Yep, I'm off the donut!!!! WOOHOOOOO. Competed in the weekends ABT round at Mondy with a couple of Mates fishing as Team Platypus Lines and TT Lures. Have to say I was a bit in awe floating around the start line on the Friday, looking at all the Skeeters and all the big names I've spent the last few years avidly watching on the AFC series.
Friday was very quiet and all of us ended the day still on nuts, Nick who I was fishing with had one hookup which smashed him 6 feet off a point then proceded to run straight at us and under the boat, don't think it would have mattered if his reel was 12:1, he wasn't keeping up with that express train, it casually dropped the Hollowbelly on the otherside of the boat and left us wondering.
Our fellow boat Stu & Pete had multiple hook ups and multiple tackle failure, don't think I should mention any brands but Pete was none too impressed, pretty sure you would have heard him regardless of where you were!!!! Needless to say, reels were stripped back at camp and repooled with proven braid. Many beers were drunk, however my sleep was regularly interupted by the chainsaw sleeping next to me, feral cats paying us a visit and this sick & twisted Willy Wagtail that had no comprehension of when is the best time to chirp and whistle, words were exchanged, rocks were thrown, all to no avail!!!
Saturday - Nick and I decide to hit Bird Bay 1st up as that's where Nick had got his good hit and the amount of bait we had seen was promising. As we pulled in we saw Mike Connolly already fishing so thought we must be half a chance. We headed in behind the timber to a bank that Pete had pulled a 99cm off two weeks prior on his 2nd cast. Water temp was up on day 1 and the whole place just looked fishier. 25 minutes in, on a slow roll and my Storm Pro Paddletail just stops!!!! Then a metre long Barra launches out of the water 20 feet in front of us, it is at that point I stop breathing, dump the rod tip in the drink as this beast screams off towards the bank under major drag pressure, my decision to go with the 4 - 8kg Medium / Heavy spin rod was looking like the wrong one as the rod loaded up to the extreme, should I have gone the 6 - 10??? The fish took to the air twice more with massive head shakes, completely out of the water, then ran straight at us, under the boat, I dumped the rod up to the reel and she stripped another 20m of 20lb off the screaming Soron 40 heading for the only standing tree within 100m!! I managed to turn her about 2m short of that, she surfaced on the other side of the boat, with me just saying "please don't jump, don't jump", after what felt like an eternity I slowly managed to work her back to my side of the boat where she went deep, another couple of minutes later and I eased her up and with a brilliant net shot by Nick, she was done. High fives and chest bumps all round!!! I then fell to the seat and took my 1st breath, heart beating out of my chest, I'd done it!!!!! Through the whole thing Nick was encouraging me and giving direction, couldn't have done it without him. We have named the bank "half hour bank". Pete managed to boat a 101 fishing the gap in the Island just out of the basin.
I also have to thank a few guys for their help and advice. Peter Jung, Nick Willett, Trevor (Awoonga), Chris (Nagg), Matt Fraser, Nath (Breamnut), it was great to finally meet those of you that I hadn't, you're a top bunch of blokes and thanx for all your help, sorry if I was a pain in the arse. Last but definetely not least, my good Mate Stu who I've been fishing with for many years now and is my regular Flattie Classic partner, It's kind of a hollow victory for me to get off the donut knowing you have not, but hey, there's always next time!!!! Your turn Mate!
Cheers, Jamie.
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