Long day-some rewards

[humesy]

totally stuffed so will keep it briefish.

Set the alarm for 3.30 this morning but found myself wide awake at midninght. Lay in bed thinking of all the different spot/tide options and by 1.30 thought stuff it; might as well get up and do it. Managed to tiptoe out without waking the Mrs. who would have thought I was off my rocker. (she might not be far wrong).

Anyway, launched at Woy Woy and headed around towards Broken Bay in complete blackness. Then horror of horrors; the sound of the hull hitting the rocks. With near zero visility, I shaved too much off the corner coming round Half Tide Rocks. Shook me up considerably but thank god I was going at a sensible slow speed. The tide was coming in and I was able to refloat the boat. Miraculously, there is almost zero damaged bar a few scratches on the spine type bit of the hull running straight down the centre (please insert correct nautical term here).

Picked up some yakkas but no squid at Palm Beach Wharf then headed up into the Hawkesbury for the top of the run-in (as per my insomniac scheming). My first bait had been in the water all of 10 seconds before it was hit by a metre long hairtail. Donked him on the head as I read they were good eating. Then landed another bigger one who took a live yakka. Caught a few shovelnoses and a small hammerhead before calling it quits. There was masses of whitebait schooling up with tailor in the mix chomping away. There was a beautiful tide line between the murky old run-out and the clearer run-in where all the action was and it seemed a good place to cast a few lures and drop a livie. No joy though.

No joy in spot B but managed to grab a snooze. Spot C quiet as well and then headed over to West Head to gather more livies. Only lousy sweep but a few bonito were hitting the surface now and then. The next baitgrounds were far more productive where there were hoardes of hungry yakkas. Decided to finish up the search for a jewie back in Brisbane waters and this proved a good move. Spot A was interesting. I learned about it from a DVD and have been sceptical as it doesn't seem fishy. But one yakka got a fearful mauling at the hands of a jew; he came back covered in teeth marks and with his eyeballs literally bulging out of his head, indicating he had been crushed. Also missed a hit on a butterflied yakka. Spot B finally yielded a fiesty 70cm jew who fought well above his weight. Had several livies pinched so didn't have a very high conversion rate but I am not too fussed.

No pics sorry. Also feel a bit sorry for anyone who froze their arse off on an overnighter this past winter in pursiut of a hairtail. There seem to be a few about on these balmy summer mornings and evenings

Adios

Edited January 21, 2012 by humesy

[zen801]

Geez mate glad you didn't hurt yourself or boat on the rocks. Saw a boat accident last year after the fact and it was pretty nasty. I haven't done many night missions in the last year and probably should as the usual MH spots at the moment are so dead it's not funny. Good bag of fish especially the hairy.

Mike

[Aussieweekender]

Glad your boat was ok after the run in with the rock. It can be pretty scary at night. I did a similar think last year and completely beached the boat. I was lucky as the rock was covered in a thick moss and there was no damage but it really put me off night fishing. Sounds like a good fishing session you had though congratulations on the jew really keen to get one of those myself. If anyone has some tips for safer night fishing I have created a post under boating it may save a boat or someones life one day so appreciate any tips you guys can add.

[humesy]

Geez mate glad you didn't hurt yourself or boat on the rocks. Saw a boat accident last year after the fact and it was pretty nasty. I haven't done many night missions in the last year and probably should as the usual MH spots at the moment are so dead it's not funny. Good bag of fish especially the hairy.

Mike

G'day Mike. I was pretty lucky. It's a really tricky bit of water with fierce currents, sandbars and rocks and multiple port/starboard markers which are confusing. Because it was so dark, I couldn't make out where the hill and land was and I had just had to steer around a trawler. It was only a night mission really because I couldn't sleep. All the hairtail action was in the early morning and the Jewie action was in the afternoon.

I reckon those old middle harbour spots should fire at the right time. There was a post recently about a 99cm and 65cm fish (about a month back) and the photo looked like it was from your old favourite haunt. I'd be trying to track down the schools of pilchards for the best of the action. A live pillie won't last long if there is a kingie in the neihbourhood and if there's a big school, Mr. Jewie could well be lurking too. I got smoked on a butterflied pilchard (that had been caught locally) in that spot at about this time of year, a couple of years ago. I was tempted to head down but it is a bit of a mission to get there and back from the Central Coast. Anyway, just my theory.

Cheers mate