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River bashing....

Dazzamcgee

By Dazzamcgee
in Saltwater

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Dazzamcgee Newbie

Dazzamcgee

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Headed out for abit of river bashing this morning around 5:30am to a great little secret spot. Started of drifting with pillies for bait around a few deep gutters scored a 30+cm flounder. Through out me other rod rigged with a Prawnstar lure \"bang\" in comes a small bream which was released, put the lure back in the water \"bang\" \"buzzzzzz\" small fight in comes a 28cm Flathead which I let go. Caught 5 bream to 30cm on the pillies which I let all of them go. Getting bored with baiting up so I worked the Prawnstar lure and set the other rod with a pillie. Two turns of the handle and with an almighty \"bang\" line strips from the reel at a hundred miles an hour, short battle, rising to the surface was a nice 57cm Flathead which was fouled hooked and in the esky it goes.

The pillie rod just couldnt stop getting hit caught a 47cm,48cm,55cm flatties and a 33cm bream the fights where of good quillity and in the esky they go.

Thought I better head up the river and put me crab pots out so away I went dropped them off and headed abit further upstream for a flick. Found a nice submerged tree sticking out of the water so I tossed a pillie in to see what was around and before I could click the reel into drive \"smash\" popped the reel into gear and hit it hard. Half a dozen of the biggest tail slaps I've ever experienced and with no drag out comes as an estimation a 90cm MANGROVE JACK it was the biggest f%@king horse of a beast I have ever seen in my life.....I froze...and in the next run I nearly snapped the line (15lbs main,20lbs leader) so I backed off the drag and as soon as I did it lit the afterburners and smoked me all the way back to its snag, game over I was snagged bad....tears formed.... Drifted around for a little while longer in a shocked state of mind that caught me nothing. Moved back down the river to check me pots first 1 had 2 little sandies and the other was gone..Stolen yep stolen thievin bastards.

Decided to head back down to the gutters before heading home to see what was still available and on the pillies again I scored a great 70cm flattie.

Called it a day and headed on home.

1. Flounder 30cm+

2. Blueswimmers

6. Flathead 28cm,47cm,48cm,55cm,57cm,70cm

7. Bream 6 from 20cm to 30cm and 1,33cm

Hook up with a monster 90cm JACK !! [img size=355]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/111-0b237bb19c51090c4c1c26ce0c70e41c.jpg

Post edited by: Dazzamcgee, at: 2007/05/18 08:52

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Feral Newbie

Feral

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Cowfish13 wrote:

Sounds like a good day, but you are aware that it is illigal to keep 70cm flatheads and above:unsure:

Thats only dusky flathead, other types have no maximum limits. But Dazza is correct maximum allowed keeper for a dusky is 70cm.So keeping a 70cm is perfectly legal. (although I'd have to admit a few heart palpitations would be the go while fisheries were measuring it, hoping your $2 el cheapo tape measure was accurate!)

Dazza, I take it you finally scored yourself a boat? Unless your drifting the river on your trusty air matress?

Post edited by: Feral, at: 2007/05/18 05:26

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Dazzamcgee Newbie

Dazzamcgee

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Guy's the measurement for the biggest Flathead was right on 70cm from the tip of its bottom lip in a straight line to the curve of its tail as I checked it a few times to make sure of its length and because I play by the rules I needed to be Right.

Feral I borrow my old mans tinny anytime I feel like going for a river bash but the down side is it has a strict \"no mates\" policie as I have let him down in the past when borrowing it by doing \"silly\" things.....

Forgot to also mention that I also caught a small cod and a cattie that was also released.

Over 50% of my catch for the day was released even thou some of the bream, were legal........

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STU Newbie

STU

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sounds like a top morning mate, I'm suprised there are still jack to be caught in the river I've fished there a fair bit and still have not tangled with one maybe I'm not in the right spots or is it I mainly use plastics. Sounded like a great fight anyway

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STU Newbie

STU

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What sort of set up were you using with the pilly were you using ganged hooks and were you using a sinker or something else I would like to try a bit more bait fishing if it can catch me a fish like that jack you had on.

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Dazzamcgee Newbie

Dazzamcgee

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Yeah this bugger was BIG, very BIG made me 58cm Jack look like a guppy!!! As for the spot I sort of came over by accident when drifting,I was drifting out about 4m along from the bank and didnt see half a tree sticking out of the water until it rubbed against the boat. The tree wasnt laying from the bank into the water it was sticking up from the bottom about 3m out from shore.

As I passed over it the fishfinder the fish alarm went sick I should say off its head...so I glanced down at the screen to take a look at where the fish where hanging and sum may not believe me but the fish picture that the finder draws was about a third of the screen size big very big with maybe another 8 smaller fish hanging just under it near the tree 10 ft down in 20ft of water. So by now I had well and truly drifted passed so I motored back up and stayed out wide from the tree and had a cast and the rest is history....

Stu this fish would have ate anything especially plastics as it was hungry as......Mate my theory has changed now when hunting BIG jacks if U aint casting to get snagged U aint getting close enough.....and use rope for line!!!!

As for my bait rig, the sinker size(size 1 I think or a tad bigger) was just enough to keep the bait on the bottom the hook was a number 2 suicide (I think).

A running sinker straight to the hook with a small red bead between the sinker and hook to stop the sinker from hitting down on the knot....A very simple rig....

Gang hooks would have been good but maybe to much, the big guys are really soft biters on bait and any resistance would see them let go.....

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morty Newbie

morty

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90cm jack, you can over estimate fish at times when adrenaline is running through your body.

i dont know what he'd be doing sitting in a snag up river, he should be offshore.

it would have been a sight to see, thats for sure.

what river are you fishing?

cheers

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Alby Newbie

Alby

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Great report Dazza. I know how you feel with that big Jack. I had a giant Flatty (over a metre long) on in clear water for 10 min before it broke the hook on my lure.....I was euphoric for the next half hour after seeing it close-up under the kayak and having it make strong runs. That thing musta just about ripped your arms off!:woohoo: Of course my flatty would've been released if I'd landed it. I also know how you felt about the 70cm...and I can vouch for your measuring method....I guess you've seen my report. I was under the illusion that the max was 75cm, and didn't measure mine until I got home.....yep....69.99....not a millimetre more. I was so relieved once I was informed by the great guys on this site. Got myself a laminated card with all the legal sizes on it now, and it stays in the kayak.

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Dazzamcgee Newbie

Dazzamcgee

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Thanks Guys for the replies....

Morty I know what ya sayin about seeing things a tad bigger in the heat of the moment but over many years of fishing one thing I have learnt is to relax when a big fight is taking place and also to ease up and let the fishing gear do its work, so when things are getting hairy for me everything tends to slow down and become more like a scene out of a Matrix movie.....

I caught a 58cm jack in the river a while back and without getting the measuring tape out I can say with confidence that the jack I missed was around 90cm.

Also Morty as for what river like the old saying goes \"If I told you I would have to kill you\":P

Alby for a moment there I wondered if I had it hooked or if it had me hooked....:dry:

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Dazzamcgee Newbie

Dazzamcgee

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Morty mate, I'm not going to argue with U over what fish do and dont do just the fact that it was there I was there I had it hooked and I lost it....

I too have been told that jacks move out to the reefs at around 45cm so why is it that I caught a 58cm jack in the river in brackish water explain that....... :huh:

Mother natures a strange woman........

I'm heading out for a flick at the same spot tomorrow so this time I'll be expecting the unexpected....

(fage in the twilight music now Jimmy) lol....

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morty Newbie

morty

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58cm in a creek isnt uncommon, we caught a few around that size and a bit smaller this year. im just sceptical of the fact that a 90cm jack is around up a creek, i have never ever heard of a jack that big anywhere in australia in a creek, 80cm from the gold coast was biggest i heard, and that came from the lower reaches, probably a fish returning from the reef. it is possible, just hard to beleive i suppose.

why dont you tell me where this spot is and ill troll past it, ill pull the mongrel out for you black bass style:laugh: :laugh:

im assuming your fishing ningi creek, if you do get him one day, realise a fish that size would be one of the main populators of the whole pumicestone passage, be a good lad and let him fight again. cheers

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