inhlanzi Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 G'day Raiders In recent weeks I have been attempting to catch a big jewie on a downrigger. Pete at GoFish has been very helpful at getting all the bits and pieces I need to get up and running. I had to get a special rail-mount to hold the downrigger. On Thursday I went for a trail run with everything in place. I did a few runs with a big river to sea rattle mullet and then a big paddletail and finally a Pakula Dojo Peche. I wanted to see how the boat and gear performed at low speed and see how the feedback was on the rod with the different lures. All worked very well and was stoked with the whole set up. There was some surface action and I went over to chuck a small river to sea "pinkie" at the splashing. Quickley got a nice slimey an then I had a bright idea! How about a nice downrigged slimey!! Got the rod rerigged and down went a slimey to 25 feet. Now the rod in question is a Wilson Live Fibre Texalium Six foot Spin and on it is a Baitrunner 6500B loaded with 80lb Tuff line XP sitting in a rail mounted Scotty Powerlock 230. I head off down with the current as the tide is on its way out. I decide I will just follow the flow and see what happens. About 20 mins into the journey I suddenly hear that amazing sound of the 6500 going off its head, I turned to see the rod absolutely buckled off to the side and then a sudden sharp CRACK and the rod, reel and rodholder head off at an angle into the drink!!!! kasploosh!!!!! Instinctively I grab the downrigger handle and wind like hell but its not caught on anything. WTF WTF All quiet... WHAT THE F&^$!!!!! Absolutely shattered is about all I could think. Stopped the boat sat there and contemplated the situation. How the hell can a rod holder snap like that??? I have had numerous really big rays and good sharks and the odd big jew take in that same holder and never a problem. I checked the bomb and as it was still a brand new bomb there was not a mark on so therefore it must have been a a frigging FISH!!! The DAMAGE - $600 plus Goooooone Wilson Live Fibre Texalium Six foot Spin (+_ $350.00 ) and on it is a Baitrunner 6500B ( +_ $230.00 ) loaded with 80lb Tuff line XP ( at least $50.00 ). Scotty Rod Holder ( +_ $ 59 ) All that remains... Ah well I figure I better start to try and jig up my gear. Find some sinkers and get a few trebbles off the lures and the cast and retrieve begins. At this point I remember back to Cephs posts about the Stella that got away not once but twice and he got it back so it motivated me keep on trying. I tried for a long time and it was starting to get dark and then in the gloom I see a fin slowly moving on the surface. Being a bit curious I motored over to have a look and there is a mother of a kingie just slowly lolling on the surface. Quickley grab one of the rods and try to put on a lure to have a cast. Then I notice something hanging out the side of the kingeys mouth - a slimey. Thats what took my rod!!!!!!!! As I got closer he turned and I could see my yellow braid!!! My heart starts pumping and now what? At this point he sees the boat and a swish of the tail and he's off like a rocket. Ok OK so now I know more or less where things are. By now its really dark and I decide to pack up and come back at first light. I got home and made up a few jiggin traces with the biggest trebbles I could find. Hardly slept all night and at 5 am I was off to the water. Got to the spot as the sun was coming up and there was nothing. So I figured I would try and jig the whole area. I had been jigging and draging for hours I was quite despondent. A couple of times I saw what a thought was an up-welling near where I saw the Kingie last night. I moved a bit closer and cast over the upwelling area. I think on the third cast I snagged something - the joy of seeing the braid on the trebble was amazing. I grabbed the braid and began to pull there was something there and it was moving. YES YES YES I took my time hand over hand making a neat pile on the deck and then I saw him...SHIT... landing net no, no no! too small get the gaff get the gaff. I guided his head toward the transom and lowered the gaff under his head and drove it home up and onto the boat, bloody hell this was a good size King. The measure sticker on my boat stops at 90cm and he was well pased that!! Yahoooooooooo.. NOW get the gear on the other end! I pulled the line in quickley ...BIG MISTAKE ... It was snagged on something and I guess I was a bit too hasty I had the line wrapped around a pair of pliers for leverage, but long story short - the braid bust down where it was snagged and my beloved texie and my newest 6500 lies somewhere down there. The Kingie made a fantastic dinner for 9 adults and a couple of kids. I am still in a bit of shock and will have to go back and jig and drag some more. As I stare at the empty spot in my rod rack I guess there are a lot of lessons to be learned here but I still need time to figure them all out! Cheers inhlanzi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TobyW Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Mate, Incredible story, incredible Fish, and landed by hand on Braid...!!!! a day later!!! is that considered to be a 12 hour + fight??? Unbelievable.!!! Did you measure her up when you got home? how long? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemmm Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Hard luck on losing the set up inhlanzi. Great story though. I suppose the moral is - big rods go in stainless rodholders. you don't hear many stories of fishos having steel holders snap off. Good luck on the future jigging you may just be lucky. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yabbiehunter Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Thats AWESOME story.......... Well done on the fish, it wasnt a total loss i guess.......Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frangkie Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 tough luck mate, the curse of the plastic rodholder. i've had similar problems with them, it sucks losing gear. i only use stainless holders now. by the way top fish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Dan Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Thats an unreal story mate, well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo 81 Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 That was an exellent read mate. awsome kingy, sorry bout your outfit though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
double pluggers Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Very nice fish now you only have to retrieve the rod & reel to complete an awesome story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mottyman Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 An amazing story... one of the best I've read and surely worthy of a place in modern fishing magazine! Cheers David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh88 Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Cracker of a story mate. Atleast you got the kingy back. Amazing power they have. Your rod might be ok if you get it back.....not so sure about the reel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covanova Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 mate, I'm about to buy a 6500 myself....to save you a buck, you can order them from the US for $119 (plus 15 or so for p&h) - with our dollar so good, it's a bargain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roffo Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Hi Mike, I lost a 10kg outfit the same way with the same type of rod holder in Gove (TLD 25 and a custum Butterworth rod $1100) I know how you feel, it was a great setup you had. I hope you jag it next time your there. BTW great fish, it must have been a buzz fighting that thing. Cheers Roffo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mik Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Very sorry to read about your mishap, its heartbreaking to see gear go in any manner, god knows we work hard to collect it then stuff like that happens & it makes you wonder if you ain't better off buying cheap stuff. But hey, the style in which you lost it was the stuff great fishing stories are made of, the fact that you got the fish in a day later!.....well that's just plain freaky. What a great read. on the Modern Fishing Mag comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VA911 Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Mate we all feal for you. Well done on the king though. and even better done finding the bastard that stole your gear and eating him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mako1 Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Awesome report. Unlucky about the lost outfit but that's a top kingy to make up for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigholio Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 If it's any consolation you're welcome to have my never used Scotty rod nonholder gratis...to me it's not worth a pinch of sh!t, pretty obvious why. That is a truly amazing sequence of events. I'm sure you'll get your gear back, tho eating the bastard is surely payback!! Post of the month, right there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR@ZY OS@M@ Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 thats one hell of an amazing way to get a nice sizeking,srry to hear of your lost outfit,top fish though,well done,you can say that the hard work paid in getting that king hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewgaffer Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Amazing story Mike. Bad luck having your expensive gear go overboard when that big kingfish hit. In my opinion any rod holder supported by downrigger material is not even safe enough for the temporary storage of a light weight bait rod. Even then you would need a lanyard to cover yourself against a mishap or breakage from material fatigue. Plastic rod holders anywhere in a boat are not worth a bumper, moreso those rail mount ones. The action of the rod and the guides comes into it before the drag takes over and that is enough to have them slip forward or fall apart. Many an expensive outfit has hit the drink because of these pathetic plastic rod holders. The manufacturers must think fishermen buy and install downriggers on game boats and even bream boats to fish for sardines or something. Mike there's a regular diver who might be worth a try. He operates under the name of "Find It". Cheers jewgaffer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robeebee Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 truly amazing story something you will never forget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgey Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 That was an exceptional read mate. After going to so much effort to perfect your downrigging outfit, it all goes south due to a faulty rodholder. Small consolation, I know, but that is a great Kingie! Hodgey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretsch Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Well!!!! What can I say? Despit your loss Inhlanzi, that is an amazing story!! I know that feeling well. When you see the line you can't believe it. What are the odds!!! That is incredible that you got the fish!!! Let me ask, would you rather the fish or the rod? It is my belief that there are no rail mount rod holders that are King proof. Welded stainless for me these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolan Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Wow Inhlanzi, I've just read your post twice....................... What an amazing turn of events I'm actually not sure what to say....................congradulations er, I think Sorry about your gear, but somehow I reckon that if you have a few more attempts at dragging it up on a treble, I reckon you might just get it. After all, who would have thought you would have ever tasted that hoodlum, especially letting it stay there overnight! Cheers, Stumpy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the elk Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Mate, never go out fishing with Ceph. You make a bad pair between you Healthy looking Kingy though. Marvellous conditioning. He looks as though he has the beef to be labelled as one of the recent destroyers of numerous wishful fishermans gear in MH of late Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netic Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Very nice king Ilhanzi...shame about the outfit lost...How heavy was the drag set?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandas Posted April 28, 2008 Share Posted April 28, 2008 Holy crap !! That is awesome. One of the kind of stories that a mate tells a mate who tells a mate and by the end of it no one even believes it because it is just so amazing. Now I read it from the guy first hand !! Lets see if my mates believe me Congrats and my condolences all at once Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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