more tuna but lots of lost one's too

So Peter has finished his Katherine work
And so SWOFFING was the order of day for the two days of this weekend - if only to to celebrate that finished contract and Father's Day

I never seen my wife so comfortable and agreeable about me fishing for a couple of days - ever!

We launch at dawn - we struggle to get passed the ramp crazies with no idea how to do it right
(same on the way back in - nuts!)

Awesome sunrise see through the buildings of the city of Darwin

We head straight out to Lee Point
Now we didn't expect much action given the lack of tidal movement, but the predicted increasing afternoon wind put paid to a Vernon's sojourn out of Nightcliffe ramp

We drifted around Lee Point not seeing any life or action, so given the lack of movement the high level of the low tide point meaning even we wouldn't get stuck on a sand bar - we took off to the Rock at the back of Shoal Bay

But halfway from Lee Point to the mouth of Buffalo Creek we start to see some bust ups and active birds

The sun was very hot and the wind had died away to nothing
the water surface was as slick as we have seen it for quite a while
Sweat rolled down the back and sun coverage was mandatory

For the next 5 hours we chase the sporadic longtail tuna and while not many Tuna played the game how we would have liked it - the by-catch of small macks keeps us entertained - if only to tie on a new fly after the countless bite offs. the macks seemed to be in amongst the Tuna and visa versa.

The key for the tuna was to get close enough to cast to the tuna whom are skittish and inconsistent
You have to get the fly in the right place at the right time and then even then have the biggest lucky four leaf clover in your pocket
And when you can't get in close enough without them diving deep and thus away from you - it all means a lot of casting

But as lightning has to strike somewhere when it forms...... even I hooked three tuna

But then lose three tuna!
Yes lost three tuna - even when they are so hard to come by, to get the fly in the right place and at the right time - this a few hundred times, to then get them to take the fly once!

One chased my fly right to the boat where I could actually see the mouth open and devour the silicone surf candy I was using - and then it turned 180 degrees with such speed and suddenness - it broke my leader right in front of me - leaving me stunned to silence (well maybe a few carefully chosen words were spoken!)

Maybe the leader had a few nicks from the macks we had been catching previously!

The other two tuna were on for a while compared to that one, with awesomely fun first runs of uncontrolled speed. Line was just tearing off the spool as the good sized tuna raced away from the boat - love that sound a screaming reel!

The first one after its first 150m blistering run, came straight back at me and I just couldn't keep a tight line - even with Peter charging up the electric motor in the opposite direction.
Interestingly, the line was still tight - for when it came to the boat it was a small mack that came to hand

We felt it couldn't have done that first super fast, long and strong run we had just experienced against a tight drag and palm pressure - so thought the mack may have travelled with the tuna as it raced away and when the fly came loose - the small mack grabbed the fly thinking it was regurgitated food.

The second one I lost just seemed to just drop the fly. - so sad!

This fish was in a pack herding bait against a reefy area. After a few crappy casts (a lot of them today!) - I finally got one in the right place, at the right time!

The fly line landed in between two marauding tuna so easily seen the neap tide clear water. Both fish turned towards the fly between them. My adrenalin level reach maximum in the barest of a second!

The one of the left followed the stripped fly out the mayhem of attacking fish and frantic bait, and wolfed down the fly not meters from the boat.
That's more like it!

The hooked tuna then took off around the back of the reef in front of us. I could only think my leader if not the flyline was about to be shredded on the reef. Then the tuna hit the afterburners and really motored away. Sadly, just after it slowed its first run (now 200 meters away) the fly came loose. Bugger!
Peter got a great fish that also took him well into his backing. the tuna took a silicone surf candy Peter had modified to have a wire trace due to the ever present macks to which we had already lost many flies too. This as he didn't quite like my knot that I used to tie the mono leader material to the wire trace so he didn't rush it.

It was a great fish when it finally came to hand.
Plump if not fat, sleek and built for speed!

So for the day we got a few tuna hooked and Peter got one to the boat
We caught several small grey macks and one good sized spotted mackerel

Once the wind started increasing we headed into the harbour and found a heap of much larger tuna working the deep water around the 6 MIle Buoy

We chased the fish and the birds above them
Got inspired by the much larger size of this group of tuna
Frustrated, and in the end disappointed, by the tuna leaving an area as soon as we got there and even when We did get the fly in amongst the fish - they just didn't want the fly.
We had a few casts came close, a couple tuna even showed they noticed the fly near them
One or two actually chased for the stripped flies for a second or two but no hookups

The increasing wind and frustrating tuna attempts - saw us head home round 3pm

We originally planned for the weekend to go to Vernon's Saturday and Corroboree on Sunday but wind forecast changed our Saturday to Lee Point tuna, and the fun we had today (while frustrating in the hook up returns ratio) inspired us to try once more for the tuna on Sunday (and that we could sleep in an extra hour than a trip to the billabong! was great too!)

So what are you fly fishing for this weekend?
Go on! Tie some flies and get them wet!

a short video of some of the action and craziness, up in a few days - keep an eye out for it