Scratchie

Well , I have the boat hooked up, fresh squid caught yesterday. Longtail tuna busting up in the bay everywhere, all the kids at school........... And it's pouring down and I can't convince the mrs to go fishing!!!! Grrrrr

Great effort mate. Nice king you go yourself there. Never go easy on them, you don't want them getting their energy back! Well done Cheers scratchie!!!

If the current is pretty strong, try using a paternoster rig with a float. Works a treat and really doesn't matter what size jig you use. The key is getting the weight right. Cheers scratchie!!!

"Cos today's the day your gunna wet a line" Never heard it. Lol. Stop it....... Never get that one out my head! Cheers scratchie!!!

Well done on your great catch and welcome to fishraider! There is a lot of information on here to help improve your skills. Look forward to reading more of your posts! Cheers scratchie!!!

Hey stewy, did I forget to mention all of team scratchie will be there! Me, mrs and 4 kids. Cheers

That's a great effort land based mate! Where abouts were you fishing up here?? Hawks nest?? Some cracking fish there! Well done Cheers scratchie!!!

I'm a bit bias but you can't drive past port stephens! Cheers scratchie!!!

Good effort Nan's, and catching a big Jew is a patient mans game. It's sounds like you were using the right gear, in the right area, with the right bait (livie) at the right tide. Better luck next time! Cheers scratchie!!!

Tasted bloody good to me! Probably a bit firmer texture but all the same great to eat and there's plenty left for bait!

Thanks TC. I think you cleared that up perfectly.

Well done TC. That is a very fat little king you have there! Just before we have to many questions, general area??? Sydney? Cheers scratchie!!!

The other thing you just mentioned is a good point. "The tailor were unexpected". Sometimes we try rushing between known spots and forget all the water that holds fish in between!

Great advise yowie!

Well done mate! Looks like a great day shared with your daughter. I believe with kids, it's not the size of the fish, it's the quantity. Always keeping them busy is key! Cheers scratchie!!!

Needed to add something different to the menu today!

Education is the answer! I have fished from stones many times and take my kids often. We always sit, watch and have an exit strategy. We also were jackets. If it's too big or dangerous we don't fish simple! I feel sorry for these people and their families loss! Cheers scratchie!!!

Great job there Andrew. The dollies make for a nice feed and the king to top it off, beautiful. Your never on doubt with a Haines, awesome boats! Cheers scratchie!!!

Thanks guys, it was a great day out. Glad you enjoyed the read.

Cheers luc. Not sure how big they get but the raider record is 85cm, so it's not far off, it would second! We were hoping it was a longtail considering the amount of them around ATM. But the Mack bars gave it away!

Lol, it was very entertaining. But your right, seal rocks is amazing, everything seemed to be super sized, even the bait. To be fair, I think we've both learnt a lot from our past few trips! Your boat is, as my kids would say...fully sic! It was a pleasure champ!

Thanks fellas, it's always great to team up with someone who is as passionate as me about fishing!

G'day raiders, With the perfect weather port has offered this week fellow raider dom and I decided to get an early start at 530 and head to seal rocks. The plan was to grab a few cuttlefish at shoal bay (for snapper) which we did, then head to bait station to collect some livies. We stop at bait station burley up and there were livies everywhere. We didn't won't to waste to much time and I proceed to grab a few on a single hook rig. Dom had his 3 hook sabiki and wasnt getting touched. We did 2 quick drifts, I grabbed a few but dom nothing. He was a bit perplexed. I suggested he add some bait to the hooks, he wound in, went to attach bait and there were no hooks. He had been fishing the last 20mins on a jig with no hooks. I think the laughter from us both scared the livies away so we headed north. On arrival, we were greeted with beautiful water, no swell and a perfect drift. I started first throwing a stick bait and 3rd cast bang I'm on, the sustain screaming and hoping for an early king but after a short fight up comes a 70cm+ dolly. Ten minutes later dom was throwing poppers and I could here the take from the other side of the boat, whoosh and zzzzzzzzzzz. Now this was a king and a meter plus for sure, our target! Dom plays the fish well and gets it under the boat and pop!!! The leader has snapped and with it one of his favourite poppers. We were both devastated but composed ourselves and kept throwing. Unfortunately, the surface action died down and we changed tact to live baiting and throwing SP's. We did many drifts with not a great deal of action but enough to keep us interested and we were both just amazed at what you see on the water. We had a whale swim by, the biggest turtle I've ever seen( it looked like a small island) penguins, dolphins, garfish the size of a cricket bat and then the RAAF do a fly by on us! Anyway, we stuck to our plan throwing SP's and then the sound we wanted to hear, doms baitrunner zooming off and he's on!!! After a very spirited fight and us calling the fish for many different species, we land a very respectable 77cm and 6.5kg Mack tuna! He then pulled this beautiful little king that he was embarrassed to have his photo taken with, so I thought I'd show you! Now, the decision was made to pull stumps and head for home. This is where I wasn't sure to laugh or not. After doms entertaining sabiki rig, dropped fish and many laughs along the way, he turns to me and says, I'm not sure if we are going to make it back with the amount of fuel I have. Ummmm, we are some 50km from port and haven't seen a boat all day and the sun now fading we start the journey. We make it close to yaccaba headland and the gauge is reading 0 percent fuel. We round the corner and with anxiety levels at their highest we push on and are greeted by an amazing sunset but we still have a kilometer to go. With all our anxious moments today, knowing when to laugh can sometimes be hard but on this occasion, we found our time!!! All in all, another magic day on the water with a good mate and a few laughs! Sometimes the fish are just a bonus! Thanks for reading. Cheers scratchie!!!

Not that sure mate but we get them up here in port stephens!

Great stuff witha!!! That's a very respectable fish and you should be chuffed. Sounds like some hectic moments there on the yak. Well done Cheers scratchie!!!