Mixed bag on the Tweed

[slinkymalinky]

It's been 'too long between drinks' for Jewhunter and I to get out on his home turf... the Tweed River. Due to work and crazy people ts been close to 18 months in fact.

Not that I mind crazy people in small doses... that's why I fish with JH.

The trash talk had already been running hot for about a week by the time we finally met up but Jewhunter didn't seem to appreciate my peace offering of a packet of stinky servo prawns that I thought might increase his chances of actually catching something.

After offending me slightly by refusing my gift (or at least, putting in his freezer for the kids to use from the back yard fishing spot). We hooked up his Hornet Trophy (very jealous of that fantastic rig) and got to it. We got out on the water at around 5.00am NSW time (that's 4.00 am real time for those of us who live north of the border where the curtains don't fade ).

As it turned out, the servo prawns might have been a good idea for JH as I then proceeded to kick his butt up and down the river. After a very slow start but one where trevally herding jelly prawns along the edges kept us on our toes, JH started us hitting a succession of deep holes... he knows the Tweed like the back of his hand so his guiding skills are awesome... much better than his fishing.

After getting totally smoked by a trevally at the Tumbulgum bridge. We opened up the tally proper with a few sand whiting of all things including a couple of really nice ones 36-40cm fish for the fridge. Some small flat things and bream things came to the boat and I was having a ball. I even managed my first lure caught mullet (fair hooked in the mouth).

Last year I was lucky enough to win Catch of the Month and as part of my prize got sent a few packets of Berkley MF40 soft vibes. They were braining the fish while JH struggled to get a touch fishing right beside me with hard blades. We put it down to the slightly slower more throbbing style of vibe they put out rather than the 'buzz' of the blades. It certainly worked on the fish with me getting hit after hit and regularly boating fish. You have to hand it to Jewhunter for his tenacity and focus though... he worked really hard to ignore the MF40 I offered him (did I mention JH's lovable stubborn streak?). If you haven't used a soft vibe, they're awesome fish-magnets... just ask Jewhunter.

In a few of the other known spots, A nice Flat thing of around 50cm came to the boat (well, it actually came to my MF40 actually) and JH boated a little Moses Perch... just to prove that the blade did actually have hooks on it.

When one of Jewhunters super-reliable flatty spots failed to produce (it looked awesome with the runout tide falling off the back of a sand bar into deeper water), we realised that the flatties were pretty much off their feed but the other fish kept coming. I flicked a 35mm Halco Roosta Popper at a fish charging jelly prawns along a snaggy bank and after missing a good hit from a Trev, nailed a respectable Bream.

In the end we ended up getting a mixed bag of Bream, Flathead, Mullet, Moses Perch (JH's 'other fish'), Whiting and even a crappy little Bat Fish (which I'm told sell for $50 in aquariums yet they're like rats in some fishing spots up this way)

To improve his future fishing,if anyone is looking for a Christmas gift for him I'm sure he'd appreciate a throbbing style vibe... particuarly as a single man... with plenty of time to fish.

In all seriousness I have to say thanks to Jewhunter. He really does work hard to find fish but more important we have a lot of laughs and a day on the water with him is a real tonic. We're both eating fish tonight and JH even got a big buck Mud Crab from his pot on the way home. He does it in style living on the Riverbank (Just call him Toad of Toad Hall).

The fishing all balances out since JH outfished me about 3-1 at our recent Borumba trip. We figure today was my good Karma for lending Jewhunter the killer spinnerbait (my only one) on that last trip.

Thanks mate... I'll pick you up some MF40s to pay you back for skipping out on the boat cleaning today.

Cheers, Slinky

[nbdshroom]

Top report from what looks to be an awesome trip. Nice mixed bag on all sorts of lures/traps. Stubbornness can get the best of anyone haha.