Summary For The Week

[Flanman]

Big Mac and the Flanman have been left to their own devices this week given that their respective people avec kinter have gone on holidays up the coast.

No point hanging out at home when there is a perfectly good boat to be lived on.

Anyhoooooow, part of the deal is that the young bloke has to spend a night on the boat before he gets to go away with Mum. This turns out to be a stroke of genius, as last Monday afer botttom bashing off the heads for bits and pieces we come across a salmon boil up. Now with our Bertie 25 it is a bit problematic trying to fish and drive at the same time, so who better to drive the ship than the young bloke (just dont yell at him if he turns the wrong way). The salmoin were thick in the water and swimming around with their mouths n the air just waiting for a small slice to be dropped in their gob.

Contrary to many reports, salmon make excellent eating when bled straight away and chucked on ice. We turned three of ours into Penang Curry on Monday night. The oily flesh is perfect for this style of cooking as it does not dry out or go tough. The stronger flavour of the fish is also overcome by the curry that it has been cooked in.

Wednesday saw us trying our hand at 12 mile reef. Nothing doing there for the good ship except for the big L'Jacket (a french type of fish I believe) which the big mun managed to jag in the arse whilst jigging for kings. We got back into the harbour about 8.30pm with very little to show for our efforts and fuel spend.

We had to go back to the boat first thing on Thursday morning to tidy up (you know how it is. We were too tired and emotional the night before) After a breakfast of trevally fillets (by-catch from fishing for livvies) and aforementioned L'Jacket we thought we may as well flick some plastic about. I had my new Sedona loaded with 6lb fireline and 4lb leader with a small squidgy. It seemed like a good idea at the time untill a wandering King (Rattus Famishus)came by. After he peeled 50m off the reel I thought it prudent to apply a little more drag lest he knit me through every moored boat in the bay. Needless to say, that was the last I heard from him.

Best we get off to work, but perhaps an evening sojourn with a steak on the barbie. Besides the dog needs some excercise.

We anchored in the evening in the moorings off Seaforth and chummed up with all the left over salmon frames and some chicken carcasses. I proceeded to arm my small baitcaster with a stinky servo prawn to see if I could get anything interested.

As some of the better scribes onthis site describe it.......'I felt a tap tap tap'

I set the hook and then watched atleast 3/4 of the line on my reel peel off. I was getting close to the backing which was not pretty as it is just some old mono I had lying aroud. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I chased him around the boat for the next 25 minutes and finaly got it near the net so that the big mun could work his magic.

It went about 85cm and it was a battle to get it into the kill box before the dog got his fangs into it.

Not much after that except for the masses of herring like bait fish that fed on our trail. We caught a few for livvies but they turned up their tail as soon as you put a hook into them.

Given that we had more action with in 500m of where we more the boat than 20miles off the coast, you have to wonder whe we bothered. Still it wont stop us going out again next week.

[Josh88]

Well done Flanman, sounds like you had a pretty good time.

I'd like to live around Seaforth, throw a line in off your jetty and catch a king, what a life that would be.

[Steve07]

Good report there mate &

well done!

[slinkymalinky]

great read Flanman. That's one tiny reel in comparison to the fish when you look at the photo... nice capture.

Cheers, Slinky