One Lure Two Fish, and a Small Mulla from the Beach

With the MAAC comp being called off on Saturday due to the strong wind warning, Sunday was looking good.  After lots of potting, and a bit of bottom bashing in recent months, we made a conscious effort to go and do other things, and trolling live baits was top of the list to see whether there were any mackerel around.  We launched out of Mindarie about 6.15am on Sunday with a plan to catch some tailor and go and troll them live on the wreck.  After that, it was to search a bit of new ground for future pinkie missions.  The down side of the ramp was the number of “Rampies” in attendance with the worst being the” Preppers” – get your boat ready in the car park mate, not on the ramp!

Off to the northern beaches and out with the lures.  We always use a combination of surface and diving lures, and with the water being fairly dirty it was the surface lures that went off.  I don’t reckon you can beat seeing your surface lure getting smashed - all that action and turmoil and then the rods go off.  Anyway, we spent an enjoyable hour watching this with the highlight being getting two fish on the one lure.  We loaded up the tuna tubes with eight perfect 35cm live tailor and headed out.

Disaster.  We got to our spot and the tailor had died.  Much soul searching was done before we realised that the technique to keep them from washing out of the tubes had starved them of fresh water.  No matter, when you build custom things then you have to expect a bit of “fine tuning” and they will be fixed for next time.  It made us concentrate on rigging a good dead bait for trolling and this is an important skill as you can’t always count on the live ones.

We trolled the dead bait on the downrigger for a while with only one solid strike without hookup.  We were happy that we got a hit on the bait and reflected that the hooks were probably not big enough with all that flesh sitting around them.  Examination of the bait on retrieve showed it was a sambo as it was “pulled” not “sliced”.  We had nice baits and if the mackies were there we were sure there was enough time to find them.  A little disappointing, but we were happy to be doing something different – and at least get a strike when no one else was getting anything.

We contemplated heading out into the 40-50’s to check out some ground.  On the way it seemed as the breeze was picking up so changed plans to the high 20’s.  Managed to find some awesome ground and the sounder shot says it all, and we had to have a fish.

 

This thing had fish all over it but as others have pointed out, enticing a bite was difficult – even on the top of the tide.  We managed to get undersized just about everything with dhu, pinkies, baldies, black arse and heaps of others.  We might not have brought home anything of note but it was a nice few hours with plenty of fish landed.  We eventually gave up and headed in although had originally planned to stay out all day and fish the night, but the wind forecast (wrong again – it was actually good and seeing the posted pinkies makes me sick) and the lack of quality fish changed that plan.

I have such an understanding wife.  Unbelievably, she greeted my suggestion of going down the beach for a fish on dusk with enthusiasm – perhaps it was the offer to invite the niece’s family and the kids?  I was hoping to pick up a few tailor on my surf gear (that has had a very extended break) after observing “quality” water the day before.  The first spot was full of weed and although you could hold a bait there was nothing of note and the retrieve was “heavy”.  On the wife’s suggestion we moved down the beach to a sand hole between rocks and reef that she regularly swims in and has seen fish.  After a couple of casts this spot was a lot more promising as the baits were being hit on a regular basis.

About third cast I hooked up to something that wasn’t a picker.  To my amazement, it was a small mulloway (soapie) that came in through the breakers.  A quick measure and it was just size and with the niece and her family very keen to have it for dinner, it came home.

I must say I was pretty stoked to catch one of these on my first beach fish for over a year (my first one in WA although I have got quite a few from the beach before).  Yes it was little but it showed that a lightly weighted pilchard in a surf hole can produce when least expected.  I am now inspired to target these with a bit more effort, particularly with live tailor in the beach rips from the boat on dark. 

A nice day doing lots of different things when the bite was generally slow, although my mate Kev got a horse out deep.  No “quality” fish for us but still worthwhile.

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Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it - LH.

 

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Paul G's picture

Posts: 5215

Date Joined: 12/12/07

 Great sounder shot of a cave

Mon, 2015-02-09 19:55

 Great sounder shot of a cave or large overhang .Would be a great dive. I bet theres some good fish there on the right day . Graynurse sharks can be seen in areas like that .

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opsrey's picture

Posts: 1200

Date Joined: 05/10/07

Sounder shot is tops.

Mon, 2015-02-09 21:24

  That sonder shit would make a top dive spot. Great report, thx for sharing.

Uluabuster's picture

Posts: 722

Date Joined: 12/12/10

 2 tailors on one chug bug is

Tue, 2015-02-10 11:24

 2 tailors on one chug bug is very very rare. Well done!