Well after several years since my last trip, I snuck onbard a mate's boat for a well earned break from work. Our challenge was to find some fish, have some fun and create some memories, well we did all three in ample quantity, though the number of fish that ended in the ice box were well within our limits. 

We headed out super early on Friday morning to a very calm and foggy landscape. A quick piss break somewhere near GinGin I guess, and a snap of the sunrise over a sea of fog.

We were comfy in our rig for the trip, a nice Prado with a Commodore 670 Allrounder in tow.

The trip up was broken up by a night in Carnarvon. All in all we made good time and another early start saw us hit Yardie Creek by around 10am.

After offloading we headed straight to Tantas to check out the ramp conditions, it was high tide and we were a bit reluctant to put a big glass boat in and not know what low tide looked like, so we left our mates in an ally boat to launch there while we fanged it around to Bundegi, thinking that would be a safer option. Unfortunately the wind was in the wrong direction and several other big glass boats were turning around and advising us not to launch there as the waves and wind were smashing the boats up against the jetty. So after another deliberation we finally jumped back in the car and launched from the marina, which meant an extra few nm's to get to any fishing grounds.

To say the fishing was none existant was an understatement, so apart from one spanglie we got sharked or had charlie courts and honeycomb cods on our lines all arvo. Well at least the weather was kind and the trip back was a glass off.

The next day we studied the tides and decided we could get a launch and retrieve window from around 8am to 3pm at tantas. We managed it with a few millimeters to spare and headed out to south passage.

After a few shark encounters Matt managed a reasonable Spanglie.

Pete nailed a reasonable Rankin

I had a couple of Spanglies and a few shark encounters, then with a few moves in to shallower ground to try and give us some time to get the fish up (rather than in 70m giving the sharks too much time) I got monstered by a very nice Rankin. A personal best for me for this species.

The next day we got a few more minutes on the water as the tides changed a bit in our favour (still needed to be careful though or risked a swim to shore with the boat on a mooring. 

We headed out of North Passage and decided to troll a while with the view of getting a mack, but despite 5 or 6 hook ups none made it to the boat. Instead we headed wider and put on some metal headed skirts. After a few minutes my reel screamed and in the didtance we watched an acrobatic show courtecy of my first Exxy Dolphin fish. A PB at the time and a very happy camper.

We did a bit more bottom bouncing for nothing but red throats, when up to the back of the boat came this little visitor.

Day 3 and we trolled early.

The sharks continued to win so we started to bottom bash. A few spanglies and other odds and sods before Pete got smoked by this big bad amberjack.

Day 4 started as a repeat of days 2 and 3

But with persistance and some quick freespooling action to avoid the sharks our luck finally changed, with a few macks landed in succession.

Try as he might young Matt just couldn't get one to the boat, with several fish getting boatside only to be snaffled before the gaff could be set or bolt under the boat with a shark on its heels to ping off on the boat. In the end he had to settle for a little tuna.

A move out to deeper waters cracked the goldband code and Matt was rewarded with his first of this species.

We have a pic on Matts phone of the mother of all Goldbands that Pete battled for several minutes before playing tug of war with a huge shark, only to get back just a head. Massive would be the best word to descuibe it. Ah well not to be. But we now have a Goldband spot with some monsters on it.

Our final day of fishing was to be nothing but trolling for Marlin, so we only took 5 rods out (the two big game rods plus two right handed reel rods for the boys and one left handed one for me., just in case we could snaffle another Dollie in the 50's or 60's. Well no more than 5 minutes after setting the rods out mine goes ballistic with a much bigger specimen than my earlier fish. A series of acroobatic jumps and a single run and I had this little puppy boatside.

A further 5 minutes and Matt's reel started screaming and after the usual fight he landed his first big Dollie. A great accomplishment after such a nightmare with the spaniards.

We were totally stoked by now so decided it was time to get the big game sticks out. Pete was using his for the first time (having kindly lent it to me a few years back for me to catch my first Marlin) and I was using my neighbour's rod and reel (again unused and being christened by yours truly). We put Pete in the harness so he would take first strike, then me (as Matt had just landed the Dollie). We set the spread and I kid you not, after no more than 5 minutes of trolling Pete's reel growled like a polar bear and we both dived for the rods. I had one thing on my mind and that was to clear the other lure to give Pete a fighting chance. As I grabbed the rod it lunged and screemed, but it was my reel making the noise not Pete's. OMG we had two marlin on at the same time and a totally green crew other than me, having seeing countless marlin landed whilst only landing one myself. This was going to be pandemonium. 

I had Pete on his first Marlin, Matt on the helm and camera and soon to be first time leader man. I was shouting instructions and encouragement all the while trying to focus on my fish too. Mattt was runing between the helm and the camera and undoing the reel saving lanyards, then racing to get me some kind of groin protection anything would do...aaaaggghhh!!!

Petes came to the boat first so I was instructing Matt on what to do, get the gloves, no drop the camera, no turn the boat left, wow get the camera look at those jumps, no drop the camera Pete needs you, no put the gloves back on.... it was bedlam. I tried to keep my fish wide while we dealt with Petes, but on getting to the swivel Pete's got a second wind and shot out again on another run.

Right I had to get mine in so I could help Matt with Pete's fish. I bullied the marlin in and we got the wind on onto the reel. I talked Matt through the process, which he did like he had been doing it his whole life. We had the fish right there, so I backed offf the drag and warned Matt about the rag doll shuffle. Yeah ok he said and proceeded to do the shake rattle and roll. After an initial shock and a drop back in the water, we got the fish boatside again and this time he held on for grim life. I removed the hook and grabbed the camera for a quick pic.

A quick high five and onto Pete's fish. By now my camera had carked it with a suspected water related malfunction, so I was limited in terms of what I could do.

Finally I managed a lucky jump shot in the distance, and a heavily cropped pic follows of Pete's in full flight.

He managed to get this one to the side of the boat after a few dances around the motor and some skillful driving to stay connected. Matt knew what to expect this time and man handled the beast to the side of the boat. I reached for my iphone to get a pic as my camera was by now inoperable.

High tens all around, and an unbelieveble feat of a double hook up and both fish landed with an in experienced crew. You wouldn't read about it.... unless you were a regular fishwrecked forum member.

We continued to troll that afternoon for a couple of small tuna and two more Marlin raised with short 10 second runs before dropping the lures.

What a great way to end a magnificent trip. One I will remember for a long time.