Botany Bay - 13/12/07

As many will know, the legal size for Kingfish was increased this year from 60cm's to 65cm's. This will mean a lot of fish will be going back into the drink that would have been going straight onto the barbie last year. And I know that I'm putting my fair share back because the only ones I've caught so far the last few trips have been just under.

Last thursday I had a late start and planned to fish the flats over near Towra for bream but the supposed 8-9 knot winds were more like 15-20! It was a grey day and I figured I'd give the HWO a whirl instead. There was already a boat anchored just off from it and they were casting a variety of baits and also slowly retrieving a gang-hook rigged garfish. I approached from the opposite side and proceeded to lob out my Mojo's. The tide was about an hour away from top so I felt the conditions were pretty good.


Ooh, what was that??? I had a hit but the hooks didn't stick. That put me back on my toes so to speak and the next cast there's a 'whack, whack' and the rod bends under the weight of a nice fish. The guys in the boat are watching as my line zips back and forth. It's obviously a kingie and we dance around each other for a few minutes until I lift him aboard. And hello, what's this? Hanging out of his mouth is a one meter trace with a swivel on the end so I unhook my lure and have a look down his throat. The fella is gut hooked so I just cut the line as far down as I can. Onto the tape and 'Aaaargh', he's 62cm's. For a previously hooked fish, he was in great condition and he powered off when I set him free. So if anyone was busted up last week that was using about a 25lb trace, don't worry, it wasn't a legal fish anyway. : )

Back to the HWO and I change to a Bass Assassin for something different. The guys in the boat haven't landed anything yet and they looked pretty cheesed off when my rod buckles over for the 2nd time. This guy takes a nice long run and I'm calling it for a 70cm specimen. When I finally bring him alongside, I'm shocked at his size (or lack of it) and he only stretches out to 63cm's. Man he went hard! He's in top condition too and another one (sheesh) is returned to the old briney.

The boat has had enough by now and they haul anchor and do the Russian Ballet. The wind is picking up a bit so I decide on 10 more casts and then I'll call it a day. On about cast number 6 there's a 'tug, tug, tug' as my lure nears the surface and then the smallest kingie I've ever seen almost leaps out of the water to get the SP. No real challenge here and as I lift him in I notice he has a mark on his side where he's been grabbed by something a bit bigger than him at some earlier stage. At least he managed to escape relatively unharmed and at 45cm's he's waaaaaay under legal. Maybe next year, buddy, maybe next year.

So not a bad couple of hours and I think the HWO is showing some sort of pattern to me. If it's dead calm without a breath of wind, I never seem to catch anything there but if it's blowing it's t!ts off with lots of surface chop, I normally pick up one or three. The overcast conditions and the tide phase would've helped also but I'll start to keep track of the wind conditions a little bit better from now on. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid