"Bimini Twist" Maiden Voyage - Gladstone offshore

[four_button_arnie]

“Bimini Twist” maiden voyage Gladstone Offshore

Hey guys, I've had the Yalta Craft 555HC (BIMINI TWIST) beside my house for a week so ive been jumpin at the bit to bring her out. Giving the great weather we had last night Friday 19th, 5kn wind, nil swell, I thought I'd better bring her for a run. My plan was to do a run to Lamont then stay at Fitzroy and find some trout and such but I had to start work the next day so that was out of the question, so we headed out but not as far. So my self, Damo (barrybeast) and his young fella Hayden come along for a burn.

I finished work at 7pm so we where in the water by 8pm, and started the run through the Gladstone Harbour nav bouys nice and easy nearing a full tide. We headed out to a few marks offshore to see what was around. The night started well with at least 12 Red Throat Emperor coming to the boat, only 4 where over the 38cm mark (legal). The RTE where caught drifting squid and pillie combo on a paternoster rig (what we used all night anyway) with a 4 to 8 once snapper lead.

After the RTE we thought we would go for a run to a another mark I've hit before with good results. We drifted over some amazing bottom with great fish shows (some nasty big arches), and pulled up a couple of Hussar. We tried using the sea anchor but, there was no wind so it was the current pushing us along…..my bad. We found the mark again and motored up current and dropped the pick, landing us right on top of some great bottom with a lot of activity going on down below.

Dropping our squid we began to catch hussar after hussar, it was crazy. Drop your squid, wait 2-3 secs pull up hussar, brain spike, bleed, rebait, drop line again, wait 2 secs, pull up! This went on for at least 2 hours, we let a lot of hussar go as they are not the greatest fair and we didn’t feel right taking too may fish, we probably bought up 30 – 40 of the buggars, all legal (be it a tiny size 25cm, most around 30-35cm).

I started to get a bit peeved with the little fish and sent down a decent mullet slab, within 2 minutes of it hitting the bottom, my Saragosa 18000 and Jig 200 where bent over and screaming for mercy, a bloody unstoppable. I had my hand round the spool of the big 18000 and the fish was pulling line like a freight train. Finally got his head up, he gave one last run and dropped him. …Gutted . Oh well re rig and start again.

About 20 mins later, and a couple of RTE later, I thought id better send down a BIG sea mullet. Again it didn’t take long until the 24kg jig stick was pointing to the water and the reel was screaming. By this stage (1am) I was totally wrecked and the power of this fish was killing me, POWERFUL tail beats and big runs to the bottom is what ensued, aching arms, wondering if he would find bottom or snap the 80lb braid. Then finally 5-6mins later a corker of a Goldspotted Rockcod came to the surface . We where stunned, (it’s the first time I've actually managed to get one of these babies to the boat without been destroyed first). He went 85cm and weighed about 40lb or there abouts.

Now I have a soft spot for cod, and believe they are a wonderful mystical creature of the reef, but this was the first stonker ive landed, so he made his way to the ice box. I probably wont keep one again for a long time, so it was justified (mind you well within the legal slot size). We continued the hussar onslaught, and landed plenty more, and a nice addition 3 good sized grassy sweetlip.

We headed home at 3am to glassy conditions, the Yalta was so bloody amazing I cant get over it, ive been a few big boats but this thing really tickles my fancy. The ride is so SMOOTH, the 23 degree deadrise guarantees that I guess. Fuel economy with the 150 Yammie 4 stroke is great as well. We where sitting on 50km/h with 3 on board, 100kg in the esky (fish/ice/drinks), doing 4100rpm and using 24.7L per hour, which I was very impressed. Super smooth, great at rest, after hearing some people say that there are unstable, negative, super stable, (ill admit that there was no swell or wind….). It could do with trim tabs, as when we started out there was some wind heading out past Facing Island and the Yalta was leaning a bit. The Bait mate bait board needs to get made ASAP would have made the trip far easier. I chucked out the standard esky things that come with the boat and put my 110L mackerel esky in instead, which gave heaps more fishing room.

So all up we caught 30-40 hussar, 15 RTE (6 legal), 3 Grassies, and the Stonker Goldspotter Rockcod.

All in all a bloody lovely trip out got home at 7am not too bad, I cant wait to hit the reef proper for a overnighter but there is some more god weather coming up, so we will see what happens. Thanks for checking out my long report, I tend to dribble on a tad,

Take it easy and tight lines!

Josh

PIC TO COME SHORTLY!!!!!!! THIS ARVO

[Smithy]

Good report for your first one with the new boat.

With the Gold Spot Cod, if they are under legal maximum size, you may as well take them. They are the worst sufferers of baurotrauma I have found. I have a mate who has caught them in 7-8m and they still blow their guts. I've tried everything to get them back down here locally, tag needles to deflate their bladder, tieing them to my shot release and a 10lb downrigger bomb and some of the bigger ones will still float with the 10lb bomb, shot release and about 6x12oz snapper leads all tied together. Do them a favour and put them out of their misery. They eat pretty good. Brown Maoris and parrot are pretty bad too but a shot release gets them back down pretty easily, it is just the massive size of the gold spots that presents so many problems.

[trymyluck]

Great report Josh, will have to catch up and check Bimini Twist out at 1770.


Mark

[Scalem]

Great report Josh!

Glad the Yalta came in as a choice of boat for you, it seems only a short space of time that you were looking, getting opinions, then BAM, you find the right boat and you are out enjoying it!! But not just any boat, a Yalta with a 150 Yammy. To equal your cruise speed of 50k I would be doing 5000rpm, and probably consuming more fuel in the process. Eventually I'll look at getting a better prop which might help, but the 150hp definitely looks the right donk on your boat.

When are you going out next? Keep posting mate! Good report!

Scalem

[littlemac]

great stuff josh

congrats on the maiden voyage, hope you have many more to come

well done

cheers

brett

[Knotpretty]

Great report and good result. Josh what sort of money did the new boat come in at if you don't mind me asking. mojo

[barrybeast]

Hey man great report, and a great night too. Dont think my freezer has been so full of fish!!! thanks again loved it.

[indy]

good going mate nice first trip, hopefully many more succesfull ones to come

[fishandchips]

nice report mate well done a few feeds there. luke

[four_button_arnie]

Cheers everyone, good trip to start the Yalta with, next trip will have to be an overnighter at the reef and try and find some of those elusive red fish!

mojo PM sent

Josh

[Lucky_Phill]

Josh, what do you mean the Hussar are " not the greatest fair " ??? ?

They are the same family as Mangrove Jack, Stripies etc.... Latjanus..

All good Josh and I have got them to 50cms off Agnes at times. Good tucker at that size.

Nice to see the Yalta get well and truely blooded on the first trip.

You may need a bigger esky for the M & G ???

cheers Phill
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[Apollo]

Good stuff Josh and glad the boat went well for you.

Steve

[lethal098]

Top stuff Bud, nice to see it blooded in!

Cheers Lee

[four_button_arnie]

Phill, It must be a head thing, everyone using them as bait to upgrade to a RED Well ive got plenty in the freezer now ready to go, ill have to do an immediate taste test (hard isnt it, I had to have some nice big fresh RTE fillets last night for tea as well) Yer I thought the esky would have been big enough, maybe not... I think an overnighter at Musgrave will soon sort that out.....


and again cheers Lads for your encouragement

And Scalem thanks for the info you provided prior to me buying the Yalta, cheers, also thanks to Buca T for some great info, cheers


Josh