Spearfishing - Bowen (pics)

[Mick]

Went out Saturday morning with Dan (Devocean) and 1 other mate for a dive. Our original plan was to go to the reef, but a last minute calculation of tidal flow, which was a 2.5 meter run, changed our minds and we decided to dive some inshore spots with less current (cos we are unfit and drink too much beer).

We dived a coastal reef, only a few Kms off a remote beach, about an hours run from the ramp.

Almost immediately dan had 2 trout in the esky and i got 2 school mackeral that were swimming next to the boat. Soon after I caught up to Dan with 2 of my own trout. We thought it was going to be a ripper of a day, but then things slowed down just a little...

After a lenghty time frame without boating a fish I plugged a funny looking parrot fish and a couple more trout. Soon after that dan and i found a couple of tuskys. Dan placed a good shot in the side of an estimated 8kg blue tusk fish but the powerful tusky was too good for dan (without a float attached to his gun) and dragged him into a cave. He had to cut the line and say good bye to a nice fish. I got the other one but it was only 3kg. (Dan took his frustrations out on another trout seconds after the bluey mishap.)

We decided to head back and stop to check a few shallow spots closer to home for crays, but we couldn't find any. So, I convinced my skipper to do the opposite and drop me off at some deeper reef for one last dive. Dan and the skipper line fished and I jumped over board. On my first dive I was met with a school of Golden trevally, swimming in about 11 meters of water I picked out one of the bigger ones and WHACK! At this point in time I went from being happy with a good shot on a good fish to realising i had no float on my gun - 'oh o' is an understatement! However, the gods were on my side and although I nearly drowned and got pulled under and dragged along the bottom the boys in the boat manged to give me a hand to land the fish.

On the next dive i manged to get another Golden Trev (with a float). On the third dive the school of Goldens were still there but i wasn't interested in them anymore. I saw a good sized trout on the bottom and pludded that to end my day.

All up I think we got 8 trout, parrot, bluey, 3 school mackeral and the 2 Golden trevs which made a pretty good day.

Mick

First pic are of the 2 schoolies

[Mick]

Dans 2 trout before 7:30am.

[Mick]

Me with 2 trout and looking a bit more alive then the first pic

[Mick]

Parrot. I am not sure what this type is called thou.

[Mick]

I originaly thought this was a schooly, but after hitting it i thought it may have been a spaniard. Measured it to be 76cm so it didn't matter. After i had a good look at it again, i realised it was still just a schooly.

[Mick]

Dan with his third trout

[Mick]

Golden Trevelly. Can't believe I shot this thing with out a float line and float. Silly, silly, silly! [smiley=oops.gif]

[Mick]

The second Golden Trev did not want to pose for the camera

[Mick]

And my best trout for the day.

[Nathanrb4]

Mick i thought Bugman had already told you about the rules!?!

As always great trip mate
Nathan

[Mad_fisherman]

Gold nice fish there

Well done

MAD!

[Fishinmishin]

A nice report and pics mate . Looks the colours of a surf parrot but they got a rounded head .

[morty103]

thats a ripsnorter of a golden well done matey
Morty

[outsiderskip]

hi mick

nice mixture of fish there
good feed on BBQ tonight



cheers pete

[DougHanning]

Good stuff guys. What was the viz like? You broke rule No1 Mick - no floatline, what if a 20kg spanish had swum past?
That coastline brings back memories of diving off shoalwater. Cheers Doug