Been planning to get the lad offshore for some time but didn't really know how he would go, having not been out before, so made the decision to try my luck. We booked in an extended weekend with Anzac day to clean up and hoped the weather would play the game.
Happy days the weather looked great and we hit the road at 6:00am Sat, arriving at 1770 around 11:00 after fueling up and getting bait etc. The prediction was for some swell but bugger all wind and that is pretty much what we got. Brilliant Trip out at around 30 knots.
So far so good, weather - check, boat - check, sea sickness -check, looking good. Pulled up on the bait grounds and set the lad up with a bait jig - down he went and straight on with a big smile on his face BUT he starts hanging shit on us straightaway !!!. ( He got the hang of this fishing with the lads pretty quick). Got enough for the arvo with some nice variety and a happy son.
Stopped off for a look at a couple of spots for not much so headed to the Fitroy area for a quick arvo fish before settling in for the weekend. Picked up a nice trout and reef jack with the Lad getting a few hussar and parrot and a big smile on his face.
Day 2 headed out early with the weather even better than yesterday and arrived at the spot in quick time. Well from the first drop until the last we had action, hussar every where and plenty of good fish in between.
Now the boy is not a fishing fanatic but was straight into it and started to load up!!, Before long his outfit is bent over hard and he is pumping and winding like a real pro- didn't have to do much coaching and up pops a nice RTE. Great start -arsy little bastard. Helped him unhook and bait up again and said "your on your own from now pal". This didn't deter him and he just got better and better - and more and more cocky. What have i created?
Moved around a bit to keep the action going and we pulled up on one of my favourite spots that i found when doing some looking around a while back. Well he's really got the hang of this and down he goes before i have even switched the motor off !!! Before i get organised he loads up hard and after a bit of grunting and growning up comes a nice trout around 2 kg- you little beauty !!!. Helped him get the fish off and bleed him while he goes back down. Before i get a line in the water he's on again - but this time he is really getting a work out, a few heads shakes and runs and me thinks we have a Red Emperor. Yep- guessed right but he works it like he has done all this before and a nice little red slides into the net. You ripper - 2 drops with a trout and Red !! Can i have a go???
Anyway i don't know if it was beginners luck or what but he had the knack of getting fish and stuck to it pretty much all day. We fished for 16 hous that day and he only had a couple of rests for 15 minutes or so - you little legend.
Anyway the rest of the trip was just a pealer with the best fishing i have ever had and with my son on board for his first trip and performing like a champ- I am one PROUD DAD. I was having trouble finding something that we could do together that we both really liked but I have found at least one thing - happy days
In the end James scored a species list including, Red Emporer, Coral Trout, Red Throat, Coral Cod, Maouri Cod, Hussar and Parrot. Not a bad first trip.
Oh - by the way there were 2 other blokes on the boat - TJ and me and in bewteen the boys efforts we went OK as well, with a great mix of fish and some monumental bust ups and just bad luck costing us some great fish. I got my best RED at 9.5 kgs and TJ got his first ever Cobe, so we were pretty stoked. Got home a day early with both esky's full and can have a leasurely Anzac Day with fish for lunch with friends!!
Picies show the story as well. Gotta love Australia !!!!
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