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Tim_N
28-05-2009, 07:22 PM
Today the weather gods were definately shining on us. The forecasts were, for a change, spot on.
I've been watching Seabreeze and Coastwatch for the past 4 or 5 days and couldn't help but not turn up for work today. With the weather being so crappy for what seems like ages, I just had to do it. And boy I'm glad I did.
I tried to get a deckie, but Dazza was baby sitting, Pete had to open the shop, Terry had a meeting, Crab is too hen pecked etc etc, so bugger it, I'll go alone.
Headed out from Bribie on a very still, cool morning to round the bottom of Bribie and be met with, well flat seas, minimal swell and a tide that was about to flood. My aim was to get to the Caloundra 12 mile for sun rise and with the seas being so friendly, I made it in time to be greeted by the false dawn. Picture perfect. And that was how the rest of the day panned out too.
The fish were a little slow early on with a few Mauri's, a single Grassie and decent Moses coming onboard when I made the call to move a little to another mark up there.
After pulling up on a bit of a show, I fed the first floater down, (the target being Snapper) and went to grab my other rod and throw out another pillie, when the first floated gets nailed.
To cut a long story short, a Cobia is boatside and ready to be gaffed. I usually don't fish solo for a number of reasons and trying to hold a rod, keep the line clear of all protruding bits, and gaff a cranky Cobe is another reason for not fishing alone. Anyway after a bit of twisting and jiving, a 10.2 kg Cobe hits the deck and now the esky is looking much better.
This was the start of a torrid session. Following that a few Snapper, best went 4.345 kg came aboard the little Fisher and when I was considering pulling the pin at about 11 am, my floater gets nailed again, this time it is really racing.
Well, I knew what it was, and after plenty of huffing and puffing a 13.7 kg Cobia lands on the deck. I reckon a video of the gaff shot would have been hilarious because when the sunk the gaff in, it entered more towards the tail and it put on a real turn and there was tug of war happening and stalemate until something kicked in and over the side it came.
Another reason not to fish solo is that you cannot take photos and I don't like pics of dead, bent fish, but hey, that's all I've got as evidence. These sort of pics don't do the fish justice, my either for that matter, I think I had better put a shirt on next time.
The gear used for the Snapper was my Egrell S6 Certate Hyper 2500 combo with 10 lb Fins and 16 lb Triumph flurocarbon leader, and both the Cobia seemed to love my other combo which is a Egrell Bear S6 and Daiwa Heartland 3000, spooled with 15 lb Fins and 16 lb Triumph flurocarbon leader. These outfits are amazing and can knock over serious fish and the more I use this equipment, the more it amazes me. I usually SP fish but today I couldn't give a plastiic away, so back to the old smelly stuff for a change.
Anyway, I'm knackered and apologise for the poor photos, but if this is what taking a sickie is all about, I think I'll get crook again, maybe next week, and the week after.......
Tim

tailorboi99
28-05-2009, 07:25 PM
I'm sure there will be plenty more sickies from where this one came ;). Good fish and sounds like the day was much much better than a day at the office.

Thanks Tom

jtpython
28-05-2009, 07:29 PM
Great stuff Nice Cobes
Cobes are mongrel's to gaff with 2 guys let alone by yourself LOL

JT

skipalong
28-05-2009, 07:30 PM
nice one tim a couple of beauties there, ill be able to join you out the in a very short time for a sesh.

justin

outsiderskip
28-05-2009, 08:06 PM
few cobes start to get about
nice catch beats working



pete

Tim_N
28-05-2009, 08:32 PM
Yeah the Cobia are starting to show up especially up the coast. I pulled the hooks on another one today and got absolutely smoked by another.
I started getting them about 3 weeks ago, but back then they were undersized.
The bag limit of 2 per person is, in my opinion, a good rule change.
Tim

Greg P
28-05-2009, 09:22 PM
Nice work Tim. I really wanted to get out today but too many work commitments spoiled the plan.

Conditions looked good. Much current or floatsam out there?


Cheers

Greg

dazza
28-05-2009, 09:33 PM
hi
missed out on a good trip oh well next week;D;D, but the snapper went down a treat, the tribe demolished it ;D
would have loved to have been a fly on the wall with the gaffing
cheers
dazza

Tim_N
28-05-2009, 09:39 PM
Hi Greg,
Water clarity is good, flotsam all but gone, but water temp still a little high for the Snapper. Today it was around 21'C, so it has got to get much colder yet before the Snapper season is in full swing.
Mind you, there's plenty of small Squire (if I may call them that) about, so it won't be too far away.
The conditions today were excellent. I think a bit more run would have been better, but hey, I'm not complaining. The mornings tide variation was only around 0.8m on the Sunny Coast and I generally like more than that, but you have got to take the weather when it was like it was today.
Tim

Tim_N
28-05-2009, 09:41 PM
Too right Dazza, Captian Kaos at his finest.
Tim

Wahoo
28-05-2009, 10:04 PM
great report Tim, nice cobe, i tried to take a sickie last week........i would'nt let me...lol... wish i did now

Daz

reel scream
28-05-2009, 10:45 PM
I tried to get a deckie, but Dazza was baby sitting, Pete had to open the shop, Terry had a meeting, Crab is too hen pecked etc etc, so bugger it, I'll go alone.


And Scotts phone must have been broken.....................geeze:( . And yes Timmy- keep your shirt on. This is a kid friendly site:o .

Nice fish mate. Havn't looked in my back fridge yet;D .

cheers

Scott

Schuey
29-05-2009, 06:59 AM
Good catch there Tim. I hear you with trying to get a deckie sometimes. I have heard everything from "the dog is dead and i gotta bury it" to the all too familiar "gotta work". Sometimes you just gotta fly solo, i do it alot outside. Today I've got my plumber mate ready to pull the pin on work so going out in a couple of hours. Yeah the cobes can be interesting to gaff solo but i always try and play them out wide and know that they've always got 2 runs still in them when they see the boat. I've made a meal of it before though. Good report.

Schuey

thelump
29-05-2009, 08:00 AM
Awesome effort solo mate. Bet you smiled all the way home!