Salmon Still...

[Jaso]

OK so I haven't posted in a while. I have been v busy with work and not even surfed much in the past couple of months. Hopefully this post will contribute in some way to making amends.

Im on holidays at the moment, today was my first fishing session in about 3months after being overseas and working like a dog up until the start of the break, so when I saw the weather was good and after reading Ken's (Narralakes) report on the salmon I was firing.

Woke at 4:10am full of beans. Put the tinny in at Roseville ramp and was on the water by 5am. Managed to get to North head for a fantastic sunrise!

I put down a manns stretch and a sluggo to slow troll around north head. Nothing showed up, although there were a few arcs on the sounder. Just as I got to open water there was a small school of salmon feeding right at the corner of north head, and here's me basically not ready for them.. or not able to get into them because of the lures hanging out the back.. so frantically wind wind wind the lures in, deploy the leccie.. AND THEY DISSAPPEARED!!!

oh well.. so i hover around waiting for them to resurface, which they did for a brief period but as soon as I got within 50-80meters of them they sounded again.. and this was just after dawn! So i figured it was going to be a tough morning.

So i start trolling west again inside north head and again.. a school appeared in front of me.. this time I left my lures out the back and motored up to them with the leccie..

I had 2 light spinning rods with me - 4kg with 6lb fireline rigged with a white baby sluggo, and a 3kg 4lb fireline with a crappie spider (left from previous bream session).

So I threw out the sluggo to see if it swam straight.. sure enough it swam straight and was immediately chased by salmon!! WOOOOOOOHOOOO they like it!!! HOWEVER.. as I reeled in the first time I noticed I could see a bulk that was the knot between my leader and fireline.. uh oh thats not good.. oh well.. what the hell I will risk it.. So cast out again.. and this time solid connection!!! Line starts peeling off the little 2000 capricorn... all the while Im thinking "my leader is holding.. my leader is holding".. But 20 seconds later POP!!! bugger.. oh well.. that was the risk!!!

Wasting no time I go to the 3kg stick with the 4lb fireline and Im wondering if it's up to the challenge.. Got the squidgy 1/16th jighead on it (those things are made a bit tougher).. So I cast out into the school.. and a couple of winds and I come up solid again So I got my ipod in my ears, the wind in my hair (or lack of hair), and solid fish on the end of a light piece of graphite.. is there any better feeling!!!!!

Anyway.. 20 mins later and I finally get the fish to the surface, and another 5mins into the net. Definately a solid fish > 3kg. So here's the report on the 3kg stick.. all the fight the rod felt so good... fully loaded and bent over the rod felt so great. I've used this rod for bream and flathead many times and its very sensitive, but now I know it also has some great attributes in the power dept also! It's a IM-7 based Daiwa Procaster (Z I think) with alconite guides.. cost me $150 a couple of years ago.. very happy with it.

Here's the fruits of the labour:

Ok.. next I motor down to Old Man's hat and just float around because I wanted to tie a new leader on my 4kg stick. So the leader goes on, as does the offset worm hook.. And on with another white baby sluggo.. nothing around me so I throw it out to see if it will swim straight. I throw it out, and start reeling it in.. all of a sudden a whole bunch of salmon come up out of the depths and start going ballistic for the lure.. I guess I did put it on straight!! As soon as i got it close to the boat they sounded again.. but I threw the lure in exactly the same spot next cast and a few subtle twitches near the surface got them going again.. it seemed like 6 or so were going for it all at once.. so i slowed the retrieve and WHAM... on solid again!!! HAPPY DAYS.

So this one also takes me about 20mins.. and by that stage there were multiple boats trolling near me and stopping to see what I had on.. I dissappointed a few cause it took quite a while to get the fish anywhere near the surface.. head shakes all round through the rod. Finally subdued him and got him into the net!

Top morning all round.. the only bad part of the morning was this.. During the 2nd fight I switched on my leccie (and the autopilot) to keep me drifting on a course that would keep me off the submerged rock platform on north head.. In the meantime while i was fighting the fish several boats trolled past, including a well known professional fishing charter. Anyway.. he mustn't have realised my leccie was on, and I was concentrating on fighting the fish. He came across my bow and the next thing I knew my boat was no longer going in the same direction.. His lines that were out for trolling had wrapped around the prop of my leccie So I quickly shut it off... but it was too late and I had fishing line in with the prop shaft. He comes over to me, and apologised, but was pretty concerned he'd lost lure. To be fair I don't know if it was all his fault (cause I wasnt looking at what he was doing either), but at that point in time I didn't really care much for his lost lure..

Anyway I got home and did some corrective surgery (cause i wasnt going to lose my prop nut out in the harbour) and got the line out of the shaft pretty easy.

So in all a top day.. home by 11am before it got too hot..

Great to be on holidays

[Guest madsmc]

Great read and pics Jaso. Good to have you back with us mate.

Sounds like great fun on the little spin stick, I've only ever got them with a 12 foot beach rod, still good fun though.

I can't wait to get out and have another crack at them, just get out of this bloody office for a few days!

Thanks for the story mate, it's made the afternoon a bit easier to bear.

Shane

[phild]

Seems the kings have been replaced by the sambos around Nth head of late, well done looks like a great morning. It can get so frustrating around there when people do that to you and the fish are flighty. Ive lost spreads a couple of times this year to people running over my pattern, inc. well know charter. I also almost ran into a tinny too the other day because the idot didnt know which side to pass a boat on.

Edited December 21, 2005 by phild

[Warpig]

I also almost ran into a tinny too the other day because the idot didnt know which side to pass a boat on.

Like 85% of EVERYBODY on Syd Harb!

[phild]

Too bloody right pig its worst when the boats a fifty foot weapon inotice your a crowy boy let me know if you want to hook up for a fish one day.

Edited December 21, 2005 by phild

[damariboyz]

top stuff jaso I am taking my boy's out on the harbour next Wednesday I hope they get their first fight from a decent Sambo. Great report mate, look forward to a few more while ya kick"n back.

Happy Russ

[Narralakes]

Good report Jason, sounds like you had a great day apart from the tangle problem, good to hear the salmon are still around, hopefully for some time yet.

[Trouble]

Great report and pics mate, top effort..

Good ole aussie salmon seems to defiently brighten some days when things are a little slow..