Fishing Reports

Barracuda from the Cavallis to Berghan’s Point. The signs were good – fish everywhere. Think I’m learning to recognise schools of cuda – big red hits in the middle of the image. Must have big air sacks if the notion that the sounder echoes off them is correct. Still look like schools of big snapper to me though. Loosing so much gear that we move – only to find them again and again – were they following us? Best chance was to reduce the bling.  Plain and simple with soft plastics or shell-fish for bait. It worked. Other plan was to fish after dark. This worked too!

The moon is growing – had reached about half a moon. Usually means hard fishing with the night, once the moon is up, often the best shot. Coupla trips back it all happened exactly as predicted – much to the amazement of the crew. Dusk was good; then it died until the moon was about 1/4 up the sky. Gave us about 90 minutes to have dinner and few drinks.

This time dusk too was dead – not a great omen in my books. So rare for dusk to fail completely as it now had done twice in a row. And the morning drift had been only a marginal improvement.

So it was our last chance to put a few decent fish in the bin. I decided to absolutely persevere at my snapper “spot X”.  Nothing doing by 6.00pm so went close to the beach in the lee of the off-shore breeze to have dinner and try the sand.  One good silver pannie for our trouble – but with all bait cunningly stolen whilst we ate, maybe there could have been more?? At least our plates stayed on the table

Back to spot X by 8.00 - an hour before dark. Nothing doing! Sea now flat as. Fish seem to have vanished too!  Desperation time! Drove around in the dark - blind – made a wild guess- nothing special – a few fish about – a row about one metre off the bottom - not what I’d expected to be snapper at this stage of the year – usually mid-water.

9.30 pm still nothing - but a couple lost in the weed. Hope springs eternal! Almost caught with our trousers down – getting so used to nothing. 10.00-11.00pm and it was all on - a beautiful line of magenta snapper in the 2-4kg range. Great nick with the needle sharp teeth of deep-water migrants. Coupla squid too – which is always a bonus. Cousin got ink in his face – we had to laugh. Black and white minstrel!

The snapper weren’t playing with our baits either – all well hooked – none spat the dummy. We finished fishing voluntarily – bin full and a weekend of fishing saved at the last moment. Whew!

Fishing lessons:  [1] Don’t give up.

                          [2] After dark is good for snapper when the moon is full-ish.

                          [3] Get rid of the bling and meat if cuda are a plague

                          [4] Cuda don’t see so well afta dark.