Tua Tao Likes Gulp?!

Brought a fellow Singaporean to Iron Cove for some luring recently. It's been awhile since I've fished my usual stretch. With a hot and sunny afternoon, I was presuming that the flatties would be the common catch at those conditions. The water now in the harbour is unusually warm and it seems that those post-spawn flatties should be coming out to play. On the first cast with a used watermelon bm, a small flattie had already climbed onto it, ah... the first-cast-kena-fish feeling at IC... Then, those cheebye toads are out in full force also, nipping away the precious tail section. Whacked on a Gulp minnow in nuclear chicken colour (which wasn't my favourite gulp to use) on the Nitro 1/24 size 2 head that Chen had bought me from Kmart with the 25% discount. Few casts later at 'flathead avenue' I had a bite and then follow straight-up by a snag?! Shit, no matter how I flick it it won't budge, thought there goes my 1dollar jighead! But when I try to wank it out, it did free up! There was something though and I thought it might be those ugly 'brainthing' coral. to my surprise, a Tua Tao (some sort of Aussie clam) had 'eaten' (yup, EATEN!) my Gulp!

Hahahahahahahaha.... WTF?! It was clamping onto my jighead tightly and I'm pretty sure I didn't actually foul hook it, the jighead was inside the bloody tua tao! Used the plier to crack the shell around the nitro to free up the poor gulp as this bloody tua tao didn't wanna release my Gulp! Funnily, it was pulsating when I was holding it, definitely VERY ALIVE!!! New specie on plastic for me man!! Hahahahaha... XO pipis, anyone? Hahahaha...

Well, the tail of the gulp was snipped off so a change to hardbody instead. Put on Rocky's Cultiva Mira Shad and worked near Jialiang's 'Slopy Slope' and BANG! A flathead jumped out from nowhere and it was putting on a good show. A few line peeling run and finally a good fish of 46cm on this lure for me.

Released the bugger and went over to slopy slope for no touches. Then onto 'little window' with a bloodworm grub for nothing as well. Moved further down to jewfish exercise area for a substantial quiet period. It was hot and the action wasn't coming on for quite sometime. Whilst I was twitching my new watermelon bm and chilling out under a tree, the lure was surprisingly taken out of the sudden. The next thing I know Stradic was singing like no tommorrow. The run was long, and I can confidently timed it for around 7 seconds, which had me thinking it might be a mullet? Cos' the line was going surface and going outwards. Drag tightened abit as it was at the usual 'I can pull it with normal strength' tension. Then, it was still able to do another long run after the pause that allows me to tighten the drag. Zzzzzz.... si bei song ah!!! I was hoping it to be mullet as I've never caught a big one but to my surprise after gaining the line back towards the surface, a bream! From the water view I thought it was an average size but once put on the lie detector, 35cm to the tip bream made him/her the best bream fight I've had the privilege to enjoy on the Loomis. Yeehar!

That was somewhat the highlight for that session but I would say the tua tao was the most funny. Not many flatties that I thought I might get but still beats working! Tried the drain briefly but nothing was registering. Called it quits as we were burnt enough.

Ronald