3rd report: Dongara Dhu fishing with Twitchemup
Submitted by worldfisher on Sat, 2011-06-04 19:41
Finally I left Perth and pedalled north hoping that the weather would be on my side. The previous few days had seen thunder storms rolling over freemantle which was definately not the perfect weather to begin a long distance cycle trip. I won't bore you guys with the cycling side of things here but will get straight to the fishing.
Ben (goodz) had put me in touch with Lloyd (twitchemup) in Dongara who seemed quite keen to meet up for a fish when I arrived. Seven days or so after leaving Perth and 500km or so with pretty sore legs i reached Dongara and arranged to meet up with Lloyd on saturday afternoon for a fish. The evening before i flicked lures from the breakwall and although conditions looked good nothing was kind enough to take the lures.
Saturday afternoon couldn't come quick enough! I met Lloyd outside the Dongara backpackers and could immediately see that I was in the hands of a pro! or should I say two as Elsie, Lloyd's girlfriend was joining us out on the water. Lloyds boat is fully set up for some serious with all the bases covered. The fact that Lloyd is also a lure addict meant we were in for a good time. Like me chucking soft plastics is Lloyds passion and with slightly different backgrounds it seemed we could learn alot from each other. Fishing soft plastics from the boat is relatively new to me so it was pretty interesting to be under the guidance of a master. Most of me experience has been LB soft plastics so it would be a fast learning curve.
The weather was looking pretty good for us as we left the boat ramp in Dongara and headed out to a few of Lloyds prefered Dhu spots. Dhu fish were our main target with other possibles being Baldchin, Sambos, Breaksea cod, Pink snapper and Skippy amongst others. I was desperately hoping to latch into a good Dhu after hearing so much of this iconic west Australian species.
After 30 minutes or so of motoring we reached the first spot and were soon dropping soft plastics down to the reef below. Lloyds selection of soft plastics was vast to say the least so the hardest bit was to select a likely looking customer to stick on the jig head! Play it safe and follow the advice of the skipper I reckon! A small green and orange softy went on my hook and was dropped over board!
In true tradition the girl was into the first fish! Not even five minutes had passed when Elsie announced that a half decent fish had nailed her little rubber lure. Very soon I saw my first Dhu fish, and what a beauty it was. Not big by Dhuie standards but very beautiful indeed. A quick mugshot and soon it was back in the water. Elsie was into the second fish that was a slightly bigger Dhu! So it seemed that the boys were getting a good lesson in the art of angling! Lloyd was soon in on the action as he played the third Dhuie to the boat. Like the first two it quickly returned to its mates.
Next a fine looking Skippy fell to Lloyd's rod and quickly after he hooked a good sized Breaksea cod. Elsie was into another Dhu fish slightly bigger than the previous ones. All in beautiful condition, shining bright in the afternoon sun. Unfortunately I wasn't off the mark yet. A missed couple of bites was all I had to go on plus a couple of deep teeth marks from my soft palccie. Apparently a Baldchin groper would have been the culprit..often they bite but it's a little hard to hook up.
By the time it grew dark we had fished a few spots and must have seen at least 10 Dhu fish. None of the monsters we had hoped for had taken the lure but there was still a chance. Without a fish to my name I was getting desperate! finally my chance came after dark when i felt a tap on the rod tip followed by solid resistance! eventually a fish and a decent one. A couple of headshakes were followed by a short powerful run as the fish realised it was best to make a break for it. Lloyd immediately announced that it was a big Dhu fish, surely above ten kilos. The pressure was on but suddenly it was all over as my leader parted. so close yet so far. I couldn't believe it!! I was left a shaking wreck as I retied my leader and dropped another soft plastic. Of course as it goes that was the only chance of the day for me.
Although I lost my my first Dhuie it didn't matter as it was a great afternoon spent in excellent company. Thanks very much guys..hugely appreciated!
It seemed that if the weather was good the next we could hit the water again and see if I could gain some revenge on the Dhu fish. Sunday looked ok although the wind was up so it was touch and go whether we could get out deep. Today It was just Lloyd and I on the boat and as we left the harbour we met his father coming back in. From the quick chat it seemed things wern't to good out at sea, which we confirmed after a quick run out. Instead of fishing the deep water we heading back to the harbour for some light tackle fun. And what fun it was.
Anchoring up in a proven spot, Lloyd began berlying the water with a special mix along with some chopped mulies and other goodies. Plan was to fish tiny soft plastics on light braid and light rods with traget species being small pink snappers, mulloway, tailor, skippy, yellow tail and what ever else might come along.
Lloyd's little rod was the first to take on a good bend caused by a lively little tailor trying it's best to get as far from the boat as possible. Next was a yellowtail which for its size scraped remarkably well. I asked Lloyd about the chance of a mulloway and as he finished telling me it was distinctly possible my little lure got nailed by a pristine baby mulloway! the next few hours kept us extremely busy as small pinkies, tailor, mulloway, yellow tail, a small cod, and a gobbly guts all happily took the lures!
The Mulloway were the main suspects and by the end of the day we must have caught and released over 100 Mulloway. As time progressed the Mulloway came higher and higher in the water column until we could see the fish nailing the lures just below the surface. For a couple of hours the fish finder was completely blocked out by the huge shoal of fish under the boat. It was great fishing particularly with the rods balanced to the size of fish. Nothing big came along but it didn't matter as we had great fun. Towards the end of the session Lloyd even hooked a fish he hadn't seen before in the harbour...some sort of little mackerel spp.
It was a some great fishing and in the two session spend with Lloyd i learnt a remarkable amount about Australian fishing and the use of soft plastics! A very versatile lure to say the least.
Cheers Lloyd and Elsie for your hospitality! Hope I can guide you to an Indian Barra one day!!
I've now reached Kalbarri after a few days on the road from Dongara. Plan to stay here for a little while and hopefully get into some decent fish so if there is anyone around i would love to meet up for a fish! I hope to maybe get into a decent Mulloway! watch this space! All the Best, Scott
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
The unknown mack is a bonito,
The unknown mack is a bonito, must admit thats the first time I've seen someone catch a cardinal fish on line too.
Good on you Lloyd for offering the decky slot, looks like you had a ball and he really is the SP master.
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18016
Date Joined: 11/03/08
sounds like your having some
sounds like your having some fun so far. pitty about the big dhuie maybe next chance you get with a dhuie you will win the battle. keep us posted on your adventures
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
scottland
Posts: 3037
Date Joined: 10/05/10
another nice report mate
look like these fw blokes are looking after ya. are you going to go to the pilbara?
i support two teams eagles and whoever is playing the dockers
worldfisher
Posts: 103
Date Joined: 06/03/11
Hi Scotland,Been great
Hi Scotland,
Been great meeting up with some fishwreckers so far..really appreciated!!
yeah would like to get into the Pilbara..that was my rough plan, through to Karajini park and out the top back to the coast road. would like to go to Karratha too!
Any advice on routes and places to see is really appreciated! thinking about quobba and redbluff after kalbarri..
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18016
Date Joined: 11/03/08
Coral bay is a nice place to
Coral bay is a nice place to go and visit if you like a bit of snorkling.not too sure about land based fishing tho
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
grantarctic1
Posts: 2546
Date Joined: 03/03/11
Awsome report
Great read and pic's mate, hope you get some help in kalbarri, looking forward to your next report.
milsey
Posts: 1462
Date Joined: 22/08/07
Well done mate, a good read
Well done mate, a good read and also looking forward to future adventures.
JIM1
Posts: 318
Date Joined: 08/05/11
killer bike! any tips on
killer bike! any tips on camping light? i fill up the ute for weekends away and still struggle for room!
Gravity Sucks
dkonig82
Posts: 2091
Date Joined: 06/07/10
Another good report there
Another good report there mate!
The Dhus will be waiting for you next time.
Dan
When asked by a non-fisherman 'how many fishing rods do you really need?' the correct answer is either:
n+1 (where n is the number of fishing rods you currently own); or
n-1 (where n is the number of fishing rods which would cause your significant other to dump you.
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
Fantastic
I reckon we past you when we were coming home from Leeman Saturday week ago, damn sure I saw you and the bike, excellent report, glad you enjoyed fishing out of the boat, love Dongara
Ginger Tablets Rock
TWITCHEMUP
Posts: 274
Date Joined: 12/05/10
Big Dhu..
Scott it was great meeting you and having the pleasure to take you out fishing and compare notes. Such a pity about the big Dhu getting away, once I seen ya rod load fully up with huge tail beats I knew it was a biggin... oh well we will get him next time mate!!!!
Enjoy the rest of ya trip keep in touch and I look forward to reading about your future adventures..
Any fw members further north I fully recommend taking Scott out for a fish if you have the time, he's a great bloke to get out for a fish with and plus he needs he's arms stretched by a few more aussie fish...
Cheers Lloyd
SHIMANO PRO ANGLER
worldfisher
Posts: 103
Date Joined: 06/03/11
Hi Guys,Thanks for the
Hi Guys,
Thanks for the comments! Lloyd..pleasure as well was a great few days of fishing! hope I'm down your way again in the future..
Jim, ditch everything apart from the fishing equipment, some instant noodles, a pot and a stove! then you are sorted!! ha ha..kindof learnt to make do without the luxuries while cycling. Amazing how the plainest food tastes damn good after a 120km in the saddle!:)
Hope to see some more fishwreckers along the coast!
all the best, Scott
www.worldbiker.blogspot.com
Brucesta
Posts: 1721
Date Joined: 29/05/09
Scott, if you make it to
Scott, if you make it to Karratha drop me a PM and we'll see what we can do for you, perhaps some light tackle Coral Trout on SP or whatever we can find on the bottom, perhaps some trevally to strech your arms!
Las Vegas - Rolling the dice and trying your luck. 1M+ Barra summer target. 100kg Black Marlin winter target
worldfisher
Posts: 103
Date Joined: 06/03/11
Cheers Brucesta! much
Cheers Brucesta! much appreciated, sound great! always good to have something to look forward to on those long stretches of road!
will Pm you.