in for a repeat performance by spirits were back up again and off to the shoals we went.
We pulled up near our first mark just as the sun was peeking over the horizon so we chucked a couple of lures over the side to troll and no sooner did we reach trolling speed was I smashed, I hooked in and put the engine in neutral and after a short fight came my first ever, and more importantly WHOLE spanish mackeral which unfortunately went just short of legal so he went back. Continued the troll and Ronnie was the next hit only a couple of minutes later, yep another spaniard, this one under as well.
We kept trolling around a couple of marks and picked up another 2 doggies of about 70-75cm and then the mackeral were no longer interested in our lures. During the troll I had marked a spot where there was a good show, we headed back there and anchored for a spot of bottom fishing. Ronnie was the first with a fish and pulled up a little red emperor all of about 35cm, so it went back to the briny. I was using 2 rods, one with a drifted pilly on gangs (Shimano 5000F Sargosa and 6-10kg Berkley pro tournament rinning 30lb braid, tied into a bimini then to 80lb mono leader) for any marauding mackweral and another on the bottom. Not much was interested in my bottom offerings of squid and pilly but soon enough the floated pilly was slammed and another quick fight I pulled another spanish, also just under, looks like they're weren't any bigger ones about today. So out goes a newly ganged pilly and my bottom baits are hooked up, this one on a little fusilier, so he went on the 100lb handline with a 10/0 owner live bait hook, straight back to the bottom while I rebaited and sent more squid an pilly to the depths. the live bait was soon molested by I suspect a big cod, as the hook had turned back into the bait and therefore no hook up was had with the fish just letting go of the bait about 10m from the bottom, upon inspection of the bait I could see the trademark grazes left by big cod (the bait wasn't small either, coming in at around 25cm).
Ronnie was next to hook up an a just legal smallmouth, which we sent back, because as you all know, shrinkage occurs in icy water. I get slammed again on the drifted pilly by this time a good mackeral, a lot more fight and much heavier weight on the end of the line but the middle hooks straightens, letting the fish go free with a new peircing before we sighted it. I got another 2 doggies, also between 70-75cm for the esky.
Things slowed down so we headed to another couple of marks for zilch before deciding on another troll before heading for the cape. nothing came of that, so I headed to another mark the blokes at one of the local tackle stores gave me, and with much bumpier looking bottom, hopes were high for a few redfish to come aboard.
Well we got our redfish alright, but the wrong variety, more fusiliers that weren't fussy on eating there own either. I was again drifting the pilly out the back and after no big fish activity, Ronnie spots a decent reef shark of about 10ft long, and then my pilly goes off....well you know what I was expecting, that bloody shark had taken my pilly, but I was corrected when I seen a great silver flash near the surface and I called it for a big mackeral, so I started to really put some hurt on him, in hopes of getting it to the boat before the shark got a free meal. Well then it stuck it head out of the water......wait for it this is great......
A friggin billfish, I immediately began shaking with adrenalin as it went deep. holy shit Ronnie its a friggin marlin check this out, came the cry, but as i bouht the fish closer to the boat, it was apparent it was no Marlin indeed, but a sailfish, about 4-5 feet long and est 30kg on my little rod for the day on a set on 3 mustad 7/0 gangs, as it was so close to the boat, the camera was forgotten as ronnie was preparing to grab the bill and boat the fish, I got it right to the boat on the surface (with 3 wraps of leader on the reel), when it moved from the boat a bit and with a big head shake the hooks had pulled. Well was I dissappointed, I didn't even get a photo, but who cares I caught a friggin Sailfish (I read somewhere the when game fishing leader on the reel counts as a capture?)
Well after that, it was a quick visit into the cape for nothing and a troll, also for nothing so we headed home just as the wind started to kick up a bit around 4pm. It was a big day and we covered 85mile on I don't know how much fuel, my guage is busted, but working it out on previous fuel economy, taking into account the 3-4hrs of trolling we did, i would guess about 45L.
A great trip out, 2 firsts, one of which I never I would ever get to do. i know it was more arse than class, but who cares, I've got one up on the old man, and will make sure he knows about it.
We pulled up near our first mark just as the sun was peeking over the horizon so we chucked a couple of lures over the side to troll and no sooner did we reach trolling speed was I smashed, I hooked in and put the engine in neutral and after a short fight came my first ever, and more importantly WHOLE spanish mackeral which unfortunately went just short of legal so he went back. Continued the troll and Ronnie was the next hit only a couple of minutes later, yep another spaniard, this one under as well.
We kept trolling around a couple of marks and picked up another 2 doggies of about 70-75cm and then the mackeral were no longer interested in our lures. During the troll I had marked a spot where there was a good show, we headed back there and anchored for a spot of bottom fishing. Ronnie was the first with a fish and pulled up a little red emperor all of about 35cm, so it went back to the briny. I was using 2 rods, one with a drifted pilly on gangs (Shimano 5000F Sargosa and 6-10kg Berkley pro tournament rinning 30lb braid, tied into a bimini then to 80lb mono leader) for any marauding mackweral and another on the bottom. Not much was interested in my bottom offerings of squid and pilly but soon enough the floated pilly was slammed and another quick fight I pulled another spanish, also just under, looks like they're weren't any bigger ones about today. So out goes a newly ganged pilly and my bottom baits are hooked up, this one on a little fusilier, so he went on the 100lb handline with a 10/0 owner live bait hook, straight back to the bottom while I rebaited and sent more squid an pilly to the depths. the live bait was soon molested by I suspect a big cod, as the hook had turned back into the bait and therefore no hook up was had with the fish just letting go of the bait about 10m from the bottom, upon inspection of the bait I could see the trademark grazes left by big cod (the bait wasn't small either, coming in at around 25cm).
Ronnie was next to hook up an a just legal smallmouth, which we sent back, because as you all know, shrinkage occurs in icy water. I get slammed again on the drifted pilly by this time a good mackeral, a lot more fight and much heavier weight on the end of the line but the middle hooks straightens, letting the fish go free with a new peircing before we sighted it. I got another 2 doggies, also between 70-75cm for the esky.
Things slowed down so we headed to another couple of marks for zilch before deciding on another troll before heading for the cape. nothing came of that, so I headed to another mark the blokes at one of the local tackle stores gave me, and with much bumpier looking bottom, hopes were high for a few redfish to come aboard.
Well we got our redfish alright, but the wrong variety, more fusiliers that weren't fussy on eating there own either. I was again drifting the pilly out the back and after no big fish activity, Ronnie spots a decent reef shark of about 10ft long, and then my pilly goes off....well you know what I was expecting, that bloody shark had taken my pilly, but I was corrected when I seen a great silver flash near the surface and I called it for a big mackeral, so I started to really put some hurt on him, in hopes of getting it to the boat before the shark got a free meal. Well then it stuck it head out of the water......wait for it this is great......
A friggin billfish, I immediately began shaking with adrenalin as it went deep. holy shit Ronnie its a friggin marlin check this out, came the cry, but as i bouht the fish closer to the boat, it was apparent it was no Marlin indeed, but a sailfish, about 4-5 feet long and est 30kg on my little rod for the day on a set on 3 mustad 7/0 gangs, as it was so close to the boat, the camera was forgotten as ronnie was preparing to grab the bill and boat the fish, I got it right to the boat on the surface (with 3 wraps of leader on the reel), when it moved from the boat a bit and with a big head shake the hooks had pulled. Well was I dissappointed, I didn't even get a photo, but who cares I caught a friggin Sailfish (I read somewhere the when game fishing leader on the reel counts as a capture?)
Well after that, it was a quick visit into the cape for nothing and a troll, also for nothing so we headed home just as the wind started to kick up a bit around 4pm. It was a big day and we covered 85mile on I don't know how much fuel, my guage is busted, but working it out on previous fuel economy, taking into account the 3-4hrs of trolling we did, i would guess about 45L.
A great trip out, 2 firsts, one of which I never I would ever get to do. i know it was more arse than class, but who cares, I've got one up on the old man, and will make sure he knows about it.