Gunnamatta Bay

[Yowie]

Headed out early to Gunnamatta Bay this morning. Pumped some nippers yesterday, also had pillies and some salted tailor. I fished on the edge of the deeper water, and threw the nippers back over the sand bank with a bigger ball sinker to get some distance.

A few yakkas turned up, so caught several and cut them into long strips on a hand line. Pillies on a rod, which produced nothing, and nippers on another rod. First fish up was the flattie on the hand line. Put up a good fight, and as I pulled it out, the nipper rod took off. I dumped the flattie into the fish box, with water in it, and battled the bream. Around the anchor rope, then around a big clump of kelp, then under the boat. Took a little while to get in into the boat.

I was going to release the flattie, but when I returned to the fish box, the flattie had it's mouth open and it's body was a bit stiff. It was half dead, so I figured it would not release. Only a couple of minutes in the fish box, and it was on the way out. Usually they last for an hour or two without any problem. At least the son-in-law will like it, he is on a fish diet.

Also pulled out the whiting. The nippers also produced several sting rays and a couple of fat puffers that chewed off the hooks.

The yakkas also produced 2 eagle rays, one large banjo shark and something else similar to a wobbegong, but not quite one. All finger burning action on a handline.

Later drifted a few places with the nippers, and only pulled out one long tom that was released.

 

[Fab1]

You always manage a feed mate.Well done and enjoyed the read also.

[61 crusher]

Good report & account of your morning tussles, know wonder that bream gave you a good run it looks in  prime condition, out of curiosity what’s your hand line poundage 

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, Fab1 said:

You always manage a feed mate.Well done and enjoyed the read also.

Thanks Fab. Has been a bit quiet after the heavy rain.

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, 61 crusher said:

Good report & account of your morning tussles, know wonder that bream gave you a good run it looks in  prime condition, out of curiosity what’s your hand line poundage 

12 pound. Also use 15 pound at times with squid bait.

[GoingFishing]

Good size on that flatty and breambo Yowie.

What's the water quality like inside the hacking

[61 crusher]

10 hours ago, Yowie said:

12 pound. Also use 15 pound at times with squid bait.

Used to love the hands on combat especially when the fingers where smoking from line burn, mainly rays & the odd fish, great way for newbies to hone their skills & get frustrated 

[Yowie]

3 hours ago, GoingFishing said:

Good size on that flatty and breambo Yowie.

What's the water quality like inside the hacking

Just a faint bit of colour in Gunnamatta yesterday. May be a bit of colour up from Lilli Pilli after the rain a few days back, have not been up there since that rain fall.

[Yowie]

3 hours ago, 61 crusher said:

Used to love the hands on combat especially when the fingers where smoking from line burn, mainly rays & the odd fish, great way for newbies to hone their skills & get frustrated 

Try a big eagle ray on a hand line, when they decide to head to the surface and take off like a torpedo.

The strangest one many years ago was what felt like a turtle. I could feel the flippers powering it along, so that it was not a constant speed, just the surge of the flippers every second or so. 500 yards of 12 pound on the hand line spool and it did not slow down at all. When I was nearing the end of the line, I just hung on and the line broke at the hook fortunately for the turtle. There are a few turtles in the Hacking, I would see half a dozen every year, mostly when they pop up for a breath of air.

Edited March 11, 2020 by Yowie

[Rebel]

Great report.

[61 crusher]

4 hours ago, Yowie said:

Try a big eagle ray on a hand line, when they decide to head to the surface and take off like a torpedo.

The strangest one many years ago was what felt like a turtle. I could feel the flippers powering it along, so that it was not a constant speed, just the surge of the flippers every second or so. 500 yards of 12 pound on the hand line spool and it did not slow down at all.

Streaky Bay S.A  thought I’d hooked a big snapper on a squid head, fought it for 15mins+  on 20 Lb line, smoke coming from thumb & forefinger at times & whip marks on my wrist that drew blood, finally got it to the tinny after towing me around  when finally a 31/2 foot ray surfaced gutted I snapped the line.

One time in the Hawkesbury near the Milson island drop off had a big paddle tail hanging in the water while contemplating the next drift  heard a splash & rod buckles over, thought kingy but a few minutes later in the distance surfaces a turtle, tried getting the plastic out of it’s flipper but knot popped on the short leader. Know what you mean they go hard

[kingie chaser]

Nice effort yowie, shame you couldn't revive the big girl but I get that if its not going to survive then it is what it is.

You have let many that size go back in the past! 

As you, I & others have both said before they get a bit tough at that size & prefer the 40-50's but at least it is not going to waste & will be appreciated which is the main thing

Edited March 11, 2020 by kingie chaser

[Scratchie]

Nice work yet again yowie! 

[tobycb]

Nice bag there @Yowie . Caught (and released!) a turtle a couple of weeks ago on the run out at Ettalong.

Regards, Toby

[Yowie]

21 minutes ago, tobycb said:

Nice bag there @Yowie . Caught (and released!) a turtle a couple of weeks ago on the run out at Ettalong.

Regards, Toby

Nice catch and release.  An interesting pattern on it's back.

 

[Yowie]

On 3/11/2020 at 5:03 PM, 61 crusher said:

Streaky Bay S.A  thought I’d hooked a big snapper on a squid head, fought it for 15mins+  on 20 Lb line, smoke coming from thumb & forefinger at times & whip marks on my wrist that drew blood, finally got it to the tinny after towing me around  when finally a 31/2 foot ray surfaced gutted I snapped the line.

One time in the Hawkesbury near the Milson island drop off had a big paddle tail hanging in the water while contemplating the next drift  heard a splash & rod buckles over, thought kingy but a few minutes later in the distance surfaces a turtle, tried getting the plastic out of it’s flipper but knot popped on the short leader. Know what you mean they go hard

The big rays, such as the big black ones, just don't give up.

Usually the eagle rays will swim to the surface, and take off in a straight line like a torpedo. I have had 2 or 3 jewies do this over the years, around the 8 to 10 pound mark, head to the surface, then run hard in a straight line. That is why I like to see what is on the line before I call it a ray or other rubbish.

[Yowie]

49 minutes ago, Scratchie said:

Nice work yet again yowie! 

Thanks Scratchie.

[Yowie]

20 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

Nice effort yowie, shame you couldn't revive the big girl but I get that if its not going to survive then it is what it is.

You have let many that size go back in the past! 

As you, I & others have both said before they get a bit tough at that size & prefer the 40-50's but at least it is not going to waste & will be appreciated which is the main thing

On a few occasions I have pulled out bream and small reddies, only hooked in the mouth, and they go into the death throes before the hook comes out and just die. 

[61 crusher]

11 minutes ago, Yowie said:

That is why I like to see what is on the line before I call it a ray or other rubbish.

Totally agree with you, makes me wonder how many times a cobia has been snapped or cut off because someone thought it was a shark

 

17 minutes ago, Yowie said:

The big rays, such as the big black ones, just don't give up.

They would definitely give you smoking fingers, managed to get a couple of those black models on 25lb+ mono & heavy beach rod crackling & line singing in the 4 to 6 foot wing span shore side but those 10 to 12 foot models unstoppable even if they stick to the bottom & you can feel there wings starting to rub the line as they take another massive run 

[Yowie]

1 hour ago, 61 crusher said:

Totally agree with you, makes me wonder how many times a cobia has been snapped or cut off because someone thought it was a shark

 

They would definitely give you smoking fingers, managed to get a couple of those black models on 25lb+ mono & heavy beach rod crackling & line singing in the 4 to 6 foot wing span shore side but those 10 to 12 foot models unstoppable even if they stick to the bottom & you can feel there wings starting to rub the line as they take another massive run 

I have hooked up to a few of the 4 - 6 foot models on 15 pound handline in Yowie Bay in my younger days. A lot of effort to get them to the shoreline (no boat then) to see what had burnt my fingers, then hang on to break the line as they take off again. Not too many youngsters will try this.

When I was in W.A. a few years ago, a young bloke in his early 20's pulled up a tiger shark about 12 foot long on a hand line off a beach near Albany, photoed by his girlfriend, then pushed the critter back into the surf. The salmon were running then, which attracted the big sharks.

Edited March 12, 2020 by Yowie

[61 crusher]

17 minutes ago, Yowie said:

have hooked up to a few of the 4 - 6 foot models on 15 pound handline in Yowie Bay in my younger days. A lot of effort to get them to the shoreline (no boat then) to see what had burnt my fingers, then hang on to break the line as they take off again. Not too many youngsters will try this.

When I was in W.A. a few years ago, a young bloke in his early 20's pulled up a tiger shark about 12 foot long on a hand line off a beach near Albany, photoed by his girlfriend, then pushed the critter back into the surf. The salmon were running then, which attracted the big sharks.

That’s a top effort on 15 lb in those days it was probably a bit thicker but still a big 👍’s up, it’s amazing how big our Kahoonas could get when we were  young & invincible.
Wow a 12 foot tiger shark on a hand line, his must’ve been the size of bowling balls 😂

[Yowie]

I ate one of the flattie fillets last night. Removed the skin and bones, then cut the fillet across ways, into slices about 1.5 cms thick.

Dusted the slices with flour, egg and milk mixture, and into some bread crumbs. Did not cook it for too long on either side, in olive oil and butter mixture. Added some lemon juice after cooking, and tartare sauce. The flavour is not the same as younger flatties, a bit less intense, but it was surprisingly tender for a bigger fish.

[kingie chaser]

Do you ikijime the fish you are keeping your?

I have been doing it for a little while now & think it does make a difference.

I also ice my catch straight away as well.

It all helps in the end eating quality imo.

[Yowie]

4 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

Do you ikijime the fish you are keeping your?

I have been doing it for a little while now & think it does make a difference.

I also ice my catch straight away as well.

It all helps in the end eating quality imo.

I have tried ikijime with some fish, but they don't seem to die quickly enough, so I cut the throat and break the neck to give them a quick death.

My fish go into ice as well after death.

[wizza]

Was pulling in a squid to the kayak,and it leaped out of the water!!!!!! A turtle was after it .