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View Full Version : A big mac.... Thanks



roz
08-01-2012, 09:29 PM
I hardly ever miss catching a mackeral out off Agnes Water/1770.
However it's not that often I get to land a really really BIG mackeral, mine usually average between 5 to 10 kilos at a guess. My favourite hunting spot is Outer Rock, second option is Middle Rock.
There is not much to Outer Rock or Middle Rock for that matter, but they definately attract the mackeral, I have also picked up the odd Cobia and my one and only Sail Fish (tagged and released).
I only ever tow dead baits, my favourite being Pike which I catch down off Coffs, they are tough, easy to rig and mackeral seem to love them.
Fridays' forecast was pretty good so Outer Rock here I come!!! Towed around for about half an hour landing one small to average mackeral, went on to lose about four baits...hits and misses, I'm always amazed when I pull in a well rigged bait to find it slashed in half, the fish having missed three to five ganged hooks plus a strong trebble under the tail, fish must have fingers!!
It went fairly quiet so I decided to head back to Middle Rock.
Arrived at the southern end and began feeding out Mr Pike, obviously the mackeral took the bait as it was sinking, I hadn't even put my reel into gear so things got a little dodgey as I tried to sort out line that was literally screaming off my trusty old alvey, must add at one point I thought I was going to be spooled as I hadn't re adjusted the drag. I still had no idea what I had hooked up on, the fish did about four or five very long runs before I even came close to turning it, was also getting very low on mono at that point. After an eternity of pump and wind I felt I was getting close enough to feel confident.
The water was rather turbid so it wasn't until the fish was around six metres from the boat that I saw what I was hooked up on, people that know me will say I am rarely lost for words, the worst thing about seeing a fish like that is the thought of losing it at the gaff but my gaffing person or Mr gaffa did a top job.
after that it was physically impossibe for me to hold up the fish for a photo, I only just managed to drive the boat back to the boat ramp and still needed a lot of help to hold the fish for photos, dropped it twice, luckily into the water. The look on other fishos faces was priceless!!!
Unfortunately the only thing lacking is the weight, on arriving back at the boat ramp I went into the Marina only to find they only had electronic bathroom scales, we must have tried a dozen times, it was impossible to sit the fish on the scales,so I weighed myself (54.2 kilos) then stepped on holding the fish, kept on getting an error message. Went down to the butchers shop, his scales only went to 15 kilos, got home and the scales we use for the M&G go to 20kg but were out of battery power, so I gave up!! We will never know, so I invite everyone who reads this report to have a guess.
My guess is between 20 and 30kg, my PB is 23kg and this fish looks a bit larger, it measured 1.5 metres long.
There you have it!!!!
Let me know what you think.
Much appreciated
Cheers Roz :)

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm246/Lucky_Phill/2012_0109bigmak0009.jpg

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm246/Lucky_Phill/2012_0109bigmak0018.jpg


http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm246/Lucky_Phill/2012_0109bigmak0029.jpg

smclaren
08-01-2012, 09:40 PM
Nice solid fish that ! Well done. I reckon it's a 25kg model !

outta line
08-01-2012, 09:47 PM
what a cracker of a fish......i say it would be in the high 20s maybe 27kg....well done

nigelr
09-01-2012, 05:34 AM
I'll guess 26kg lol, great fish! Ever tow dead (or live) tailor Roz?
Cheers.

krazyfisher
09-01-2012, 05:36 AM
25kg would be my guess

Apollo
09-01-2012, 06:17 AM
Top mac Roz. I guess the weight at 22.9kgs!!!

Steve



Nah, just kidding - mid twenties, perhaps a bit better as it is getting that thickness through the tail wrist.

carnster
09-01-2012, 06:36 AM
Awesome Mack Roz congrats. You are going to have to change your avatar now! BTW apparently the big spanish are on down your way in nnsw so you might be catching a few more. I hope you ate only one piece last night to test for cigutera.

Lucky_Phill
09-01-2012, 06:37 AM
27.49kgs............. at least.


cheers LP

trymyluck
09-01-2012, 07:15 AM
Great fish Roz, your smile say's how big it was.........Huge.

Tangles
09-01-2012, 08:06 AM
awesome fish Roz,

MEG-A-BITE
09-01-2012, 08:20 AM
Well done, thats a really good Mac and I would say closer to 30kg.Hope they start turing up down this end of the world.

Giffo65
09-01-2012, 08:29 AM
That certainly is a Big Mac with the works,nice fish.As Carnster said,I would also be a bit worried about Cigutera.In saying that, I ate a 20kg one I caught off Bundy last year and no probs.

fishfeeder
09-01-2012, 09:27 AM
Great fish and report, Another top photo to add to the wall.... Jealous LOTS !!

Cheers
Brett

Crestcutter
09-01-2012, 09:32 AM
Nice fish Roz, i reckon 30 kilo roundabouts. You certainly know your macs.

buggerit
09-01-2012, 10:38 AM
Geez Roz it's bloody huge . Good work .

Kev

BeastMaster
09-01-2012, 11:55 AM
Good fish there Roz - I recon it's high 20's, I bet it went hard.
What pound wire ?
Regards
BeastMaster

thedeckie
09-01-2012, 12:06 PM
Nice work Roz, you must be sick of catching them that size by now ;D

I won't try and guess the weight but probably heavier than you with two VB's in ya belly.

Oh, and a happy new year.....talk soon.

Cheers

Paul

Black_Rat
09-01-2012, 12:31 PM
Nice one Roz ! About 26.45 Kgs I reckon !

Ya must have some power in those guns to reel that horse in ! :o ;D

tropicrows
09-01-2012, 12:32 PM
Top fish there Roz, you definitely know your stuff. What a cracker !!!!!!!!!!!!

roz
09-01-2012, 02:17 PM
Good fish there Roz - I recon it's high 20's, I bet it went hard.
What pound wire ?
Regards
BeastMaster

Hey there,
thanks for the response.
Yes, it did go hard, well more like screeming fast.
As for the rig, I make up my own, this one was made up of straight pattern heavy duty 6/0s, I often go up to 9/0s depends on what bait I'm towing.
The trace was multi strand wire, can't tell you the breaking strain...can't remember, I don't like using a thick long trace, no more than around 40cm long (give or take) the only swivel joins the strace to the mono, no leader, that's another issue for me, I only troll using mono. I don't use crimps either, I prefer to heat the wire, and twist it to secure the join to the hook end and swivel end, this does compromise the metal however I have NEVER had a breakage and I've spent countless hours hooked up onto unwanted sharks. The plus is no crimps (less visible) I've had crimps pull apart, I must admit I still use them from time to time if I have to quickly make up a towing rig.
Sorry about the long winded answer.
Cheers R.
p.s. wait till I get serious about sweeties!!!

frenzy
09-01-2012, 05:51 PM
I saw one 25kg and he looked very similar, nice fish well done.

Horse
09-01-2012, 06:21 PM
Great fish Roz. It would have to be around the 60lb in the old money. I used to use a lighter to take the temper out of the multistrand and twist it up.I might have to go back to that way of doing it as you are spot on that it makes a neater rig

Cheers

Neil

castamasta
09-01-2012, 07:39 PM
Well done Roz,great fish and great report 25kgs is my guess.
Cheers,Gav.

Jarrah Jack
09-01-2012, 07:54 PM
Great fish Roz and just as good a write up.

wags on the water
09-01-2012, 08:21 PM
Great big fishy Roz - Guesstimate --> more than 23 kilo.... ;):P

BeastMaster
09-01-2012, 08:24 PM
Hi Roz - I've been trolling pike for a while as well. Beats wasting time getting livey's , my rig isn't the traditional set of gangs though - next time I'm in the boat I'll take a photo of how I set up my baits, and PM u a photo.Interesting that the multi stand wire hacks the pace, obviously works!

PPS : You'll be please to know that my Grassy talents have lifted some what since we last spoke. 65cm is my current PB.
I posted a 1770 video back in mid July - currently it is on the 2nd page of the video section.Please note the photo of the 210Lt evacool 1/2 full of grassys.Big baits and location location is the secret.
Again great spanish - well done .
Regards
BeastMaster

Stonkered
09-01-2012, 10:39 PM
Its a big one!

blue_rogue
10-01-2012, 07:41 AM
Great fish there Roz, 23kg - is my guess

jtpython
10-01-2012, 10:16 AM
Thats a top notch Effort Roz I'm going to say the 30 kg mark as well
JT

Bull
10-01-2012, 10:23 AM
Fantastic stuff Roz I think its every bit of 30 kg s

Cheers Bull

webby nq
10-01-2012, 05:20 PM
Good spanyard there mate , we got a couple of 18 kg models the other day and yours make em look pretty dam small.

BLOOEY
10-01-2012, 06:24 PM
Bloody jealous, top spanno congrats. We got one last year or maybe the year before that went 27kg and was 167cm so yours at 150cm at a guesstimate probably 23-24kg. Awesome catch! Ben

roz
11-01-2012, 10:54 AM
I'll guess 26kg lol, great fish! Ever tow dead (or live) tailor Roz?
Cheers.

thanks for your response Nigel, I love towing tailor they are equal favourite to pike, it's just easier for me to catch pike as I rarely beach fish so I don't often catch tailor, the other baits I tow are slimies, horsies (small macktuna) prettyboys AKA bonito, that's a Kingscliff thing, I've even towed whiting when I've run out of traditional towing bait, must add they work well. I tow dead bait only as I can't get my motor to run slow enough to tow anything live, I've been told that's a common problem with two strokes, don't have down riggers either.
I have had my 70ph Johnson since new and it's always been a problem in that area, aside from that I couldn't fault it.
thanks for your interest.
cheers Roz :)

bunchofbananas
11-01-2012, 11:33 AM
Mate nothing like fighting a large Spanish Mac, I got this one last year near Darwin and it nudged over 30KG, we swam it beside the boat before releasing it. It looked to old and knarley to keep and cig poisoning was the first thing on our minds (well after the thrill of the fight). Check out Jan edition Qld fishing monthly as this photo is in there too.

cheers
Kev

roz
12-01-2012, 01:56 PM
27.49kgs............. at least.


cheers LP

Phill I think we should consult Mikey on the .49 you could be out by at least 3 gms.
r. :)

roz
12-01-2012, 02:03 PM
that's a lovely big mac Kev, I would love to get over 70lb in the old speak, going to take advice on the cig issue and just try a small amount myself before dishing it up to friends and family, having said that I've been catching and eating mackeral from Agnes since I began fishing here in the early '80s, but I always take good advice.
cheers roz :)


Mate nothing like fighting a large Spanish Mac, I got this one last year near Darwin and it nudged over 30KG, we swam it beside the boat before releasing it. It looked to old and knarley to keep and cig poisoning was the first thing on our minds (well after the thrill of the fight). Check out Jan edition Qld fishing monthly as this photo is in there too.

cheers
Kev

capt
12-01-2012, 08:40 PM
What a woman ! ! !

Jimmy

carnster
12-01-2012, 09:00 PM
Mate nothing like fighting a large Spanish Mac, I got this one last year near Darwin and it nudged over 30KG, we swam it beside the boat before releasing it. It looked to old and knarley to keep and cig poisoning was the first thing on our minds (well after the thrill of the fight). Check out Jan edition Qld fishing monthly as this photo is in there too.

cheers
Kev

Well done on the release mate. That fish in the pic has a sunken belly normally indicative of a fish that has just spawned. It might have been a couple of kg's heavier if you caught it before it spawned. Here is my biggest: 166cm and 32k, was a thick fish.

BeastMaster
18-01-2012, 09:44 PM
Hello Roz - finally got photo rigs I use - see attached - I use the smaller one with the two trebles for gar and pike , the other one with the 8/0 7766's I use for tailor and bonito.
Regards
BeastMaster

rando
27-01-2012, 07:05 AM
You should send that photo to Bruce Alvey, he would be chuffed to add it to his collection of exceptional fish caught on the trusty Alvey.
Congratulations on a top capture.

Rando

roz
29-01-2012, 07:28 PM
thanks for the reply Rando, is Mr Alvey still around?? The alveys I use came with the VC which I bought back in the mid 80s', I fished out off Tweed Heads or Kingscliff back then, the reels I owned at the time (pre VC) were pen overheads, one was a Pen peer 309 and the other was a Pen long beach from memory, they were not meant to handle fish we catch here IMO, the drags often failed, so I started using the two alveys out of necessity and have never looked back.....well when you think about it, an alvey has a 1:1 ratio, BUT you can only wind in as fast as the fish will allow, having a reel that is.... say, 6:1 doesn't make a scrap of difference, except if you are winding in slugs and want a really fast retrieve. Can't cast these alveys as they are not side cast simply star drag, can guarantee you one thing, those two reels will out live all of us, I hardly bother servicing them, just a hose down when I get back... anyway that's just my opinion on Alveys. the fish don't seem to care what reel I'm fishing with!!!! I must also add they have wound in two marlin and a sail.
Thanks Rando.
Cheers Roz :)



You should send that photo to Bruce Alvey, he would be chuffed to add it to his collection of exceptional fish caught on the trusty Alvey.
Congratulations on a top capture.

Rando