19-11 The Verminators Apprentice!!!!

[BrandonH]

Gidday all again.

Sunday morning JasonT and I meet up with Kev (kingtin) and his son JJ (Kingcobe) at his place for a days fishing. We weren't sure were we would end up with the weather forecasters not knowing what’s going on but we were either going to be down the seaway or out the other side of Moreton Both options appealed to us and we were keen as mustard to get on the water! Kev tells us when we arrive that the weather reports had dropped the wind a little and he was keen to try and get offshore so that’s where we headed wohoo !! Out from Schlitz canal we headed over a bumpy bay for the north of Moreton. Now I have never been for a ride in a Whitley before, I have been on a similar sized plat boat and a 16’ fibreglass sportsman craft in the last year but OMG!!!!!!! Kevs boat rode the sloppy bay like nothing I have ever seen before We were half way over when we found a shallower section of the bay that was chopped up more that the rest and I could hardly notice a difference in the way she was riding the waves!! Around this stage Kev says to me how quick do you think we’re going? I didn’t have a clue but was sooo surprised when he said we were actually cruising at around 25knots!! It didn’t feel anything like that speed and certainly didn’t sound like the motor was pushing us that fast!! The Mercruiser inboard Purrs so softly we could have a conversation without raising our voices!!! What a boat!!!!!!!
We got just outside Moreton and were faced with pretty bad conditions so the decision was made to give “western rocks” (I think it’s called) a go. While Kev got the floaters setup I dropped my plastic to the bottom and within no time I get a touch!! I think to myself great!! The fish are here and on the chew well another touch and a hook-up produced a Grinner the same length as my plastic ok that’s not too bad, reef fish do hold around with Grinners sometimes.. Well 5 mins after Kev sets the floaters the one with a pillie goes off!! Jason was on it in a flash and started fighting something with a bit of go in it about a minute latter a lovely little schoolie gets gaffed at the side of the boat Well this is looking good we think as Kev resets the floater. About 15-20mins latter a bottom rig gets a couple of touches so I grab it and wait. Tap tap again. Tap tap, what’s this thing doing? Tap tap ok bugger this set the drag and into it hooked onto this thing that started to move away slowly. After about 10 mins we get a little colour and can see something jet black but with a white underside, is it a manta ray? We weren’t sure every time I got it close to the top it dove back again with slow but very powerful runs. After another 5 mins of fighting this thing Kev clips a gimble on me and dam!! These things work well I was able to give it heaps more and within a couple of minutes I get the biggest dam stingray I have ever seen beside the boat! It must have been about 5 foot across and near a foot through the middle (found it to be a tropical cow-tailed ray when we got home, one that can reach you with there barb if you grab them behind the eyes!! If you see a fin of sorts under the tail beware!!!!!!). After a bit of thrashing about Kev managed to get a hold of it and cut the hook off. This is when Kev decides to call me the Verminators apprentice Lol. Anyways JJ was managing a few whip tails that we were dropping down as livies but didn’t get taken . We persisted here for awhile longer for nothing else so the call was made to come inside Moreton and fish the Bulwer ledge. After a little trouble anchoring up we drop the baits down and watched the current bringing them back towards the surface in no time at all even a 1 ½ ounce jig head only hit bottom once before coming back up. We didn’t stay long before heading down over the top of Curtin for a sound and then on to the beacons to see if the Macs were still biting. On arriving we watch one bloke land a fair schoolie so anchored perfectly to float the baits near the beacon (Kev you sure know how to position your boat mate ). KingCobe starts bouncing a bait jig on the bottom and manages to catch a few yackas in among the baby squire, BIG Hearing and trumpeters. My first cast with the plastic was hit and bitten off > Kev drops a yakka down and it gets crunched within seconds but then after a blistering run it gets dropped? Wound in a headless and now dead yakka. Not long after we find out that this bloody dolphin was the culprit!! He was swimming around and around our boat waiting for the bait jig to come up and something to be released every time!! We didn’t manage to drop one live bait for more than 10 seconds before this bloody thing would hit it! But saying this we never actually hooked him, he would run for between 5 and 10 seconds every time and always remove the bait without getting hooked!! After watching this and the batfish everywhere we moved to Mud for a look. I managed a small schoolie on plastic but I don’t think we got anything else here?? Then we moved to one of the coffee pots out from the brissie river. Kev was sure we would get onto a shark or catfish or something here but after a good hour or so we caught nothing We decided to head home just after low not the best for coming back into Schlitz cannel but the wind was picking up and we actually had a couple of waves come over the back of the boat!!!!

Thanks heaps for the trip out Kev, we may not have got many fish but it was a very enjoyable day with you JJ and Jason on the water Please add anything I forgot or got wrong here, I am still suffering from 2 4:30am starts and a little too much sun as well as trying to get some work done


Cheers N
Tight Lines

Brandon…


Jason's Schoolie

[BrandonH]

Cow tailed Ray, these pics don't do it justice!!

[BrandonH]

Cow tail again...

[BrandonH]

Me and Kev on the Marlin board he had fitted. Jezz it makes a HUGE difference having that little bit of extra room! Hopefully next time you will be bringing in a big cobe or something over it

[BrandonH]

Looking back at Moreton over an ok section of the bay.

[BrandonH]

last one, me on the marlin board at the beacons, looking for the bloody dolphin > I don't have anything against them but this one was really starting to P#ss us off!!!!!


Cheers N
Tight Lines

Brandon...

[JasonT]

Nice report Brandon!
I'm definitely sending my reports to you in mp3 format for you to type up from now on :-)

The only thing I can think of that wasn't mentioned was the little tailor Kev caught at the last spot!
He had said he'd never left that spot empty handed before.. Still a true statement!

I only got the schoolie as I was the first to the rod. No skill there!
Kingtin had rigged the floats and done the hard work for me..

I couldn't believe the amount of squire JJ pulled up on the bait jig!
I know what I'll be using at woody point next time :-)

JT

[JasonT]

By the way...
Who ended up with the dolphin fillets????






JT

[bidkev]

Thanks for the report Brandon, a lot of effort gone into it. Thanks to Jason too for the pics. Pity there isn't a pic of that big schoolie, I'd've called it for a spotted when it surfaced, the size of it.

Yeah, that entrance is getting worse at Schultz, about time they did something about it.........me prop needed a polish anyways

Sorry I couldn't get you onto as many fish as I would've liked, but discretion is the better part of valour when it comes to taking that size swell sideways. The only consolation is that we saw other boats turning round and opting for Western Rocks so we know it simply isn't me being a pussy........unless they're all pussies too

Thanks to both of you for being excellent deckie's even though your jaws dropped when you saw the size of the sand plough Thanks also for your excellent company.

Next time mate....next time

kev

PS sorry about the curry the night before Pffftttttttttt

[snapperm8]

great report mate sounds like a top day even if the weather and fish wernt going to good



cheers dave

[BrandonH]

arh!!!!!! thats what I forgot you dropping your guts every 5 mins Kev!!!!!! Lol.. I was kinda glad the wind was up to carry that smell away quickly
You made the right decision to stay in close mate, we may have caught more fish out there but it wouldn't have been worth it. we would have only got fish that hooked themselves, no way to stay in contact with you bait in conditions like that

Also forgot Jason getting beaten up by the whitley He got the anchor on the last drop and was getting thrown sideways with each wave. so was the anchor hatch witch kept bouncing off his head and side during the retrive Lol I am glad it was you and not me .

cheers
Brandon...

[snappa]

kev

if u need a deckie for a "tempest snappa attack "

weathers looking great .

snappa

[bidkev]

<snip>
Kev drops a yakka down and it gets crunched within seconds but then after a blistering run it gets dropped? Wound in a headless and now dead yakka. Not long after we find out that this bloody dolphin was the culprit!!
<snip>

Meant to respond to this. I don't think that first run was the dolphin Brandon. Notice the nice neat round cut where it had been beheaded? In my previous experience and in every instance that followed that one the dolphin took the whole bait. I've never seen a bitten off bait from a dolphin, they seem to snatch 'em and run and then somehow get the bait and spit the hook. I'm calling it for a big mack or noah.

Also notice how the bugger wouldn't touch a dead bait?

kev

[bidkev]

kev

if u need a deckie for a "tempest snappa attack "

weathers looking great .

snappa

Yeah that would be the case mate Got the school run all week Are you without a rig atm?

kev

[Poodroo]

Well done on a good report BrandonH. Kev it sure sounds like you have a great boat. Most of us dream of having a boat like that some day and then there's me who dreams of having a boat full stop. Glad you guys had a great day out there. Regards,

Poodroo