Chris (Chrisp) had made plans to take out a few clients for a fish & also invited me out in hope that we would get some quality fish on jigs & soft plastics.

Excuse my ignorance; however, the name of the Two Rocks based charter company escapes me.

Fortunately, the weather gods softened the conditions slightly & out trip wasn’t cancelled. The forecast indicated moderate easterlies with a considerable swell which would taper off throughout the day. The early morning conditions were comfortable, however, the conditions deteriorated later in the day & staying inside the boat almost became a challenge.

Our aim was to use a variety of jigs & soft plastics in search of some demersal fish. In particular, I was keen to catch my first Dhu given that Pearl Perch was a regular catch for me over east.

Chris & I also had relatively new outfits that needed to be run in.

First up, we decided to use soft plastics just as the sun was making an appearance through the clouds. Within 30 seconds, I was on. It was a solid fish & the 10lb line I was using had me worried. A few minutes later, Mr. Knobby hit the deck.

We persisted to use soft plastics for the first half hour & Chris landed a small pinky & Dhu bait.

The wind picked up significantly & holding ground with light artificials became a challenge. Next up, jigs hit the bottom.  Moments later, I landed my first Dhu. He wasn’t big, but Pearl Perch size in comparison. I was quite satisfied nonetheless to have landed my first on a jig. Chris also scored a baldy on jig.

Chris’ clients persevered with bait & landed some nice fish between them with the standout being a good size snapper.

Later in the morning, Chris decided to revert back to a large soft plastic & hooked up to something solid. Unfortunately, the fish threw the jig head. Chris inspected the artificial offering to find the plastic had been completely molested. Inherent signs of a Dhu grab.

At one stage, I caught Chris master baiting, however, it was a short lived exercise after landing a black ass.

Chris was having a spate of bad luck, however, this was about to change once the skipper yelled out to prepare for our last drift.

Another large plastic was rigged up & dropped to the bottom. A few minutes later, Chris had a hit & lowered the plastic down in hope for a good strike. Right on cue, Chris set the hook into something very solid. A good fight later, he landed an 11.5kg Dhu (a PB on soft plastic).

It was quite an enjoyable trip despite the conditions with Chris’ Dhu being the standout. Great company, good fish & a few beers.

Thankfully, we arrived at my joint & Sam had just finished baking a banana cake. Mmmm... good way to finish a cold day.

Daz