20190216 - Part 2 - Longtail tuna offshore Darwin

So here is second half of last weekends action
this time the Swoffing action near the drilling platform

20190216 - part 1 - queenie action to warm up

So here's the Queenfish at Six mile morning action to start with
Still working on the tuna video parts

20190216 - heaps of Tuna after a morning of Queenies

So a break in windy weather saw us heading out of Dinah Beach boat ramp at 6:30am

We didn't get far past the 5knot speed limit sign just near Fisherman's wharf  when we pass a boat with a guy crossing his oars to signal us - his motor had died due to water in the fuel system

So we towed him, his dog and the boat - back to the boat ramp
It was tight tide wise with with the low tide starting to expose far too many mud banks

We got him back to ramp and hoped some good karma would result (not the reason for doing it though!)
As we got past the point we found the stranded boat - I commented on hoping today was as good as last trip (see previous blog)
Peter said dont temp karma - but one could hope

The weather prediction was soft wind in the morning, brisk at midday and tapering off again in afternoon
So our plan was to head offshore and see what was about - then target the harbour fish when wind increased

But when we passed Six Mile Buoy on the way offshore - we found 80cm queenfish slashing about and it was too tempting to drive past.

The wind dropped off to nothing and the sun was super hot
After 20 minutes or so my clothes soaking wet with sweat as we caught fish after fish - tremendous fun - the fishing not the sweat!
Love my queenfish - especially when they are all this size !

I used several different flies for the queenfish in size and style - had the most fun with a body tubing based garfish pattern with a wire insert between hooks - a 4/0 at front and a #2 in tail section - the bigger queenies love the fly - had to keep one large one that ripped its gills it took the fly down so deep

Recently I was reading an online article about catching large queenies in Dubai and the Red Sea and other places on the east coast of Africa
this for trips they paid a fortune for to get there and were carrying on about how good this species was as a fly fishing target species

And here we are in Darwin minutes from the city, no need for AK-47 assault rifle protection, no risk of pirates, most of the locals speak english and catching the same fish and size that they were raving on about.

Had a new guy at my job asking about me taking him fishing - I showed his a picture of all the queenfish I have been catching and he turned his nose and sneered at the species - wont be taking him fishing that's for sure!

Love my queenfish on fly - catch anything else out there too - anything with fins really - but such good fishing so close to a boat ramp who could ask for more when not much else happening - no real-run-off this year with the lack of monsoonal rain, crap tides, weekends only available due to work commitments - so take what you can tide and wind wise then make the best of it!

One of the other guys I worked with, drove two hours one way many times last year, did 312km trolling for just two barely legal barra - while in two hours at one spot, a spot only 15 minutes from a boat ramp, a boat ramp 10 minutes from Peter's place - Peter and I had to hand plus many more dropped - fifteen (15) 80cm hard fighting, spectacular jumping and silver glistening slab speedsters and sat exhausted drinking cool drinks reflecting on the great fun we had just had sight casting to actively feeding fish - the epitome of visualness!

The comparative math for trolling dirty brown rivers hoping something takes blindly the deep diving lure for two fish for the season against the math of what we catch more in a single harbour trip just does't fall in favour of the iconic barra. I still chase them on the flats when I can but it is a small tidal window maybe once a day - so what do you do with the rest of your time - I chase pelagics but that's just me - common everyday turn your nose up at queenfish - oh well.

Do they take the fly - yes
So they go hard - yes
So why the sneers - enough ranting !
Back to the fishing

Needing time to recover from our exertion of 15 80cm queenfish to hand plus many more that teased us for a while stretching our fly lines - in stinking hot conditions - we head out to the offshore drilling platform 26 or so kilometres off shore near western end of south gutter. The breeze as we drove along cooled our tired over heated bodies - so good!

Awesome weather too for the journey offshore - though the rolling swell slowed us down but no wind chop and salt pray

When we arrive - we get in amongst the 6 or so boats jigging and tossing lures or casting into the shadows under the rig right next to the piers.

One of the boats on nearly ever cast is getting severely bent rods, some others just getting rubbish tiny queenies on their metal jigs and slices. A couple of the boats are getting nothing despite working hard.

The one boat in the midst of it right next to the rig is getting 50cm trevallies but I wasn't close enough to see exact species - tealeaf, brassie, or giant???
We position our boat up current of front pylon of rig and start sinking flies down - a hard task with increasing current

We manage a few small queenfish before we start to get follows from larger versions the closer and deeper our flies get to the pylons

Off to side of the boat in the crystal clear water I see one mega version of a queenfish (wished it had of taken a fly that day - HUGE!) as it attacks 6-8inch long bait that burst out of the water like a synchronized rolling wave as they are harassed by the huge queenfish

So a change to larger flies with a touch of green (baby queenfish??) seems warranted
Instant change of catch size is the result of this fly change

But we caught these big queenfish back at Six Mile Buoy already today - but nothing else about so we catch a few more

While fighting the strong queenfish - as one does - we look around for the next target and we begin to see bust ups 300-500m, and beyond, up current of the rig - eventually its too tempting and we take the electric off anchor and power off with the big motor AWAY from fly eating 80cm queenfish - to see what species are frothing the water and attracting more and more birds off in the distance

At first approach - looks like very small queenies - bummer !
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But then under them we see the black torpedoes porpoising in and out of the water as they consume the small bait
Awesome! though mostly small ones (50cm average)  they still are a great distraction for a salt water fly fisher!

It seemed to be that the baby queenfish corralled the tiny bait and then the tuna pushed them aside to eat at the organized buffet

We take a while to get into the groove missing pods and many fast black-backed fish

Eventually, each of us get two long tail tuna
The tuna are working in big packs and staying up for long periods of time - making it easy for us

But all this fly fishing for strong fish all day has worn us out
So we take turns - one driving and chasing the long tail tuna - the other ready to cast
One resting and one struggling to get a tough fish to the net. then swap over and do it again!

Peter's driving was awesome - three times in a row he gets me right on the spot - up wind, up current and close enough to cast to -  then first cast I put out there leading an actively feeding fish,
Watching it react to the landing fly,
Watching it chase the fly
and
within one strip - it has zeroed in on my fly,
then mouthed it

   - all so super visual mind you

Then STRIP STRIKE!
And hang on as you clear the line away from reel handle etc and then watch my orange backing race through the fly rod runners at a tremendous pace as the longtail tuna goes for all its worth away from the big ugly man holding a fly rod!

Wooo Hooo! - just love it!

For the midday hours we land ten tuna - hooking up several more but losing them in various ways before they come to the net

Peter gets two longtail and later in the session two big mack tuna, with Peter doing heaps of driving while recovering from his spent energies - I get 6 longtails

The iridescent blue line along the longtail is so striking but then so it the fingerprint like pattern on the mack tuna's back

Those macks were big too, first ones I have seen caught in Darwin (heard about some but first ones I have seen actual caught)

In the end a far better day than last trip - same great 80cm queenfish to warm up on, then heaps of tuna and I mean heaps!

It was a rough ride back in as wind increased - it was a pounding trip all the 26km and way into the harbour towards Stokes Wharf before we were not pounding waves and eating salt spray

But the trip back in was spent re-living all those awesome longtail tuna

So what next ?
Don' really care as long as takes the fly and goes hard! (and wind is soft and gentle!)

Video of the trip up soon