First trip out of Hastings
Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2017 5:06 pm
For some time now I'd booked in the dates of 27th & 28th to fish in the Facebook page "Melbourne Snapper and Gummy report" snapper challenge. Unfortunately my Nana passed away after a solid innings of 91, she taught me loads about fishing and will be missed and her funeral was held on the morning of the 27th. I was going to pull out of the fishing comp but decided I'd make a big day of it and take the four hour drive after her funeral to Hastings and wet a line. The trip ended up taking five and a half hours thanks to road works and grid lock traffic but I finally made it on the water to fish the top of high tide. I sounded a spot near Lysaghts but stayed away from the other boats, I feel a bit like the poor relation in my little 440 Renegade when all the nice half cabins are surrounding me.
I took that pic, grabbed a drink and within a very short time managed to hook up to this lovely 75cm model as it took a pilly tail on a paternoster rig. I fished for another few hours with only a few pest fish including a pretty good banjo that got me excited for a couple of seconds. I pulled the pin and was off the water by about half ten and went on a mission to get a feed. After my pizza I found a spot to pull up and cracked open the rooftop tent. Rookie mistake number 1, I parked under some trees full of corellas and the buggers woke me up every half hour when the wind was strong and then in the morning I found they had crapped all over my tent and boat cover. Note to all, book into a caravan park next time!!
I woke before the alarm at half five and quickly packed up in the rain and got the boat on the water by just after six. I decided to head back around the spot that got me the 75 the night before to fish the tide change again but didn't have any success. I moved up between Eagle rock and Crawfish in a deep hole but by around eleven I thought I'd try a drift. I picked up plenty of flatties but only keep 30cm+ so many went back. With time slipping closer to the four o'clock check in I made the decision to go for a quick drive towards Stony point. As I got close to the area I used my navionics maps to find some good contours and then sounded those areas. After a while the tide change was coming so I figured I'd just anchor up on a decent looking bottom structure and try my luck. I loaded up my burly tube with anything I wasn't going to need then set one heavy rod with a butterflied whiting on a WPB rig and a medium rod with a double paternoster with pillies. I began cubing pillies and other baits I wasn't going to have time to use and again, as the tide turned, BANG!! My heavy rod had the ol'snapper taps so I applied pressure and the rod buckled over, the reel screamed and I knew I was about to better my PB. My heart was racing as this beast pulled line off the 18000 and then I noticed the other rod getting hit. With the big fella in my left hand I picked up the other rod with my right arm and set the hook, it was a good one too!! My pulse was up now, SUPER excited I gave the right hand rod a decent pull to make sure the circle hook was good and set and put the rod back in the rod holder so I could tackle the bigger one. The rod did an awesome job of keeping pressure on the fish while I battled away on the other, the big fella kept taking runs and had massive head shakes. As I began to see colour I blessed the fishing gods and went for the net. I managed a quick netting and threw the fish, rod and net on the boat floor. Then I started on the other rod, it was a smaller snapper by the feel of it but it was still going to be a good one. After a short fight I just leaned over and grabbed the tail of the fish and had a 89cm and 70cm on the floor of my little tinny. WOOHOO!!!!
After the getting pic's and messing around I decided I'd just drift slowly back towards Hastings picking up more coota and flatties. At no point of the trip did I see any real solid arches on my sounder, only a few small marks that I thought might be worth a look.
I made it back to check in and was stocked to hear that my 89cm was the biggest so far, it made the packing up and getting ready for my four hour drive home an exciting time. The six o'clock cut off time come around and my fish was still the biggest at 8.413kg and won me the day. SUPER stoked, I was happy enough bettering my PB but I'll take it. Thanks to all the fellas who organise the Melbourne Gummy and Snapper Report on facebook, top work.
On the drive home I reflected on my trip and couldn't help but think that maybe old Nan was helping me out a bit, Cheers.
I took that pic, grabbed a drink and within a very short time managed to hook up to this lovely 75cm model as it took a pilly tail on a paternoster rig. I fished for another few hours with only a few pest fish including a pretty good banjo that got me excited for a couple of seconds. I pulled the pin and was off the water by about half ten and went on a mission to get a feed. After my pizza I found a spot to pull up and cracked open the rooftop tent. Rookie mistake number 1, I parked under some trees full of corellas and the buggers woke me up every half hour when the wind was strong and then in the morning I found they had crapped all over my tent and boat cover. Note to all, book into a caravan park next time!!
I woke before the alarm at half five and quickly packed up in the rain and got the boat on the water by just after six. I decided to head back around the spot that got me the 75 the night before to fish the tide change again but didn't have any success. I moved up between Eagle rock and Crawfish in a deep hole but by around eleven I thought I'd try a drift. I picked up plenty of flatties but only keep 30cm+ so many went back. With time slipping closer to the four o'clock check in I made the decision to go for a quick drive towards Stony point. As I got close to the area I used my navionics maps to find some good contours and then sounded those areas. After a while the tide change was coming so I figured I'd just anchor up on a decent looking bottom structure and try my luck. I loaded up my burly tube with anything I wasn't going to need then set one heavy rod with a butterflied whiting on a WPB rig and a medium rod with a double paternoster with pillies. I began cubing pillies and other baits I wasn't going to have time to use and again, as the tide turned, BANG!! My heavy rod had the ol'snapper taps so I applied pressure and the rod buckled over, the reel screamed and I knew I was about to better my PB. My heart was racing as this beast pulled line off the 18000 and then I noticed the other rod getting hit. With the big fella in my left hand I picked up the other rod with my right arm and set the hook, it was a good one too!! My pulse was up now, SUPER excited I gave the right hand rod a decent pull to make sure the circle hook was good and set and put the rod back in the rod holder so I could tackle the bigger one. The rod did an awesome job of keeping pressure on the fish while I battled away on the other, the big fella kept taking runs and had massive head shakes. As I began to see colour I blessed the fishing gods and went for the net. I managed a quick netting and threw the fish, rod and net on the boat floor. Then I started on the other rod, it was a smaller snapper by the feel of it but it was still going to be a good one. After a short fight I just leaned over and grabbed the tail of the fish and had a 89cm and 70cm on the floor of my little tinny. WOOHOO!!!!
After the getting pic's and messing around I decided I'd just drift slowly back towards Hastings picking up more coota and flatties. At no point of the trip did I see any real solid arches on my sounder, only a few small marks that I thought might be worth a look.
I made it back to check in and was stocked to hear that my 89cm was the biggest so far, it made the packing up and getting ready for my four hour drive home an exciting time. The six o'clock cut off time come around and my fish was still the biggest at 8.413kg and won me the day. SUPER stoked, I was happy enough bettering my PB but I'll take it. Thanks to all the fellas who organise the Melbourne Gummy and Snapper Report on facebook, top work.
On the drive home I reflected on my trip and couldn't help but think that maybe old Nan was helping me out a bit, Cheers.