Somewhere down an urban river

Jewfish, Jewies, Soapies, what an awesome fish to target!
smokin_reels
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Somewhere down an urban river

Post by smokin_reels » Wed Jul 03, 2019 12:10 pm

The mystery that surrounds Argyrosomus japonicus makes this arguably the most special fish to swim in our waters.
The silver ghost ? Aptly named.
Last season i put in some amount of time trying to get myself one. It was a steep learning curve. At times, I even wondered if they actually exist.

When the calendar clicked around to the colder months of 2019, i decided to resume where I had dropped off last year.

While most of last season was concentrating on lure fishing(landbased), i decided that I would switch things up and live bait to break my cherry.
Ever since i moved to Melbourne, ive heard whispers of silver fins in the Metro Rivers. Mythical sizes. Shredded leaders on barnacle encrusted pylons.
I upped the ante a bit , gear wise, re purposed my esky into a live well.

The mullet weren't easy to come by and i picked a place that I knew I had a chance to run into both prey and predator.
I had a quick look on google maps, figured out a likely haunt. Structure, tidal movements and proximity to bends in the river were what i focused on.

Some happy and not so happy mullet were swimming in my esky and they weren't very big baits either. Just about 4-5 inches at the most.
I switched out my 7/0 Circle hook and 60lb leader approach to a more conservative 4/0 & 20lb rig on one rod. And in she went.

The clock ticked away and I had the magic of uber eats bring me a kebab.
They did get my lactose intolerant mate fishing with me, cheese on his HSP. i was accused of intentional sabotage. :rofl:

We flicked some lures to pass the time, it got darker. Urban nocturnal denizens , the rats and the drunks began their revelry.

My mullet began to get a little nervous. Much like my dog in the vet's parking lot.He's never been the same since that de-sexing and hates the joint. Cant really blame him.

Did i just imagine it? was my line actually moving ? Ive fished with livebaits and circles enough to know not to strike, i picked up the rod and just fed out some more slack. 30 seconds in, i felt some weight. Wound in and she was on!

Maz keeps telling me that i was robbed off a good fight, but given that, I did have a fair bit of hurt on this fish.
Some lunges, a short couple of runs and numerous head shakes and up popped a long lean silver slab. :o_0:

My mate quickly had it in the back of my newly acquired enivronet and couldnt ask for a better christening.
The circle neatly pinned in the corner, popped off easily.
Some quick photographs and a length measure. 66cms! A legal fish! :banana:

The fish grunted and wanted to be back where he came from.
Revived , he kicked off strong.

I was left, standing on the bank with a wet landing net , the only sign of the events that had unfolded.
Some ghosts are real.
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Time to get one on a lure now.
There is always more to learn , fish to catch , places to see and friends to make.

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Sinsemilla
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Re: Somewhere down an urban river

Post by Sinsemilla » Wed Jul 03, 2019 12:18 pm

Awesome story Aaron and congrats on a beautiful fish.

That one on lure shouldn't be too far away now..

Cheers, Anth

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Re: Somewhere down an urban river

Post by Sebb » Wed Jul 03, 2019 12:31 pm

Mate, well done! It takes a lot of effort to catch them for sure.

I did that 4-5 years ago, hooked like 4-5 times and only landed once. That excitement when live bait gets taken is unforgettable.

Not trying to hijack your awesome report, but look at the smile on my face :o_0:
Yours is few cm longer than mine. My PB and only mulloway lol
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A fish is a fish :ft:
No fish is worth a life, stay safe

Texas
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Re: Somewhere down an urban river

Post by Texas » Wed Jul 03, 2019 1:30 pm

Wow Aaron, great report & nice fish
Even the heading makes you want to read it
Cheers Gra

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Re: Somewhere down an urban river

Post by purple5ive » Wed Jul 03, 2019 1:49 pm

Lovely Report Aaron.
Well done on lifting that curse from the Ghost of the Estuary!

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Re: Somewhere down an urban river

Post by rb85 » Wed Jul 03, 2019 5:45 pm

Great report mate persistence pays off.

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Re: Somewhere down an urban river

Post by Boonanza » Wed Jul 03, 2019 6:39 pm

Cracking fish mate well done :a_goodjob:
A smart person knows what to say. A wise person knows whether to say it.

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Re: Somewhere down an urban river

Post by Lightningx » Wed Jul 03, 2019 7:13 pm

Top effort Aaron!
That’s a very nice fish mate!
Well done :a_goodjob:
Cheers :thumbsup:

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Re: Somewhere down an urban river

Post by happyfriggincamper » Wed Jul 03, 2019 8:51 pm

Congrats smokin on the catch - great write up mate

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Re: Somewhere down an urban river

Post by StarrangerAU » Wed Jul 03, 2019 10:46 pm

...and as the mecury slides to single digits,
the fishers eys become bright,
the ghost of the urban river lay silently in the night.
Darkness hides the silver beast from the fishers steely gaze,
a fickle mullet tied to a string is tossed deep into the bay.
The ghost waits and watches from deep within its lair,
the fisher still and silent mumuers gently to the air,
'Come you bastard, you silver ghost, I know you're bleeding here,
If I thought you were somewhere else I wouldn't be bloody here'
From deep below the ghost arises towards the fickle fish
He looks upon the little morsel as a tasty dish
The mullet panics, the string goes taught, the rod wrest from Aarons arms,
The silver ghost has took the bait and headed for the bairns.
A battle begins, the fisher feet set firmly in the clay,
This ghost ain't escaping to live another day.
The fisher weild his weapon like a samurai in the night,
It was then the ghost knew it true that he would not win this fight.
So wrested from the oily darkness and landed upon the shore,
The fisher rose victorious and marveled down upon the beast,
An immensely beautiful creature known simply as the Ghost.

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