Bad Bax @ the Banks Friday 23rd Nov 2007

[revs57]

Wow what a way to finish a great fishing week! Headed out to the Barwon's yesterday with Olives & Cheese in Johnny's l-o-v-e-l-y 2400 offshore Kevlar Cat Bad Bax. What a nice boat. The twin 140's 'zukes spinning at 3500-4000revs meant a g0od clip of 40 plus klm/hr got us out to the marks in around 1 hr! and that was in some 1.5mt sloppy swell but the catty made short work of it. I was very impressed. Other crew was a couple of mates of John's, Harold and fellow ausfisher Ballsy.

We fished the deeper water first up and shortly into the first drop both Johnny and I hook up into a couple of solid squapper to 3kgs. We all thought it was gonna be on, but a couple of drifts later we failed to add any more fish to the box so we headed up to the shallower territory along the outside edge of the Banks.

Out with the Nuclear Chickens!

Now Olives & Cheese is a little skeptical of the value of plastics but shortly the count is plastics 3, bait 2 and they were the two fish caught earlier so John decides to give it a whirl. First drop he gets absoluetly monstered by an unstoppable, on the subsequent 3 drops he pulls three fish, a couple of size red throats and a pearlie and I can see the veil of skepticism begin to lift...now I wouldn't call him a convert to the dark side, but I saw the gleam in the eye as he considered the possibilities. Need to get some more gear!!!

Harold and Ballsy are decidely quiet while our bag total is starting to build...we've added a few nice Pearlies, a couple of solid Venus Tuskies, another Squapper or two and some "juster keeper" Red Throat and had thrown a heap of Red Throat "just unders" back.

Harold pulls up a nice big occy and I thought yew beauty! Fresh bait. So i put the plastics away for a while, dispatched the occy and nicked a couple of juicy tentacles to float a good bait on a gang of 2, 5/0's under a 2 ball sinker. It wasn't long before the pickers swarmed on the fresh occy and I continued to bag some nice just legal Red Throat.

Finally Ballsy chimes in with a nice snapper to around 6kg, the best fish of the trip, and the bite continued into the morning as the wind dropped out and a beautiful day was presenting itself in paradise.

I'm swapping rods between plastics and occy continuing to get a few on each, but it was the occy that accounted for my best fish, a PB Red throat to around 3kg, nice fish on light gear, man they pull hard. I was very happy.

Johnny called it around 1.30pm. We were home within an hour at 5000rpm and 60klm hr in pretty good conditions. Those catty things sure get along and give a very nice ride.

So final count for the trip, 6 Snapps, 3 Venus Tuskies, 8 Red Throat, and a couple of Pearlies for a total bag of around 20 fish. Not a bad day! Got some photo's, just waiting for Johnny to send them through to post them up.

Till next time

Cheers

Rhys

[seapup]

Sounds like a good trip Rhys look forward to the photos.

[Fishing_Freddy]

It must be nice to get out on a week day and have the weather play the game, sounds like a great trip looking fowardt to the piccys.
Ken

[wadeo]

Sounds like you guy's did good as well on the banks. Wasn't it good to have the whole place to yourselves. The cats certainly make short work of the conditions at hand. I had a bloke asleep all the way home at 11pm last night in the cabin of my cat. Well done boys have to catch up on the water one of these days

regards wadeo

[Vindicator]

Well done Rhys, sounds like a good day. We're really going to have to catch up and head out sometime. Trouble is Christmas is going to beat me before I get another chance. Have to head to Mildura for 10 days in a weeks time. Too far from the briney!!!

Cheers
Kezza

[Dean1]

Nice work Rhys, i should have pulled the pin from work and headed out! Thier pretty amazing boats the old cats hey Rhys? They make alot easier work out of it. Fully wrapped with my 5.2 kc. I found MANY undersized redthroats last weekend, and many that were 38cm, but shrink to 37 so there dont make it if they come out at 38cm. You and Wadeo were lucky boys, oh well ill jag a good w'end one day

[Deiter]

Jeez Rhys, Do you ever work????? If so, can you get me a job????

Seriously, well done mate, good to see ya getting a late-season feed. Those red throat go very very well on the palate. If your outa freezer space, I'd be happy to help.

Cheers,
Damo

[jtpython]

Dam i have to get out to try out my Nuclear chooks just haven't been able and with any luck i'll be a convert too.
Jt

[Ocean Sport]

Well done. I was out there too in a 6m Quinnie doesnt ride like a cat but the amount of days i have off fishing its all i can afford. 2 of us went ended up with 2 squire, two venus rosy job and a red that was about 1mm under. not the best day fishing but better than the best day working.

[ballsie]

Ahh yes i was looking forward to your post Rhy's. mate it was great to finally meet up with you for a fish on JB's boat. a lovely red throat u landed on that light outfit was great to see. absolute beaut day on the water with great company. just a pity the early bite of quality snaps wasn't there but hey it is nearly christmas.

ben

[polky]

Well done Revs, had the nukes and the lime tigers going on the reefs out from Tannum, didn.t catch a thing with them, but didn,t do well with fresh squid either. Matey a 3kg lipper would be an awesome sight, or well me and the nukes will be out again. Polky.

[revs57]

Thanks for the replys fellas,

Ben, still waiting for olives and cheese to send the photo's - hopefully he'll get to is soon

Yeah, Freddy, it is great to get out in the mid week quiet and away from all the weekend warriors. I've found the amount of boat traffic is a contributing factor to an empty esky

And Wadeo it was awesome to have the whole place to ourselves...only saw a couple of boats all day and we were well and truly left alone to do our thing

Hi Dean, I've seen you post on the merits of your 5.2 mt catty, certainly the bigger brother is a thing of beauty...I understand you let a boat like mine go to get the 5.2 that one is still bouncing around in my head.

Yeah Damo, I do have a great job and an understanding Boss, days like that are sanity savers for me

JT, Swano always told me I had to serve an apprenticeship with the plastics before I regularly would catch fish...seems he's right

Yep Ocean sport, a bad day's fishing is better than a good day at work, keep at it

Yeah Ballsie, all you said is true and to get the snapps we did toward the end of november, I was a happy camper - need to do a morteon trip with you some time - Thursday is looking good???

Yeah Polky, I was plenty happy with that lipper, caught them on both bait and plastic - the bigger fella monstered the first run, and really gave some on the way, stripping drag on the light gear a couple of times, I called it for a good snapper until I saw colour. Love to get out off the Gladdy coast at some point, I've heard the fishing at Northwest is pretty spectacular

Cheers

Rhys

[Dean1]

Yeah Ryhs i sold a 6.5m platey for this 5.2 kc and i dont miss the platey one little bit. My 5.2 is a so much better boat in so many ways, HEAPS softer riding,HEAPS more stable, HEAPS better to control in a following sea. I know a guy who worked out of a 5.2 for many years reckons they are better boat than the 6.5 kc model you went in. You should go 4 a run in one of these 5.2's youd be pleasantly suprised

[revs57]

Finally some Photo's