Bec and myself and Faye and Adrian from Bunbury headed out for a bit of relaxing around some of the islands out in the gulf for easter. Had a bit of a look out there last weekend and thought the Pikes are in town without their boat so why not take them too. 4 adults living on a 24 foot centre console for 3 days/ 2 nights should be easy.

Loaded the boat with rods, dive kit, swags, beer , wine, food and ice and all ready to go. A bit of Qantas inaction at the airport friday meant the 1.30 start was delayed till 4. Finally got the boat in the water and blasted off to the island of choice for the night. Got there at 5.30 and into the water for me so we didnt have to eat chops for dinner. First dive a nice little bluey gave me a look, second dive and he was dinner.

After an awsum feed of fresh fish and a few drinks we rolled the swags out and nodded off under the stars. A wind change in the early hours meant Bec and I didnt get a really good nights sleep, Pikes down the back of the boat slept pretty well though. Saturday morning we moved the boat around to the other side of the island out of the wind and cooked up bacon and eggs for brekky. Faye had never snorkelled before so we got her in the water in the calm shallows and after a bit she was confident enough to try some deeper stuff. Up with the anchor again and off to find some crays for lunch. After a bit of looking we had 5 greens and a nice red in the bait tank , lovely. 3 squid made a tactical error and swam past the boat so they got nabbed for dinner . Someone tell me why we have meat in the fridge ??

A spot of trolling after lunch ( a little sleep for Bec) and a wander around on another island and it was time to head back to the anchorage for a well earned drink and some squidrings. The wind dropped right out just on dark and we spent the night in a total glassoff . . . Best sleep I`ve had in a while .

Sunday morning and a bit of a blast around to brekky bay for more eggs and bacon and then off to look for something to dive on. Bec and Pikeys chucked poppers while we motored around the end of the island and got a few little gt`s at one point . Moving around to the next point and look at the size of some of those , the big ones easily went 25 kilos. Bec hooked one of the smaller ones and after some fancy boat and rod work did really well to boat a nice GT on 14 pound , The leader was split about 200mm up from the lure when it touched on the rock at one stage.

I was pretty keen to get back in the water by then so out a bit deeper to look for a fish. First little ledge gave up another red cray. Second spot had hundreds off buff bream and a few sharks but nothing else. Third spot we found I finally got to pull the trigger and a couple of nice trout went onto the ice. With my urges satisfied we let the boat drift and made some lunch . As luck had it we drifted over a pretty big lump, 12 metres up to 6 with some pretty big golden trevally swimming around under the boat. Bugger lunch lets have a fish.

Bec gets cut off by a mackie and there is mackies to about 15 kilos in sight so I get back into the water to try and get one. Bec hooks and lands one about 10 kilos while I`m loading the gun. I finally get it loaded and none of the bigger ones are in view, plenty of smaller macks but not what I want. Swimming from one end of the lump to the other theres a few trout and blues but nothing outstanding,plenty off buffs and a few sharks. The water is pretty clean and I spot something different in amongst the buffs, quick dive and my first green jobfish is on the spear. Nice. As I put him in the boat a pretty chunky cobia swims under me, this spot is looking good. Follow the cobe to the edge of the lump and there are some really solid fish in with the buffs now. They are a bit deeper and I cant decide if they jacks or red bass. I dive to try and get one and they vanish either out into the gloom or into a cave in the lump, as I turn to surface another cobia cruises past so I swing the gun and after a short but intense contest Ive got my hand in the gills of my first speared cobe . . Not huge but it`ll do . Drop him into the boat and back to try for one of those big red whatevers. After 5 or 6 frustrating dives one turns for a second look and I get the spear into him. I`m a bit dissapointed with the shot and that its not a jack but I`ve got the fish and happy with another first and a pretty good fish. Thats enough for me so back into the boat for a rinse and beer. Pikey nails a very solid golden while I clean the fish and we say thats enough and decide to head back to the marina.

The wind was nonexistant as we blast back at better than 30 knots with a stubby in my hand , perfect way to end an absolutely fantastic weekend.

Magic surroundings, excellent company, perfect weather and a couple of crays and fish thrown in as well. Does it get any better ??

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