So second day, instead of Corroboree we went chasing tuna again
Both of us agreed a fly caught longtail worth a hundred fly caught toga (as mush as both of us love targetting toga!)
And just 5-10 minutes of the future action this day made that choice worth it (keep reading!)
But first a little rant!
Some have said (as is their right!) they would rather lick a used ash tray than fish Lee Point
I understand this because it can have limited species and also be feast or famine - with much famine,
The wind is always there and increasing through the day
This makes the water dirty most of the time and unless you like macks, queenies and trevs - not a lot of other species except of course when full blown luck happens and other species show up randomly
But Peter and I agreed there is not much better fishing near a capital city than Darwin - for us that includes and usually means Lee Point.
So many good points for fishing in our back yard of Darwin Harbour and surrounds - it has flats, deep bits, reefs, rock bars are plentiful, its tropical, no snow, no language barrier (if some though speak a little slower with a drawl effect), no airfares to get there, no cramped seats in those planes (both Peter and I are well over six foot and at least 110 kilo) - the head rests on planes hits me in the square of my shoulders, also no queues, no lost luggage (though recently did loose a two sided clear lidded fly box with 100s of flies in it - on way to ramp! bugger!), no security searches, and we live 10minutes from a decent boat ramp (yes, despite the crazies who use it and have absolutely no idea how to and possess the smallest amount (if any!) of politeness and patience (** particular a couple of the lure/bait guides who abuse, sorry use it! Real smart arse SH&%H^$DS who think this world (and the boat ramp) revolves around them because they do this for a living), then there is the guys who can't back a trailer, take up two lanes, then crowd and occupy the dock, add to that those that untie the boat and check on motor at bottom of the boat of the ramp - uuuggghhh!
For me it's really all about tropical fly fishing (i.e. no coldness) plus willing, plentiful and sometimes large species who readily take the fly - if with a little hard work under a crazily hot sun at times
So absolutely love living and SWOFFING in Darwin! No need to go to Hinchinbrook or US - been there done that in my younger years (maybe Exmouth though! Love Jonno Shales and what he does!). As in the end I get all I need out of my saltwater fly fishing locally particularly Lee Point
For with so much good fly fishing, right here, close by - why go elsewhere?
If you have read any of my blogs you will know I have been fly fishing Lee Point almost every weekend for the last few outings
Sometimes I could fill a big esky with the fish we catch - loosing count after 50 fish (but don't always fill the esky as release most fish). I also have plenty of outings catching absolutely nothing except a few tiny fish for my cats!
But each time - new situations, different tides, wind and temp, different species prominent, then there are dolphins, dugongs, sharks, crocs, stupid people to laugh at trying to use the boat ramp, free jumping stingrays, rolling manta rays scooping hundreds of jelly prawns each mouthful, giant schools of baitfish, awesome sunrises and sunsets - and best yet home by dinner!
Enough ranting --- back to this outing's fishing report ..........
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It was very cloudy first thing with sun just peeking through the clouds - till they burned off in the heat
We headed for Six Mile Buoy to see if the larger tuna were still hanging out there
It was a run in tide yesterday when we chased them here but this morning's tide was heading out
We still hoped to find them on the sounder with the tuna stacked up like firewood and filling the screen top to bottom like they had done the previous afternoon (and had no way to get at them give the vast tidal flow and depth)
This time we both brought along a jig rod to plunge and lift metal lures from the depths - the water here is 40m deep and it's tough and hard - given large tidal movement - to get a fly down to these fish
So first up we jigged some chromies - yes the dark side I know, I still feel dirty!
However, I managed a nice 90cm longtail that really gave it to the light spin rod I was using
Superb fun, soooo strong this fish
Peter had an 80cm longtail not long after
Both of us happy with our dark side results
We chase and chase, jig, rip, wind, jig, rip, wind
Enough of this - let's catch one on fly
But the fish seemed to cease to exist once the fly rod was brought out
We search but soon decide to head out to Lee Point for a look see there
As tuna in shallow water much more fun and easier to chase (still hard to get but easier than in deep water) and hope they are there like last couple of trips
But Lee Point was deserted of life - nothing showing
This is what I had expected yesterday due to lack of tidal movement - a little more today so wrongly thought it might be better
We cruise about slowly while Peter makes one of his huge famous sandwiches
While I scan everywhere looking for signs of life and action
no birds, no slashes no nothing!
But then just after Peter finished his sandwich when we are halfway towards shoal bay, I spy way off in the distance towards Gunn Point (but nowhere near it only directionally) about 30 birds in a tight group hovering just about the water
Its WOT all the way - yeeehhhhaaahhh!
Now every other pod of active fish we chased yesterday and this morning would show and go in half a second or less
But these guys stayed up slashing madly at bait all the time we raced to the location of frothing water
When we get there, there was the usual discussion of what they were and hope they didn't disperse or sound with the proximity of the boat like almost every other pod of fish this weekend
However, these fish were so engrossed in devouring the larger than normal bait fish (9-10 cm and about as thick as a thumb) they didn't even care that we were there
Those light coloured shapes in the water between the froth and us are all large trevally (in video it is far easy to see it)
They even continued feeding when the baitfish hid under our boat then they would zip in from the outer edges to attack the bait under the boat, scales floated through the water everywhere indicating the amount of mayhem that was occurring.
We have seen this many times before at locations near to Lee Point but usually it is schools of 40cm queenies, macks or trevally that are our regular catch at Lee Point - fun but nothing to write home about
However, today, in this group - they were all very large fish and I mean very large - mostly brassies, but a few tarpon, GTs so easily seen as different species in the clear neap tide water - all of them 80-90cm plus definitely a few meter plus ones in the mix - no seriously!!! (video up soon to prove it!)
Peter hooked one of the biggest Aussie tarpon I have seen, so very thick in the shoulder - a solid fish indeed, at least 80cm plus
Peter sadly lost it as it free jumped not a meter or two from the back of the boat - so much strength on display as it flexed and contorted its body in the air and finally dislodging the hook
And then Peter cast straight back into the melee to get blown away again
Any fly or lure that didn't get hit in the maelstrom - was chased out of the chaos by several monsters from the deep. I am still giddy even thinking and writing about it - what an awesome sight and fun!
I hooked up third cast after arrival and the fish circling the boat a few times before it realised it was hooked it took off for shoal bay
Sadly it looked like it got hammered by a shark on the surface 150m away and the hook came loose
Once I got the backing back on the reel I stripped the fly line to recast to the other side of the boat
Again moments later with only a couple of strips of the fly line and I am hooked up again
This one slugged it out deep for a bit, sort of staying with the large pack of 100+ fish under the boat as if it did not care about the hook imbedded in its lip - before finally racing towards Lee Point. Line disappeared of the spool very fast indeed. However, eventually with a thump and flick that was transmitted through the flyline - it broke me off as if I was using cotton for leader material instead of 20lb high quality mono. (should have been using 40lb maybe! also not to pushed it so hard as we were in 20feet of water, the bottom was as flat as and any reef was kilometers away)
I also had a big tarpon on for a bit and achieved a long distance release - again!
The splash next to rod tip in the image above is my tarpon releasing itself of my fly!
Despite the size of the bait the big predators were eating, the size 1 silicone surf candy was the fly they wanted. Peter for a while used a large hollow style fly close to the size of the bait but soon down sized his fly. The fish with a number of their mates - followed right behind the big fly as it was stripped but ravaged the tiny candy!
We each lose a few fish, cast to more, followed by others but 10 minutes from when we arrived it was done - felt like hours!
Both of us spellbound by what we had witnessed and participated in - I WANT MORE!
I have watched the video of the event time and time again, and still can't stop watching and reliving the experience - I WANT MORE!
I also mention the large number of dugongs and dolphin we saw during the day - spotted so many right along our various journeys around the harbour today
While we were gaining back our breathe after the maelstrom above, also saw a huge 2m long, thick as my forearm sea snake swimming along with its flat paddle tail, also saw a 2 foot shark siddle up next to it, the shark's dorsal fin with its black tip actually rubbing against the snake before the shark sunk into the depths leaving the sea snake unmolested.
The snake came towards the back of the boat and I flicked it gentle like with my fly rod tip to discourage it even thinking about hopping on board.
We saw a few tuna splashing and hitting bait over the next hour or so, but never got a cast in that would be dangerous to the fishes
So with wind increasing we left Lee Point, and then had another look around Six Mile Buoy but nothing, visited the T rock bar south of Mandorah Jetty for a couple of trevally (tiny).
When heading back to the ramp via Talc head our tiredness was ruthlessly taken away by the sighting of a very large queenfish skulking the edge of the rocks 20m off Talc head - but it did not return. and 15 minutes of blind casting returned a trev and a tiny queenie but nothing else.
And that was it for the day
Two good days SWOFFING (with a little dark side too!)
Two hard days SWOFFING with lots of chasing and searching - but the things we saw
The few good fish we got to hand and the huge pod of large trevs and others oblivious to our boat as they devoured big baitfish really topped out the weekend.
So - tie some flies, get them wet and come up tight to your local fish
No place better
(video of the weekend's main events will be up soon)
