Spring feels like Winter alright!!
Sunday afternoon with wind gusts of up to 35knots from the west and low tide at 4pm, thought it would be a good idea to go rock fishing. Took the paddleboard down and conditions were bleak to say the least, only a few brave peps walking their dogs and thinking “what is that bloody idiot doing!!”
Battled the cross shore wind and made it to the spot, set up and started fishing, but the cold conditions had made the fish quite lethargic. A rain squall blew through and the gusts were so strong it picked my paddleboard up and threw it about 5 meters smashing the fins clean off, luckily it was still on the reef and not floating out to sea; Started thinking that perhaps this was dumb idea…
Moved the paddleboard to a safer part on the rocks that provided a bit more shelter. Fish started coming on the bite and I managed to bank 4 nice eaters amongst a few throw backs. Lots of bait fish in the berley trail, but the wind was making fishing generally pretty tough.
After an hour or so thought I would pack it in, then whammo, got a massive strike!! Fish felt BIG and ran towards the beach. Didn’t feel like a snapper as it had a lot of weight and a lot of power. Could only hold on tight as continued to pull line. Fish slowed and thought yay I might get some line back, but no, it had turned and ran straight back towards the ledge I was fishing, it then wrapped me around some seaweed and boosted northward. I kept the tension on, and won some line back but then it was off again and reefed me… thought about jumping on paddleboard and heading out to where I was snagged up, but then it started hailing!!! And the wind gusts were pretty f'n nasty. Went for the old “heave and hope” but the reef won and line snapped.
BUGGER!! Lost a good fish.
Can only guess it was a kingi, as it fought way too hard to be a snapper, and the speed and sudden changes of direction I think ruled out a ray.
The tide was starting to push me off the ledge, hail stones all over the rocks, was time to head home. Paddleboard was pretty hard to control without fins : )
Fortunately tide and wind helped me get back to the beach.