RockHoppin Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 (edited) Hey guys Went out on sunday with my cousin to have a cast from one of our fav rock ledges hoping for a mixed bag. Had some nice pillies, prawns and even some fresh squid to work with. Plan was to set a few baits out wide and fish the wash early on to take advantage of the conditions after saturdays wind killed any hopes to throw a line. Got there at 5.15am, set the baits, started a nice burley trail and conditions looked picture perfect with no wind & a 0.5m swell and a clear blue sky. It just didnt look perfect for fishing...not enough wash for mine. Anyways, this spot usually produces the goods...we have never gone there without atleast catching a feed of fish...by 8am we had nothing!!! zilch! I couldnt believe it! The water was calm enough to fish right on the edge and we could see the bottom - I put the lack of success down to the swell being only 0.5m so there wasnt enough activity to get the fish going...until that is, we decided to have a fish for the old faithful - The Eastern Blue Groper. So, feeling a little defeated, off we went and managed to bag a few crabs with no dramas at all thanks to the low seas. Picked a nice looking spot and threw our first baits in. I couldnt believe it when my mates rod buckled over in the 1st minute only to come up hookless and fishless!?? "What happened??" I asked, to which he replied "It cut my bloody line!?"....."Impossible mate, they dont have sharp teeth?" Turns out it was a poorly tied knot that proved to be his doing..but more on that later. Anyways, we moved spots as we thought the fish may have been spooked and ran back to his cave. In go our baits again and what happened next was one of the best fights ive seen in a while...forget tyson and lewis, this was bigger!!!! There I was still bumming over the lack of table fish when my mates rod just doubled over... again! But this time there was no questions about his knot and this fish was big! Now we both got a pair of brutal custom built 6120 outfits and my cousins no light weight but he was struggling to turn this blues head! Its initial run was awesome..all power and diving straight for its cave. He managed to turn it and actually got it to the surface...but as soon as old bluey saw my mug waiting to land it he went berserk, dove again and nearly took my cousin in with him!!! By this time the rod was doubled over and so was his back...a few solid winches and I saw colour again. Up he came a second time but this time his head was out of the water...a few nail biting seconds near the barnacles saw this fish wash in and out a few times until I managed to get a hand in his gills and lift him out - all 12 or so kgs of him! As I tried to remove the hook though, I realised that there were 2 hooks in his mouth - one attached to his line, and the other clean and new but with some crab still attached!! It was the same fish that stole his 1st bait!! No doubt, my mate was destined to catch this fish! (See pics for close up of 2nd hook). As you'd expect, we were over the moon. Theres nothing more satisfying that actually targeting a species and coming home with the goods. This was my mates first 10Kg+ blue and he was wrapped. We had no more action the rest of the day either and it was the ONLY fish we managed to pull up - but what a fish. Another rock hopper who was there (cheers Josh) took a few happy snaps and we decided to call it a day not long after. The walk back for him was terrible - the strap on his backpack snapped and he had to lug it all up by hand!...it was well worth it though Cant wait to do it all over again next week. Cheers RockHoppa Edited October 3, 2007 by RockHoppin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riceball Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Mate, that’s an absolute beast!!! Great catch, I can imagine the power of that thing. What gear did you use for that?. Congratulations, excellent catch, definitely in the run of Fish of the month! Cheers Louis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretsch Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 That's incredible... what a fish!!! I can't believe it was the same fish that snaffled your mate's bait initially... what luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Nice one guys!!! It feels good when you hit a good sized version of the fish you are targeting !!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinp Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Fantastic effort guys, great reward for a tough session, although I am with KeepingTabs on this one, would have prefered to see him swim off, each to their own I guess, well done all the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deschanel Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 (edited) yeah nice fish guys, looks to good to eat Edited October 3, 2007 by Deschanel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmoshe Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 (edited) Just a reminder Raiders of The Rules....especially Rule 15: 15. No criticism of legal catches and/or inappropriate imposing of C&R views in fishing reports While we all have views on what we choose to keep or release, it is still a legal capture and we should respect anyone's right to keep it. We don't want to stifle comment, but make sure it falls within the rules. Cheers, Pete. Edited October 3, 2007 by MallacootaPete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockHoppin Posted October 3, 2007 Author Share Posted October 3, 2007 This is why the thought of me personally ever taking one is ZERO. I would much prefer to see them in their natural habitat playing around rather than on the dinner table. But I understand that they are not Protected (only from spear fishing due to their inquisitive nature) so people are entitled to take them. Just try to understand the nature and beauty of these beasts is sometimes better left to roam our rock ledges then on the table. A top effort nonetheless mate. Definitely an awesome achievement to land one of that size. Well done. Anthony Hi mate I know where you're coming from and like you, I too do quite a bit of diving and seeing one up close is an awesome experience. Only reason this one came back to the ice box was because it was my mates first 10kg+ fish and also because it was still a baby compared to the tackle busting 20kg+ examples that we know swim around the areas we fish - any fish in this size would definitely go back (that is if we can actually land one!). Same can be said about all other fish I guess (dont see anywhere near as many big tuna as we used to - especially off the rocks! ). But I'd be more worried about those that are taken illegally (spear fishing) than the big blues that are landed once in a blue moon by line...besides, they still taste great in this size and groper are no longer endangered or a rare thing. In addition to this the spots we fish are no where near any regular dive sites and the fish are plentiful. btw - to answer your question rice, outfit used is a custom built FSU6120 (by Fishfinder) running 20kg tortue through a 651E5 alvey. No bream gear here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Dan Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 mate that is an absolute thumper of a fish, well done fellas. how do they taste? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skunga Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Good work boys on a tough-as fish! You are well in your rights to take the fish and I personally wonder what a groper would taste like.. I'm sure it went down well! I'm glad that you have the bigger picture in mind, with consideration for the bigger models and noting that its not a divers haunt - good work. With that said I'm with you guys not wanting to keep them - I've dived with them for years - They are like a friendly dog of the sea, curious and playful.. I couldn't take something with that much personality. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenno64 Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 That is a cracking catch :beersmile:Congrats man! It reminds me of one caught on a well known Sydney fishing DVD. I got one last year about 7kg and hesitantly took it home for the table but was very disappointed...dry as so I wouldn't take anything over 2-3kg now. How do you reckon they go on the plate at that size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Thats a fine fish, well done on your efforts penguin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockHoppin Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 How do you reckon they go on the plate at that size? Thanks mate, they're great to eat IMO. Firm, white, moist flesh - I've had em at around 7-8kg and they've been just as nice but it all depends on how you cook em. Cant go wrong with the usual combo of herbs n spices, garlic, chillis and lemon all wrapped up in foil and chucked in the oven or on the bbq . Anything above 15kg and I imagine they would taste much the same as any old fish would - very dry and tough - Ive seen some that would be pushing 30kg or more...these would no doubt be like rubber! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sails Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Hi Rockhoppin, that is a great catch, well done. I see alot of them when I dive my local area at Collaroy and they always head for their favorite rock holes, so to get it to shore would have been a challenge. I've yet to hook into one of those blue beasts, but I'm looking forward to the time I do. cheers Sails Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevo-72 Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Hi there, Congrats on a such a top fish, by the looks of the location in the pics,kinda tells me its not a easy place to get down to the fishing platform. Those fish put on such a heavy weighted run that as the fight goes on some do come out worse for wear {eg. cuts to fins, blown out eye.} that you have to takem for the oven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenno64 Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 I don't target them that often anyway...prefer the pigs on the plate and you caught a cracker just a while back from memory. That's serious gear your using too.... Keep up the good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abiasin Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 awsome fish mate, must of went like the clappers. havent seen one like that landed in a while as a bust off is the most common end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockHoppin Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 Hi there, Congrats on a such a top fish, by the looks of the location in the pics,kinda tells me its not a easy place to get down to the fishing platform. Those fish put on such a heavy weighted run that as the fight goes on some do come out worse for wear {eg. cuts to fins, blown out eye.} that you have to takem for the oven. yeah, its not the easiest place to get to. Pretty rugged territory with deep water otherwise known as Spot X I don't target them that often anyway...prefer the pigs on the plate and you caught a cracker just a while back from memory. That's serious gear your using too.... Keep up the good work! Serious gear for serious fish! But I dont know how we'd stop a blue bigger than this tank...he really gave the gear a good workout. Anything bigger will be pretty much unstoppable...some blokes use 80lb mono or more?! It'll be like fishing with anchor rope?? I wouldnt want to get snagged using that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrias Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 well you can share your spot x wth me nice catch mate, i would not be able to sleep if i catch fish that size Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blood Knot Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Great catch and well told story - good onya guys. (Reckon Groper tastes best lightly crumbed and fried) John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR@ZY OS@M@ Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 funny thing hearing that your cousin lost the first fish but good on him for catching it the second time and landing him. nice fish,well done to your persistance.surely aid it off for you both Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinflattie Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 awsome fish mate, must of went like the clappers. havent seen one like that landed in a while as a bust off is the most common end. groper fishermen use 80lb+ lines often. my friends and I are all using 80lb fireline, and we know ppl using 150lb lines too with double hooks to hold the red crabs as bait. true that if u get snagged, it may be quite a frustrating and tiring experience. awesome fish indeed. we have been targeting gropers for a few months, none of us has caught a blue one yet. well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockHoppin Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 groper fishermen use 80lb+ lines often. my friends and I are all using 80lb fireline, and we know ppl using 150lb lines too with double hooks to hold the red crabs as bait. true that if u get snagged, it may be quite a frustrating and tiring experience. awesome fish indeed. we have been targeting gropers for a few months, none of us has caught a blue one yet. well done. Thanks mate. The big blue will come, dont you worry bout that! Its just a matter of time. Much like kingy fishing you tend to get destroyed and demoralised about 20 times first before you actually land one! Where you catch the small ones, there will be big ones..and you will definitely know when a big blue has taken your crab! My rig is pretty simple - 4/0 big gun with a light running sinker straight to the hook. Just make sure the hook is well presented and away you go. I personally dont like fishing with the heavier lines.. we started off using 80lb schnieder mono - never again! 20 or 24kg is still plenty strong and you will land em with a good fight...80lb+ just takes away all the fun and is just much harder to fish with in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelsta Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 look at the lips on that cograts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yabbiehunter Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Not a bad effort Bass your making me jealous now, ill trade you a kingie trip for a rock fishing trip congratz on the catch looks like a beast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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