MudRiverDan
29-04-2012, 08:59 PM
Ok, I will try to keep it short.. It is a one that got away story but always good to speculate
and I just find it curious.
Someone might be able to add a comment..
A few weeks ago I headed out to Brunswick Heads Wall (North side).
I had a 15kg Daiwa sensor surf 12 ft rod and a slightly under gunned but however commendable 4000 Daiwa Excellor running 30lb braid and a 20lb fc leader.
This might make more sense to those that know the area.
So there was some brown fresh running out of the river on the outgoing so I perched myself on the end of the wall and cast straight out into the channel.
Had a large slab of pike threaded down to a 6/0 hook.
Threw out and a boat ran over my rigg.... hmm (was a rubber one with an engine, came quite close to the rocks on entry, not straight down the middle channel like most do).
Rigged up again and after about 20 mins something nudged the line and then started to swim off, set the hook, and was on to a large fish.
I started to reel and found the fish was quite hefty and was giving me some grief, taking some drag and line (about 150 meters) fighting, while I had realised by the weight on the rod that this was quite a large fish.
Then all of a sudden the drag stopped and I was able to pull the fish towards me.
In fact the fish was actually swimming straight back towards me and was nowhere near beaten at all (as I had misjudged), when it got within 30 meters of the ledge it would not come over and then it took off North across to the rocky outcrop on the North side of the wall over on the beach.
It was at this time I realised this was one shifty bloody fish and also had immense power so I could not pull it up on 30lb and a 15kg rod.
It took off and ended up about 150 meters away over near the rocks.
After I while it appeared to puff out, but more fool me as the fish was swimming towards me again and this time I was half way down the wall.
The fish swam straight between the bommies and went straight back out the front with such power I could not get back up the front of the wall again before it had run around the rocks at the front of the wall and taken clean off, snagging me and cutting me off.
Just wondering, I felt no head-shakes, but the way this thing was I would not call it as a ray, and it seemed to follow the rocks and deeper channels.
I estimate it would have been 30kg+, and was dam ornery and bloody outsmarted me twice.. (thats not so hard I hear you say.. but),
Guy said there was a large shovel in the area, so I said to myself it was the big shovel.
Ok but in saying that these are the things that don't sit right with me:
*I have caught biggish shovels and they seem to give up pretty quick, not so smart and the ones I have caught pretty well don't run for cover.
* I would have like to think large Jewfish, but no head shakes, but the drag was winching out at times as if the fish was thrashing its tail.
*It seemed to like the rocks and knew dam well where it was going.
*If a Jew or a Shovel it was huge as I have caught 100cm estuary jew ond shovels on 12lb rods and was nothing like this.
*Fish did not run like a ray, runs where not huge, more cunning than anything.
So I was wondering Shovel, large Cod, Large Jew (No head-shakes)...
Just has me thinking as it doesn't add up to be a shovel or ray..
Any opinions
Cheers
Dan
and I just find it curious.
Someone might be able to add a comment..
A few weeks ago I headed out to Brunswick Heads Wall (North side).
I had a 15kg Daiwa sensor surf 12 ft rod and a slightly under gunned but however commendable 4000 Daiwa Excellor running 30lb braid and a 20lb fc leader.
This might make more sense to those that know the area.
So there was some brown fresh running out of the river on the outgoing so I perched myself on the end of the wall and cast straight out into the channel.
Had a large slab of pike threaded down to a 6/0 hook.
Threw out and a boat ran over my rigg.... hmm (was a rubber one with an engine, came quite close to the rocks on entry, not straight down the middle channel like most do).
Rigged up again and after about 20 mins something nudged the line and then started to swim off, set the hook, and was on to a large fish.
I started to reel and found the fish was quite hefty and was giving me some grief, taking some drag and line (about 150 meters) fighting, while I had realised by the weight on the rod that this was quite a large fish.
Then all of a sudden the drag stopped and I was able to pull the fish towards me.
In fact the fish was actually swimming straight back towards me and was nowhere near beaten at all (as I had misjudged), when it got within 30 meters of the ledge it would not come over and then it took off North across to the rocky outcrop on the North side of the wall over on the beach.
It was at this time I realised this was one shifty bloody fish and also had immense power so I could not pull it up on 30lb and a 15kg rod.
It took off and ended up about 150 meters away over near the rocks.
After I while it appeared to puff out, but more fool me as the fish was swimming towards me again and this time I was half way down the wall.
The fish swam straight between the bommies and went straight back out the front with such power I could not get back up the front of the wall again before it had run around the rocks at the front of the wall and taken clean off, snagging me and cutting me off.
Just wondering, I felt no head-shakes, but the way this thing was I would not call it as a ray, and it seemed to follow the rocks and deeper channels.
I estimate it would have been 30kg+, and was dam ornery and bloody outsmarted me twice.. (thats not so hard I hear you say.. but),
Guy said there was a large shovel in the area, so I said to myself it was the big shovel.
Ok but in saying that these are the things that don't sit right with me:
*I have caught biggish shovels and they seem to give up pretty quick, not so smart and the ones I have caught pretty well don't run for cover.
* I would have like to think large Jewfish, but no head shakes, but the drag was winching out at times as if the fish was thrashing its tail.
*It seemed to like the rocks and knew dam well where it was going.
*If a Jew or a Shovel it was huge as I have caught 100cm estuary jew ond shovels on 12lb rods and was nothing like this.
*Fish did not run like a ray, runs where not huge, more cunning than anything.
So I was wondering Shovel, large Cod, Large Jew (No head-shakes)...
Just has me thinking as it doesn't add up to be a shovel or ray..
Any opinions
Cheers
Dan