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Scored my 1st Mulloway!


SMn

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Where to begin?!? Hahaha...

Set myself a goal around Christmas time to catch a jewie this year and just scored my 1st one tonight off the beach! Measured up at 71cm and weighed around 4kgs! Unbelievable! Still fist pumping every 10 minutes or so and the wifes already sick of me talking constantly about it... hahaha...

So have been seriously targeting these fish for a few months and have pretty much thought of nothing else. Received lots of great advice from fellow raiders on this site, you're all a bunch of bl00dy legends and champions!

With the full moon and good tides falling this weekend I thought it's as good a time as any to have a crack. Went down Friday arvo and the surf was huge with a howling wind. The few people that walked past must have thought I was crazy, I did to until I scored a staunch sambo on a squid and 6/0 designated hopefully for a jew. The salmon was 60cms and put up a brilliant fight coming through the surf.

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Nothing after that, apart from my bag being swamped and the fish almost washed back out to sea when a boomer took me by suprise as I was bleeding fish... almost became a very expensive salmon indeed... headed home about 1hr after.

Headed back down the beach again this arvo about 4pm. Packed a lot lighter than the previous arvo, taking only the Butterworth, Alvey 650a5, knife, bait bucket and rod bucket on my belt. Had 6kg line on the Alvey with a 60lb trace and a snelled 6/0 and snelled 2/0 as a stinger. Whole squid (Cali squid in the blue box) and a few pillies as backup. Spent an hour stretching the line and the arms on bl00dy seaweed, was using a paternoster setup but was getting caught up with weed almost instantly. Was butchering the rig to use as a running rig when a suprise visit from the missus and kids raised the competency stakes a little... hahaha...

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So I finished the hack job on the rig, 60lb line can be a b@stard to cut with a knife! Baited up with a juicy squid and cast back out. Followed the current up the beach a bit and felt a twitch on the line, 1st thought was seaweed, but line started to peel off so I let run just feathered the spool a bit. The line stopped then a second later took off again. A quick wind and I lent into the rod and rewarded by head shakes, thought another stonker sambo. I start playing the fish as the swell as still large, plenty of little head shakes but no leaping out of the water to throw hooks. It struck me this might actually be it! I kept winding but while there was weight on the line there seemed little fight. At the shore was certain I had been duped by seaweed, when zzzzzzzz! Solid run right at the break, winding backwards on the alvey so as not to snap the line, had to let go and palm the spool a couple of times as the suck back from the shorebreak was intense. Finally had the most beautiful fish I have ever caught on the beach, I was gob smacked, didn't know what to do. Next minute I was screaming for a camera and making all kinds of sounds! Here it is...

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Just incredible! So stoked! Thanks for all your help guys! Thought once I'd caught one I'd lose the fever... no chance! Now it has to be one over 1m... can't think of anything else until I do... hahaha...

Cheers!

Phil.

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Good effort Phil. Can you give me a rundown on your rig sinker weight and the stinger hook set up. Perhaps a photo or diagram .Thanks. PM if more convenient. Cheers Steve.

Hi mate, standard running rig:

Main line + swivel + 30cms mono with a size 3 star sinker running free on line + swivel + 40cms 60lb mono leader + snelled 6/0 gama octopus hook + 5cms snelled 2/0 gama octopus hook.

Distance between hooks depended on bait size, because each squid was the same size didn't bother with a sliding snell. Uni knots for each line to swivels. Sinker size was small for surf conditions, but would rather follow the current than be anchored full on the bottom. I'll post a pic later if required... hope this helps...

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Well done! :clapping:

You've cracked the code. Only problem is you've been bitten by the bug. Once you get bitten there's no turning back! I bet we'll see more jewfish coming from you in the near future!

Cheers, Tom

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Great report Phil, it felt like I was there with you! Don't know what winning lotto is like but I'm sure you were close to describing it! Congrats on your first Jew! And a nice one at that!

Cheers scratchie!!!

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Cheers Tom! Still have plenty to learn but as you say bitten by the bug, if it's anything like the last few months the infection runs pretty deep! I hope your right on future postings, will certainly be trying!

Thanks mate.

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Great report Phil, it felt like I was there with you! Don't know what winning lotto is like but I'm sure you were close to describing it! Congrats on your first Jew! And a nice one at that!

Cheers scratchie!!!

Enjoy reading your posts as well mate you're always on some cracker fish! Hahaha I feel pretty special... cheers scratchie much appreciated!

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That fish looked a lot bigger than 71cm in the picture! well done on your first jewfish, especially out of full moon, king tide, 1.4m wave, 9s wave period...!

Charles

Hahaha, they say the camera adds a few pounds. Yeh the conditions were pretty full on, a lot of fun without a drag on the Alvey, plenty of landing practise in the shorebreak on seaweed before hand... the swell was awesome to watch, could see the waves when walking down before I could see the sand dunes! The inner gutter I was fishing had water moving every which way, exciting fishing that's for sure!

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Congrats on your first jew the first off many more

But I wouldnt let it lie on the sand, last time I did that even after cleaning there was few granules left after cooking

Yeh I noticed the sand really sticks to them... gave it a thorough clean when I got home and will do so again when I cook some tonight... hopefully as grit free as possible...

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Well done mate.

Always good to get the first one out of the way. There's only 2 paths from here on. Back to a normal life... or the dark side lol

Cheers

Paul

Thanks mate! Dark side it is Paul, dark side it is... no turning back now!

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Great report Phil, it felt like I was there with you! Don't know what winning lotto is like but I'm sure you were close to describing it! Congrats on your first Jew! And a nice one at that!

Cheers scratchie!!!

Same here Scratchie.

Well done on your 1st jew. hope to hear more report from you soon...

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