namesay Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Hi everyone, I just got back from my trip to Perth. To say I was blown away by the fishing would be an understatment!!! I got to Perth on Thursday morning with my family. It is a BLOODY long flight and having 2 small children couped up in an aluminium tube isn't fun. We got out finally and went to our apartment right on Hillarys harbour. We went out with a few friends we knew at Perth and saw some of the city. Sightseeing didn't excite me as Sydney is the best city in the world! I went to bed early to be ready for the fishing the next day. For this trip I have been working out with jigs and lures here in Sydney. Didn't want to be let down by my fitness. The charter started off at 6am. There were some 18 people on board. ALmost everyone there was a tourist. Most were poms on holidays here in oz. I am always amazed at where you meet people. I met a couple of people I knew on this boat!!! It took about 1 and half hours to reach the grounds. The charter operator provided all the gear and they had shimano t curve 400 jig rods and shimano spheros reels with 80 braid. I talked to the deckies and skipper about the tackle and fishing etc on the way out. I wondered about the toughness of the spheros reels. Anyway we got to our first location and dropped in 110m of water.....and jigged........nothing! The wind was blowing about 15knots so there was a fair drift. WE went around to the mark again and dropped....nothing! This reminded me of jigging in sydney. I was a bit disappointed but the boat crew told me not to worry. We moved ot another spot and there was a boat already there hooked up. They had Japanese customers on board with their fantastic jigging equipment. We got the word and dropped our jigs. Pretty soon we had the first guy hooked up, then another....then EVERYONE was onto a fish! It takes a bit of time to get these fish up as all were over 20kg!!!! As the day wore on the fishing just got better and better. The pommies on the boat were just blown away. They were used to getting a couple of trout or perch! The size of the fish just got bigger as well and we were getting 30-40kg fish everydrop. No one thinks you have a serious fish unless it is OVER 50kg. THese guys in WA are really spoilt. Due to the limited space on the 80ft boat we had to take it in turns and alternate between anglers for each drift. This worked out very well and we soon had a "buddy"that we would share a rod with. The breather between drifts is ESSENTIAL as landing one of these monsters is hard yakka. BUT I am an addict AND a SYdney fisho so I tried to get as many fish in a single drift as possible and that means going to after burner bringing in the fish. I worked on my pumping and winding techniques as shown to me by my japanese friends and would get hooked on atleast 2 fish per drift. When I started to push hard, the hooks would often drop out. These hooks were barbless. But it was only just a matter of dropping the jig again to be onto another fish. On one drift I dropped 3 fish but still managed to land 2. THis makes for incredibly hard fishing as you would get the fish nearly up to the surface, and the hooks pull then, you drop your jig back to the depths to get another hook up and bring the second fresh fish up....But I LVOED every moment of it..aching arms and all!!! The fishing just got better with time and we would get a fish on the drop. Didn't even had to work the jig! We boated over 100 fish that day don't know exactly and I got to "land" 8 fish. All too soon it was time to go. I had a sore arm but was in heaven. I was so tired that I had a nap on the way back in the cabin but was over the moon. One of the things I noticed was the preservation of the fish. The rule was that you can only keep 2 fish but I released all of mine and they took great care to release the fish in the best shape possible. They even limited the photos to just a few as having the fish out of water for too long will kill them . ALso they used a lead weight to shoot the fish to deeper water. The fight of a samson is not like our kings. They fight clean and run hard at first unlike a kingie which fights to the bottom! We had a few reels blowing up and seizing. The drags were set at a lowish 6-7 kg but the battering these reels got didn't do them any good. THe next time I am over there I will know what to take! I would urge any of you thinking about samson jigging to get out there and do it. It is fantastic fishing and will literally blow your mind. BUT you should work out before you go with jigging and stay fit. Also if you do suffer from seasickness take appropriate measures. ON this trip a few guys got seasick and did not get to enjoy this fishing paradise. I am contented that I got to achieve my seriola trilogy with kings, amberjacks and samsons all in one week!!! I just can't wait to go back!!!! Cheers Kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piss'n'Broke Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Hey Kevin Awesome report there an some brillant fish caught as well! Mind you I dont think my back, arms or legs would take to well to hauling 20+kgs of fish up from 110metres! How is your back? :-) Good to hear you had a good trip, an got into some thumpers!!! Dan an Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kabz Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 hey namesay very nice report u must of been over the moon so now ur the kingfish and samson fish legend!!! soon u will be catching them in sydney with ur new boat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 (edited) Hey Kevin Awesome report there an some brillant fish caught as well! Mind you I dont think my back, arms or legs would take to well to hauling 20+kgs of fish up from 110metres! How is your back? :-) Good to hear you had a good trip, an got into some thumpers!!! Dan an Greg I feel great. I REALLy stayed in shape for this trip as I wanted to enjoy every moment of it. Jigging is a really hard way to catch fish but in WA, bringing the fish up is something else !!!! At least you didn't have to jig for too long before you were hooked up. I don't know about those pommies though some were throwing in the towel after 2 fish. This fish was about 40kg ( 100lbs in the old scale ) and was my last fish . The skipper didn't want to bring it onto the boat to try and keep the fish fresh...and I was too tired to lift him so the photo was taken while the fish was still in the water. That is one heck of a fish..but those WA guys think it is only normal Cheers Kelvin Edited January 13, 2007 by namesay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ophet Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Nice report Kelvin, and congratulations on your trifecta. Sounds like an awesome experience, and I hope to do the same one day - sooner, rather then later. Great to see the WA guys taking care of their fisheries, hopefully that type of fishing will be around for a long while yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 (edited) Nice report Kelvin, and congratulations on your trifecta. Sounds like an awesome experience, and I hope to do the same one day - sooner, rather then later. Great to see the WA guys taking care of their fisheries, hopefully that type of fishing will be around for a long while yet. Better plan on going soon as these fish may be gone one day. The samson season is only in the summer months and they had some bad weather over there. SOme of the guys on my charter were scheduled for the previous week but the weather was so bad that an 80ft boat couldn't go out. They do get some kings from time to time but are rare. I would love to get a WA king! I am already planning my next WA trip. Cheers Kelvin Edited January 13, 2007 by namesay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hal Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Now that what i call a good day fishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR@ZY OS@M@ Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 i am so so jealous. well done mate you look like you had a blast mate. good onya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netic Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Well done mate, great report....would love to rip into them one day... Great pics.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjsydney Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Hi Kelvin Mate awesome stuff, 8 in the 30-40kg range that is some serious fish Glad u got into some good stuff over there. Still dying to get a king on a jig here, as the water warms will try to get out again. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aron Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 well done Kelvin Great report - nothing like our Sydney jigging trip - i think i would have only lasted 2 drifts (like the poms) on those samsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted January 13, 2007 Author Share Posted January 13, 2007 I tell you guys, it is MIND BLOWING fishing. You just drop the jig and rip it fast and within a few seconds it gets hit by a MONSTER!! It is a funny feeling to KNOW your jig WILL get hit. When you get a hit, in the first few seconds the samson doesn't know it is hooked then WHAM.....it takes off. You just hang on until the fish tires then it is a very long haul to the surface. They are a bit different to our kings in their fight. Kings tend to just go on after burner when you get them on jigs and fight all the way to the top but samsons ( thank god!! ) throw in the towel mid way up. By the time they are on the surface they are beat and literally float around. But even if you are bringing in a "dead weight", at 20kg minimum, it is still hard yakka!! Next time I go , I'll take some specialist gear with me so that I can bring the fish in faster! CHeers Kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henryinnis Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Try a 24 hour flight! Gd work Kelvin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregH Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Nice work Kelvin. Top Catch Looks like I am going to be saving my $$ for a trip to Perth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Well done Kelvin sounds like your fishing adventure was action packed,top looking fish and nice pics to tease us with. Sounds like those pom fisherman are a bit like the pom cricket team at the moment,throwing in the towel after only a short effort. penguin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mako1 Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 What a top holiday. Sounds like your arms got stretched. Great pics too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted January 14, 2007 Author Share Posted January 14, 2007 Well done Kelvin sounds like your fishing adventure was action packed,top looking fish and nice pics to tease us with. Sounds like those pom fisherman are a bit like the pom cricket team at the moment,throwing in the towel after only a short effort. penguin There were a few pommie guys who had absolutely no idea. One guy was getting seasick even while he had a fish on!! Had to quit bringing in the fish. Another bloke didn't know how to jig!! He just had the jig sitting on the bottom drifting but still got hook ups. There were a few people who quit bringing up the fish half way. ...it is really tough going with these monsters for those who aren't used to jigging deep. THe aussies were the ones still keen as mustard at the end of the day! ONe of the most satisfying day of fishing in my life! Cheers Kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbietola Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 great samsons gees they would fight good. ill post a pic for ya of the samson that i got last year near the spit bridge on fresh squid , it was in mid feb last year and its only a small one compared to them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevvie Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Daaaaamn. That's it. Perth has made it to my 'must fish b4 i die' list. No questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted January 14, 2007 Author Share Posted January 14, 2007 There aren't too many places left on earth with fishing this good! So it is a must. If they look after the fishery then this sort of action should be around for generations. We caught a couple of fish which were tagged and that is a good sign that the released fish are surviving and thriving. Got some interesting facts about tagged fish. They caught several that were tagged in perth that travelled to SA and also on the east coast. SO these fish travel a great distance to congregate in this area. Also once we got the school worked up, they would hit anything. Our skipper to prove a point sent down a snapper sinker with a jig hook attached and got a hook up right away!!! At the moment I am trying to find any excuse to go back to perth! Cheers Kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riggem Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 great report and a crazy fishing trip, good on ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
predator Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Well Done Kelvin, Look like we have another hook on Sambo Jigging bug!! I'll bet your whole body is sore , tough your body is in pain, but you'll do it all over again right now if you given the opportunity, I'm I right..... that's Sambo Jigging bug.... And Kelvin, I too feel it was to much of a wasted to kill such a beautiful fish,( they not the best testing fish anyhow) Samson fish congregate every year from Mid Oct to Later March to breed, that's when we have large congregation gathering to spawn, So if you guys want get some of this Sambo fix, get on to it NOW, As Kelvin say, is hard to describe the sensation of hooking on to a 30-50 KG steam train on 80bl braid, drag on full lock on 20kg+ unless you experience it your self, As kelvin said, is worth every cent I'm lucky I get to flight to WA for work every second month , I only go out with his particular chatter operator, I get to do it all over again in Feb, so choose your chatter carefully, I've had heard some shockers out there,PM me if you would like detail on the Chatters operator that i use, but i heard his book all the way to March... Great stuff Cheers Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaos Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Great report Kelvin, It must be a rush knowing you'll hook up and getting ready for the oncoming fight. I'm going to start looking into cheap flights to WA. Which charter did you go wth? Cheers Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luringbream Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Better plan on going soon as these fish may be gone one day. The samson season is only in the summer months and they had some bad weather over there. Kelvin, how much does a trip like this cost? With accomodation, airfares, taxi's and charter, close to 1000 or more? I really want to get out there within the next 2 months, as it will make for the perfect holiday! WELL DONE ON SOME GREAT FISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY ARE FREAKIN HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!! DAN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 Dave you are one lucky bastard!!! To have all these opportunities to catch those monsters is just unreal. To say I have the sambo bug is an understatement and a half. This is fishing paradise. I think my second time will be even better. For sheer pulling power these samsons are right up there. Used to think that yellow fin pulled hard but for sheer brute strength, the samsons are aptly named!! At first I couldn't believe that so much line was melting from the spool even with heavy drag. I was waiting for the inevitable bust up but these fish fight clean. I was told by the deckies that they often get guys in the water so they have to be careful with the drag settings especially for the new chums! Actually the only sore part of my body is my right ring finger! I think if I had my regular reels then even my ring finger wouldn't be sore. I did keep in shape and the exercise really helped with staying on top of these fish. As for the cost, it breaks down like this. 1) Air fares around $300 each way but you can do better by booking on the net and well in advance. I flew qantas. They have food! 2) Accommodation- I stayed at Hillarys which is right on the water and where the charter fleets are stationed. I had a 2 bedroom apartment . Costs $200 per night. 3) The charter for the jigging was $190. All the tackle, food, drinks were provided. Started at 6am got back at 3pm. 4) Taxis - about $55 to and from the airport. I took whole family with me but they didn't fish-just spent money! They loved Perth and want to go back as well. For the charter company, there are lots around. If you want to hire the whole boat most cost between$1500-$1900 per day. There are reputable ones and not so reputable ones so you just need to ask around. Pretty easy to suss out. CHeers Kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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