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When my son Kerry rang to say he was coming up for a few days, I was mighty pleased as well as fishing with my son I get to do some solid fishing without her who lives indoors looking over my shoulder! The last time he was up he had the wife and the kids so serious fishing was out. We still managed to get out for a day, now Kerry is one of those blokes who can fish in fact I reckon he’d get fish in a bathtub! So I was keen to see how he would go up here in the tropics and hoped I could put him onto his first Barra.
I fitted him out with a 6-8kg rod and used my old Bantam loaded up with 10kg braid and a green lure made by Lucinda Lou (chuck ‘em in and hang on!) I opted for gold “Flatrat”.
We started working the snags and mangrove roots down from the “Haven” on Hinchinbrook Island. Fishing was a bit slow due to the tide still
being up a bit but it wasn’t long before my “rat” had teased a nice Barra out of a snag it was just legal so it was released to fight another day. Kerry had soon worked it out that you had to be right into the snags to hook up and was casting like a champion. Next cast his rod was bent over nearly double “what are you hooked into” I
said,” a train” was the reply. What ever it was it was giving him a good work out, strong deep runs, I thought it might be a decent Jack but wasn’t sure. After about ten minutes he brought it along side, it was one of the biggest Estuary Cod I’ve seen, it must have been 70cm’s!”Nice fish mate” I said “Photo, freezer or
release” , ”let it go “he said.
We worked that bank for one more fish; it came from a snag that was sitting in the mouth of a feeder creek. It hit Kerry’s lure like there was no tomorrow, stripping of line at a decent clip.” You going to do some thing about bringing it to the boat “I said “Yeah right “ was the reply. I’d picked this fish for a decent Barra and wasn’t let down when it started to tail walk and shake its head trying to lose the lure. But as I said Kerry can fish and it wasn’t long before we were shaking hands and taking photos, 75 cm’s not bad for your first Barra! We kept that one for tea.
We opted to fish Missionary Bay for the few days he was here, good tides with an early morning high and plenty of run to the low, coupled with minimal wind promised some good fishing. We had switched lures to Pink “Flatratz”as I find they work ok in the creeks up that way. A typical day for us would be like this we’d fish the Bay itself chasing rat Barra’s and the occasional Trevally but would move into a creek as soon as the tide dropped exposing drains and snags.
I like to fish the shallow side drifting out on the electric until the tide really drops then hit the snags. I was working my lure deep thro' some timber when it got whacked good and proper, a bit of pressure and the fish swam out of the snag. Had to be a Barra sure enough it was out of the water, shaking its head, good fish to measured 67 cm. I hadn’t even released the fish when Kerry is into a decent
fish, ”different this dad, went straight into the snag and is now
bogged” he said ”Jack, mate” keep the pressure on maybe he’ll swim out”, much grunting and groaning and out he pops, nice Jack too, 45cm, beauty!
Next cast he’s on again but this fish wasn’t doing much, a good-sized Pikey Bream, good fun on lighter gear, it was worth a photo.
We were nearly down to the low when I spotted this bit of a stick poking up, worth a cast I thought, well no sooner had the lure hit the water when it was smashed, I hadn’t even had time to get contact with the lure! Done like a dinner! We motored over to see if we could retrieve the lure, when up popped the lure complete with a bit of the leader, as if to say maybe next time! Kerry reckons the high light of the day was seeing me hook into that big fish only to see it smash me up on some hidden timber, the expression on my face was worth bottling he
said. ”Got to keep your rod down” he said! Now where have I heard that before! Smart arse, every boats got em!
We fished that creek most of the day for five Barra, three Jacks, heaps of Cod all sizes a couple of Trevally and of course the bream.
Not a bad day and that was pretty much par for the course for the five days we fished the
Bay. Catching and releasing thirty Barra, heaps of Cod, some small FingerMark, Jacks were light on the ground, probably half a dozen and plenty of by-catch. We even hooked an undersize Spanish Mackerel!
Now one of the pleasures of getting old (and let me tell you there isn't many) is fishing with your kids, it really is fun. But of course the added bonus is fishing with the grand kids and I have a couple of young fella’s coming up for the holidays. Oh well I guess I’ll just have to take them fishing! “Yeah Baby”!
Safe Boating and See Ya on the water!
Jim (Jimbo)
Lee - www.un-reel-sportsfishing-adventures.com.au
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