My ozzie "angling adventures" - Report 4

[snatcher]

<p>Well this was to be a fishing session just for Dorothy.   I was ghillie for the day which I was quite looking forward to actually.  It was still dark when we left the apartment(about 05.15 I think) and we walked the short distance down to the jetty at Port Douglas where I had done so well on my previous outing.  This was dawn breaking over the Courthouse Bar where we had been drinking at not too many hours previous !!</p>

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<p>I tackled up for Dorothy and decided to rig up freelined squid on a size 6 baitholder hook.  There was a fair depth of water at this spot and very little flow so it was just a case of a direct drop in.  Her bait had just been in a few minutes when fish number 1 came a knocking - a black spot sea perch.  I quickly took a snap of it for the record and gently returned it to the water.</p>

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<p>I just knew that Dorothy would do the biz and I could see that she was dead chuffed to catch that first fish.   I baited up with squid for her again and in went the bait,she did not have long to wait,the second fish in was a black bream</p>

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<p>Her next fish was another black bream,a bit bigger this time.</p>

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<p>My real target for Dorothy was to have her catch one of the big diamond scaled mullet.   As Dorothy was fishing I was catapulting bread further out hoping to locate a school which I could draw in to us.   Anyway my unhooking services were required when Dorothy got into her second black spotted sea perch.</p>

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<p>Her next fish was a spotted batfish</p>

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<p>Aye this spot was doing really well for her,and not a bad backdrop either!!! tropical rainforest!!</p>

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<p>Dorothy was doing really well now and was getting a fish out about every third drop.  She had 9 perch in by the time I had managed to draw a shoal of mullet to us.  Off went the squid and on went the bread.  I was stunned to see that the mullet were even bigger than the ones I had caught on my previous outing!!!   I knew Dorothy was in for fireworks of the biggest kind.   I told her to lower her bait about a foot under the surface while I chucked in loose bread around it.  This is Dorothy just before the PANIC - watching those big mullet nudge and mouth her hookbait.</p>

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<p>Eventually one of those mullet did take and this was PANIC STATIONS</p>

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<p>She actually did well and followed my instructions for playing it.  She must have had it on a good two minutes before it snapped the 15 lb mono,the sheer power of the fish caused the snap off.   While she was fighting the fish I was chucking in groundbait to keep the rest interested.   Eventually a second large mullet took the bait and it dived straight under the jetty and the line parted.I rigged up again for her and she then got snapped off a third time. To be fair to Dorothy they may well have snapped me off as well!!!</p>

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<p>After all the disturbance in the water the mullet decided enough was enough and just melted away.  We decided to call it a day then as it was getting too hot to fish at that exposed spot and breakfast was calling us. Was just taking the reel off when I seen two big barracuda out in the middle channel just within casting range.  I quickly rigged up a spinner with a wire trace.</p>

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<p>I gave it a good 5/10 minutes but Mr Barra was not interested.  Oh well it was Dorothys day anyway and what a corker she had.  Take a bow Dorothy. </p>

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<p>John</p>

Edited February 11, 2015 by snatcher

[snatcher]

Report no 5 will see me hiring a boat and heading upriver looking to catch a mangrove jack. Nobody told me about the crocs though !!!!

Will try and put that report on next weekend when we get home. Also got a boat fishing report from Luce Bay to wedge on.

John