5kg Mulloway

[barra mick]

Great fish

Bm

[bilby]

Just lost another huge fish to a pylon after a 5mins of mayhem with my new 8000 bait runner with 25lb line / 40lb leader. Somewhat disheartening. I really have to find some less risky spots to fish - that's three big fish lost to heavy structure in the last 12 months.

[sloth]

I dunno bilby. If you're not being busted off and losing gear you're not fishing the right spots. Sounds to me like you're doing it right! I do sympathise though - dropping a good one hurts bad.

[deathray]

Bad luck Bilby, I've now lost 2 good ones in a week, one spooled me and one snagged me up in something. Had decent sized lives grabbed and dropped about ten times recently even in the lightest freespool setting. Overall probably marginally better than not getting a touch though, but only just!

[bilby]

Were you fishing light when you got spooled, Deathray? I can't seem to get a fish to run far enough out in the river for that to happen. Interesting that the live baits are not getting hit - all my fish recently have just grabbed the bait and bolted with it.

[foggybottom]

Yeah it is Greg! But in saying that if I caught one I'd have to let it go just such an amazing fish and I wouldn't feel right
Cam

They're pretty quick growing though (at least they are up here in NSW) so as long as the juveniles are released to grow up and breed before being caught, they're a pretty sustainable rec fishery. Good fish to target for a couple of feeds vs snapper or sharks down there.

[bilby]

True, they are fast growing, but previous testing on the metro rivers here has shown that mulloway can contain heavy metals / PCB. I have some fillets in the freezer, but haven't been game enough to eat them, despite the fact that they may be within safe limits for consumption, if you believe the official government testing.

[deathray]

Were you fishing light when you got spooled, Deathray? I can't seem to get a fish to run far enough out in the river for that to happen. Interesting that the live baits are not getting hit - all my fish recently have just grabbed the bait and bolted with it.

Not so much light line just not enough spool capacity on a relatively small reel and no ability to chase it downstream and he wasn't showing any inclination of stopping. It is fun though seeing a livie get very nervous through the rod tip and thinking any second now he could get slammed.

[bilby]

Ah, I see. It's tricky when you have no leeway to move along the bank (same reason I lost my last one - no ability to get around to the other side of the pylon).