fryboy Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 (edited) Hi all, Had an amazing experience yesterday evening that I want to share. Got out very late yesterday, just time for a quick troll along the walls from Barrenjoey. Got as far as Whale Beach headland where we encountered a *massive* school of Kings feeding on the surface and heading south. I reckon the school covered an area about the size of a standard size house! My mate Glenn manages to hook into one with very light gear and a blade. Whilst Glenn is trying hard to bring that King in, I saw a whale come up about 100m further out and heading south. I managed to get a pic. A couple of minutes later and Glenn is still trying to bring in the King. Everytime it saw the boat, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, and off he'd go again trying to catch up to the school which had now moved south of us. During one of these runs, we got a bit of a shock to see that the whale (assuming the same one) had turned around and was now heading north and much closer to us. I got another pic. I was a bit unsure what to do here, as I know the law regarding 100m/300m to whales, but in this case, the whale was coming to me, not me trying to get to it! We also didnt know where it was heading, so I was unsure which way to move. So as a courtesy I switched off the motor and the sounder and we concentrated on bringing in the King.. Next thing, you couldnt believe it, the whale came up right next to the boat to the south of us!!!!!!!!! See pic We could also now clearly see it was not one whale but a mother and her calf. See pic That was very, very scary. I didnt want to be this close to such a huge animal and I was concerned that they might come too close and tip us or injure themselves. But that was nothing compared to what happened next.... Glenn still had the King on and it was nearly under the boat. We were about to cut the line, as we had realised that the whales must be coming to us because of the king. As I went for the knife, both mother and calf went right under the bow of the boat!!! Then Glenns line just went zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz for about three seconds and that was it, all over. We never saw the whales again - but mind you, we were a bit in shock and were just looking at each other going 'what the ^*(&( just happened??' I talked to the NPWS this morning about the incident. They confirmed that we werent in the wrong as the whales approached us. We did the right thing in turning the engine and sounder off. They also said that if Glenns lure is in or on the whale, it wont cause them much discomfort and they would shed it quickly. Phew. They also confirmed that humpback whales (which they think these were) dont eat fish! So the reason for the interest in Glenns Kingfish is unknown.... As it was getting dark, we headed back towards home. Going along the north face of Barrenjoey, we encountered another school of kings. Glenn managed to boat two undersize which were returned. I managed a big fat zero, and am still to catch my first King! Fryboy Edited November 16, 2010 by fryboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdjnetplay Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Awesome series of events! Great read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catchin Jack Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Wow, what an experience, nice photos of the whales up so close to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgey Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 That's something you'll remember for a loooong time! Great photos and report mate. Fingers crossed you crack it for a good kingy VERY soon Cheers Hodgey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galvin Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Thats insane When is your next whale watching tour? Good luck on getting that first king. Kind Regards, Livebait!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elite Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 AMAZING!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul.kenny Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Awesome post Fryboy and good on you for taking the measures to avoid stressing the mother and her calf . PS - You should have had your keys out for a close photo of the whale to claim the fish of the month , oh but whales aren't fish....still would have been a great 'fish of the month submission'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefan Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 That is one of the most amazing things i have ever read. Thanks to your brilliant writing and pictures I almost felt as if i experienced it as well. Congratulations on being the first fishraider to be "whaled" hahaha Stefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongrass18ft Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Hi all, Had an amazing experience yesterday evening that I want to share. Got out very late yesterday, just time for a quick troll along the walls from Barrenjoey. Got as far as Whale Beach headland where we encountered a *massive* school of Kings feeding on the surface and heading south. I reckon the school covered an area about the size of a standard size house! My mate Glenn manages to hook into one with very light gear and a blade. Whilst Glenn is trying hard to bring that King in, I saw a whale come up about 100m further out and heading south. I managed to get a pic. A couple of minutes later and Glenn is still trying to bring in the King. Everytime it saw the boat, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, and off he'd go again trying to catch up to the school which had now moved south of us. During one of these runs, we got a bit of a shock to see that the whale (assuming the same one) had turned around and was now heading north and much closer to us. I got another pic. I was a bit unsure what to do here, as I know the law regarding 100m/300m to whales, but in this case, the whale was coming to me, not me trying to get to it! We also didnt know where it was heading, so I was unsure which way to move. So as a courtesy I switched off the motor and the sounder and we concentrated on bringing in the King.. Next thing, you couldnt believe it, the whale came up right next to the boat to the south of us!!!!!!!!! See pic We could also now clearly see it was not one whale but a mother and her calf. See pic That was very, very scary. I didnt want to be this close to such a huge animal and I was concerned that they might come too close and tip us or injure themselves. But that was nothing compared to what happened next.... Glenn still had the King on and it was nearly under the boat. We were about to cut the line, as we had realised that the whales must be coming to us because of the king. As I went for the knife, both mother and calf went right under the bow of the boat!!! Then Glenns line just went zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz for about three seconds and that was it, all over. We never saw the whales again - but mind you, we were a bit in shock and were just looking at each other going 'what the ^*(&( just happened??' I talked to the NPWS this morning about the incident. They confirmed that we werent in the wrong as the whales approached us. We did the right thing in turning the engine and sounder off. They also said that if Glenns lure is in or on the whale, it wont cause them much discomfort and they would shed it quickly. Phew. They also confirmed that humpback whales (which they think these were) dont eat fish! So the reason for the interest in Glenns Kingfish is unknown.... As it was getting dark, we headed back towards home. Going along the north face of Barrenjoey, we encountered another school of kings. Glenn managed to boat two undersize which were returned. I managed a big fat zero, and am still to catch my first King! Fryboy Hi fryboy interesting report,curious what do hump back whales eat if they don,t eat fish.Good to see some large kingie schools around,and it looks like a trip of a lifetime you had out there with the fish and whales HaHa chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turningbay Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 what an epic time! nice kingie well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednet Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Hi fryboy interesting report,curious what do hump back whales eat if they don,t eat fish.Good to see some large kingie schools around,and it looks like a trip of a lifetime you had out there with the fish and whales HaHa chris. WOW thats amazing, probably scary at the same time as welll. Hump backs feed on krills, small shrimps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Hi Fryboy, My guess would be that you were "collateral damage". Don't doubt that the whales were interested, and came to take a look, but suspect that you then ended up with them picking up your line as they went through, and then breaking you off. Saw something similar when spearfishing years ago in South Africa. My teammate had speared a cobia, which had been swimming with a 50' whale sharp. Fish swam under, then over the shark, and "reefed" him around the dorsal. He was left chasing after his float as it headed out to sea. Recovered it the next day, with spear and fish broken off. Humpbacks are primarily krill feeders, AFAIK, but certainly they do eat fish. I have seen amazing footage of them near Newfoundland, feeding on baitfish (pilchard?) shoals. They spiral up under a baitball, blowing streams of bubbles into a "net" which keps the baitball together, until the humpback breaks up through the surface, taking the whole ball in one go. Never heard of them taking larger fiah though. regards Alastair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednet Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Have a strange feeling that the whale might have rescued that kingfish instead of eating it. Kingfish: yo mother whale, give us a fin here? Whale: Sure thing brother, ill just sit on his line. Kingfish: cheers mother whale, just curious you aint gona eat me are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 (edited) Epic. By the way, outstanding effort to get those pics, but where are the keys?????? Edited November 17, 2010 by Lucky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray R Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Mate what a story, you guys will have that in the memory banks for a long time, good to see you managed a few pics, I bet you were shaking a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasty1 Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 OUTSTANDING MATE... MOST PEOPLE WOULD PAY MONEY TO SEE WHALES UP THAT CLOSE,GOTTA LOVE MOTHER NATURE........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantomz Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Not Sure, if the next trip will live up to this one.. I was there and I still don't believe it! (just bigger Kings would be nice.... and smaller whales!) and J there is always next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryboy Posted November 17, 2010 Author Share Posted November 17, 2010 Not Sure, if the next trip will live up to this one.. I was there and I still don't believe it! (just bigger Kings would be nice.... and smaller whales!) and J there is always next time. ahaaaa. Welcome to the forum Glenn. Mate, there could be better adventures next time. Fryboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan.widz Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 (edited) Have a strange feeling that the whale might have rescued that kingfish instead of eating it. Kingfish: yo mother whale, give us a fin here? Whale: Sure thing brother, ill just sit on his line. Kingfish: cheers mother whale, just curious you aint gona eat me are you? so thats what was going on down there Edited November 17, 2010 by Prawn Star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvbigfish Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 great report fryboy , i sheet myself when a whale came up in front of my boat about 100 metres away this year so i can just image how you guys felt with both whales so close , excitement/panic/shock! well done on some top pics. cheers paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idolz Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 last sunday I had a calf and mother swim past the boat while we where fishing about 5kms off Clovelly,,, funny the whale watchers where about 2kms in away from us,,, and seeing nothing!!!!! they are pretty common out there,,,,,just dont want them to surface under my boat!!!!!...or take my line!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mannyk Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Great story but scary as well.I have had a whale come under the boat before and it scared the crap out of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Rock Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 What a fantastic story!! I wouldn't have believed it if you didn't have the pics to prove it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fran1mat Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 Great read Fryboy. Like George said, they are clever creatures, it wasn't a fluke that the mother was between your boat and her calf. I lived in Hervey Bay for years and spent plenty of time on the water and we would see them regularly, in very similar circumstances as yours. Magestic and beautiful creatures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCS Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 Wow! What an amazing story! It's first thing on a saturday morning, and I have woken, full of beans, and have been desperately trying to get my hungover partner to take me out on the boat to go fishing (no joy by the way). I can't believe that Humpacks don't eat tasty Kingfish! I sure do. Thanks for making my morning.. Celia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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