The one I WISH got away.

[MJGough]

This report details me catching what has become the most expensive fish I have caught to date, the one I wish got away.
Took the kids out for a quick Christmas eve fish to Woy Woy Road and Rail bridge, had a little success there with a few tiny Bream and heaps of bites for the kids. My young fella got a nice little pinky too.



It got pretty crowded with about a dozen other people turning up a bit later in the arvo so we headed over to Fisherman's Wharf to have a few quick attempts at catching something decent before we headed home. I didn't expect much action so I thought I would try out one of my new Zman plastics on the new spin rod I am trying to get the hang of using. At least it would be fun to catch something small on the light gear.

First cast I threw a line out along the rocks and started retrieving it and got a huge hit, and it started running. I was trying to imagine what it was while started trying to slow it down, it was fighting hard and jumped a few feet clear of the water 3 or 4 times on the way in, but I still couldn't work out what it was. After a few minutes I got it up to the wharf and grabbed it with the landing net and pulled I up. I wasn't sure what it was but it had a gob full of sharp teeth and didn't look very happy, it was snapping at me as I tried to grab it out of the net. This thing was trying it hardest to get some payback for me jamming a hook though its lip so I quickly grabbed it, pulled what was left of my now shredded plastic out of it's mouth and threw it into the esky, it made sure to cut my line before I could get it clear though.

After getting it in the esky with some nice sea water, I realised it might be a decent sized Barracuda, which I never would have guessed would be caught where it was.I called the old man to tell him about it. While I was having a chat to him and describing the fish I grabbed it out to have a closer look, SLAP, it whips it's tail at me flat out, hits my phone out of my hand, and sends it flying a metre or so straight into the esky. The phone sinks, I rush to grab it, but throw the Cuda in first because it's trying to bite me, IDIOT. Now my phone is underwater, under a barracuda, that doesn't like me at all. This had to be the most ill tempered fish I have ever come across. I managed to grab it and get get my phone out, which promptly died and now refuses to start again. Guess smart pones don't like salt water much.

I came home pretty unhappy, I'm down a few dollars on my plastic and $800 on a phone, BUT I'm up about $6 worth of bait in the form of a smart ass Barracuda that is now waiting in my freezer until I hit the reef on the boat again. The kids and my Mrs think it is the funniest thing that has ever happened and won't stop laughing at me, it isn't helping.

Sometimes maybe it' better if a fish gets away....

Here's some Photo's not a bad sized Striped Barracuda, just over 51cm, especially for where I caught it. I will submit this for my December COTM for the story more than the fish, and to try and recoup some losses from today in the form of free gear








Anyway, though this was a funny little story, you would have loved to have seen it in person, I'm sure it was funnier than my recounted tale. Have a good Christmas guys, good fishing!

[mattfinn]

Nice report, get that phone into some rice it may just save it...

Every trip you tend to lose something...lost my oakleys the other day...shattered that I couldn't find them.

Great work getting the kids into some fish, I love taking my younger cousins fishing and watching them hold onto a "monster"! Haha

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Camo1808]

Hahah great report mate. Alot of people think fishing is boring but there is never a dull moment no matter the session hahah

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[jenno64]

Merry Christmas and I hope Santa brings you a new phone!

Isn't that fish a pike?

[MJGough]

Thanks mattfinn, It's in the rice now, been there a few hours. Shame about your sunnies, I guess sometimes we use up all our good luck on the fish and keep the bad luck for our stuff. The kids are mad for it, the pinky was a 'monster' that got them wound up, they weren't happy with my 'dangerous attack fish' that snapped at my young fella haha.

Cheers jenno, he already spent all his Christmas money unfortunately, I'm on my own now. Yeah, it is also called a Pike, and a bunch of other names.

Edited December 24, 2015 by MJGough

[Mike89]

First up, nice fish! I've only caught a couple of small pike but would love to pick up a nice solid one like that. Ugly things.

That's a shocker on your phone mate. There's a reason I pack my phone in a clear plastic sandwich bag every single time I go fishing, or just don't bring it with me! I've lost two. The first I accidentally kicked into the water while fishing off a ledge, the second I misjudged the depth of the water and ended up taking a dip with my phone in my pocket to retrieve a pesky bream that had wedged itself into a rock crevice. Got the fish, lost the phone.

Never have I had the fish fight back at me like that though!

Once you've lost your phone to a fish you'll never be phased losing smaller items again. It's an expensive hobby!

Cracker of a story and a great write up!

[MJGough]

Thanks Mike, it is ugly isn't it! It is a waterproof phone which I now have learned isn't waterproof in Salt water, who would have guessed...
You've had some bad luck too, It never seems to stop does it haha. It fought back alight, I think it was a little upset with us.

[Holls]

Good story, bad luck! Not a couta though, a pike I'm pretty sure. The southern couta I've caught are a different fish and dont have scales like that. Both are pretty ordinary eating IMO. Merry Xmas!

[Danieljc]

Looks like the old stinky pike. Did the scales stick to everything?

[Penguin]

Good story, bad luck! Not a couta though, a pike I'm pretty sure. The southern couta I've caught are a different fish and dont have scales like that. Both are pretty ordinary eating IMO. Merry Xmas!

You must be the only bloke I have heard of that has eaten a Baracouta and a Pike. You are a brave man.

[Blackfish]

Sorry to hear about your phone, crap luck.

Yellowtail Barracuda/ Sea pike

[Holls]

You must be the only bloke I have heard of that has eaten a Baracouta and a Pike. You are a brave man.

Believe it or not, my father was a professional fisherman at Lorne, Vic in the 1950s and couta were the main catch. His record: 42 boxes of fish in one day, sold at the co-op and Queen Vic market for.... food! (They obviously weren't fussy in those days). :-)

[Yowie]

You must be the only bloke I have heard of that has eaten a Baracouta and a Pike. You are a brave man.

Make that 2. Have eaten the Barracouta (smoked fillets) just to try it with a mate many years ago. Bony and edible, but now that we tried it, will pass next time it is offered.

Have also eaten the yellow finned pike many years ago, soft flesh but it was edible, though won't be rushing in again for another feed.

[tyrone07]

I'd personally eat the bait before I even considered eating a stinky pike

[MJGough]

Looks like the old stinky pike. Did the scales stick to everything?

Yeah it's a stinky pike, hopefully the smell attracts a real fish when I use it for bait.

Sorry to hear about your phone, crap luck.

Yellowtail Barracuda/ Sea pike

Thanks mate, can't win them all hey.

This fish has too many names!

Make that 2. Have eaten the Barracouta (smoked fillets) just to try it with a mate many years ago. Bony and edible, but now that we tried it, will pass next time it is offered.

Have also eaten the yellow finned pike many years ago, soft flesh but it was edible, though won't be rushing in again for another feed.

I considered it but I haven' heard many good things about the eating. I'll try anything and eat anything if I'm hungry enough (Like the time I had to eat a monkey to get by) but I didn't think the effort was worth the reward here.