Exploring the deep Pays off

[snelly1971]

Hi All...

Had another great trip out .....Departed yesterday morning...and arrived home lunch time today....Fish were on the bite as usual....

We spent half our time exploring..dropping drop lines off at new spots we found...Had a quick go out past the shelf....

Fish Caught

7 Tasmanian Stripey Trumpeter
36 Morwong
3 Blue Eye
5 School Shark
30 Cod
26 Coral Perch
2 Flat Head
3 Ling
1 Latchet

Too the boat for a quick spin out to 400 fathom with the sounder still reading reasonably well...

Conditions last night were a bit lumpy out 12 mile...laying on the morris anchor, but we woke up this morning to a pleasant day...

Cheers Mick

[snelly1971]

Ps..Thank god for the invention of electric reels and a pot hauler

[bluefin59]

Unbelievable you have just gotta love the furuno as clear as it would be in 50m of water ,great catch mate i would like to see that kind of fishing in the flesh thanks for sharing its one of the most interesting things i'v seen on this site . ...... matt

[FNQCairns]

Gotta say, just don't get it, never done it so find it hard to relate to your trips out so deep. Constantly amazed you come back with anything, keep it up and the posts they are a great insight.

cheers fnq

[jtpython]

Champion effort mick
lokslike this weekend is going to give us a reprieve this weekend here for a fish as long as i don't drive into a dead floating cow because of the floods we may get some good fish
(or actual big lizards the proper snappy crocodiles )
JT

[ozbizweb]

Conditions last night were a bit lumpy out 12 mile...laying on the morris anchor, but we woke up this morning to a pleasant day...

You are a legend!

Would you mind telling us more eg what bait caught what and how?

[snelly1971]

You are a legend!

Would you mind telling us more eg what bait caught what and how?

Trout/Salmon are the best bait...full of oil and they are plentiful here, as we can get them from the fish farms, (reject fish)....but coota is also good bait as long as it is fresh, Octopus/squid are ok if nothing else is available.

Blue eye and approx half the catch were caught on drop lines, the rest were just caught bottom bouncing with the electric reels...

Mick

[bugman]

Mick,

Have you thought about dropping a couple of cray pots?

We chatted with a pro king crab fisherman who was at ancore in Fortescue the other day. He sets along the top of the shelf. He said he gets the odd cray as well. I've never taste king crab but it would be another string to the bow, especially if you were going to do an overnighter.

That is a serious flathead. Ling would have to be my favourite fish down this way for sure. The softest white flesh.

I hope you're keeping all the marks for when I come over.

Brett

[snelly1971]

Mick,

Have you thought about dropping a couple of cray pots?

We chatted with a pro king crab fisherman who was at ancore in Fortescue the other day. He sets along the top of the shelf. He said he gets the odd cray as well. I've never taste king crab but it would be another string to the bow, especially if you were going to do an overnighter.

That is a serious flathead. Ling would have to be my favourite fish down this way for sure. The softest white flesh.

I hope you're keeping all the marks for when I come over.

Brett

Marks are definatly saved Brett, I was showing a Commercial fisherman friend the pics today, he guaranteed that i would fill a pot up with crabs if i shot it at the botttom of the big hill, maybe next time i will use a steel cray pot for a weight on my drop line and see what happens

Cheers Mick

[Hamish73]

Great report Mick.
Now for the stupid question... whats a drop line?

[snelly1971]

Great report Mick.
Now for the stupid question... whats a drop line?

Hi Hamish,

A Drop Line is a rope which is attached to say a 10 kg weight,then lowered to the bottom with hooks attached.. we are allowed a maximum of 30 hooks on a drop line, 1 per person, max of 4 per boat...I usually run only 15 hooks on mine...

It is just similar to bottom bouncing with a rod, except you tie a bouy on to the rope and leave it for a few hours then go and pull it...

Cheers Mick

[disorderly]

Gotta say, just don't get it, never done it so find it hard to relate to your trips out so deep. Constantly amazed you come back with anything, keep it up and the posts they are a great insight.

cheers fnq

Scott pretty much sums up my feelings as well.
Sure is interesting to see your reports,though.Quite mind boggling really to think how you actually find somewhere to fish in those depths (and actually catch a good haul).
Good stuff,I love to read your reports but now I'll wait patiently for the self proclaimed moral compass otherwise known as "NAGG" to liven up proceeding's and tell you what you have done wrong.
just kidding.
Well done snelly.

[Vindicator]

Well done Mick, you never cease to amaze me on your posts. I have always thought electric reels were the lazy mans way of fishing but bugger winding up from that depth. I take it that is the edge of the shelf in the first sounder pic. Once again well done mate and keep those great posts coming, we all drool over them up here.

Cheers
Kezza

[Hamish73]

Hi Hamish,

A Drop Line is a rope which is attached to say a 10 kg weight,then lowered to the bottom with hooks attached.. we are allowed a maximum of 30 hooks on a drop line, 1 per person, max of 4 per boat...I usually run only 15 hooks on mine...

It is just similar to bottom bouncing with a rod, except you tie a bouy on to the rope and leave it for a few hours then go and pull it...

Cheers Mick

Thanks for that Mick
I know you a hard time over this so I wont go there, but is it actually fun??? Obviously you catch a good feed, but for me iots about the thrill of the catch.

[hungry6]

Some of those critter looks like they belong in an aquarium, and they looks like oily fishes too.