NYTR Doctor Dog Solo, 22Jan13

TR by doctor dog
Wind: ENE 5-10 gusting more on the rain squalls
Swell: half metre Easterly
Current: not detected
Launch point: MG
Participants: Doctor Dog

I arrived at MG car park at about 5am finding I had it to myself apart from a couple of backpackers vans. I parked in my favourite spot(long enough to get the trailer in).



Conditions were ideal for launch beside the rock wall with a trawler riding at anchor in the bay.

I made the exit from the beach without incident (dry bum) and proceeded to set up out the back to troll a pilchard on an "easy troll" rig and a Halco Laser Pro 120 pilchard pattern and I had my preferred slug casting outfit to the ready.

I paddled north to Little Halls and onwards towards Halls reef proper. I passed a few sporadically feeding flocks of terns but no surface feeding fish until the far north of Halls at the level of the third cutting on Northshore beach. There I came upon a vigorously feeding large flock of seabirds and surface feeding fish. There was obviously a great bait ball aggregated on the surface so I was looking forward to getting a few slug casts into the melee. Unfortunately in my excitement I got a tangle and paused upwind to get that sorted.

Once untangled I looked up to find I had drifted within 5-10 metres of the bait ball which had now been joined by no fewer than 6 sharks feeding on the surface several of which were well over 2 metres.

Discretion being the better part of valour I chose to paddle away from the bait ball realising I would not succeed in landing anything I hooked even though there was clearly a large variety of pelagic species feeding including Longtail and Mac tuna as well as small mackerel presumably "spotties".

Time was marching on so I elected to head for home still trolling my untouched pilchard. I changed the HB to one in Qantas colours hoping to generate some interest.

I passed a Pro Fisherman in his big centre console tinny anchored at Little Halls. He was fishing for sharks but was on for a chat and recounted being around at Sunshine earlier in the morning trolling for Mackerel. He said he hooked three sizeable spaniards but lost them all to sharks.

I had just about given up any chance of hooking a fish this morning as I neared the river mouth only to be woken from my disconsolate reverie by the "scream of the reel".

A large vigorous fast and ariel fish had slammed my trolled pilchard and taken off for the horizon bursting through the surface in its first furious runs. I at first called it for a spaniard as it seemed to be silver and came to the boat readily after its first fast run but then reverted to its true species behaviour and continued to do repeated long slogging runs for 30 - 35 mins before I could bring it to the gaff.



118 cm of prime Longtail Tuna weighed at home at 15.5 kg

My return to the beach was uneventful.



Lacking Sunshiner's youthful charm and good looks I was unable to get any of the fairer sex to pose with my catch but here it is on the brag mat with the "easy troll" rig.

Cheers,
Doc Dog