PHP Warning: Use of undefined constant VBA_SCRIPT - assumed 'VBA_SCRIPT' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in ..../includes/functions_navigation.php(802) : eval()'d code on line 1 Fingermark at last!
I've been looking for an opportunity to catch myself my first fingermark and with the the beaut weather this weekend me and a pal got out to Salamander on Saturday night. We were light on bait because they prefer the bait wriggling at this one particular mark we've coined the "Unstoppables" for good reason. Jigging for bait wasn't going to plan - all we caught was a mass of under-size nannigay sometimes double hookups on skinny bait jigs. That was fun but the plan was starting to fall apart. Come night out went the squid light and after about half and hour we got our first squid which went promptyl overboard pinned to my abu 7000 combo. No luck, the nannys were tearing the squid to pieces before it got to the bottom.
On about the 3rd squid sent plummeting to the bottom I felt the now all too familiar tap-tapping of then nanny's ....then WHAM! Nearly got pulled overboard by something that definitely wasn't a nanny. Managed to keep it off the bottom because we were actually dangling the livies off the bottom by about 2m. A good 10min fight ensued with the 'mark making several lunges for the bottom. Jeez they fight hard - it never gave up! Easily the best fighting fish I'v hooked in a while.
Anyway the beastie weighed 8kg - I didn't measure the length but it tasted good. The only other capture of note was a horse of a grunter - it must have been close to 60cm.
Good to see someone is having some luck with fishing. Last couple of breaks of had with work, weather has been #!*#house. With a bit of luck will be able to hit the water very shortly. Great stuff though Mozza, green with envy mate!
I had a misspent youth terrorising the local largemouth bass population in the dams of S.Natal. Not much else 'cept livies for the old man when on the coast (his favourite: carantine).
Lived in the NT for 5 yrs where I discovered the habits of freshwater barramundi to be very similar to those of the bass.
Dunno about fingermark or Jacks probably north from St Lucia up is my guess. Other name for fingermark: spotted scale sea perch (!!) or Golden Snapper if you're in the Territory. Caught this one near Salamander reef which is a reef-lined rock about 35k's East of Townsville. This is the best time of the year for fingermark. They like plenty of structure and its not very often you pull one of this size out of the structure due to their strength and power. Jetty's are good but the only way you can get them out of these places is with serious handline (100kg). Fingermark are different to Mangrove Jack and Barra in that they are VERY slow growers and one this size would have plenty of years under the belt. This is a pity because they do school and guys have been known (specially in the NT) to clean out entire schools. Certainly if I had caught another I would have let him go to grow another few years.
There y'go - I've done the research which made the capture all the more sweet.
Nice story mate, coming from Natal, the humidity and storms would suit you fine I suppose, bloody hot though compared to Cape Town.
Tailor= Elf in C.T, remember that one.
Used to catch heaps of Kob of muzinberg beach or Strandfontein Beach, plenty of Red Roman too.
Never did much fresh visvang back home but got into it when I lived in Mel. Interesting about the growth rate of those beautiful Fish you caught, its a shame that some peoples mentality is to take as much as possible in case they are not there next time they fish that spot again. Hope they hook onto some solid snags I say!!!!
Yeah did a trip during uni up to the Namibia with a buddy whose uncle was the chief game warden at Skeleton Coast NP so we got to stay at his place. Did some fishing in the 'no-go' zones. Unbelievable.
We were chucking strip baits into the shoreline gutter and never had a chance to finish our beers.
Must have caught a doz kob in the 60-75cm range plus many other species. Never seen fishing like that off a beach anywhere (although I'm there's places like that up the Cape or the gulf, NT, WA).
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