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The $1500 fish


muzz

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This is a bit of a yarn but here goes,

A few years back a mate and myself decided to enter the Big Horse Comp on the Victoria River NT. This comp was run over a couple of days. First prize was $3500 for the biggest catch and kill weigh in and the $1500 for the biggest catch and release. (Please I don’t want start an ethical debate about breeding females and the rest. Just a yarn)

We had never fished on the Vic River and only had limited knowledge about the area. As the river itself is a few hours from where we lived we didn’t really have much of a chance for a pre-fish.

The first day started of great for about an hour, within 15min I had our first fish boated 83cm after trolling a rock bar, after a discussion we decided to keep it as it was first fish of the day and weigh it in that night as a daily prize was on offer. After a lot of fishless hours, thousands of cast I finally had our second fish in the boat 58cm. Day finished. Weighed in the fish and we were beaten by only a few grams. No prize. From memory there was only a handful of fish caught that day.

Day two final day. We did not see any fish on the sounder and maybe had only a few hits all day. With only a couple of hours to go our spirits were very low, we had heard of a 118cm getting weighed (dead) so were hoping for at least a third spot. As we rounded a bend on a trolling run we came across some mates who said that they had just released an 81cm. We then had a little joke and said we’ll let anything over 82cm go.

About 2min into our next troll bang I was on, after a few minutes I had our third fish in the boat, 79cm. We had a chat that our mates had just released an 81cm so we thought that we may as well keep this one so we can at least take a feed home with the other fish. Day over.

Back at the ramp. As we pull up to the ramp our two supposed mates were standing around their boat. We walked over for a beer and they asked if we got anything else, as I told them a 79cm, their jaws dropped and they asked if we let it go. No, f@#k, they were bull#hitting when they told us earlier that they had released their 81cm fish.

Last night weigh in. Biggest weigh in 118cm, second was 90something third can’t remember, didn’t care, just wanted to hear about biggest catch and release.

Time had come one prize only biggest catch and release $1500 was 78cm!!! Could not believe it, we were so dirty at our mates!!! Would have got biggest catch and release by 1cm.

I caught three fish, my mate caught none. I was very hard fishing.

Lesson learnt. Trust no-one during a comp, even mates!

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$1500 fish

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The $1500 fish

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Epic yarn Muzz and great report. I think the lesson learned there is ... You caught some fantastic fish!

To tell the truth I probably would have told you some bull-dust as well had I been competing, so yeah, don't trust me either. Pity about the missed prize but ... You caught some fantastic fish!

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