Top Hairtail

[ginko]

Raiders,

I had the rare chance for a day in the tinnie on a weekday. So I headed to Pittwater which I avoid at weekends due to traffic.

Strangely, there was still a fair bit of traffic! So I moved up to broken bay, and got a few yellowtail at west head.

With a huge swell out at sea, I figured I'd best keep my little tinnie inshore, and continued around to Flint and Steel reef. The reef out from the marks was covered with crab traps. There were about 10 spread all over the reef, right in the middle of the channel, and they were only marked with white, undersized floats. I'd hate to see what happens when a big cruiser gets its prop tangled in the line.

To leave that mess behind, I finally hit the drop-off infront of the red channel marker and dropped down a nice piece of calamari squid on a # 8 hook on a heavily weighted handline, set out the yellowtail unweighted. Lots of burley in the mesh bag. The tide was just turning to the run-in, and I figured I was in with a chance for a jewie. The wind and current drifted me slowly westwards and into the deeper (~20m) water. It was very clear, and felt about 18 degrees. At about 11 am, the handline suddenly had a hit, but then nothing.

I grabbed it, and pulled it up hard in case anything was still there, but I could not feel anything. I wondered if I'd just hit something on the bottom. But as I pulled the hook up to check the bait, there came a good solid pull. But for only about 5 seconds, then nothing again. I pulled in the line, with sudden short pulls every 10 seconds or so. Finally as I saw colour - it was silver, and really big! Strage jewie?

With so little fight, I just pulled the fish up into the boat. A huge and very angry hairtail suddenly came to life! It was thrashing about in the boat, all teeth and wild eyed, flashing in the sunlight.

I had my club handy, and dispatched the thing with two solid blows. Even still, I used my very longest pliers to retrieve my #8 hook, stuck fast it the fish's tongue. I have a big eski in my tinnie, and had to fold the fish in two to get it in.

All up, 1.62m, and probably about 2kg. A new PB. This was enough for 4 people's dinners. Having eaten the smaller versions and found them a mouthful of bones, I have to support the view that the bigger models are much better eating. I cooked it with olive oil and lemon, wrapped in al-foil for about 25 minutes at 190 degrees, and then for a few minutes without the foil under the grill. Delicious!

Somewhat belatedly, I realised that hairtails don't just have sharp teeth, their gill-rakers are also super sharp!

[The Incredible Hull]

Nice catch mate, a lovely spring surprise

[mimyo]

Nice hairy champ!

Were the trawlers out in force?

[nbh00d]

Nice Hairtail ya got there mate!!!

[helliconia]

I'm not sure those are crab traps. They had laid a bunch of them through Cowan Creek a few weeks back and I couldn't find a fish to save myself. Even my go-to spot that usually produces something had a white buoy next to it and not even a bite.

I was thinking they were probably fish traps rather than crab traps. Anyone know if this may be the case?

Very nice hairtail for the daytime! I caught a smaller model at the same spot in November last year.

Edited October 8, 2012 by EmptyHooks