Springtime Brooders

It's been sometime since I've last blogged. After that canal session, I went again with Chen on the next night but only managed one flathead on SX40 while we both have dropped fishes, damn! Then, the weather changed again in Sydney with rain and strong southerly winds hammering for almost a full week. I was also kept busy with some temp stocktake jobs for a bit of tackle money, lol. Anyway, the weather turned good this weekend and so Ronia the Chinu lurer was out by the water yet again. Went to spot SF in the late afternoon as the tide was coming into the last light. Bloody hell, I was contemplating whether to go spot SF as the wind was blowing against me but still went ahead since I haven't got a fish for a nong nong time..

Casting of softies was totally out of my mind at first so went with hardbody 1st with quite a low water level still. Put on the Jackall Cherry for not a single hit. Then, it was time to go against principle and try around the snag. I got a pack of Gamakatsu 1/22oz jigheads from BCF for 2 bucks and tried it with a used Gulp worm. 1st cast of it and I got a violent take, struck but got nothing. Reeled it back and the worm was gone, that was a huge take. Re-rigged with a new worm and what do you know, this stupid lurer with his crap casting skills got the worm on the tree, there goes a dollar rig, KNNBCCB!!! Next up, I put on the wriggler with a foul mood. Being quite light weight, I knew I wouldn't get any distance. Still, it managed to land on the sweet spot. Couple of twitch with it, the plastic went off. This thing didn't fight spectacularly but it certainly felt heavy with heaps of resistance. As the water was not clear, I couldn't see the fish earlier as normally I would. Once on the surface, it started thrashing and take some line intermittently. Just as I was trying to lift its head out, then I realised the hook was in the eye and turning the eyeball inside out! Fuck, I felt so bad! Wanted to quickly lip grip that bugger but he kept thrashing non-stop probably due to the blinded eye. Anyway, got hold of it and it was another biggun bream of 39.5cm.

Before I took the photo, I quickly did the op to remove the hook gently out of the eye socket, but I knew he's blinded for sure. Can't understand why they attack lures in such ways, oh well, that's fishing. Good thing is it swam away without drama when released. Then, maybe it's karma or what, I snagged the wriggler in just 2 casts, tamade! The light faded away and so a switch over to Tango. As soon as it was total darkness, the whole area went berserk. Big splashes were everywhere and you knew it was frenzy feeding time but I'm just not sure what they were, as it didn't seemed to be like bream feeding. After quite a few casts of Tango, it finally came up tight on a funny bump I haven't felt for a long time. This thing didn't take much line but as it was complete darkness, you could only feel the constant line bumping as if the head shakes were hitting the line. As soon as it was brought up near the surface, the head torch couldn't shine the usual silvery flashes, so bream was out of the equation. Took me quite a while to finally figure out that it was a flattie, probably I haven't been catching them frequently to remember their struggles. As soon as she was near the bank, I then started to feel that she was heavy, only till when I managed to lip grip her out from the bank then I realised she was freaking long! Ooh yeah, springtime brooders are out to feed! (I got my 80cm during mid spring)

This junior mama went 64cm, 3cm short of my previous biggun caught on the very same lure! Tango, u beau-tey!!! When I lifted her up, could see the big belly which might suggest it's still pregnant. Anyway, as usual, released without any drama. The splashes were getting more and more rampant, with some really violent katooosh!!! And for that matter, I persist like a desperate fisho with only 2 hookups and 2 dropped fish with quite a lot of hits.

Not the best of those 'quantity' type of session but the 'quality' type was the go. Just felt sorry for that bream that I accidentally caused it to blind. Packed up with almost a super low water level and left to get my Nasi Campur fix at Randwick.

Came sunday, Chen wanted to fish and though supposedly we were going to target blackfish but end up didn't wake up at all. We were talking about how un-motivated we are recently with 1st light fishing but guessed the passion of launching boat at 4am and squid got kings could be the only thing that can whipped us out of bed that early. Anyways, we planned for a last light op instead at spot SF. Arrived to an almost same condition I faced yesterday and as usual, I went with the $3 ebay lure 1st. Chen was onto a fish super early with a good size bream taken on the Gulp worm. I wasn't getting any hits at all until he told me that he got more hits and said to go Gulping. Ok, changed and sure enough, got a hookup in a few casts. You know what? I hooked the fish eye again! Yes, can you believe it? AGAIN! But luckily this one didn't turn the eyeball inside out and I slowly wiggle the hook out and luckily it came out easy. Seemed that the eye was ok and didn't bother to take photo and quickly released this approx 27-28cm breambo. The worm was totally ripped out and so I rigged it on the other side.

As I slowly moved down, we were still within the biting period. While my 'barely could stay on' worm was twitched near to a pile of rubbish just below my feet, I felt a weight straightaway and then the fish was already on. It fought like a bream but turned out it wasn't. Chen saw a whiting and said it was a big one, and we thought it might hopefully cross the 40cm mark this time.

Nah, bloody hell it was demoted. Just 38cm, damn! Worm's gone, left the Gama jighead in its mouth only. Thing with releasing whiting is that they always pose a drama and take quite some time to revive, with some occasions of tendency to float up after you thought you had released it successfully! Well, this one didn't, lucky it! Thought of re-rigging with a new worm but then decided to go lighter since the wind was dying down and so went with my usual wriggler rig. Few casts later, I was on. This one fought pretty good for its mere size of just 27cm.

Then, it was totally quiet for both of us, not even hits! I told Chen it might be the tide peaking and so maybe when darkness prevails, I was hoping the splashes will make a show for Chen. It did eventually, but not as spectacular as I've personally witnessed the night before. Still, Tango DID NOT get a single hit the whole bloody night. Chen scored another good legal sized bream on a Gulp grub. That was it, splashes a plentiful but hookup-ing fishes... disappointing! We left feeling tired and cold for a long-deserving taiwanese fried chicken meal at Cho's.

Ronald