Quick Portland trip.

Southern Bluefin Tuna, Kingies, Marlin and other game fish.
CarlG
Rank: Premium Member
Rank: Premium Member
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:56 pm
Location: Rosebud.
Has liked: 1 time
Likes received: 46 times

Quick Portland trip.

Post by CarlG » Thu May 03, 2018 8:33 am

Hey All, been a while since my last report, so here goes.
Woke up to a text early Monday morning, could I take Tuesday and Wednesday off to head to Portland.?
After some negotiations at work, I got the go ahead at lunchtime, so Monday night was a quick pack up, and over to my mates place at 2.45am Tuesday Morning.
The drive over was really quiet at that time, and makes it much easier, (apart from the bloody fog).
Tuesday daybreak saw us roll into Portland, a quick chat and to pick up a few odds and ends from John at Portland bait and Tackle, and a bacon and egg roll from the resteraunt next door.
We got on the water, to excellent conditions, and cruised rapidly down to the rock, where we dropped the spread in, (made slightly harder by the outrigger bases being nowhere to be found).
A very quiet morning, giving the area around the rock a big workout, and the action didn't start until 11.30, and further round off the lighthouse.
Saw birds working a patch of bait, then all hell broke loose, with airborne tune exploding through patches of sauries. Maddest thing we've seen in a long while, was like something off blue planet lol...
Managed to pick up a couple of schoolies, which was surprising, as we were running all big lures, (Yeah, chasing barrels), eventually stopped to throw some lures, but it had calmed down by that point, so we missed out.
After lunch, we made the long trip down to Bridgewater, zig-zagging all the down and back, for zero, and absolutely nothing to raise hopes. Got back to the Rock, and the decision was made late in the day, to pull the lures and go scouting.
Fair way South East of the rock, (could see Julia Percy in the distance), we found scattered birds working and small patches of bait, so we marked the best patch, and headed back in, for a shower, a meal, and bed, ready for an early start the following day.
Day 2.
Up at 4am, ready, and down to the ramp in the dark.
We launched, and, as the conditions were really good early on, we made our way out to the area marked the previous day. The first 2 hours were really quiet, but once we got proper daylight, the birds started rocking up. We worked the area pretty hard, and more and more patches started coming up. Some of the explosions were amazing, with Tuna getting up over 1.5mtrs out of the water, what a sight.
Eventually, after trolling for a fair while, we decided to try chucking lures. My mate hooked into a nice 15kg school fish on a Shimano Rockslide lure, silvery, and similar to the sauries. A fair old battle, but up it came eventually, my turn next, but the lure I was using just wasn't doing it. I switched over to a Busted 45, with a little 2/0 single, 2 casts later, and the little Quantum smoke reel was screaming. This was plainly a bigger fish, bugger had me railed at one point lol...
25 minutes in, and we finally had colour, 2 4mtrs under the boat, and my 25kg fish got monstered by a huge bronze whaler, actually seeing it happen was a very sobering experience, and one we'll remember for a long, long time.
Back to trolling after this, and barely 20 minutes into the troll, and the Talica running long corner simply screamed off, this was plainly a monster fish, as this gear skull drags schoolies.
I ran around and cleared the gear, while the skipper picked up the rod. 200mtrs of topshot disappeared in no time, followed by half the spool of braid. He started to to slow the fish, and I began swing the boat, then the line went slack....swears and disbelief followed.
After winding in, I had a quick look at the lure, unbelievably, the top hook had snapped, devastation.
After a bit of discussion, we re-rigged, and got back to trolling. Went past several more bust ups, but zero joy, and at 12.30, we pulled the pin. We both have to be back at work today, so by 2pm, we were back at the ramp, packed and rolling, with 2 decent schoolies on ice in the box.
Only a couple of photos, which I'll try and get some admin to put up for me lol...
Anyone heading down shortly, just pm if you need any more detailed info.
31790471_2145857712312994_228705720021811200_n.jpg
31719073_2145812498984182_1186712924312305664_n.jpg
31577040_2145278575704241_8895453822130847744_n.jpg

purple5ive
Rank: Premium Member
Rank: Premium Member
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2011 1:59 pm
Has liked: 567 times
Likes received: 1011 times

Re: Quick Portland trip.

Post by purple5ive » Thu May 03, 2018 8:41 am

well done shorty, 2 schoolies are better than donuts, that bronzie episode would have been awesome to watch!
hope you got some sort of footage of it.

smile0784
Rank: Premium Member
Rank: Premium Member
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:16 pm
Has liked: 39 times
Likes received: 356 times

Re: Quick Portland trip.

Post by smile0784 » Thu May 03, 2018 8:55 am

CarlG wrote:Hey All, been a while since my last report, so here goes.
Woke up to a text early Monday morning, could I take Tuesday and Wednesday off to head to Portland.?
After some negotiations at work, I got the go ahead at lunchtime, so Monday night was a quick pack up, and over to my mates place at 2.45am Tuesday Morning.
The drive over was really quiet at that time, and makes it much easier, (apart from the bloody fog).
Tuesday daybreak saw us roll into Portland, a quick chat and to pick up a few odds and ends from John at Portland bait and Tackle, and a bacon and egg roll from the resteraunt next door.
We got on the water, to excellent conditions, and cruised rapidly down to the rock, where we dropped the spread in, (made slightly harder by the outrigger bases being nowhere to be found).
A very quiet morning, giving the area around the rock a big workout, and the action didn't start until 11.30, and further round off the lighthouse.
Saw birds working a patch of bait, then all hell broke loose, with airborne tune exploding through patches of sauries. Maddest thing we've seen in a long while, was like something off blue planet lol...
Managed to pick up a couple of schoolies, which was surprising, as we were running all big lures, (Yeah, chasing barrels), eventually stopped to throw some lures, but it had calmed down by that point, so we missed out.
After lunch, we made the long trip down to Bridgewater, zig-zagging all the down and back, for zero, and absolutely nothing to raise hopes. Got back to the Rock, and the decision was made late in the day, to pull the lures and go scouting.
Fair way South East of the rock, (could see Julia Percy in the distance), we found scattered birds working and small patches of bait, so we marked the best patch, and headed back in, for a shower, a meal, and bed, ready for an early start the following day.
Day 2.
Up at 4am, ready, and down to the ramp in the dark.
We launched, and, as the conditions were really good early on, we made our way out to the area marked the previous day. The first 2 hours were really quiet, but once we got proper daylight, the birds started rocking up. We worked the area pretty hard, and more and more patches started coming up. Some of the explosions were amazing, with Tuna getting up over 1.5mtrs out of the water, what a sight.
Eventually, after trolling for a fair while, we decided to try chucking lures. My mate hooked into a nice 15kg school fish on a Shimano Rockslide lure, silvery, and similar to the sauries. A fair old battle, but up it came eventually, my turn next, but the lure I was using just wasn't doing it. I switched over to a Busted 45, with a little 2/0 single, 2 casts later, and the little Quantum smoke reel was screaming. This was plainly a bigger fish, bugger had me railed at one point lol...
25 minutes in, and we finally had colour, 2 4mtrs under the boat, and my 25kg fish got monstered by a huge bronze whaler, actually seeing it happen was a very sobering experience, and one we'll remember for a long, long time.
Back to trolling after this, and barely 20 minutes into the troll, and the Talica running long corner simply screamed off, this was plainly a monster fish, as this gear skull drags schoolies.
I ran around and cleared the gear, while the skipper picked up the rod. 200mtrs of topshot disappeared in no time, followed by half the spool of braid. He started to to slow the fish, and I began swing the boat, then the line went slack....swears and disbelief followed.
After winding in, I had a quick look at the lure, unbelievably, the top hook had snapped, devastation.
After a bit of discussion, we re-rigged, and got back to trolling. Went past several more bust ups, but zero joy, and at 12.30, we pulled the pin. We both have to be back at work today, so by 2pm, we were back at the ramp, packed and rolling, with 2 decent schoolies on ice in the box.
Only a couple of photos, which I'll try and get some admin to put up for me lol...
Anyone heading down shortly, just pm if you need any more detailed info.

Sounds like a great trip

CarlG
Rank: Premium Member
Rank: Premium Member
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:56 pm
Location: Rosebud.
Has liked: 1 time
Likes received: 46 times

Re: Quick Portland trip.

Post by CarlG » Thu May 03, 2018 8:57 am

purple5ive wrote:well done shorty, 2 schoolies are better than donuts, that bronzie episode would have been awesome to watch!
hope you got some sort of footage of it.
Released a couple of others, but tbh, they weren't what we were chasing. We could have run a spread of small lures and spent all day fighting them, but we a game plan, and pretty much stuck to it.
You would have loved it, massive surface bite, perfect for the lure chuckers ...

Lightningx
Bluefin
Bluefin
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2014 4:21 pm
Has liked: 72 times
Likes received: 976 times

Re: Quick Portland trip.

Post by Lightningx » Thu May 03, 2018 9:15 am

Not a bad trip.
Would have been quite a sight watching the huge bronzie take the tuna!
Sounds like you were onto a nice fish in the end. Better luck next time mate.

purple5ive
Rank: Premium Member
Rank: Premium Member
Joined: Thu Dec 08, 2011 1:59 pm
Has liked: 567 times
Likes received: 1011 times

Re: Quick Portland trip.

Post by purple5ive » Thu May 03, 2018 9:29 am

CarlG wrote:
purple5ive wrote:well done shorty, 2 schoolies are better than donuts, that bronzie episode would have been awesome to watch!
hope you got some sort of footage of it.
Released a couple of others, but tbh, they weren't what we were chasing. We could have run a spread of small lures and spent all day fighting them, but we a game plan, and pretty much stuck to it.
You would have loved it, massive surface bite, perfect for the lure chuckers ...
yeah i would have been salivating thats for sure.
its good you stuck to the plan, i certainly would have been derailed the very moment the bustup happened hahaha.
always have a smaller rod rigged up for stuff like this

Mattblack
Rank: Gummy Shark
Rank: Gummy Shark
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2016 1:08 pm
Location: South East Suburbs
Has liked: 625 times
Likes received: 298 times

Re: Quick Portland trip.

Post by Mattblack » Thu May 03, 2018 10:12 am

Fantastically written report....very much appreciated

Nude up
Rank: Kingfish
Rank: Kingfish
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 5:08 pm
Location: Bellarine peninsula
Has liked: 333 times
Likes received: 569 times

Re: Quick Portland trip.

Post by Nude up » Thu May 03, 2018 10:51 am

Great read Carl. Actually seeing your fish get monstered is an awesome sight. Curious as to the hook that broke was it a stainless one and where did it break in the gape or at the eye

CarlG
Rank: Premium Member
Rank: Premium Member
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:56 pm
Location: Rosebud.
Has liked: 1 time
Likes received: 46 times

Re: Quick Portland trip.

Post by CarlG » Thu May 03, 2018 11:50 am

Nude up wrote:Great read Carl. Actually seeing your fish get monstered is an awesome sight. Curious as to the hook that broke was it a stainless one and where did it break in the gape or at the eye
Was a shogun hook, think they're staino...
Rigged by a local tackle shop, broke right in the gape. Think Poodoo is working on the photos as we speak..

Nude up
Rank: Kingfish
Rank: Kingfish
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 5:08 pm
Location: Bellarine peninsula
Has liked: 333 times
Likes received: 569 times

Re: Quick Portland trip.

Post by Nude up » Thu May 03, 2018 12:57 pm

CarlG wrote:
Nude up wrote:Great read Carl. Actually seeing your fish get monstered is an awesome sight. Curious as to the hook that broke was it a stainless one and where did it break in the gape or at the eye
Was a shogun hook, think they're staino...
Rigged by a local tackle shop, broke right in the gape. Think Poodoo is working on the photos as we speak..
Thanks Carl I can see from the photo where it broke. We have gone away from double hooks and just use singles.

Post Reply

Return to “Game Fishing”