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Outter reef adventure - 21 Sep 2011


Bluevien

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For my 40th birthday almost 3 years ago my wife had arranged for my son and I to go up to Ingham for a fishing session with her uncle, a keen reef and barra fisho. Well as it happens with life, weather and the like this trip didn't happen..... until now!!

The weather forecast didn't look good for a reef trip so the call was made mid last week that the target would be barramundi. So we pack according, even buying a Curado baitcaster loaded with 30lb braid and a bundle of BCFs finest slickrigs and xraps. With the baitcaster packed, I also got together my baitrunner and a light bream stick just for the fun of it since I had the room.

On Wednesday we fly into Townsville then drove to Ingham to stay with my M.I.L for the night. When we get there she tells us that Uncle B reckons the reef trip is on as the weather gods were smiling on us. Now I grew up in Ingham but this would be my first reef trip along with my sons so we were both pumped. Thankfully our guide has some tackle my us to use as he reckoned anything but the baitrunner we bought would be turned inside out by the fish we were chasing.

3am the next morning we were up and by 4am we were at Dungeness loading up his 6m centre console. After a smooth 2 hr trip out we were outside Trunk Reef for our first stop in about 40m of water for some bottom bashing. We threw out some mullet with relatively light weight as the current was not so bad. Before my son's bait hit the bottom he was smashed. We warned him if he got hit to pump and wind as fast as he could so not to be bricked and the kid made me proud. After some huffing and puffing up came his first red throat emperor. While he brought it in Uncle B was on and before you know it up comes a glorious coral trout. We were in absolute shock...... this was fish heaven. We started pulling in fish after fish for about 30 minutes until the bite slowed. When I say slowed, I mean if you don't get a bite on the drop it's time to move.

We did this about 8 times during the day - moving, fishing, moving etc. We were getting coral trouts, red throats, spanglies and long noses all the while but one of the last moves we made was a cracker. We found this ledge and with some precise positioning we anchored just off it. 2 baits were sent out and within 10 seconds both rods take off. Absolute mayhem followed with lines crossing, rods handed around and over canopy supports and anchor ropes. The first fish in was my son's first ever mackerel, a sharky at about 90cms. No time to celebrate as the other rod was still screaming. After a tense fight I gaffed my first Spanish mackerel. Now my wife's uncle isn't into measuring fish on brag mats or taking photos but he reckons it went about 17kgs and I reckon it measured at least 130cm Either way is was the biggest fish I have ever seen caught.

This is a picture that I did manage to take before the head came off so it would fit in the ice box, The other is of my son's sharky.

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Things died down again so we started trolling along the reef edges hoping for some macs. It was my turn to pick up my first mackerel, a nice Spaniard at about 1m. It took a halco laserpro trolled at about 6 knts.

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It was getting late by now so we headed back getting in just on 7pm. All up we brought home 11 red throats, 10 trouts, 1 shark mac, 2 spanish, some long nose and a spangly.... 27 fish all up and 3 very happy but tired fishos.

Here are some pics I managed to take of the fish but sorry for the quality as like I said, time for photo taking wasn't all that plentiful as it was all about the fishing.

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When I got back into mobile range I texted my wife to tell her that I loved my present.... even if it was almost 3 years late :) .

The next day after a morning of recovering, I took my son to the Lucinda jetty for a quick plastics session. I wanted to try out the new Curado and I tell you, it's a sweet reel, so easy to cast. Well, we were expecting maybe bream, grunter or even a barra but again my son hooks up a shark mac on a slickrig. It was just under legal so it went back but how insane, we weren't even 15m onto the jetty and we were getting smashed. I got bitten off 6 times in about 10 casts each time upgrading the leader but we just couldn't bring another one in but boy oh boy, it was fun.

I may have waiting 43 yrs to fish the place I grew up in but I won't be waiting as long to head up there again. Only next time , I am hitting the barras!!

Cheers, Rob

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Great report and photos rob. Wouldnt mind bypassing the hervey bay trip next year and head up there. Just have to talk the missus into giving me my 40th bday present 7 years early. Great experience for the young fella too eh!

Cheers mate

Go broncs

That'll be a trip to talk about. If it can be done then why not.

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