jenno64 Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgey Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 :yahoo: Magnificent fish Rob! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcel haber Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 well done Rob - that is a cracker of a fish and a detailed report. Well done. Twin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewie Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Sounds like an awesome session! Everyone loves massive flatties! Good luck cracking a meter... I'm still trying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeet Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 great stuff and thanks for letting her live to fight another day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iMick Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Very nice fish mate. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul.kenny Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Great sesh there Rob and cracker fish. That big girl in shallow water would have been a great fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray R Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 congrats Rob, mate top report and a great fish.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassboy888 Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 WOW ROB!!! that is an awesome fish would have been a great visual fight, would have had the heart pumping for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
issue Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooker435 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Nice one Rob, Beautiful Flattie and a great read, ohh yes and a feed for your trouble, Great session!!! Regards, Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurenut Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Congrats mate, thats a cracking fish. well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendong Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Ohh now that's a croc!!! AWESOME WORK MATE,,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bream111 Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmak Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 What a monster. Not always do we get reports of crocs in the 90s. Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bashful Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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