Last couple of trips from Hillarys

 Friday 12/5

I had promised my boy a trip out and the Friday forecast was looking good for a bash after school. I got the boat all ready and once he was home we headed off to Hillarys. Got the boat in and headed about 2 miles NW and set the anchor on a light SW breeze and got some of Mick's berley clouding the water with goodness.

Earlier in the day I headed up to Mick's Shorecatch store to get some supplies and found my favourite pack in stock. I really like the offshore pack as you get a bit of everything and along with the Mulies, blue mack and mullet there was a monster squid that cut well into strips and also some occy. Surely something in all that lot to tempt anything being fussy.

As always seems to be the way when I fish with James, he is reeling in fish while I have yet to get a bait in the water! I always have a good laugh at watching him struggle with the 7 foot carbon noodle and 4000 reel that is his favourite. He managed to get pinned to the gunnel by a double header of skippy where the small one became bait for my trip the next day and we let the bigger one go as was his request.

We fished until almost sunset and he managed a few more skips for my bait and also some wrasse. He also got stitched up by something I had to go and help him with. I fought it for 5 or 6 runs before bringing a 4 or 5 foot long shovel nose to the side of the boat. After we had a look at it I held the spool on its next run and he was gone. We finished the night eating fish and chips at the marina. We were both happy with the few hours we spent.

Sat 13/5

The boat was ready from the night before and the forecast was looking good so I hit the ramp solo about 5:30am and headed west to my prospecting ground. The trip out in mostly darksness wasn't too bad with the NE wind behind me and the 19 odd miles passed without drama. When I pulled up to start searching the ground for signs of life it was then I realised the forecast was bogus and what was supposed to be 5 to 10 knots was easily blowing 15 to 18 knots. Dawn showed a blood red sun from the smoke haze and a lumpy sea.

I managed to anchor up and found to my delight the SW current fairly screaming. 8oz sinkers were barely enough to hold bottom and even then it was stretched out behind the boat. It took a bit of effort to make sure the baits weren't spinning and tangling the rig but I managed to get to grips with it. 

There seemed to be a lot of pickers and any decent take on the softer baits weren't hooking up. That's when I remembered the occy in the offshore pack from the night before still in the esky. I sent some down with a mulie combo for some scent and bingo - a small baldie but at least it was size at 45cm.

I kept sending some occy and combo baits down and even though I had a few good runs and plenty of pickers I wasn't connecting. I run single hooks on my patternoster rigs but had one I made a while ago with a snelled rig on the top dropper. I put my occy special running 2 hooks and again this was the ticket for getting the hookup I needed. The prized pinky appeared after a short fight and again, not a huge fish but at 53cm it was good enough for the esky.

By 10am I had had enough of the crappy conditions and decided to head in. It was a long way at 12 to 15 knots straight into the chop but that was the confortable speed. By the time I got to the 3 mile the conditions were a lot better and I was doing 26 knots before I got to the marina. The kids helped me cook fish and chips with veggies home made style for mothers day dinner, so the missus was well pleased.

 

 

 

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Hutch's picture

Posts: 2221

Date Joined: 21/04/13

 Great write up Those

Mon, 2017-05-15 05:57

 Great write up 

Those offshore packs look the goods dont they, so versatile

Ashen's picture

Posts: 1042

Date Joined: 22/03/13

No pics

Mon, 2017-05-15 08:04

 Michael, I can't see the pics?

Good couple of days out by the sounds of it! 

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A fish in the hand is worth 10 in the water!

z00m's picture

Posts: 1086

Date Joined: 10/05/14

pics

Mon, 2017-05-15 08:25

Should be fixed now  

Ashen's picture

Posts: 1042

Date Joined: 22/03/13

Cheers

Mon, 2017-05-15 12:20

 Thanks mate.

That's a BIG skippy! Well done to James! 

____________________________________________________________________________

A fish in the hand is worth 10 in the water!

Posts: 8027

Date Joined: 07/05/12

Father/son time is gold and

Mon, 2017-05-15 13:54

Father/son time is gold and anything else is a bonus! My boy looks around the same age used to hate it and now loves coming out to 'Herring Rock' (Wreck Rock) but I'm keen to get him onto some skippy next trip.

You guys would have been eating your fish and chips Friday evening and watching me steam out of the Marina on the road to Donutville. I surprised Ashen didn't bring it up in his post above haha.

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Officially off the Pies bandwagon

z00m's picture

Posts: 1086

Date Joined: 10/05/14

I saw your post

Mon, 2017-05-15 14:16

I did read your post elsewhere that you got the big donut. Sounds like we need to do a bit of a raft up and swap stories on what works and what doesn't! By that I mean I still have tons to learn about fishing out of Hillarys. I can't find size pinks or dhu in close since last year yet I see all these posts. Or is it that there are many, many more posts that aren't written about poor results? 

I've been trying to make sure I am not hitting the same ground over and over where I have had success in the past but surely the fish don't know which parts of that ground I have been to? ha ha.

Posts: 8027

Date Joined: 07/05/12

I could write a book on what

Mon, 2017-05-15 14:41

I could write a book on what doesn't work haha. Dot point 1 from Friday night send your berley towards the lump not in the opposite direction. My first ever demersal bash from my boat 18 months ago and we pulled in a 58cm dhu in 10m and I was thinking this game was going to be easy. That was my 1st and last sizey along the 3 Mile albeit I did my ACL last May so missed the whole autumn/winter/spring season.

I've only really just gained the confidence to head outside the reef or even near the reef solo when it's anything less than ideal conditions in my last few trips. 

I do remember seeing you actually as your boat was in the carpark! I was pulling out and washing up as you guys were heading off. I was the fishless grumpy kent in the Eagles jumper. I'll come across and say g'day next time I see ya on the water.

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Officially off the Pies bandwagon

Ashen's picture

Posts: 1042

Date Joined: 22/03/13

Grumps

Mon, 2017-05-15 16:56

 Michael, did you see a grumpy "kent" wearing an Eagles top, at the washdown as you were heading off?  That was JF, fishless! 

____________________________________________________________________________

A fish in the hand is worth 10 in the water!

Matty Mac's picture

Posts: 25

Date Joined: 22/03/14

 19 miles and anchored??What

Mon, 2017-05-15 16:42

 19 miles and anchored??

What depth were you in?

z00m's picture

Posts: 1086

Date Joined: 10/05/14

Depth

Mon, 2017-05-15 16:56

 50m