Mud Island Wednesday 18 August 2010

[charleville]

Two strange things happened to me today.

I awoke with terrible bad breath and sour taste in my mouth .... and I caught a marlin at Mud Island.

I cannot show any photos of the marlin as whilst I “landed” him beside the boat, he was far to heavy for me to get into the boat as a solo fisherman, plus I did not have a camera with me.

Of course, it was totally unexpected to catch, let alone see a marlin at Mud Island and as luck would have it, it was one of the few occasions when I was fishing with my heaviest gear which I hardly ever take out on the boat; viz my two speed Shimano Tyrnos overhead reel loaded with 50lb Shogun monofilament.

At first, I did not know what I had on except that it was heavy and indeed, I was pleasantly surprised that I did not lose him on the several big runs that he made. It was really only at the end when he broke the surface though and I got the shock of my life when I saw him.


...and now, sorry to disappoint you but all of the above was just a dream that I had this morning. Just a dream.


Except for the bit about awaking with bad breath, and a sour taste in my mouth, that is.

The dream was so very very graphic, though. Right down to the marlin being caught on my Tyrnos. Right down to the uncertainty as to what I had on the line until the final surface break. Right down to my puffing and panting after the fight.


No one really understands dreams and so I have no idea what brought on such a vivid dream. I did go to Mud Island yesterday morning and, not caring whether I caught anything or not, I just took my heavier gear (but not my Tyrnos) and pilchards bigger than summer whiting for bait.


Maybe, my mind was just so exhausted this morning and maybe that exhaustion brought on such a fanciful dream. It has been a full nine weeks since I have been fishing. First, it was a really heavy cold that stopped me for about three or four weeks, then unfavourable weather, and then just as I was planning my first, long overdue, fishing trip a couple of weeks ago, I got news that my brother had had a minor heart attack which then took him down the path within the week of an open heart operation with a quintuple bypass which will save him from what was a very imminent big one. I took him home from that on Monday. He will be OK but it will be three months before he will be his “old” self again. This is a bloke who is super fit, who at 67 exercises like an 18 year old, who plays tennis twice per week, who is as slim as buggery but who smoked like a chimney until 22 years ago and that is what the doctors say, did the damage to his artery walls.


Whilst all of that is happening, I am also tracking my daughter’s travels on her first backpacking trip throughout Europe on her own. And then almost like I needed some retail therapy, over the past three weeks I have managed to buy a new TV, a new bed, a new backyard swingset to entertain my grandkids when they visit, a new wheelbarrow and a new biscuit joiner (woodworking tool) plus one or two other minor new toys.


On top of that, we have an election happening that is so irritating me because of the lack of visionary leadership being demonstrated by either side and so my regular, generally relaxing, TV entertainment is being so grossly and rudely punctuated by a series of negative campaign adverts and name-calling.


So, why should all of this noise and activity produce such a vivid dream about catching a marlin at Mud Island? I have no idea.


Indeed, I am not such a fan of marlin fishing anyway. I can never see the point in it anymore than I could see the point in the old time game hunters stalking a lion and shooting it. Makes no sense to me. Perhaps my attitude to marlin fishing had its genesis when I was working in Cairns in 1969 and watched the weigh-in of a huge marlin at the game wharf. The fisherman stood with the suspended giant fish for the obligatory photograph and then as he was walking away, the very excited charter boat skipper called out to him, “What do you want me to do with it, Jock?” It turned out that Jock didn’t give a bugger. He had had his fun and he was just as happy to see the charter boat tow the huge fish out to sea and dump it. At 19 years of age, I think that turned me off marlin fishing forever. At least, that scale of it anyway.


So yes, I did go to Mud Island yesterday morning to fish a couple of hours either side of the through the low tide. As stated, I was exclusively using some of my heavier gear because I just wanted to be out on the water and it made no difference to me whether I caught something or not and I could not be bothered with small stuff. So I may well have missed opportunities because of a lack of the sensitive touch that I usually rely on.


Indeed, my catch was so modest that I had thought of not reporting it at all but I do think that even a report on a poor result is still worth something to people. I know it is to me when I read the reports of others.


The conditions were stunning and although the car park at the ramp was quite full with trailers, there were not such a lot of boats around Mud Island. There were a couple of boats that did drifts near me but I saw no catches on them. My take-home catch was just these two bream and a tailor. Indeed, the only other fish that I caught were one small squire and one small trevally. The lack of small squire activity was quite surprising actually.


Click for full size - Uploaded with plasq's Skitch


No Marlin unfortunately.


However, as Damned67 said in his report about his far more successful trip to Harry’s yesterday...

You have no idea how good today was for my mental health!!
Doctors should prescribe this stuff!!

It was certainly a day like that...



Click for full size - Uploaded with plasq's Skitch




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[Peter4]

Sounds like a successful trip to me, Charlie...

You were on the water, conditions were great and you got fish (which is always a bonus)...

There is no measure of the relaxtion therapy, enhanced feeling of well-being and peace of mind that is gained by a day on the bay. I'm sure you'll live to be 100 with your attitude, especially if you control stress...

Great read!

Regs

Pete

[royslaven]

Hey charleville, that bad taste in your mouth, do you think that flying camel might have been by your house and crapped in your mouth whilst you were asleep?

Flamin thing does that to me all the time

Cheers, royslaven.

[Si]

geez, had me going there for a minute charlie! nice read. thanks for the report.

[PinHead]

I worry about you Bruce..you have dreams about Marlin..all I get to dream about is time spent with jen hawkins..but that is another story.
I must see about that..must be something wrong with my dreams I guess.

[charleville]

Hey charleville, that bad taste in your mouth, do you think that flying camel might have been by your house and crapped in your mouth whilst you were asleep?

Flamin thing does that to me all the time

Is that the same one that makes all that noise that my wife says that she hears when I am asleep?

geez, had me going there for a minute charlie!

Ya gotta watch Nugget too. He often writes report about Marlin in the Logan River on April 1.

all I get to dream about is time spent with jen hawkins..

Are you getting your dreams confused with your capabilities again?

I thought that you only did that in regard to rugby league teams.





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[SALTY"D"]

Stranger things have happened, I have seen Jew, marlin, sharks and yellow tail king jump out off the water on different occasions at mud.

[LostNearBribie]

There is a vid in the offshore reports of a Marlin off the front of Moreton....

[charleville]

Stranger things have happened, I have seen Jew, marlin, sharks and yellow tail king jump out off the water on different occasions at mud.

The 15 kg jew in my arms below my signature came from Mud Island. Have not seen Marlin there but I have caught heaps of sharks there.

I reckon that fishing Mud Island is a lottery. Anything might turn up there.


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[Defore]

Thanks for a good read.
When does the book come out "Mud Island Marlin and other fantasies"

[charleville]

When does the book come out "Mud Island Marlin and other fantasies"

Now that IS a good title! Thanks!



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