Broken Bay 26/2

[Canary05]

Got an unexpected break in my usual cricket weekend when the opposition forfeited last night, so I decided to head out given the weather looked like it would be pretty good in the morning. Being unprepared though, all I had bait-wise was a pair of salted striped tuna fillets that I'd caught last Sunday.

Put in at Apple Tree Bay in nice settled conditions, and headed off to the reef just off Palm/Whale beaches - Trawleys? Anchored up, and settled down for (hopefully) some King action.

I soon had a typical Kingy fight on my hands, and just as I landed it (undersized, back in the drink), my other line went off as well. This was a really heavy lump, had no idea. I was thinking a big flatty, and as it got toward the surface, the colour looked right. However, some flecks of purple and a big red spot didn't look right, and as I got it to the surface I realised I'd caught a rock cod - and a massive cuttlefish had decided to have a feed on it as well. I'm not sure how big they get, but this would have been close to a metre, evil looking and ugly. It let go as it hit the surface, leaving me with a chomped rock cod.

Caught another couple of kings, both undersized and both swimming along nicely out these somewhere. They were all around the 60cm mark. The nearest boat to me was getting them too, but I'm not sure they were going back in the drink. I hope I'm wrong.

Decided to up anchor at this point as the fish went off the bite, and trolled to my next mark off Kilcare. I was hoping to pick up some more Stripeys as I got a few last week trolling, but didn't even have a hit this time around. I was down to one fillet for my next stop.

Anchored again at my Kilcare mark in 40m of water, and for the next 40-60 minutes, I had a ball! Fishing two lines, every time I pulled one in I had a fish on, and by the time I got it back in, the second line would be on. In this period, my score was 4 flathead in the 45-60cm range (which will be tonights dinner), and nice big girl flatty of 79cm (which I released - pictured with my size 13 foot), another undersized King, two big Sargeant Baker, a couple of rock cod, and a 20cm yakka.

The yakka went straight back in as live bait, and within 5 minutes that rod went off as well. This was a much better fish, and I managed to get a brief glimpse of it before it busted me off - the wire trace broke at the clip - I think I saw a streak of yellow, so I think I lost a good King.

Still, had a great time out there, and I'm looking forward to getting out there again.

[jenno64]

You sure hit the spot there and what a big girl! She looks like a sand flathead and one of the others looks like a dusky, or are they all sandies? Great release too!!