Made arrangements with Horseboy for a trip out to the reef last Friday. All set, boat loaded and Horseboy arrives loads up and we are away.
Launched about 5am and headed out into what could only be described as a lumpy swell. Trimmed out he boat and managed 18kts out past Maggie Island. We had designs on going to Keeper or Grub, but alas with the lumpy easterly swell, it was going to be a rough trip. After a quick rethink, we gave into the swell and headed for John Brewer Reef. On the way we did a quick drift at the 7 Bombers, with no takers.
Arriving at John Brewer we set a drift in the deep water between JB and Loadstone. After a couple of minutes I got a big hit on my rod, short fight and the hooks pulled &%$# (this was going to be my thing all day).
No more hits, so we decide to bottom bash around JB. I have never fished this reef before, so it was going to interesting. Anyway we sound around and find some good shows. Down goes the pick and we set up for a fish. I wasn't long before we are into the fish, a couple of nice trout up and in the box. We were hoping for some flesh baits to add to the menu for out friends down below. It took nearly 2 hours of fishing before the first flesh bait hits the board.
The whole morning was going toes up for me. In total I pulled the hooks on about 6 good fish (but thats fishing). Horseboy had his own probs, while waiting for the fish to strike, I decided to fin the fish and gut a few of them. After gutting the first one, I hand it to him to rinse off.........OOOPS!!! was all I heard as he is grabbing the net, YEP missed the fish and its gone (lucky it was one of his).
Anyway, from then on all the gutted fish went straight back into the esky (rinse later). Horseboy hooks up a nice fish, but alas its a Barramundi Cod (protected). So we do the right thing and release it back into the water, he flounders on the surface for about 1 minute and just as it is ready to dive WHAM!!!!! A 1.5M Noah slams him on the surface and he's gone.
The fish were coming up at regular intervals most of the morning, with alot being released back. We even saw a Whale and Calf out the back of the boat also (wrong time of year, but we definitely weren't halucinating).
Anyway the conditions had glass out from 8am to midday, so it was a really nice day out. Midday it began to freshen and with the threat of 15/20kts in the arvo, according to BOM. We decided to give it until 1pm and then make tracks back.
Just after midday, I'm looking at my line in the water and notice it is moving, I cant feel anything on the line, so I decided to slowly take up the slack and then the shit hit the fan. I am on and its a good fish, running, diving and pulling hard. After a 5 minute fight, this fish finally comes up and I'm calling out for the net.
Nice Trout, it has made my day after all the pulled hooks.
In total was had about 8 nice fish in the boat, including trout, Grassy Sweets and Red Throat. Not a bad day, but not my best either. Still it was fun.
We head back into Townsville with the swell and wind gradually getting worse over the trip back.
"JB I'll Be Back"
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Originally Posted by LostNearBribie
