Fulfilling promises, amazing day of firsts

[J0nn0]

After promising my eldest daughter since the start of covid, that Stewy and I would take her out fishing for hairtail, we finally managed to take her out for an awesome day on the Hawkesbury. Left home at 8:30 for the trip up to apple tree bay to meet stewy, launch the  mighty polycraft, and away we went cruising up Cowan Creek to Jerusalem Bay.

We started our burley, rigged up our sabiki jigs, and set in for trying to catch little jelly bean livies for hairtail later that night. Now these little yakkas have been hard to come by for us over the past few trips, but the eldest daughter brought all the luck and we were bringing in heaps of them!

Managed to fill the live bait basket, and a few larger specimens to use as fillet baits as well. Managed a bit of by catch in the way of baby Jew, Bream and a stonker Trevally.

The eldest daughter managed to spend hours catching live bait, eat cookies and killer pythons, and talk Stewys ear off, I think Stewy finally met his match!.

After seeing the sounder light up with arches for the past couple hours, we decided that it was time to put some of the hairtail rigs out, as we were pretty confident what we were seeing on the sounder could be hairtail.

Edlest daughter took a break and watched some shows on her iPad while Stewy and I settled in to see if the hairtail would come on early.

First fish on board was a very nice Jew, that took a fresh pilly, had a great fight, and a nice net job by Stewy. Called by Stewy for a metre, and put on ice for dinner the following night.

All the commotion on the boat after landing the jewfish got the daughter excited and keen to fish again, and the pilly went off again about 10mins later, with the fish taking off under the boat and around the anchor rope while she was starting to fight it, some great manoeuvring by Stewy, and he had the fish unwrapped, and was helping my daughter fight a very good fish up front while I managed to record the action, and get the net ready.

Ended up netting a very chunky 60+cm Tailor, a brilliant fish, and great figh, and her biggest fish caught by a long way.

Things went quiet for awhile, with only one good Trevally caught by Stewy, so we cooked up some hot dogs, had a drink and some cookies, and waiting for these hairtail to come on.

We waiting for ages, burleyed hard, and finally seen one of the livie rods go off, called the daughter to come fight it, only for it to wrap around the anchor rope, and ruin her first chance of catching her first hairtail, although we did managed to unwrap it from the anchor rope, and get it on board, she refused to accept it as her catch.

After awhile, with plenty of burley in the water, thinking it wasn’t going to happen, and it might be time to pack up and head home, the livie rod went off again, and this time she’s fighting a very good hairtail!

After a good tussle, she’s got a big hairtail to the side of the boat, we lift it in, and ask her if she wanted to take pic with it - NO WAY!   she wasn’t having a bar of a getting near lively hairtail with big teeth.

After that we packed up and headed home, both Stewy and I happy that we managed to get her her first hairtail, a cracker of a Tailor, and plenty of yakkas, and what we are sure will be great memories.

We did manage to get her to take a pic with the hairtail back at the ramp, great pics with a really good size hairtail.

She was very tired by the time we got home, she did amazing to be out on the water for an entire day and into the evening, not to mention putting up with Stewy and I.

Massive shout out to Stewy for taking her out and helping get her first hairtail, and helping her catch that great Tailor as well, amazing day, and it wouldn’t have happened without him.

[J0nn0]

[J0nn0]

[J0nn0]

[Isaac Ct]

Great stuff mate, cracking fish. 

Well done. Keep it up

[Little_Flatty]

Great report @J0nn0, and some lovely fish caught there. That tailor is quite a specimen!

I'm hoping that my daughters will be hounding me to take them out when they are that age.

[Blackfish]

Fantastic report there JOnnO. Some great fish there.

[Pickles]

Cracker fish @J0nn0,  and a top report, look forward to your feedback on the next outing. Great to see girls out on the water, nothing better than spending time with the kids.

Edited May 29, 2022 by Pickles

[swordfisherman]

Awesome work Isabelle and Jonno what a way for Dad and daughter to enjoy each others company and catch some unbelievable fish.

Did I mention she can talk underwater with a mouth full of marbles and she said to me "' are you popular Stewy "''I PISSED MYSELF LAUGHING INSIDE" .

Great jew John and you played it like a pro 💪

OH I got a big donut 

[Scratchie]

Love ya work lads! Your daughter must be one resilient girl putting up with Stewy all day Haha 😂😂😂

Just the master doing his thing and putting people onto good fish like always! Sounds like a great day Johno! Well done 👍 

cheers scratchie!!! 

[Rebel]

Top report.

Well done all of you.

Super photos.

[jenno64]

Great post and superb pics, sounds like a very productive outing!

[J0nn0]

Stewy finally met his match @Scratchie 😂😂😂

[Larkin]

That’s a good size tailor! & nice Hairtail.

well done 

 

 

[teddybear]

Well done guys and eldest daughter 

[big Neil]

Top report and pictures of a successful venture into the night chasing Hairtail. Well done everyone. bn

[xerotao]

Awesome report. I will be heading out this saturday. Lets hope they are still there

[bessell1955]

A good lot of fish caught on that trip!

[GordoRetired]

Sounds like a good day out. You have also surprised me, I though that Hairtail were usually a night time catch, but you got that one during the middle of the day.
Nice Jew too 🙂