Mike89 Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 (edited) I'll try to keep this one short as I tend to get carried away a bit so here it goes: after getting busted off by a monster fish last night on a whole squid bait at Balmoral I just had to head back tonight to see if he might be up for a round two. Got to the wharf at around 4 and tried for some yakkas and leatherjackets without much success. Stripeys stealing the bait. Got a couple eventually and threw out a livie as the sun went down and then made the switch on my light rod to try for some squid. I've only caught a couple of squid by jigging before so I'm still learning the ropes. Tried fanning a few areas and as I started to get hungry and think about packing up a couple of taps indicated that I might be in luck. A few casts later I picked up a nice bait-sized squid. I guess this was on for tonight then! Rigged up a snell and took a break to grab some dinner before launching out the squid bait. As the tide peaked around 8:40 the squid was getting torn apart. A mate dropped by and suggested strips on a single hook, so I re-rigged and sent out some strips. The only action was on some tailor. As my mate left I picked up another squid (x2 for the session, woohoo!) and decided to launch it out on a single hook. Due to the weed that has been engulfing bottom-set baits and creating all sorts of trouble for the past couple of weeks I was using an unweighted rig. After a couple of casts the head had been ripped into (presumably tailor) but with the tube still looking good I rearranged the hook and threw it out again. Another bloke who pulled up beside me and showed me a few pointers on the squidding had just landed another one and his mate another two and so I was raking around trying for more squid when I was interrupted by the old zzzing zzzing zzzzing on my heavy setup. I quickly wondered if all would hold as I'd had some trouble with a livie wrapping around the pylon earlier although the line did seem to be undamaged. After a short burst of Zs I hit the rod and set the hook. The fish ran a short distance and stopped. I felt around to see what I might have. It wasn't the romper from last night, much lighter and easier to manipulate. It shot out again and as it ended its final run I could feel I had this one under control. The bloke squidding was now manning the net, and as I pulled it up he called it as a ray. I had no idea what to expect. As it came into view.. A jew! A brilliant silver flash in the water. It struggled a little but put up scant resistance as we got him into the net and onto the deck. First jew. Many fishless nights and there it finally was! I knew it wasn't quite up to the size limit and that I'd have to release it, so after a few happy snaps and taking a measurement (62cm) I sent him back into the water and also got a nice video of the release. So, enough excitement for one night, right? The jew had spat out the squid tube and it was dangling off the line so in all the excitement I thought I might as well get it back on the hook and throw it out. I got on the phone to my girlfriend to tell her I'd finally cracked the elusive silver ghost. As I was talking I notice a slow but determined bend in the rod and as the reel started to spit out the Zs I quickly told her "It's happening again!" before picking up the rod and hitting it hard. The hook was set, and this thing took off like a freight train. It was exactly as the fish from last night - super strong, super heavy, difficult to move. Without getting into details I'll just say that I held it off better than I did last night and that my arm was burning after having it on for about ten or fifteen minutes before the 30lb braid snapped (probably due to weakening earlier when my livie tangled against the pylons). I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same mystery fish from yesterday. Never mind, I got my first jewie. Edited April 22, 2016 by Mike89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluefin Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Well done!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Good on you Mike89. You've finally cracked 'the code' for Jewies. That first one is always the hardest but now you on your way! Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Witha Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Awesome work! Persistence paid off you'll always remember your first. And losing the big one just keeps you coming back! Keep it up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 4myson Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Congrats Mike ! Persistence sure did pay off for you , Now only to NAIL that METER JEW !!!! (maybe tonight?...LOL..) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandad Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 They say third time Lucky, I am now waiting for the third report with a successful ending. Well done on the jew, the first one is always the hardest, hope you get many more. Grandad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Well done! You put in the miles to get the smiles. Cheers scratchie!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike89 Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 Congrats Mike ! Persistence sure did pay off for you , Now only to NAIL that METER JEW !!!! (maybe tonight?...LOL..) Haha, I'd love to but I think the rain is telling me it's time to study. After fighting the jew I reckon the mystery fish must be some sort of ray or shark. Exactly the same weight resistance and fighting style as the previous night. Here's a little video of the release: Cheers guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutsaboutfishing Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Haha, I'd love to but I think the rain is telling me it's time to study. After fighting the jew I reckon the mystery fish must be some sort of ray or shark. Exactly the same weight resistance and fighting style as the previous night. Here's a little video of the release: Cheers guys. Well done Mike, I'm green with envy, I'm yet to land my first jew. Was the wharf crowded when you were there? cheers Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike89 Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 Surprisingly it was just me at the wharf last night. A couple of guys were squidding off the baths but no one else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutsaboutfishing Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Wow, I've never seen that before especially at nig Surprisingly it was just me at the wharf last night. A couple of guys were squidding off the baths but no one else. Wow I've never seen that before especially at night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Day's Fishin Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Good one Mike! It's a great feeling when a released fish heads off with that much strength, he should survive. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest123456789 Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 Well done Mike that's a very nice looking fish!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyfox Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 Well done Mike89 , you will remember that jewie for a long time, just keep trying and never give up, do not be afraid to try something different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DvS- Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 Good read. Congrats on the first jew. Sent from my SM-G928I using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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