Finally A "Top Arvo"!

Catch Report 16/9/2006

Jialiang was asking me the other day what is the meaning of "arvo". It is a short abbreviation for afternoon used by the aussies. Top arvo top arvo, we always hear these words when they post good fishing reports of a very good session. I've had the privilege too for a top arvo.

Woke up early this morning to go to RTA before 12 and pay my rego. Lucky got there on time as it took some time to pay the greenslip in NRMA. Went past the newsagency and saw many people queueing up to buy Lotto. Oh yes, it is the 22 million draw today so I bought a few games, haven't check the results yet. Drove back from Marrickville in a very hot saturday.

Only managed to write half a page of my thesis and I was thinking about fishing. Damn it, so after a quick lunch from Thurs joe's dinner, I put on a 3-quarter and off I went to Hen & Chicken Bay since it was blowing an easterly. When I reach there, the wind was blowing but not that bad. I tried hardbody 1st and gave SX48 the run. Couple of casts later on a very slow crank I caught a so-so fight of 38cm flathead.

Then I thought to myself, better change lures as always the same lure that goes back in won't catch anymore fishes. So I tried with Smilin' Jack 'goldie' and scored my best bream at that place! But this 38cm bream did not put up a good fight, ended up as a 'plastic bag' (dead weight) most of the time when I crank him in, still, it was quite heavy. A Lebanese fisherman was there fishing as well and I asked him to help me take a photo.

Usually after 'goldie', I'll try with 'pinkie' next. I walked down further away from the previous success spot and on a particular far cast, I got a solid take and I was pretty stoked at how the action came in thick and fast. This 27cm bream didn't also put up much fight but still quite entertaining. It swallowed the whole size 12 treble hook in and I had a tough time getting it out.

Then later I gave Rapala jointed shad rap a go and was almost shocked coming close to losing it when it got snagged. Was so afraid I was going to leave the lure and line there and come retrieve it during low tide but alas, it finally came out after a persisted few more flicking of the rod. After that scare, I switched to using soft plastics and tied on a watermelon colour bm. Casted near where I almost snagged rapala, I got a sudden take on the plastic drop and zzzzz for a short while on my reel. Knew it was a good bream but alas, did the same thing as the previous big bream, it ran once and became a plastic bag in the end. Up came a 34cm bream and I was happy to take photos of it.

Then came the best fighting flathead I ever encountered. I casted back into the same spot where I got this bream and voila, another hookup! The zzzzz was even longer! And when I reel in a bit of line, it started zzzzz again! Fwah! I knew it would be a flathead and wasn't feeling heavy but this bugger seems to be on steroids! I take my hats off for this 41cm flattie and it definitely earned my respect!

By this time, I realised my watermelon bm is already 'chwee' (hokkien for destroyed). So I took out a new pumpkinseed bm and rigged it on the same jighead. Got some very small flatties and also this small bream in a 'secret' spot (no lah, just call it because after several trips I find they like to hide there).

Then, casted further out a bit from the 'secret' spot and got a few takes but missed. Cast back hopefully in the correct angle and this time I gotcha! This flathead took the lure deep and I was afraid their teeth will fray the leader. Luckily it held when I lift it out of the water. It really swallowed deep and I had to wear gloves to hold open it's mouth. In the process of 'digging' the jighead out, I felt sorry for the fish to endure my rough handling. As a result, bad karma bombard me with a painful spike on my finger by the flatheads deadly protruding spike, OUCH! Blood flows out continuously as they have this anti-coagulant thing on the spike that prevents your blood from drying fast. When I release it, I accidentally dropped it too early and the flathead lands hard on the concrete bank before sliding into the water. Oh no! My bad! Oh well, hope it's alright, it swam away anyway.

It was really dark by now, I tried with smelt colour bm for nothing and then gave Humbug a try too for nothing as I couldn't see shit in the darkness. So I packed up and head back.

Ronald