Cracker flatty in skinny water

[jenno64]

Formulated a plan last night after catching some fat poddies. Plan A was to hit the shallow bays on the run out to score a feed of flatties then Plan B was to move on down to the deep channel and deploy a livey or two for the last of the run out. Plan A was pretty quiet and only managed one keep and a few throw backs. I pedalled into the shallowest part of the bay and my mirage drive started to get bogged so I turned around to head back to slightly deeper water. Just after the turn, I sent the lures out the back and slowly moved off. One of the rods with the ZX-40 on it looked to be tickled so I picked it up and whatever was on started slowly swimming to the yak on a bit of an angle. I reeled in the slack line to set the hook and it took off under the yak with drag screaming. I got the other rod in out of the way and started following the fish keeping tension on. I was in very shallow water and the fish was sending up big clouds of mud and scattering mullet and prawns into the air. Still no colour and I couldn't get it off the shallow bottom. I thought it may have been a jew or a ray but then I got a glimpse of a striped tail and it turned with a spade-like head up to the surface. I was patting myself on the back for upping my leader from 6-14lb after some expensive losses lately. I couldn't get a look at the whole fish but knew it was a cracker. I slipped the big silicon net under half of her and gently laid her in front of me in the yak. I pedalled 30m over to a boat ramp and quickly took a couple of shots, retrieved my tiny lure and started swimming her. Her dorsal fins were all upright band she gave a bite on the grips so I slipped the grips out and gave her a push out. She snaked off into the muddy water and I inspected the lure, which remarkably only had on hook slightly out of shape.

My plan seemed to have reversed and things were quiet so I headed down river to one of my reliable channel holes. I rigged my heavy line with a poddy and started a drift. First two or three drifts and no hits, plus the tide was starting to slow but then on cue, my T-Curve and Stradic started a few violent bends from good head shakes. I set the hook and she came up petty easily. I slipped the net under her and had her sitting in the net inside the yak while I went to grab the phone for a pic. What happened next was the best escape I have ever seen. The big girl launced vertically out of the net and yak and dived head down beside the yak. I grabbed the rod again but the force of her vertical dive dusted the trace in an instant. She was as fat as, a very light sandy colour and at least 80cm.

Well Plan B had worked OK and I headed back to the ramp about 10:30am. It was a memorable 4 hours on the water and I managed to bring two mid 40s home for dinner. Now I just need to crack the metre!

[Hodgey]

:yahoo:

Magnificent fish Rob!

[marcel haber]

well done Rob - that is a cracker of a fish and a detailed report.

Well done.

Twin 1

[chewie]

Sounds like an awesome session! Everyone loves massive flatties! Good luck cracking a meter... I'm still trying.

[skeet]

great stuff and thanks for letting her live to fight another day

[iMick]

Very nice fish mate.

Mick

[paul.kenny]

Great sesh there Rob and cracker fish. That big girl in shallow water would have been a great fight.

[Ray R]

congrats Rob, mate top report and a great fish....

[bassboy888]

WOW ROB!!! that is an awesome fish would have been a great visual fight, would have had the heart pumping for sure!

[issue]

Wow so close to a metre ! I would have given her a little stretch....there you go. Good on you for letting her go. Nice.

[lurenut]

Congrats mate, thats a cracking fish. well done

[brendong]

Ohh now that's a croc!!! AWESOME WORK MATE,,,,

[bream111]

Now that is cracker. I got 3 stonkers in the last week. 76, 80 and 82cm. Compared to yours mine are tiddlers. Well done class fish.

[pmak]

What a monster. Not always do we get reports of crocs in the 90s. Well done!

[Bashful]

Nice report Rob! That fish was a beast...mate bad luck couldn't get a pic of the one that got away. Sounds like you're got an awesome fishing spot there.