It’s been quite a few weeks since wetting a line because of work and weather so yesterday seemed like the perfect opportunity. The forecast looked pretty good, light winds but a 2-3 metre swell running. An early start was in order so the rendezvous was at my Mates place for 0600 hrs. Hitched the boat up, checked the shackles and chains, checked the breakaway lanyard, checked the hitch, checked the lights and indicators and headed to the servo for fuel. I thought she was a bit sluggish when me Mate pulled away. Hmm. We were refuelling when we noticed the right rear tyre was flat so pulled away from the bowsers to change the tyre. “Mate if you get the jack and wheel brace out I’ll change it for ya” Pretty decent of me I thought until I saw that me mate had smeared Never Seize all over the wheel nuts and studs to prevent corrosion. Opened up his jacking kit to find the wheel brace, jack and emery board/ nail file WTF. “Mate where is the three piece extension turny thing for your jack?”

“Mate this might be good for jacking up ya spirits when ya break ya fingernail but I’m not sure about jacking up a two tonne boat” Ha Ha! Anyway after a death defying act changing the tyre we both agreed that a pre departure check should include establishing that the wheels do what they were designed to do and that is to turn. The size of the hole in the stuffed tyre is a testament to that. Not sure whether it took longer to change the tyre or to get bucket loads of Anti Seize off my hands.

Finally got the boat in the water at Dawesville and plotted a course for Toothfish Reef. We had nearly perfect conditions and were making 30 knots+. I said to me Mate “gees your good, I’m impressed that you are doing a zig zag course, is that so no one follows us?”  “Nah just following the compass but it won’t stay still”. So after a crash course on how to read the GPS we made good time.

We tried a spot and this is the first time in months that we haven’t had to use the drogue to slow the drift as we were making half a knot, sensational conditions but the fishing seemed a bit slow.  Me Mate managed a Dhuvenile and that was released successfully, I managed a small Red Snapper. We changed spots a few times and I managed an undersized Baldchin Groper and two bust offs, one of which I suspect was because I was using old terminal tackle. I will be renewing my gear more frequently from now.

 Moved again and I landed a nice looking Queen Snapper, they always seem to have beautiful colours. Things seem a bit slow so we decide to use the Esky instead of the kill tank because it is so much easier to clean at the end of the day.

My Mate has hooked something feisty as it is taking a bit of line and then I’m on as well. He had his close to the surface and I was passing the landing net over so he could land it himself when mine busted off. It turns out he had a Stingray and at the last minute he has wrapped around my line. End result one Stingray released and my fish gone.

On the move again to the inside of Toothfish Reef and I have plonked us on some good ground, it is showing fish on the sounder. The tide is going one way and the light wind is going the other, we seem to be hovering in the right spot. My mate yells he is on and he is calling it for a big one. He lands a nice Dhuie and then the ribbing starts. He is giving it to me when I hook up onto something big, small bursts take line off my reel and I’m impressed. Meanwhile me Mate has got his fish over the side to bleed it in the water. I’ve finally got my fish to the surface and told it like it is. “It’s a bloody big Dhuie”. With that me Mate yells out “Sh*t I’ve dropped it”. I said “what your kidding” and he responds “not the fish, my new Polaroid prescription sunglasses”

I accept full responsibility for the loss of the glasses because if I didn’t catch such a huge Dhufish then me Mates head would of remained swollen enough to retain the glasses.

The Dhuie went 15kg and is a PB and equal boat record, apart from the estimated 20kg monster that we released without landing a couple of months ago.

We now have an issue with the Esky as it is way too small so we end up using the kill tank anyway. What a problem to have. Ya gotta be happy with that for a days fishing on Toothfish Reef.