Yowie

No pics. Fishing from a boat out of casting range from the baths.

Fished the deep out from Lilli Pilli during the morning. Pulled out a 43cm tailor on the first cast, then the reddies attacked most baits. Managed to catch 2 about 38cm, a 50cm jewie, and a 66cm kingie. The kingie was landed on a 10 pound handline and spent all of its time fighting under the boat, so that I could feel the line scraping along the bottom of the boat. During this, another line took off so I grabbed that and it felt like another kingie, but the hooks pulled after a short time. Moved to Gunnamatta Bay and pulled out 4 good sized squid on a green jig. Yowie.

Caught a cobia some years ago, guessed it weighed about a pound, smallest one I've ever seen. Dropped a bigger one a few years back, and I've seen 2 others caught around 5 to 6 pound. Over summer, I pulled out 3 sampson fish, small ones around the 40cm mark, and a couple of years back, I caught a spotted mackerel on a wonder wobbler lure. Late last year, I watched a groper around the 6 pound mark swimming amongst the blackfish, so any thing is possible.

Sometimes I wish I had an R.P.G. on board. I use 2 long shank hooks ganged together to hold the bait straight, usually no sinker, just let the bait sink to the bottom. If you are not use to using ganged hooks, be careful, as sometimes one hook is in the fish's mouth, and the other hook is swinging free. Easy to snag your finger.

Fishing before sun up.

Fished near the mouth of Yowie Bay for 2 jewies, 50 and 68cm, on squid, before the small reddies attacked any sort of bait and ruined the fishing. Plenty of frigates swimming about, but not interested in lures. The annoying part was fishing in the middle of nowhere, with half a kilometre of water around me, and some galoot motors past at high speed about 20 metres away. Like most occasions, I wave my hands trying to get him to keep him further away, and you receive the finger and bad language, as if I'm in his way. Yowie.

Early on there were fish jumping near the shallows, but they appeared to be pike or snook splashes, not tailor. Later the frigates turned up.

An old Quintrex tinnie. The run up tide pushed more weed in.

Fished early for 2 legal reddies, and a few just under size. In the deep water off Lilli Pilli. One reddie was 43cm, biting on pilchards and salted bonito strips. Pumped some nippers in shallow water, and watched a frigate mackerel zooming around in not much more than ankle deep water scaring the small whiting. Drifted the sand flats and pulled out a couple of bream to 30cm and a couple of whiting to 34 cm. A lot of throw back whiting. Over the flats I saw schools of sand mullet feeding at the surface, so a few bread crusts started them feeding. Pulled out a few to 35cm, and the bream moved in to attack the floating bread. Only managed undersize ones, but the bigger ones were there. Also caught a 35cm trevally feeding under the mullet, and a just undersize flattie flew up from the bottom and grabbed my bait as it was floating on the surface. The hacking.