Subject: A stonker of a sweetlip -- and that's not all -- fishing Thursday 14Aug08
Date: Thursday, 14 August 2008 4:28 PM
Every now and then Jew Shoal fires. Today was such a day.
Although it was warmer than yesterday, Jaro and I, the only starters, were still shivering at 0700 as we trundled our yaks down to a lake-like launch site.
As usual, we took a few minutes or so to get sorted after launch but were soon paddling toward the northern horizon, grateful for the warming side-effect of the physical activity as the sun was still obscured by a layer of stratus cloud.
Once at JS we discovered we had perfect fishing conditions -- overcast, 5knot SW breeze, little or no swell and crystal clear water. I was intent on using the sonar to confirm some interesting bottom structure I'd found recently and Jaro stayed with me for 15 minutes or so, during which time he caught a small reefie, before deciding that my drift was unlikely to be productive and headed off to find a better one. At around 0820 I boated a nice bream (pic below) which completely engulfed the soft plastic and jig in 22m of water. Thinking that perhaps this may be the only keeper I'd get, I put him on the keeper stringer and continued on my drift from SW to NE.
About 15 min later I boated a very nice keeper sweetlip (below), having earlier released an undersize snapper, and called Jaro to let him know. Jaro reported that it was quiet where he was.
Ten minutes later after a tight tussle, another, much larger sweetlip (below) joined the earlier one plus the bream on the stringer and I again called Jaro who at last decided that possibly I was in a better drift than he was.
Together we paddled back to the start of the drift and soon afterward Jaro, who was now only about 10 metres from me, yelled that he was hooked up. He was unable to identify the quite small fish he'd hooked and as I was interested in identifying it and getting a pic, I tidied up my gear and paddled over to him, just as his other rod in the rod holder went off. So now he had one unidentified fish in the foot well and another giving him curry on the other rod. As I'd come over prepared to take a pic, I pulled out the camera and captured the action:
After a solid tussle, with Jaro repeating "It's a pretty good fish!" as he does, the behemoth came alongside. And without much ceremony Jaro deftly gaffed him and held up for the camera the biggest grass sweetlip either of us has ever seen:
Just look at the size of that mouth! Anyway, I now returned to my original mission -- the unidentified smaller fish. I asked Jaro to hold it up for a pic before releasing it. To my delight I saw that it was a pearl perch (undersize -- limit 35cm). These have the reputation of being one of the best table fish available to anglers and it was the first I'd seen caught at JS. Pic below (note the big sweetlip still held on the gaff in Jaro's other hand)
So on and on the action continued, mainly for me, but occasionally for Jaro. I estimate that I hooked about 30 fish of several species, including my first and second pearl perch (both undersize). I released 4 or 5 snapper which were just size or just over, and another 4 or 5 which were well undersize. By 1215 my fish stringer had 6 keepers on it, Jaro had three keepers, and we left them biting to head for home on a sea which was glassing out.
Mainly because of the lack of sunshine, I suppose, there were no nubile wenches to greet our triumphal return but there was one dear old lady who approached me and asked, having seen Jaro stuff his sweetie into his bag after gutting it: "Dearie, what sort of fish was that one that that young man caught?" I gently informed her that it was a sweetlip and that her "young man" was in fact little younger than herself, before bursting into laughter.
A couple more pics taken after return to beach:
By the way, Jaro's fish, at 62cm, broke my grass sweetlip record of 52cm set last November. I wonder if there are any bigger ones out there?
A TOP day.
Some of you on my address list may be unaware that Harvey has set up a blog for us and, having recently graduated as psc (proficient snapper catcher), has upgraded the pics to include one of his best fish. Fair enough Harv! The blog is at: http://noosayakers.blogspot.com
When are we going again, Jaro and Co?
Kev
Red & Yellow Espri, black paddle
VHF channel 09 or 22 (if alone), Call Sign: sunshiner
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