20200530 - Saved by Six Mile - Again!

Ok the fishing gods must chuckle to themselves when fishermen make plans

Cause our plans fell into the abyss as soon as we made them - just took us a while to find out

The wind forecast sort of made it possible for maybe a few hours of calmness offshore so we could chase tuna

but no - despite the darkness of a 5am launch and with what seemed by the time we got out wide near fenton patches - wind and wave was all we could see.

we cruise about - used the sounder but nothing

we found some thick bands of bait but no predators

we took some awesome pictures of sunrise and ourselves

but no fish

Round 9:30 we put it down to the learning curve and headed back towards the harbour

Rough ride straight into the wind generated waves – thump thump thump thump - uugghhhhh!

Finally we arrived and tucked in behind Lee Point giving us a bit a relief from the increasing wind

Our “Honey Hole” which has saved many a harbour trip was absolutely empty, even though plenty of bait schools showing on sounder. We hoped it was just a tide thing - looking forward to what the turn of the tide might bring so we hung around and hoped for better conditions and options t oshow up

Eventually however we got bored waiting and head off further shoal bay way towards a shallow reef outside the entrance to Buff Creek we have ocassionally had success near and along the way come across a heap of nervous water near a couple of other boats

We nudge in to one side of the two boats - and with a wind so crappy to cast into but it was the only spot we could get into near the baitfish  given the position of the other boats. And we hook up immediately to small macks – some greys but a few small what seemed to be narrow barred macks. The garfish hanging on top of the reef would surge forward  to hammer the bait schools as the tide pushed them against the reef line. Then exploding out of this chaos would be fast moving mackerel from under them. Spraying bait and garfish into to the air. Such awesome mayhem!

We annoyed the other two boats due our regular bent rods so much they eventually took off elsewhere. Them casting and casting for nothing.us - fish and tight lines regularly  – “Go the fly” – again! But I lost five flies in a row at one stage - at least we were getting some action!

Wind eventually changed direction and we thought we would move and work our way into the harbour - fishing a few sheltered bays or points along the way. But as we moved over the main reef line that pokes out from Lee Point proper - we spied for the first time that day birds over slashing active fish. the Tide change had begun!

We power up and zoomed over – macks again - but better than nothing, right!

But wait was that last slpash darker? Bigger? Yessss! – Tuna!

Their porpoising active surface feeding style unmistakeable !

We chase, they dive, we chase they dive,

Frustratingly they go right past the front of the boat, or casts land where they were, such was their speed in the shallows

Peter eventually cast the perfect cast and the tuna hammered the silicone surf candy just after it landed

It turned the boat as the taunt line between fish and rod pressured the boat around – Peter was fighting it classically in an only Canadian way that he could do saying "ITs HUGE!!!!"
and sadly moments later - all came loose with one hundred plus meters and flyline past the rod tip – Bugger!
fly still attached, no curled hook tip
just let go! damn!

We chase a bit more, but the tuna are so flighty in the shallows - we come close a few times but no more tuna hook ups

Finally wind from the NW too much and we start to head back to the ramp. 
Peter suggests a diversion via the red Six Mile buoy but I wasn’t sold on the idea as wind was funnelling right down the harbour and the wind wave was against the outgoing tide making larger waves. Uncomfortable! And given the results so far today – probably on the percentages would hold nothing worth our time and discomfort
plus i had been up since 3:30am and was feeling trashed!

However – on arrival hundreds of birds and 1000s of silvery predators were frothing the water as they gorge themselves on some smallish baitfish. 
Good choice Peter! never listen to me again! (well not never 'ever' type of never of course)

Below looks heaps better on video but wind noise ruins it - so just a picture

First cast we are onto fish even before the boat orientated itself in the current with the lock anchor on the electric. Awesome! but who wouldn't be hooked up - they were everywhere and feasting themselves on baitfish by the mouthful.

Most brought to hand are between 65 and 75 centimetres in length – voracious queenfish feeding with abandon. With a few larger ones mixed in we didn't hook up with - you could see them riding in the 70cm waves as they came towards the boat. You could pick your fish and make a selective cast. great swoffing! when a small one would move towards your fly you could recast it to a larger one. great fishing by any standard.

queenfish are such an underratted sports species - especially when nothing else about!

There again are a few boats in same area trying to catch the ravaging fish under the swirling birds above them 
but in the 2 plus hours we endured the rough windy bumpy conditions we were the only boat catching fish. Their lures too large, retrieved too fast, their techniques and gear just not attuned to the fish and how they were feeding. When the fly was absolutely perfect for it!

next image not the best - but shows the baitifsh that was being eaten that was spat up by one of our successes

despite the poor zoom screen shot of a video  - above you should see the spat up baitfish is the top silvery shape in my hand and the silicone surf candy fly we were using is the bottom one

A perfect match - unlike the chunky lures and huge metal slices the dark side boats were using

 And did we catch fish on the fly or what!

Fish were actually banging against the side of the boat as the swathing packs moved with the tide as they fed on the schools of bait

The after 10 or so fish to hand, we started noticing some dark shapes zipping through the mayhem

TUNA!

I hooked three tuna (in amongst a plethora of queenfish) over the next period of time -
 got one to the boat – 

what an awesome fish longtail tuna are 

Its looks, its strength – the one I got to hand 65cm.
 I had one break me off on 20lb leader on the take as I watched it surf along a wave to take my fly 10m from the side of the boat. So great to watch – so frustrating the queenfish teeth that most likely nicked the leader the fish before. The other one let go the fly with most of backing out of the reel.

So many many times we would wait and cast to the tuna only to have a queenfish pinch the fly before the tuna could get a go. Good queenfish, strong queenfish, aerobatic queenfish but man we wanted those tuna!

Peter had another repeat of his tuna for the morning with another extended tuna battle only to have the fish softly drop the fly 100s of meters from the boat.

here i am hooked up and another vast mass of fish passing the boat as the tide flows past

So we finally get a few fresh fillets and some incredible action as Six Mile buoy saves the day again!

Best yet we tweaked our passion for Longtail Tuna for the first time this year due to various delays in getting on the water this year that we all are too familiar with.

Our plans didn’t work out at all but those underwater humps near the eSix Mile Buoy on an out going tide when the baitfish are about. 
How awesome is the Six Mile Buoy!

So where next? When species next? What flies should I tie?

My neice "trimmed" her dolls hair for me to ties flies - and said to everyone it for uncle to tie some flies with. 
(it seems she took to heart the story I told her about that as a kid my sister's dolls had no hair too!)

The pink tinged material might just be perfect for some tuna specials - a silicone surf candy variation

Bring it on! the tying and the swoffing!

(I took a heap of video during trip but the wind noise on the clips was terrible so no trip summary video this time.)