queensland Before wedding birthday fish.

[crazywalrus]

Hi guys - I would like to send out a big congratulations to Jarryd who tied the knot with Sally Gill at the beginning of April. It was a great wedding and it was good to spend some time with a heap of country folk.

Anyway onto the fishing. Jarryd's cousin Pete was heading up to the wedding from Armidale with his family. Young Copper his son was having a birthday so I agreed to take them out offshore and see if we could get a fish or two, weather permitting. Well the weather gods were shining on Copper and Jarryd and we head off through the bar before light. It was an early start for them.

We head out to the FAD first up as this was the best chance to get them onto some fish. We arrived to have it to ourselves for the first hour. It was only 30 seconds and Cooper is onto his first Dolllie. He was a little taken back by the first one, how hard it pulled and he needed help but like all young people who listen he was catching the rest on his own. We persisted for a while and landed about 10 fish when a couple of boats rocked up, one trolling and the other backing down straight on the fad and holding position. I was expecting to see the fish shutdown from this. We always do a wide arc of the Buoy, turn the motor off and quietly drift past. this is the best method to keep them biting and get your bag or continue to catch them. I will have a winge here. Personally if I came to spot I would sit back for a minute and see how the people were fishing it and fit in with them. We made a couple of drifts past this boat and we managed to pick up a couple of two way hookups straight in front of them while they landed nothing. This was quite enjoyable.

Anyway we had a great day out - Cooper and Pete had a ball catching 7 to 8 Dollies each with Pete getting some on surface as well. We tried the cathedrals but the current was to great so we head into the Rock to give it a try. It was much the same and difficult for novices to fish so we changed tact and threw slugs into the wash hoping for Dart and Rat Kings. It was not long and both Pete and Cooper caught some good 40+cm Dart.

Great day out and good to meet a couple of keen fishos.

Cheers CW

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On another note and a bit of a warning for other people. We decided to head down to the rocks before the morning with the groom. There where some good schools of yakkas out off the rocks and I think Denis (Keen-as-fisho) got a bit excited and went down the rocks to cast at them. I went down as well followed by Jarryd and his brother in law. Anyway the big set comes in and i Yell out to Denis to look and a wave 1m above his head and washes him off the rocks. We scramble to help him but he eventually emerges from the wash cut and very bruised and with an expected broken elbow. It all ended up ok but it could have easily been lights out for Denis as I do not think we would have found him in the wash if he was knocked out.

[ellicat]

Best wishes to Jarryd. Hope the knot is a locked all bright

Nice fishing. Happy guests.

[Old Scaley]

Great report as usual Ted. You sure get max value out of your boat and your boys would have some of the best stories to tell after school holidays (your Hervey Bay report for example).

Denis is a lucky man. I remember tailor fishing from the rocks at Bogangar many years ago. Big swell running and some guy wearing waders decided to get closer to the water. Despite everyone yelling advice to him, he stayed there until the inevitable happened. Sank like a stone and despite about 10 of us watching, there was nothing anyone could do except run to alert Air Sea Rescue. I was a surf lifesaver then, but it was way too dangerous to go in after him, as you would be smashed on the rocks and end up dead like the victim. Gave me nightmares for years. Rock fishing has the highest mortality rate of any sport in Australia other than lawn bowls. Pays to be careful.