Slow Day on Hard Livin'

[Scott nthQld]

With a trip keyed up with Brett on his Formosa, now named Hard Livin' Expectations and anticipation were high. with a 10-15knt wind forecast, I hardly had a wink of sleep, ending up at Brett's place an hour earlier than agreed. With no lights on, I was content to have a read of the local rag in the car, and check current conditions and the day's forecast on the mobile. This were still on par with our plans to head to Moonraker for a crack at some trevally, and maybe nannygai (if we could get the baits through the trevally).

At about 4.30, brett emerges from the house to hitch the boat up, and the remainder of the gear is loaded, and we're off to the ramp. Once we were launched and heading out we were greeted with wind in the 15knt+ range, so we decided to call of Moonraker and headed around to Westpoint to wait out the weather and see what it would do.

After several drifts over a couple of hours we boated a total of 2 small sharks and a small trevally. It appears the general rule of "no run, no fun" was well in effect with only a low and a high through out the whole day. Just when I thought things couldn't get much worse, I lean over the side of the boat to wash may hands, and my sunnies, which lay forgotten, tucked down the front of my shirt just go "bloop", and there's nothing I can do, being a prescription set of Bolle's, it was turning out to be a very expensive day fishing.....damn. But ah well, shit happens I guess, and I'd rather be out fishing than sitting at home wishing I was.

Eventually the wind slackened off, and the direction dictated that the Moonraker was still off limits, unless we wanted to make it a 4 hour trip, so the call was made to head to Rattlesnake Island. So at a slow cruise (18-19knts) to battle the slop, we arrived and had a troll for not a lot, my lure wasn't in the water for most of it, simply because I couldn't get the bastard to swim right, after a couple of changes, I put it down the the stiff leader I was using which may have been causing the crooked swimming action. We perstited and I finally got a hit on my wonky lure to pull up a healthy looking wolf herring....well what an awesome fight they put up.....not, with the fish spikkinp across the top all the way in. He was kept, he'll make a great trolling bait later for some XOS spaniards.

After a bit more trolling with no luck, Brett sets us up on a drift along the edge of Lorne reef but for nothing, we persist with the drifts, finding a line that was at least producing some hits. I hook up, with a big heavy weight which I thought was the bottom, but it was coming in, so I maintained the action until the hook pulled, something very heavy, but with little to no fight in it. I suspect a big cod of some type.

We see something smash some bait right next to the boat, there were a few of them in the school but Brett and I were trying to identify them, I thought mackeral, Bret however thought they were Barracuda (he was probably right, my eyesight was a bit dodgy due to no sunnies because of the mishap earlier).

Wishing I hadn't cut the slug off my line earlier that day, Brett was content to float a pilly out under a balloon on the next drift. No sooner did we reach the edge of the reef and it gets walloped, taking a fair amount of line. What was it, GT? Mackeral? Queeny? I decided it was no GT due to the fact that as soon as it hit, it ran away from the reef, so I was hoping for a nice spanish to salvage the day.

With a slow chase, and manoevering the boat so the fish couldn't get underneath, Brett Finally brings up a good Gold Spot Trevally, which, when weighed, dailed out the 25lb scales with ease, at just over a metre long I would guess that the fish was in the 15-20kg range. Brett's got the pics, so hopefully when he sees the report, he'll put them up for us.

We completed a few more drifts and the wind started to pick up again, so before it got anyworse, we set off for a very bumpy (but still remarkably comfortable ride home. The water clarity was absoluetly shocking the whole day, especially in close, I'd call it a chocolate milkshake at best. Though still dirty at Rattlesnake, it wasn't as bad, but as I'm told, that is very uncharacteristic of rattlesnake island, so whether that played a part at all, I don't know.

[levinge]

Here's the evidence

[ferrett]

sounded like a fun trip boys, if u never go out in conditions like that you may as well sell your boats and all your gear. Remember this is townsville and how often do we get "bosses weather"? Anyway like you said scott bad days fishing better then any day at work............... unless you run a charter haha. Nice fish anyway brett he wouldve fought like a 30kg spaniard

[FNQCairns]

Ahh you caught it near the surface, that's more fun than one off the bottom.

Looking to eat him? I think they can be pretty good on the table.

cheers fnq

[levinge]

Still have a fair amount of fillet in the freezer, gave it to Scott. Hit the pillie about 3 foot below the surface and then headed for the bottom. kept the tension on him all the way through the fight and had to lift his head so he would come up. Stubborn bugger tried about 5 runs for the depths. Caught him on my Penn Ultimate 15kg Rod and a Chinese knockoff of the TLD. 3rd big fish landed on the knockoff(Big Queenie, Big Cuda and now a Big Trev), not bad for a cheap real, handled him quite easily.

Still I will be saving up my pocket money for some top quality game reels.....

[Benno1]

impressive beasty Levinge!!!...must have felt like you were pulling up the plug ...the boat lived up to its namesake i see...never mind...the gear got a workout...you had a pretty good day out on the water really
thanks for the piccies and report

Mrs Benno1

[tenzing]

Hey scott , thanks for the report. Great trev.
I had two pairs of similar sunnies go to davey jones the same way . The THIRD time I dived in quickly enough to grab them . I came up all pleased with myself till the son asked about the phone in my pocket! the electric doodad on the keys doesnt work now either. Anyway, lesson learned, ( albeit not after the first two!)10 dollar strap stays on expensive sunnies which stay on head.
Brendan

[levinge]

Yep its always the little things that we forget and then they bite us in the arse big time!!!!!

My missus will only allow me to buy $50 polarised sunnies, at least if they go over the side, its not a great loss, I break more than I lose over the side!!!!

[Scott nthQld]

Ahh, not to fussed about the loss of them, just more of an inconvenience. They were 4 year old and since I've had them, my eyesight has gotten a little worse so I needed to upgrade anyways, was thinking spotters, with a set or their penetrator lenses, but can't find anyone up here that sells them with prescription lenses. I may have to look at getting some sent up from somewhere, I know which set I want, now I just need to prioritise the dollars.

[gucci84]

sounds like a good but slow days fishing but its always a good day on the water, your lucky with the trev the last one i got out at rattlesnake about that size was full of worms and i mean full never seen worm like it had eaten all the flesh around the backbone unlike the normal little ones in the shoulder so it went to the dog and bait.
have a good one
casey

[Scott nthQld]

gucci, did you actually see any worms? The golden trev have always had borer like holes through the flesh, in every fish that I've caught, but never any sign of any worms. Have been told that that's just how the flesh is. I've never really worried about it, too good eating to resist. This one has (or should I say had) the same borer like holes, but no evidence of worms. He cooked up well, though a little dry and a bit stronger tasting than the smaller models, still went well on the tooth. Which is also good, because the fish didn't seem to bleed real well either, the flesh was still pretty reddish once filleted, but didn't seem to affect the flavour much.

[levinge]

Glad to hear he came up good in the pan. Wishing this weather would disappear for a while and let us out to play again. Lucky, got Reno's I am still finishing and then I can play anytime I like!!!

Whats the news on your charter, weather looks like it must be postponed to better conditions?????