Gday. Had a killer tinny session this morning in Rocko. Put in at last beach launch in Warnbro before first light. Threw a few glow in the dark squid jigs around for a big zero. Headed over to south wall and started throwing surface lures around into the wash. Had a mate onboard, trying to convert him to lures. He plugging away with a couple of stickbaits while I tried to figure out what was working. Sinking stickbaits the go and I soon hooked up on 50cm plus tailor on the middle rod. A 4000 twinpower, 25lb braid and a brand new 7ft cheapie shimano 6 - 10 kg I picked up recently for throwing lures from the boat. Mate soon stashed his 8lb 1000 size outfit once he saw what we were chasing. Biggest tailor he ever seen, mid fifties. Caught another shortly after while old mate looked at me forlornly with zip on his account. We chopping and changing lures like no tomorrow. Gave hime the 4000 outfit and whacked something onto the ten lb mono on 2500 daiwa aird and flicky and straight of Whammo! Nice tailor that gave me a great run for a couple of minutes. Old mate finally had a hit of consequence on the blues code. Cast again, hit, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, then gone.... soo was the lure.... and snaplock still closed? He had enough by then and pulled out the mulies. Snelled 4/0 or 5/0's and a running sinker started accounting for more tailor and other species. I had my recently bombed out penn 9500 on board for its maiden run and rigged the same. More tailor etc.
Old mate and the 4000 had some fun with an eagle ray, pulled the anchor to drift away from rocks for that one. Then he was bricked hard. Shortly after the heavy rod went off. I grabbed it and set the hooks. Fish turns inshore along the reef. Give it some curry to slow down and it turns. Tighten drag and it turns again. I settle in my seat and the rod loads up. I give it some real stick and crank the drag down. Now I got some major BIG thuds through the line and this thing just goes down and straight for Africa. We about to pull anchor and give chase when ping.... all over. Me thinks bitten off as we using snelled mono rigs. Lost a few already but no, broken hook at the barb. Devod but happy my knots working. No chafe on leader, thinkin I had it either set in jaw of shark or HUOOOGE Sambo.
About 80lb braid to heavy 70lb nylon leader to 80lb flouro snell. Not long after that line goes under spool and comes out covered in firkin grease. I call that would be bad for business and that rod didn't see another fish today. Even tried rubbing some squidgee scent into it to cover it. I'll use this rig again before doing another leader knot to test the theory fully as the tailor had gone off the bite by now anyway.
Continued to berley and started to see some herring about. Old mate picked up a few on softies, a first for him. Herring skittish so old mate throws another mulie out on the 4000 combo and before long he is ON in a big way. It heads straight for the reef wall on first hook up. He relaxes and it comes out a bit, then its off again, up and down the wall, me telling him to just keep steady pressure on and with as much drag as we dare. Try to pull anchor but its furkin stuck this time. Last reposition I dropped us that close to the wall the occasional backwash was breaking into the tinny. keeps you awake when its like that....
Anyway this thing has run us round the tinny three times and I seen some deep colour and call it for a mulloway. I pulled us right on top of the pick so it was straight up and down and that kept it off the rope. It went round once but we got it off. A couple more circles and I can tell we got it beat. Suddenly it appears again properly and we got us a stonking sambo! And its mrs is right there too. Got it inboard for pics and old mate declares it the biggest proper fish hes ever seen let alone caught and his first sambo and hes gonna bloody well eat it! Absolutley no room in the eski for that, its lunch time so we choof off. Sambo went 1.3mts in 5 - 8 mts of water on 4000 size reel. Needless to say my doubts about that reel are well and truly gone and new rod is a bloody ripper. Tailor for us and the neighbours and sambo belly strips for the dogs. Got some good berley stashed away too now with chopped up frames and smashed up mulies waiting to go again.......
Awesome morning fishin for less than a litre of fuel. :)

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