20200613 - harbour light winds - sort of

So the doll hair from the little niece - several silicone surf candies were made during the week

• 1/0 34007, 
• place tail on from hook eye with length of tail past hook bend same as shank length, 
• place a pea sized lump of clear silicone on an old plastic lid 
• (i do 20 or so flies at once)
• let the silicone set for 20 minutes
• to stop stickiness of silicone 
• use a drop or two of dishwashing liquid in half a cup of water to stop it sticking to fingers - 
• but not to wet on finger tips as the silicone will have trouble sticking to shank
• then add a sausage of clear silicone along hook shank, 
• massage til even about the hook shank 
• if too much material and thick around hook shank - wet scissors and trim off some
• shape a bit more
• then add your 3D eyes pressing into silicone to ensure they don’t get ripped off while fishing
• leave to dry a couple of days then add a couple layers of clear nail polish

 the nail polish acts like scales as the fish's teeth puncture the lay into the softer (but still firm silicone or 'flesh' of the baitfish - thus holding it longer giving slow guys like me longer to set the hook

plus I think it also sinks slower 

than an all epoxy version

Expectations are high given BOM forecast for light winds most of the day in Darwin Harbour on the weekend - the tuna better watch for I am a comin’

The morning of the weekend saw us launching before dawn

Travelling sedately with the nav lights on out to Lee Point to find some longtail 

Neaps tides for the day, 4:30am low of 2.8 or so, 11:30 high of 5m - so a bit of movement which is better then none

Awesome sunrise again - watching that fireball rise up, the colours chaing form pinks purples towards the orange breath-taking

One out at the point - plenty of boats on water but no fish seen, one guy hooked up on a live bait under a baloon but he brutalized it to side of boat never backed off and being so green it busted off thrashing at side of boat. may have been a shark more than a big mack

After a while we move around into Shoal bay way to the shallow reef as too via the location we found the little macks last time on the harbour

Plenty of bait in thick bands of the sounder at 10-15 feet in 20-25feet of water

But hardly a bust up or ripple

The wind was light but constant disturbing the water surface enough so you couldn’t spot that subtle bait nervousness on the surface before the predators change gears

We did see, and occupy ourselves for several hours, small pods of up to 10 longtails ripping along just under the surface

We would wait fly in hand, line off the reel waiting for the pods to race through – casting in the beginning was dismal, but we kept at it and got several good chances but didn’t convert.

Those tuna are so frustrating but once they are on the scene – nothing else matters!

 

Once this literal wing of longtail swept past the boat, each just behind the shoulder other in a wide sweeping line, we lead the fish well for a change

Peter hooked up, I didn’t (I didn’t hook up for 90% of the day sadly).

Peter fought the fish for several minutes and just as Peter was seeing the bottom of the fly reel with nearly all his backing out – the fly came loose. BUGGER!

The wind shifted to northish, and so we headed into the harbour. Hoping for some queenfish at six mile on way home – dinner fillets was the real hope.

And six mile didn’t disappoint – except for the yahooos roaring about chasing the exploding pods. This zooming about put the fish down.

 

When we first arrived it was tuna not queenfish – I in my panic ended up wrapping the fly, fly line around me and the boat – talk about “buck fever”

 

After that first massive bust up of tuna – it was mostly queenfihs – and none with dickheads flatout smashing through the feeding areas

I am normally non-plussed but one group cut right in front of us like over taking a car on the road  only a boat length from us as we drifted towards a school and then motored into the pod – causing them to dive instantly

My choice of words were loud, questioning their IQ, heritage and gender. It took yelling a couple of time before they even acknowledge we were there.

Best yet we both hooked up – they didn’t

They must have zipped here, over there 100m, back again several times and got nothing – suck that you P*&%$ks! Hope  your boat sinks.

 

A nicer group of young guys were also working the water hard but politely no crowding etc - and one young guy who by his actions seemed to have caught his first big fish. In his jubilation he fell off the little tinny – his three mates helped him back in (we saw a 15foot shark here last time) and as he climbs in a rod gets flick out – “that’s my rod!” one exclaims and dived in deep to retrieve his rod – when he eventually popped up -  I was amazed he got it – for a few more seconds and it would have sunk into the 70foot deep water for ever!

 

The waves were not as harsh as last time here but still – yuck!

more yuck - So many absolute dickheads that would come rushing in putting fish down, catching nothing and take off again – was soooooo frustrating

 

The bust ups were irregular and a fair bit apart. If they did bust up it would be 100m away, but we chose to wait till they came closer rather than chase

The electric was losing power as well after using so much during the day

 

But we hung in there, and caught 10 or so fish – kept 5 bigger ones I would fillet , slice into fish fingers, then flour, egg and breadcrumb for all the family (wife’s brother, sister, their partners, and all their kids)

Peter’s wife made what peter said was an awesome fish bake!

 

One boat asked us – what was out secret - for while plenty of boats only ours was catching fish regularly. Their lures to heavy, to large, retrieved to fast and nothing at all like the bait fish being eaten. Our silicone surf candies perfect – though Peter did use a larger greenish clouser for just as many fish as I was catching with my candies.

 

One young bloke, barely taller than the gunnel - got a good fish – his excitement and effort seen from a distance – love it when kids catch the fishing bug!

 

Until next time – though Peter telling me he needs to spend more time with his wife after fishing with me every weekend for over a month.

I might need to go back to land-based if that happens – yuck!