Mucking around at Newport

[SgtBundy]

With the family duties done for the day and a mullet left over from Friday nights lack of activity I went out to have a go on a beach somewhere, with the low tide and recent lack of activity I was not counting on anything but figured it was at least a little daylight to see what I am doing for a change and work on my casting. Also I wanted to scout out new locations while I had some daylight left.

Ended up parking at Newport and going to the north end of the beach. It was near the bottom of the tide and it was pretty flat so I figured I would just have a go up until dark just to see what happens. I didn't have much faith in my larger mullet chunks being hit on so I left that out on the rod holder and used my 7ft ugly stick + sienna 2500 combo to throw out some smaller pieces for any whiting that might have been about. Had some hits on that but just being picked at.

Not much activity until just on dark when I got some tapping on my heavy kit. Checked it out and thought it was maybe some bream picking apart the fillet. I then get a thump, and the line starts streaming off with the drag racing - I had it set so light while it was in the holder that I couldn't even strike it, by the time I clamped it up it was off. When I retrieved it seems like something attacked the fillet dead centre between the two hooks, I am guessing it just wasn't letting go which is why I didn't get a hook up. Did the drag up better for the next go.

A little more excited now I had some interest I put out another fillet. I had cut larger chunks figuring I had limited time and no real prospect so I might as well use it up, so I didn't have much of the mullet left. Again I got another good hit but just could not get the hook up.

By this point I only really had a few thin strips left, plus the tail/spine with some flesh on it. I cut the tail off so it was a large slab and put that out, throwing in the head hoping to put some scent into the area. Fairly quickly I got a good solid take, I tried setting the hook, had pressure on it and in the dark saw something breaking the surface in a large way, but as I tried bringing it in I got dropped. When I brought it in the fleshy part had been clearly bitten, jaw pattern, teeth marks, but it was still intact mostly. I reset the hooks and put it out again. A few minutes later same action, big take, I strike, start retrieving but get dropped, almost like it was just spitting it out. When the bait came back it was cleanly bitten through, mullet spine and all. I figure it was a small shark, the surface splashing was clearer this time and at a guess it was in the 2-3ft size.

Sent out what I had left but with no further takes and needing to get home for dinner I called it a night.

So for not expecting anything at all it got a little exciting there for a bit!

[reubs]

A bit of interest at least gives you some hope

[thefisherman6784]

Wow that's weird

Would of been frustrating but I'm sure your eager to get back out there

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[SgtBundy]

Would like to know why I couldn't hold the hookup but I had no expectation of getting anything, so it was good to have some action.

Saving my efforts for next weekend with the evening high tides. Keen for that jewie

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Novicefisherman]

Could be a squid maybe.. explains why you didn't hook up.

[Crossfire63]

I would suspect that your first suspicion of a small shark would be the correct one