Bye Bye Jack

[-Henno-]

I work late and this morning I finished at 1am ish and went and got some herring off a little bridge. The tide wasn't how I wanted it so I waited and put out a few of the sicker herring and flicked some plastics till I was ready to fish in the creek. I changed camps at about 4am and the tide still wasn't flowing properly out of the little drain but I chucked a large healthy herring out anyway.

At about 4.35 the rod tip chattered a bit and I thought I had lost a livey to a bream. I hadn't. When I picked the rod up I felt the fish inhale the herring properly, apparently the chattering had been the little fella shitting himself regarding what was about to happen.

I had pulled a 56cm jack from the same spot a few weeks back that came to the shore after a minute or so. Not this guy. It was on for young and old. I lost count of the amount of runs he had in him and was calling him for a decent jew. At one stage the rod butt hurt my groin and I thought to myself, 'this is not supposed to happen with fish you catch in a bloody creek!'

I heard voices about 10 minutes into the fight and started yelling my head off. My net was out of reach and I wanted a bloody witness for this thing! I saw 2 kids pedal past in the early light and look towards the crazy screaming man and keep on going. I backed the drag off a smidge and kept the rod tip high and made my lunge for the net. I got it and got the drag back up. I had kept the rod tip just a bit too high though and that's when I saw his head. His massive, toothy, red head! It could have eaten my 56 from the other week. He sat stationary with his head out which I thought strange then with a nonchalant flick and that characteristic jack 'woof' sound he spat my hooks and buggered off.

Devasted? Me? Never!

Is a +70cm mangrove jack possible in a creek? I don't care how much I get called bullshit on this one. I saw him with me own peepers.

When things like that happen to you by yourself early on a week day when normal people are in bed you know you are a fisherman I suppose. I stood motionless for a very long time staring at the piece of water where 'my' fish had just departed. Then I looked down at the net at my feet and smack bang in the middle of it somehow was what was left of my little herring, munched.

I said to him 'Bad day mate?'

[jeffo]

lol. top report mate. i had the same thing (sortta) happen to me this morning while fishing/ crabbing in the passage. had the biggest lizard i have ever caught boatside and had no landing net on board ( i only use a gaff, and because he was WELL over size i couldnt use that). as i was only fishing for whiting and bream i only had a 3kg trace.....3kg trace and a 3kg PLUS flathead dont mix.ahh well.thats fishing. got 7 good sandies for my efforts though.

[shano]

what a great read! i am feeling your pain! and know what its like! wanna rip ya hair out hey~! anyway top report

[Heath]

Top job Mark!!!

All I'll say is....

NOW YOU BELIEVE!!!!!

[matthewhill]

bad luck champ . a friend of mine pulled a 64cm jack from a spot near the coomera. he released it but got it all on video camera . massive awsome looking fish . also on a herring. maybe next time!

[agnes_jack]

Mooks
I have no trouble believing that at all mate. About 2 years ago there was one landed in baffle creek that believe it or not wieghed an incredible 8.5 kg. It was written up in the local paper but I thought it must have been a printing mistake so I rang the place where it was wieghed and they assured me that it was really 8.5 kg amazing stuff for a jack in a creek. Makes ya wonder if it had been in the creek all its life or if it had returned from offshore at some stage. Anyway mate that sounds like a top fish you had there, a shame ya didnt get a photo, maybe next time.


Regards Tony