Martin Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 Sorry this is a week late, busy at work and photos had to be developed Went out on Sunday with my main fishing buddy, my 7-year-old son, Matthew. Got to Bayview boat ramp and remembered I forgot to remember to bring the key for the boat. Bad start to the day. Un hooked the boat and put Matthew in it out the front of the new Coastal Patrol building as security guard, (please don’t tell his mum) while I drove home to get the keys, a 10 minute round trip. Armed with squid, white bait and pilchards all frozen, we headed out hoping for a repeat of last week’s Kingfish bonanza. Thought we would try West Head first and anchored off the pill box just out of reach of the bait grounds and started a burly trail of tin cat food and pellets. Floated out the first whole pilchard on 10kg and BANG, straight off the bat, where on. In 2 minutes we have a nice bonito. To make things a little more fun we broke out the 4kg rods and had a ball for the next few hours. As the tide picked up we swung around on our anchor closer to shore and had the bait fish move into the trail. This seemed to make no difference as the yellow tail, bonito trevally and kingfish all swam happily together. We ended up keeping eight Bonito, along with 4 nice big trevally. We had a good size kingfish swimming in our burley trail constantly however could not tempt it with any of our baits. We never bothered with catching any live bait and giving that a go as we had constant action with the Bonito and trevally. They provided great fun for Matthew and gave him the chance to really start to hone his angling skills. We left them biting and headed over to last weeks spot where we discovered the Kingfish. Started the new burly trail with cat food and some pilchards. (I have found that the bait fish just love cat food, in particular garfish). Within 10 minutes we had attracted a school of garfish and 10 minutes later they just exploded across the surface. The kingfish had arrived. Seconds later Matthew calls out “hey look dad there they are, two of them swimming together. Hey!!!….. there’s another one, looooook one just swam under the boat” The water once again erupted in showers of garfish fending for their lives now under siege by kingfish as they hit and run . Matthew was pretty excited , we had been talking all week of going fishing again and repeating last weeks kingfish effort. Only this time Mathew was going to get the Kingfish. I knew we were about to take the first step into a moment of his life he would never forget. His time had come. I baited up a pilchard tail on a single 3/0 hook with about 500mm of 15lb Vanish line as a trace and gave Matthew his 4kg rod. He feeds out the line in free spool and the bait commences its drifting decent down our burly trail . Within seconds a green shaped shadow turns hard left under our burly pot. Just like a green backed torpedo it runs straight and true, locked and loaded,.2 meters out and 1 meter deep. Impact, we see the bait inhaled and spontaneously line steadily loops off. Matthew counts to 4, and turns the handle of his thread line, “click” and he is in gear. The water surface is ripped and torn apart as garfish scatter in fear that another ambush was under way. The rod arches and simultaneously our ears tune in to that special sound of line peeling off under drag pressure. The kingfish’s first run is short, hard and straight under the boat. Matthew has to stand on the side pocket leaning over the side with rod tip in the water. You can see the panic set in , thinking he’s going to lose his fish. I tell him don’t worry keep the pressure on, keep the rod low and slowly pull back and steer him out. The fish changes direction crash-diving deep and at speed. Some more evasive action and the fight turns into a blow for blow contest with the Kingfish ahead on points. I fit Matthew up with his little rod bucket to steadie the base of his rod hoping he can get a rhythm going. 15 minutes have passed and he tells me his hand is starting to hurt and asks if I can take over . I tell him no can do, you have two choices son, you do this yourself or let the fish, I can’t help you, there the rules. Now lift your rod, drop it and wind. We get colour and the big wide circles begin dangerously close to the anchor rope. Matthew once more leans out over the side this time facing the bow to continue his fight. The fish goes over the rope and I tell Matthew to back off “quickly free spool free spool” Everything goes slack as the line lies limp on the surface of the water and the rod tip unloads. I can hear the little guys heart break , and he half-heartedly winds in the limp line. What can I say? Wack!!! ZZZZZZZZZ The line tightens up and the rod buckles over taking up strain. Matthew calls out “dad he’s back, he’s still there, line lunges off the spool straight down beside the boat. His smile reappears and declares “I’m gonna get this fish dad and then we can ring mum”. We get colour again as the fish is on his side commencing the big circle swim. Where close and there’s not much fight left in the Kingfish. Matthews all fired up and now in control knowing he’s got the Kingfish beat. All he has to do is pump on the outer circle and wind on the inner working the fish closer. The circles tighten up, in goes the gaff and not a flinch from the kingfish. A quick blow to the head and it’s all over, 69cm of Kingfish sits in the esky . Matthews war cry fills Elvina Bay……Yehhhh Kingfish Rock.!!! He asks me if fighting a kingfish is like fighting a big shark and I tell him it is, only it might take you a lot longer to catch a big shark. Seconds later he’s on my mobile to his mum and sister telling them all about it as I tidy up the boat, when I hear him say “Dads going to take me shark fishing next.” Not bad for a 7 year old, must be a chip off the old block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrone07 Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 Great read martin. Well done on your son on his first king. I remeber when my sister last year got her first king when we were jigging. She still gives it to my brother about it because shes younger and caught one before him. Good report cheers tyrone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 Thats a ripper of a report mate and congrats on the little fella's kingy...I thought i was standing on the boat while reading it..GREAT stuff !!! One proud dad im sure.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmar560 Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 nice king for a kid !! well done... 69cm is way better than my PB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knapers Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 Mate TOP report, im with Trouble, i thought i was on the boat, and good onya for getting your fish just as hooked as we all are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizard 1 Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 As everyone has already said awesome report mate! The young fella can hold his head high after that effort! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vipernut Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 What a top report Congratulations to your young fella Definetly one of the best reports i have read, keep them coming!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knapers Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 Your kid must be a tank at 9, the fish is almost bigger than him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jocool Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 One word! AWESOME!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Monk Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 Great Report, sounds like you both had a ball! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt_nsw Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 top report but not something you wanna read on a monday morning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heckendorfmortgage Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 I would happily read that report any day of the week Matt MH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 AWESOME report!!!!!! I can see the young fellas face when he is on teh phone to his mum So where are you taking him shark fishing??????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVAN Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 Good report Martin, congradulations to your son aswell, Nice first kingy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hottuna Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 gOOD king guys, Those fish under the king in the pic are watsons leaping bonitos! Not too common round these parts.... dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted May 1, 2005 Author Share Posted May 1, 2005 Thank you guys for your great comments and encouragement. Matthew will be on cloud nine when he reads them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackant Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 i've been trying all season to catch at Kingfish and only had success once. reading your report wets my my appetite even more. great report and well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MarkD Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 As has been said awesome report. Congrats to Matthew and martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cajun Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Good onya Matthew (and Dad) Great read. Cheers Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 If the young fella wants to give the shark fishing ago..Take him down to sth newport and throw out a slab of mullet !! One of dads mates got 6 dusky whalers to 4ft in 2hrs while trying for jews over the weekend..Where caught around 10pm , this may be alittle late for the young fella? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bashir Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 we had a small run of them last year. They would make a great kingie bait, slow trolled on 24kg standup gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_lure Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Nice work lads. Those watsons bonnies are pretty thick this year, I'd never seen one before but this season they seem to be everywhere. 45511[/snapback] Top Work!! certainly would build your 9yr olds muscles up Yep the Watsons are all over the place, getting in the way of me landing that frigate!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaso Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Top report - great read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombat Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Great stuff Mathew. Go get em mate. Nice one dad. What looking after the boat on one's own and getting dinner as well...not bad at all. Wombat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinfisher Posted May 6, 2005 Share Posted May 6, 2005 gOOD king guys, Those fish under the king in the pic are watsons leaping bonitos! Not too common round these parts....dan 45471[/snapback] Top story mate , good for your boy even better for a proud dad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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