Gilligan & Crew Head To Browns 25/2

[PPSGT]

Sit right back and you'll hear a tale.......

The SS Minnow ( aka TW ) was finally ready for her sea trials,

following its recent power upgrade & run in completed.

With Sunday being the only free day for the entire Crew was set - So Thurston J. Howell III ( co owner 1) The Skipper ( Co Owner 2) Gilligan ( First time offshore fisherman ) and the Professor (me) headed off into the predawn darkness with the compass headed in an Easterly direction.

Ginger & Mary-Anne being calm water sailors and somewhat smarter than us stayed on dry land,

10km a "fad" was spotted a u-turn made and we where in hot pursuit of the fad. Pursuit?

The fad once caught turned out to be a fad coloured & sized party balloon from the P&O we'd just passed

With Sydney long behind and lost in rain, smog and a building sea and the water temp climbing over 23

out went the lures while Gilligan turned an ever darker shade of green, but not yet ready to

throw in the towel.

An hour later Gilligan had thrown in the towel and his stomach into the sea, so the boat was turned

and the long trip was made back. Neptune doesnt have a sense of humour, and planning the trip with

Gilligans Island theme wasnt about to change his mood. As i was the designated driver the 2 hour

beam on sea return journey was started. When the BOM says "Wind gusts may be a further 40 per cent stronger than the averages given here, and maximum waves may be up to twice the height." is a statement

not to be taken lightly - and we met quite a few of the 40%'ers on the way back in.

With no land marks, a breaking beam on sea the right eye was on the compass and the GPS while the left

eye was scanning for the port side for breakers.

The boat handled fantastic, and the 320 HP turned the boat to port quick enough to take on any breakers or

their 40% friends. With a day to waste, 300 litres of fuel and willing crew ( well gilligan's sought of nodded) it was a great test for the boats sea handling abilities instead of assuming "she'll be right mate in bad weather" and finding out your wrong when it dark, stormy and your low on fuel...

So off to Clifton Gardens with no live bait or squid, heavy tackle and 2kgs of defrosted mushy petrol station pillies that where destined for a offshore burley trail and a snook & mack tuna caught the day before- the Proffessors job of supply bait and putting the crew onto fish was not looking promising. We anchored the boat outside of the other boats fishing - with a sharkline baited with the tuna and two other heavy outfits baited with pilchards. Gilligan grabbed Thurstons 3 year old sons ***** rod with a 3rd a spool of red light special 3kg line was baited with a pilchard head on a no 6 baitholder, no leader just a swivel to stop the small ball sinker.

So of course 10 minutes later guess which rod goes off..... Gilligan is by now a lot less green looking is fast losing line as the fish makes a bee line for the closest anchor rope. Gilligan is pumping like mad and winding against the screaming drag who's designers thought would never be used...

As expected the fish wrapped itself around the other boats anchor rope and was on its way to freedom,

and we had to inform Gilligan the fish had gone and he was just winding against the drag. I grabbed the

rod to tighten up the drag so he could bust it off - it was well snagged and handed it back. All of a sudden

Sydneys dumbest kingfish - after 2 minutes of being wrapped around an anchor rope on 3kg line

unwrapped itself and charged back towards our boat while Gilligan who had now got the hang of pump

and wind was making headway on the fish - A short time later a king of 60cm ( just ) was boated and

dispatched not some much because it was Gilligan biggest fish and first king - but more in the interest

of improving Sydney Harbour's Kingfish gene pool.

After celebrating the once in a lifetime chance of beating a king against such great odds - Gilligan put the

same highly stressed rig out was now baited with a bigger piece of mushy pilchard and sent back out.

Without anyone else getting a nibble Gilligans on again! He's now a pro at it and the combo receives

a serious workout and 64cm King is boated. Assumptions were made that such stupidity in kingfish

could only by caused by genetic faults through sibling's mating ( maybe its parents were from Tasmania...)

this fish also had a chat with the priest about its parents sins and was also put into the esky

By this stage the skippers been holding by Wilson 15kg Jig special with a

lever drag loaded with 50lbs braid for a hour without a nibble - so the only other light rod on the boat my

nibble tip squid killer was loaded with 6kg was rigged up and sent out with a pillie head. Soon after it was casted out it looked like it was snagged on the shark balloon so I retrieved the heavy rig and could hear a drag pulling and assume it was the balloon pulling the skippers line. Wrong - the skippers on and the fish

is screaming off. 15 metres into the run a crack like a rifle shot is heard and the fish is gone.

The skipper wondering what had happend to his first decent - A quick CSI check of the gear revealed

the physics behind the rifle shot like sound - I'd top shotted the spool with 15 metres 3kg to help cast the smaller jigs I've been using and the perfectly tied & trimmed blood knot snagged on the nibble tips last eye as it passed through causing the line to snap.

I then explained to him I'm glad it happened to him not me - As i would have died if I lost a fish

because of such a simple error....

It was a great day had by all - And much more entertaining than skulldragging the rat's on

braided line.

Here's Gilligan with Sydneys two unluckiest Kingfish, a few hours before it was hard

to tell where his face finished and the Tshirt began he was so green around the gills

TW kinda looks like this without the hole - well kinda its a hardtop cruiser.

A bit of trivia the original SS Minnow was for sale a while ago for US$90k

Just cant wait to get offshore again and fish this time - Hopefully a weekend will come up soon

with an offshore forecast of variable winds to 5 knots , seas calm to 1/2 meter

Jason

Edited February 25, 2007 by PPSGT

[mrmoshe]

Great report Jason...had me in stitches

Excellent work nailing the kings on that POS cheapo gear...You lucky buggers.

Yes, the Gilligan boat was up for sale a while ago...I remember posting it.

Gilligan's Boat

Hope you have better luck outside soon and it doesn't turn into the TV show ending.

Cheers,

Pete.

Edited February 25, 2007 by MallacootaPete

[big_steve]

hahah great report mate

well done on the kingys

cheers steve

[Mik]

That's the funniest post I've read here Jason. Well done to Skipper for avoiding that infamous & historic ending.

[mako1]

Top report Jason.

Really great read.

Pitty about the start of the day but atleast you

gave the boat a good test and ended up with

acouple of kings.

[SEAFEARER]

Sit right back and you'll hear a tale.......

The SS Minnow ( aka TW ) was finally ready for her sea trials,

following its recent power upgrade & run in completed.

With Sunday being the only free day for the entire Crew was set - So Thurston J. Howell III ( co owner 1) The Skipper ( Co Owner 2) Gilligan ( First time offshore fisherman ) and the Professor (me) headed off into the predawn darkness with the compass headed in an Easterly direction.

Ginger & Mary-Anne being calm water sailors and somewhat smarter than us stayed on dry land,

10km a "fad" was spotted a u-turn made and we where in hot pursuit of the fad. Pursuit?

The fad once caught turned out to be a fad coloured & sized party balloon from the P&O we'd just passed

With Sydney long behind and lost in rain, smog and a building sea and the water temp climbing over 23

out went the lures while Gilligan turned an ever darker shade of green, but not yet ready to

throw in the towel.

An hour later Gilligan had thrown in the towel and his stomach into the sea, so the boat was turned

and the long trip was made back. Neptune doesnt have a sense of humour, and planning the trip with

Gilligans Island theme wasnt about to change his mood. As i was the designated driver the 2 hour

beam on sea return journey was started. When the BOM says "Wind gusts may be a further 40 per cent stronger than the averages given here, and maximum waves may be up to twice the height." is a statement

not to be taken lightly - and we met quite a few of the 40%'ers on the way back in.

With no land marks, a breaking beam on sea the right eye was on the compass and the GPS while the left

eye was scanning for the port side for breakers.

The boat handled fantastic, and the 320 HP turned the boat to port quick enough to take on any breakers or

their 40% friends. With a day to waste, 300 litres of fuel and willing crew ( well gilligan's sought of nodded) it was a great test for the boats sea handling abilities instead of assuming "she'll be right mate in bad weather" and finding out your wrong when it dark, stormy and your low on fuel...

So off to Clifton Gardens with no live bait or squid, heavy tackle and 2kgs of defrosted mushy petrol station pillies that where destined for a offshore burley trail and a snook & mack tuna caught the day before- the Proffessors job of supply bait and putting the crew onto fish was not looking promising. We anchored the boat outside of the other boats fishing - with a sharkline baited with the tuna and two other heavy outfits baited with pilchards. Gilligan grabbed Thurstons 3 year old sons ***** rod with a 3rd a spool of red light special 3kg line was baited with a pilchard head on a no 6 baitholder, no leader just a swivel to stop the small ball sinker.

So of course 10 minutes later guess which rod goes off..... Gilligan is by now a lot less green looking is fast losing line as the fish makes a bee line for the closest anchor rope. Gilligan is pumping like mad and winding against the screaming drag who's designers thought would never be used...

As expected the fish wrapped itself around the other boats anchor rope and was on its way to freedom,

and we had to inform Gilligan the fish had gone and he was just winding against the drag. I grabbed the

rod to tighten up the drag so he could bust it off - it was well snagged and handed it back. All of a sudden

Sydneys dumbest kingfish - after 2 minutes of being wrapped around an anchor rope on 3kg line

unwrapped itself and charged back towards our boat while Gilligan who had now got the hang of pump

and wind was making headway on the fish - A short time later a king of 60cm ( just ) was boated and

dispatched not some much because it was Gilligan biggest fish and first king - but more in the interest

of improving Sydney Harbour's Kingfish gene pool.

After celebrating the once in a lifetime chance of beating a king against such great odds - Gilligan put the

same highly stressed rig out was now baited with a bigger piece of mushy pilchard and sent back out.

Without anyone else getting a nibble Gilligans on again! He's now a pro at it and the combo receives

a serious workout and 64cm King is boated. Assumptions were made that such stupidity in kingfish

could only by caused by genetic faults through sibling's mating ( maybe its parents were from Tasmania...)

this fish also had a chat with the priest about its parents sins and was also put into the esky

By this stage the skippers been holding by Wilson 15kg Jig special with a

lever drag loaded with 50lbs braid for a hour without a nibble - so the only other light rod on the boat my

nibble tip squid killer was loaded with 6kg was rigged up and sent out with a pillie head. Soon after it was casted out it looked like it was snagged on the shark balloon so I retrieved the heavy rig and could hear a drag pulling and assume it was the balloon pulling the skippers line. Wrong - the skippers on and the fish

is screaming off. 15 metres into the run a crack like a rifle shot is heard and the fish is gone.

The skipper wondering what had happend to his first decent - A quick CSI check of the gear revealed

the physics behind the rifle shot like sound - I'd top shotted the spool with 15 metres 3kg to help cast the smaller jigs I've been using and the perfectly tied & trimmed blood knot snagged on the nibble tips last eye as it passed through causing the line to snap.

I then explained to him I'm glad it happened to him not me - As i would have died if I lost a fish

because of such a simple error....

It was a great day had by all - And much more entertaining than skulldragging the rat's on

braided line.

Here's Gilligan with Sydneys two unluckiest Kingfish, a few hours before it was hard

to tell where his face finished and the Tshirt began he was so green around the gills

TW kinda looks like this without the hole - well kinda its a hardtop cruiser.

A bit of trivia the original SS Minnow was for sale a while ago for US$90k

Just cant wait to get offshore again and fish this time - Hopefully a weekend will come up soon

with an offshore forecast of variable winds to 5 knots , seas calm to 1/2 meter

Jason

great report mate,its good to have a laugh every once in a while,hope you get out this weekend and give the boat a good run.

[Penguin]

Funny report there PPSGT

and a couple of Kings as well,not a bad ending

to a bad starting day.

penguin

[netic]

Well done on getting some nice fish after a bad start

[Geoff]

Jason , that is a classic

Well done on the kings , at a nice consolation prize for the long trip out wide.

Think how much fuel you can save next time by just going to C.G. & Gilligan will welcome the calmer waters

Geoff

[searabbit]

what a great read well done & well done landing the kings on light gear.

[Flattieman]

Very funny report, mate. Looks like a couple of nice kings there, but it's a bit of a shame that you couldn't make the trifecta with Skipper's fish. I guess beggars can't be choosers, though! Hehehe...

Flattieman.

[brettm-c]

jason

I was at clifton when you guys pulled up, we where in the red and white half cab'

I couldn't beleive it when you got that king off the other guys anchor rope i thought you were gone for all money,

the only thing funnier then your report was wathcing that 6m quinnie anchor up right in front of that cat and then spend the next hour trying to untangle them selves

brett