fish of a lifetime........

[sam]

Well, having a day off after fishing the Mandurah comp I naturally went fishing to ease back into the week. As you may have noticed the weather on Monday was a bit cool, especially in the afternoon when I choose to go fishing.
After loosing 3 SP's in about 20mins to snags upstream, I headed down to the flats at the 2nd car park. Landing 4 smallish bream led me to believe that the fish were on the bite despite the crummy conditions.
With this in mind I headed down towards the Old Swan Brewery, as I had been hearing reports of good mulloway smoking a few bream-heads over the last week or so. Managed to pull a nice bream in front of some bait soakers on the third cast, then decided to head to the jetty to drop some plastics. Well on goes the little earth-worm tail that got me my fish comp fish over the weekend, and hooked up solid on the third jig.
I immediately new this was a hefty fish, especially when it went under the jetty. Well I thought I was going be busted up in short order but my 6lb mono leader held and the fish didn't stop. Once out the other side of the jetty the fish swam off along the shore towards the Narrows, all the time dragging the line past a pylon. Once I realised the line was going to hold I decided I was going to have to get the rod to the other side of the jetty. Nothing left but to swim the rod under the jetty.
Out came the phone, called my father who works in an office in the Brewery, and told him to get down to the jetty a.s.a.p!!!
He came out with a bemused expression on his face, as I was already half undressed. I handed him my rod and got into the water wearing just my jeans. Just as I swam under the jetty the fish turned and headed back towards me. By the time I was able to stand the beastie had swam past and gone under the jetty again. BUGGER.
Well time for another swim. Once I was hanging under the jetty I realised the fish has run through a foot gap btw two pylons. Handing the rod back to my father I dived down and unhooked the line from a barnacle and swam out the other side of the jetty with may rod.
Long story I know, but stay with me I my never have the chance again.
Once out the other side I got up onto the river wall and started fighting the fish along the shore towards the 1st car park. Seeing the solitary pylon down the way I ran ahead of the fish and gave him DohDohDohDoh trying to get him inside that pylon. Up to this point the fish had taken me down to my backing three times, so I was a bit surprised to get him within 10m of me.
Once past the pylon the fish run out to about 60m, and I kept the presure on as we pasted the 1st car park. During the fight I managed to ring two mates to come down with dry clothes, a net and possibly a boat from UWA. Word of warning, fighting a fish and making a call while you are shivering can be hazardous to your phone. Almost dropped it into the drink.
Well my mate got there with dry clothes and the net, but in the meantime the fight had gone solid out on the flats. Not a good sign.
Then slack. F#%&*?!K.
1:30 hrs and 800m from where I hooked the fish IT cut the line on something out on the flats.
I collapsed as my other mate turned up saying the boat would be here soon. All for naught!!!!Well it was a bloody good fight, and I know there was very little else I could have done except grow gills and swim the bloody thing down.
On the other hand the little Hartland IM-6 and Laguna did me proud, even after being submerged a few times. As to the size of the fish, now called for a mulloway. A 4kg fish took me just 15mins to land a few weeks ago so.....10kgish. Who knows, but the fish are that size in the area.
Here ends my story. And Yes the fight will grow in my mind as time goes by so feel free to pull me up short if I retell the story down the track and the fish has doubled in size.

Photos coming soon!!! (BLOODY COMPUTER)
Sam

[Lizardboy]

Sam, you had me on the edge of my seat...I was sure you were going to land the thing.....

Lizard

[bossman]

Cant wait for the pics

...and I'll be hitting there agian friday morning and catch your one that got away. Hopefully in more open water

[sam]

If you hook a fish like that open water won't help. He knew that there was structure out on the flats
But the pics should be up tomorrow, fingers crossed.
I think that I'll go down to the Narrows before work, so might see you there Alex.
Sam

[corey]

Dude you wont believe this but ther asame thing happened to me this morning same place on my last cast 8.05 am at a pilon in knee deep water on a rapidly dropping tide, imagen my suprise when my lil 2 inch jig stopped dead . I though .....SNAG so i reefed on the line only to see a 90 odd cm dimond studded gold flank roll across the surface of the water and take off leading me on three laps of the jetty back and forth, at this stage some guy whatching from his car came to investigate.
after about 10 mins of this the beast finalr started heading straight out on a searing run.
Just a few turns short of the backing it was all over my leader gave way, the same leader that did some serious tree time at the Mandurah comp (Kingpin told me I would regret not changing it).
Man what a rush......
I was only conected for 18 minutes, Sam I can only imagine what your fight must of been like!!!!!!
THIS IS TOO MUCH FUN!
Ill be there tommorow 6.30 am to try again,.
Nice one Sam

[torvic]

Hahaha you casted into a tree??



Well, you guys have fun getting owned by fish, while I keep chugging away poking imaginary numbers in the complex plane

[Truc]

Yeeehhaaaaaaaaaa.... I LOVE IT!!

Is it mulloway season or what?!?!

[chris_lemess]

10kg? Mate a mulloway of 10kg would have taken you half an hour no more to land on that gear running out in the open. Likely that you hooked a 20kg specimen. Or didn't you want to hear that?
Nice work.

cheers

[TheJigJedi]

yeah, I tend to agree with Chris there.

I've seen, and also heard of many occasions, where mulloway of around 10kg are landed on 6lb bream gear in less than 30 mins. (not a hell of a lot of stamina) Depending on how loose you were playing your drag, I'd have to suggest a few sizes north of your guess. 15kg+ maybe?

Nice effort hang'n with it though. The only fish I've stayed with for more than an hour was a massive black ray. Good work!

Shane.

Good story,

I'm awaiting photo's of a US Nimitz class submarine!

Cheers!

[Tangles]

Ahhhhh, thats nothing - you should see the size of the fish I havent caught!

Just joking, great story. Bugger.

[captn' squinty]

great story.... shame u didnt land him

[dan_WA]

Well
You get 110/10 for committment to the cause that's for sure !!

- Isn't it great when OTHER people do the bragging for ya ? - you say 10 Kg then someone else says "nahhh, I reckon it was 10-20Kg"
wicked story !!

Corey...please tell me your kidding! You didnt change that leader!!!!!!
Now that is a hard way to learn mate!

[mark savage]

Nice work man - I have to admire your tenacity in fighting the fish on it's home turf . Just remember for next time (actually it's probably branded in your mind now), a fresh leader is your best friend!