GT Popping With a Back-up Plan :)

Myself and Webby had not been out fishing together for quite a while and we where long overdue to hit it up in the Polycraft again before we get serious with the Barra season. I had just aqquired a second had Saltiga Dogfight loaded with 100lb briad i was dieing to put to use and load up my Monster Mesh rod as well. We planned to give the GT's a bash as it had been 6 months since we last had a crack at them and i really did owe Webby a trip to Legendre Is to find some big ones.

 

I had also received a mail order of McArthy SP's and was keen to see what the fuss was about so we brought the SP combo's for some fun if needed or we wanted a rest. All started well with a smooth trip out and then plenty of tide and a small swell bashing into the rocks and the locations screamed GT's, a few casts in and Webby connects but it didn't stay hooked, no probs the day was young, we tagged in and out with short, sharp bursts of 10mins of hard work as it was pretty warm and humid. Our hopes quickly dashed when around the northern point of Lengendre Is which looked very nasty and fishy just didn't produce.

 

We both checked out the sounder as we cruised around and there was activity everywhere on the bottom, heaps of bait and some nice big arches in the mid water and just off the bottom, we decided we'd have a crack and see whats down there, maybe the Trevally didn't want to come up from 20m to hit our offerrings.

 

I had to rig up but as i did off went a 7 inch Gulp pearl jerk shad from Webby's Shimano Raider rod and Daiwa Exceller 3000 loaded with 20lb braid, a few jigs on the bottom and Webby was loaded up big time!

 

 

Some big head shakes kicked off the fight then a searing run, we initially called it for a big Trev of some sort as Webby was attached to 80lb mono leader and we where still connected so we ruled out the tax man. The remained a stalemate for about 10 minutes until Web managed to coax the fish to the surface and then to our suprise a good 6-7ft shark appeared from the depths who was hooked in the lip, the call was made to just cut the jig off and let him go, it was either a Bronzie or some form or black tipped reef shark but not what we came for and not the rest Webby wanted.

 

 

we played around for a little longer, i managed to get a good hit that just pined my leader off, possibly another shark, we went for one more drift and then a little lapse in concentration almost cost me plenty. I had dangled my rod off the back of the boat with my SP hanging down and so i put the boat just into gear and went to turn and saw my Monster Mesh PE 1-3 rod and Daiwa Tierra 4000 reel went overboard. Me being the ninja i am popped the boat into neutral and leaped into the water, sunnies, hat and all to rescue the rod, grabbed it before it got out of reach and got it back in the boat. I unwrapped the line around the prop and checked it was moving all O.K. Those McArthy's sure can catch things!!

 

Went around to the eastern side of Legendre for another crack at the GT's, found some bloody nasty country and had another go but there was just no action what so ever! another solid hour was put in and some territory covered without a strike or even sighting a GT. We made the call to hit up the SP's again and we decided to have a risky play at Madeline Shoal.

 

 

 

Out went the SP's on our little PE2-3 combo's and it didn't take long to get some action, Webby hooked a nice bottom fish that was giving him hell, but due to our sporting nature and our light tackle nature it didn't take long for the tooth brigade to settle in and another fish was lost. We lost a few jigs to the reef and a few more fish before we had a decision to make, move elsewhere or do we piss off the twisted leaders and poppers and tie on the SP's and get some of our own back. We went with the big guns.

 

Popping gear is a challege to jig with and we found the going a little tough but once we settled the fish came in. We had both gone for the McArthy SP's in the bullhead design and the hot orange was running hot in the 7 inch size, definantly a good SP for the big jig heads opposed to the Jerk Shad which suit something around the 1/2oz size. Webby hooked a nice fish that shook it's head hard and we called it for a small shark, finally we got it up from 35m and Webby called it for a tuna, then i called it for a YTK/Sambo, it was so round and long it had us stuffed untill we got it to the boat for a nice size Trevally.

 

 

 

We were drifting at 1.2knts and moving quick, we had to put another small sinker on to get them to the bottom but we managed a pair of small trout whcih we put back and then i got myself a nice reefie which Mr Taxman found very tasty, the Dogfight put the fight up hard to shark and he let go so i wound it in for glory, my first Rankin Cod for a while and measured 57cm in length.

 

 

The Spaniards moved in and all it took was a flat out retrieve from the bottom saw them tearing from side to side to hook up, man the hit with power! Webby hooked up and so i joined the fun and cranked up from the depths and hooked up too! we got Webby's fish in and i dropped mine not long after trying to assist him with his but what a buzz, the best decision we made all day by far, fish went about 1m, we didn't measure it but it had to lose it's tail to fit in the esky.

 

 

 

 

The tide was really ripping in and the fish started to slow, i managed one legal trout at 47cm who is going to make a lovely dinner tomorrow night. The McArthy SP's proved very deadly and i think i'll be stocking up on a few more for my Onslow trip in two weeks especially the Bullhead Minnows and in the bright colours like the ornage and pink but i'm sure they are all deadly, but a sucessful trip none the same, The wind came in from the North and we made the drive back in 1 hour to Dampier, some nice fillets now in the freezer and a sucessful SP trip and a nice back up plan to have. Still need to give the GT's a flogging but it's getting a touch warm and i'm sure Webby wants to put his new tinny through it's paces very soon.

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Las Vegas - Rolling the dice and trying your luck. 1M+ Barra summer target. 100kg Black Marlin winter target


Posts: 1676

Date Joined: 12/07/09

good report and great pics

Tue, 2010-10-12 22:40

good report and great pics mate.

 

lucky about saving your outfit.

 

shame about the GT's theres alway's next time.

 

well done.

Ben Derecki's picture

Posts: 1926

Date Joined: 10/10/07

Great report and pics

Tue, 2010-10-12 23:28

Great report and pics Bruce.  Those flies in the first photo look crazy.

 

Awesome bludger too.

Posts: 9358

Date Joined: 21/02/08

Gee that trev really is so

Wed, 2010-10-13 06:37

Gee that trev really is so fat and round it looks like an aj, but for color.

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mullows's picture

Posts: 738

Date Joined: 25/12/08

Great report and pics

Wed, 2010-10-13 06:44

Great report and pics fellas. Good to see you got a refund on the Rankin, too nice of an eating fish for the taxman to get off ya.

 

Cheers

Mullows

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The Older I get the better I was :-)

just dhu it's picture

Posts: 1081

Date Joined: 14/05/09

well done

Wed, 2010-10-13 11:37

Well done bruce and webby , greta report and your still getting some decent weather by the photos, keep it up guys,   what happened to the new rig Bruce ??

Marky's picture

Posts: 420

Date Joined: 01/05/09

Yea some good pics there,

Wed, 2010-10-13 12:24

Yea some good pics there, and some decent weather for a change. Good shit...

Brucesta's picture

Posts: 1721

Date Joined: 29/05/09

new rig is next year once we

Wed, 2010-10-13 12:31

new rig is next year once we sell one of our propertys Mike, won't be in time for Fishwrecked 2011 which it seems i may now make :) our female team member has just aqquired a 6.7m coraline

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Las Vegas - Rolling the dice and trying your luck. 1M+ Barra summer target. 100kg Black Marlin winter target

Faulksy's picture

Posts: 67

Date Joined: 05/05/10

great read and pics

Wed, 2010-10-13 12:47

great read and pics

Brucesta's picture

Posts: 1721

Date Joined: 29/05/09

cheers lads glad we could

Wed, 2010-10-13 13:10

cheers lads glad we could contribute to the site, it has been a while between reports.

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Las Vegas - Rolling the dice and trying your luck. 1M+ Barra summer target. 100kg Black Marlin winter target

Andy Mac's picture

Posts: 4779

Date Joined: 03/02/06

Great report

Wed, 2010-10-13 17:27

Guys talking about sharetrading on another thread would do well to invest in Mcarthys based on that report.

Well done.

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Cheers

Andy Mac (Fishwrecked Reeltime Editor & Forum Moderator)

Youngest member of the Fishwrecked Old Farts Club

Lucky Tim's picture

Posts: 2536

Date Joined: 28/11/07

bad luck with the GT's but

Wed, 2010-10-13 17:48

bad luck with the GT's but looks like a decent sort of day out on the water. Sure is a little less windy than last time I was in Dampier.

Brucesta's picture

Posts: 1721

Date Joined: 29/05/09

we couldn't have picked a

Thu, 2010-10-14 06:22

we couldn't have picked a better day really fella's it was just beautiful out there and the water was a nice 26 degrees also

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Las Vegas - Rolling the dice and trying your luck. 1M+ Barra summer target. 100kg Black Marlin winter target

POC's picture

Posts: 231

Date Joined: 05/01/09

Good read

Thu, 2010-10-14 10:26

and great pic's guy's

                              Shit hot.