phild

G day Weasel, great fish mate I fished Vanuatu a few years back with another very wll known charter company and had the worst experince of my fishing life. Unfortunatly it turned me of charters for life and now like Martin says Im very cinincal when it comes to booking a charter. I did get some great fishing in however by hiring a cat from the hotel and just trolling round port villa, landed some great Gt's and other trevalies as well as a few jellybeans. I love Vanuatu and had a fantastic holiday. Where did you stay? we stayed at irriki and meridian (over water burraies) both were fantastic and Id return tommorrow if i could. I thought the locals were fantastic, all the blokes look like there ready to rip your head of until you say g day and a huge smile comes across their face. Also loved the tuska and the cascades they are awesome

Bloody hell mate thats a bad situation to be in, what a bummer of a way to end your trip I hope everythings ok now. Mate your welcome on board the amanda jean until the pig gets repaired. The shamrock has all the photos etc of the kings over the weekend so Ill if he dosent get them up in the nxt day or two Ill post a report. cheers phil

For a split second it crossed my mind stew but it was too special a fish to kill, sails dont come across that often so it felt fantastic to be given this gift and then thank her for the fight as she swam away. I think there was a bit of PC going on to. I didnt want a negitive reaction to such a fantastic experince and I think killing the fish might of created that back at the ramp. Personally I dont see a problem with taking the odd fish but its also great to see them swim off and have that memory in your head for ever more. the mount looks great BTW montabello has a great rep. If I had more room Id get one done myself (great for the bar)but my 2bed rm unit with wife dosent have room for a 10ft sailfish.

Thankyou both Pete and herb, I was beggining to think the landing of a 60kg sail from your trailer boat in a foregin location wasnt that impresive to people . Pete how was RSA? And have you been hitting the kings, me and the irishman did real well on them on Friday we dropped some monsters in the washes. Herb the guys at Davos said that the local boys were working very hard for little result so you can imaging how this fish felt comming in. I will never tire of seeing a big dolly circle the boat in that beutiful endless blue water.

AHHH good on ya shamrock I knew you would appreciate it. And thanks stew it was an awsome experince. Marky straight back to you on your PB kingy on the friday, that was great angiling to pull a fish out of those washes. Pity about dropping the monsters but we will nab ourselves one before the season closes mate I promise. Cooked up some of the king last night and absolutly stuffed myself mmmmmmmmmmm kingfish.

Breeze succsess breeds succsess, find someone who knows what their doing and learn from them. Listen and look dont opinonate about the lack of sucsess. A lot of guys here have been fishing their whole lives to achieve some of the succsess you see. It took me years as a kid/teen of getting down to a rock ledges at 3.30 in the morning, only to find I could not get a spot. then finally getting a spot for 1 of my rods (the others had three or four), to finally being shown by the old italian guys what I should be doing, to finally landing a decent haul of bream. This is accumulated knowledge and I now see that its too valubule to hand over to all and sundry. You need to earn the right to be shown the sutble diffrences between succsess and failure in fishing. But, if you perservere, show a good sense of humour and are just a decent bloke to be around people will give up that knowledge to you. Dont give up cracking it is the best..

Nice kings rob well done mate

Thanks Shane, comming back to works a bummer after a trip like that but Ill be out to replicate this friday with any luck. As soon as franko gets back and sends me the rest of the photos ill post em up the ones of the dolly are quite spectacular.

For jew cant go past the old super shad rap, prob the most famous HB lure for Jew I love Rapala magnums for an allrounder Small jackels, home made micro poppers will work on the flatties and bream

Thanks ken and MM Im still just daydreaming and reliving the fight in my mind after comming back to work, Ken you sure would know about it hooking up on fly. MM belive me mate Ive blown a lot of doe chasing billfish to the point where I dont bother with charters anymore i feel that some just have little/ no idea and I hate sharing a boat with a bunch of people who cant bait a hook, I know that sounds up myself but I can find much better things to do with my cash than pay hundreds of dollars for a baby snapper or flathead. Id love to get the dolly up too because it was also a quality fish, soon I'm sure.

Thanks guys IMO its one of the pinicales of trailer boat fishing, no fancy charters, super expensive rods, sonar etc etc.... Just me and my knowledge and my good ol faithful southwind. i always thought Id cross either the short billed spearfish or sailfish of last on my must catch billfish but its great to knock it over and cross it off the must catch list and to get such a great fish is a special; bonus

G day folks been a while but Ive been a busy boy with a recent jaunt up to Noosa. I left Sydney on the 4th of Jan and after begging the managed to hook up the southwind for the long haul. After a quick stop over at Lennox head to catch up with some old friends, have a few and watch some sintalating Marlin action at Lizard island he had just filmed it was time to make the final dash to Noosa. Arriving to the lush tropical paridise we quickly settled down to a few more and got ready for the nexts day. The first day in Noosa wasa frustrating one the bar was running too big and the river proved to be the only option so it was decided to take the kids out and chase some flatties, Jacks and trevally as well as putting n some pots for muddies. day too was pretty much a repeat of day one with more mud crab comming in for the table oh well I guess its not all bad! Finally on day three we had the chance to cross the bar in safety and after a couple of quite days outside the fish were champing at the bit. The bay was alive with large schools of tuna and Macks and for the next couple of hours we had a b all catching mack tuna and spotty macks, great fun. The next day we again hit the tuna maruding the bay but after half an hour we stopped to follow our plan of rigging the tuna for Marlin, Wahoo, Big Spanirids and possibly a sailfish. We headed for a reef called Northies about 10NM north east of noosa main beach and about 8mile out were great with water that shined eletric blue. THIS WATER HAD TO HAVE A FISH IN IT, and after deploying the skipping mack tuna and some pushers we awaited the strike, it didnt take long within ten minutes the long rigger screams off. Half an hour laterer a spectacular monster Mahi Mahi circles wide of the boat with two more in tow. Leaving the fish in the water we tried to entice the other fish but didnt succsed. Finally tiring out the hen, we get it to within gaff range only to relise the gaff is back at the ramp, shit. We then decided to try and net the fish and watched as the net exploded under the weight of the fish. Finally Franko managed to tail the fish and I had the biggest dollie on board of my life pulling down the scales to 15.7kg ( I will post photos of the tuna and dolphin fish when Franko finshes his holidays). While playing out the fish a thunderstorm crackled over head drenching us so happy and tired we called it a day and headed back to the ramp stopping for a quick bash on an inshore reef but were hammered by sharks before anything decent came along. The next day a massive storm came through noosa and although it had calmed down by morning the river ran a coffee brown and the bar was challanging. Chancing our arms we took on the bar and with tight sphincters crossed succsefull to be greeted by a huge rolling swell which although large was very calm. This time we had frankos uncle Paul on board. Trolling a Rapala 22 as well as the pushers it didnt take long for a soild Wahoo to hit it but unfortuntly just when it looked done and dusted the fish and lure parted our company. Paul then managed a small spanyid on a skipping longtom caught earlier but again the fish did us over. . With the troops getting restless I was pulling out every trick to keep us out there, knowing there had to be some more fish out there somewhere. The call went out to headed back to the ramp and I reluctuntly head south west but still purshued current lines and flotsome etc. then we had another run on a rapala but dropped the fish just as quickly. Bouyed, we reset the lures and managed to come across the temp change we had been seeking, no sooner had I said "we have a good tempreture change" than the longrigger again screams, this was no dolphin fish or mackreal. I screamed at the boys to get the lines in and turn and chase the fish. With just meters left on the reel we got the boat going in the right direction when off in the distance jumped a beutifully lit up sailfish :1yikes . The fantastic beast proceeded to do 6 or 7 spectacular leaps as line poored of the reel once more. For the next hour and a half we played a game of tug and war as line would come in only to be taken away just as quickly. As is always the way the fish took the crapest outfit and every run was greeted with concern waiting for the fish to show up the substandard 15kg rig. Finally the fish was within view and after some tricky boat work on francos behalf we had the fish leaping boat side. Tired we finally managed to grab the fish and I had managed to land my first sail fish absolutly knackerd I lay and admired the fish this was a very big sail and although no weight were taken the fish would have given 60kg a very good nudge. After some great photos a lot of WAHOOOS and high fives the fish was put back in the water and swum boat side for about 20minutes before slowly swimming off. :yahoo All exilarated and tired we headed back with huge smiles on the dials and some great photographic memorys SAILFISH, what a sportsfish absolutly amazing what more can I say but im stoked, taking my little trailer boat a 1000km crossing a narly bar to land the fish of a lifetime.

Good work Ken the sambos are back its a great start to the season so far, cant wait for the dollies to show

Your not kidding lets just say "I was not happy Dan".

Not too sure about the P.R dont fish it that much mate

Mr Withnell said DPI fisheries officers regularly observed beach hauling operations and checked that all regulations were being complied with. Just not in pittwater or the Sydney basin eh Mr Withnell? ‘Illegal fishers have no regard for the ongoing sustainability of NSW’s fisheries, nor for preserving the environmental values of our State,’ said Mr Withnell. A bit like the department who are paid to manage it.

Ive signed up and will be giving EF my full support they sound great god knows we need a voice in these politically correct mad times. Im following all this up with a continued letter writing campagin and Im all for the civil disobedence line F#@#$@ em no one has been consolted about these parks except the fanatical left so they should the recive the same contempt they have shown us.

Dont belive everything u read Russell the L.C.R is fine unless theres some kind of pollution spill. also try the riverview wharf good flattie hole

G day mate i grew up round that area but havent fished it for a while species to catch include: Leatheries good breaming (probably the premier sp.) flatties occsanionally ludrick (again a great standby) tailor occsaionally and trevas occasionally i have seen school jew taken hear and old timers told me it used to be a reliable jew spot they even said decent reds were pulled from this area, now I think you just get pinkies. Plenty of bait fish , yakkas etc. because its private land its hard to find a decent Lnad based spot and now Im pretty sure the wharf at N. B would be of limits too. IMO theres better and easier spots to fish from land nearby. Hope that helps

Well done dave and andy good to see that the young fella gets into it and you got some quality fish to boot

Too bloody right pig its worst when the boats a fifty foot weapon inotice your a crowy boy let me know if you want to hook up for a fish one day.

Seems the kings have been replaced by the sambos around Nth head of late, well done looks like a great morning. It can get so frustrating around there when people do that to you and the fish are flighty. Ive lost spreads a couple of times this year to people running over my pattern, inc. well know charter. I also almost ran into a tinny too the other day because the idot didnt know which side to pass a boat on.

Good point, might chuck it

Ive got a plano tackle bag which is great my only issues with it are theres a small pocket in the inside thats pretty useless, it has netting pockets which seem to always find a hook andthe zippers get sticky after salt gets on them occasionally ( no prob if I zip/unzip) but apart from these things I highly recommend them.

In absolute contrast to Penn, just got a lever drag back after waiting 11 months