Botany Bay 18 Dec 2011

[JET01]

Paul, Dan and I left the Tom Uglies wharf at 0530 and headed out to kurnell to try for some yakkers. After only a reddies we gave up and went over to the oil wharf to flick a few lures around.

Within about 5 mins, Dan caught his first fish on soft plastics. A reddie going 25cm. kissed and put back in.

Shorty after Paul was onto something that gave his senora 2500 and 2-4kg Silstar and run for it's money. in the end his 6lb Braid and 8lb leader brought in a 40cm tailor. released to fight another day.

Just after that, my 7" Jerk shad got smashed! the line was peeling of my 4000 CI4, and my 4-6kg rod was fully loaded up. The fish went for a couple of blistering runs. We were all calling it for a Kingie. About a fortnight ago, I got busted off by something that felt similiar, so I was a little more patient this time. The patience paid off, and after an excellent job with the net, I'd boated my PB Silver Trevally of 55cm and bang on 2kg.

Stoked.

Paul caught a 44cm flattie on the way to Captain Cook bridge. We headed over to the pillons to fish the tide change for Jewies. On the way we stopped because we saw a guy with what looked to be a 15kg rod fully bent over. He'd been fighting it for over 20mins. Funny thing was, they hadn't pulled in the anchor. I went around the anchor rope, and after a lot of stuffing around they finally got it untangled and continued the fight. It was obviously a massive ray, but they didn't get their rig back because it run under the boat and the line rubbed on the hull. It situations like that when i can't figure out why anyone would ever contemplate buying anything other than a side/centre console open fishing boat.

Any way over at the CC bridge we flicked some lures around. Paul hooked up and felt some big shakes.... after about 2mins of fighting we had it near the boat, but still deep in the water. Didn't get colour. Paul was spewing when it spat the hook and will probably have nightmares tonight about the "jewie" that got away... shortly after he was on again, but this time a dinner plate size numb ray.

Cleaned up and headed home around 1030 after a quietish day.

Stoked with the PB!

Edited December 18, 2011 by JET01

[nat]

nice trev there mate they sure do put up a great fight...........

[cjchen]

nice catch,

the bay is really quiet lately, its a worry. .. .

[JET01]

nice catch,

the bay is really quiet lately, its a worry. .. .

You're not wrong mate.

Around this time last year, I was pulling in s#@tloads of fish. Most of those I was releasing. I was pulling in that many, that it got to the stage where I used to say to the , " don't worry about taking any meat out of the freezer tonight, I'm going fishing after work and will bring back a couple of flatties".

This year it's been the opposite... I've had about 5 trips out this year where i've been out for longer than 4 hours at a time. Of those trips i've pulled in 2 legal flatties, one massive trevally, and the other 2 i've had donuts. I'm only fishing with lures, so maybe that has something to do with it. My guess is the weather is playing a massive part in the lack of fish around this time of year.

I had one day in spring where i landed a 65, 60, and 55cm flatty on the same day in the Hacking of all places! The hardest place to fish anywhere in sydney in my opinion. That was the first time the water started to warm up, then it's dropped off again since then, and that's why i think the fish have shut back down.

That is why I feel so much satisfaction about the PB Trev. Getting a PB when the fish a on the bite is one thing. But when the fish are shut down and have been off the chew for what feels like a month, it just makes it all the more satisfying and special.

The is going to make a Red trevally curry tonight. Can't wait.