Happy New Year!  Getting our priorities right, we left the pub at 11 last night so we could be up at 4:30am to head down to Groote Eylandt's South Point for a final fish before Wade and I pack up our belongings and head back to live in WA.  Although we've been living in fishing heaven and I've caught plenty of coral trout, golden snapper, saddletail, tuna, queenies, etc etc, I had one aim of the day - to catch a Mack.  Up here they are considered a pest and people really don't like catching them but for some reason I haven't been able to catch one.  Today was the day!

We steamed down to South Point at 35-40 knots and made it in around an hour.  The sun was just rising as our mate Jez put out the billfish teasers and gear.  Wouldn't you know it, 5 minutes later we see a sailfish fin in the water 100m ahead of us! You bewdy we thought, how easy is this!  We chucked out a garfish to no avail.  Unfortunately the Saily was just cruising around and not too hungry so we didn't get a strike. 

As the adrenalin backed off we found some birds working.  Getting closer we ruled out Tuna working the bait schools.  First pass and there were a few Sharks working the schools(!!!) so we moved away quickly to protect our gear.  We found another school and 'bang', both rods (one with hooks and one without) started peeling.  At the same time the garfish also went out the back so it was game on!  We were mighty disappointed when we pulled up a couple of Queenies.  We concluded the Queenies were working all the schools in the area so decided to move on.

Another 7 miles away is Mack Mountain, where a 27 foot lump rises from 70 foot.  We swapped lures to deep divers and on the first pass I hooked up a Mack!  It was a small Mack, but I still caught one and was over the moon.  I have now achieved my goal!  We tried for another one (bigger!) but saw some weather coming in....

Ahhh, the monsoon! Out of nowhere storm clouds formed all around us and after dodging them for an hour or so we bit the bullet and decided to head back to port.  It was 30 naultical miles of moderate to heavy rain but luckily it wasn't too windy and we made it back in a couple of hours (travelling at between 12-20knots)!  I haven't actually ever been cold living in the tropics but today was a bit chilly!  It was great back at the boat ramp putting my feet in the 30C water and warming up!

(this screen shot taken after we got home - the worst had passed through by then!)

So farewell Groote Eylandt, we have had a fantastic time!