New PB Dhu 23.35kg

Headed out with a strong easterly behind us and it wasn't too long before a couple of black arse and an 80cm dhu were onboard.

The wind began to settle and I decided to make the most of it and push out to the 70s and search for new ground near where I had recently caught a 16kg dhu.

Heading west at 30 knots thru the 50's where it's usually quite barren in the corner of my eye I spotted a tiny bit of fluff on the furuno. Instantly did a u-turn and sounded up the area.

Nice small lump in 57m of water, no bigger than a car, perfect scenario for perhaps the holy grail that no one has been over or at least managed to spot it at speed.

No fish showing but I don't look for fish, I strongly believe in if you find the ground you will find the fish regardless of whether you can see fish on the sounder or not (unless the spots been flogged of course).

The wind was dropping and variable swinging around making a drift with the sea anchor not ideal and hard to get right. 

I made the call to hold the boat on top of the spot, with my left hand controlling the throttle and my Murasame rod with a saltiga LD40 in my right hand I dropped my bait down. Literally within 30 secs my bait gets hit by a Mack truck and my rod loads up nicely, none of the usual suck and spit and playing with the bait like I find dhuies like to do, this fish nailed the bait and then took off.

I could feel the big paddle tail surges with every run so I was confident I had a big dhu hooked up, took a bit to convince the fish to get off the bottom but once I did I backed the drag right off and let it run as much as it wanted to. It fought all the way up to about 15m from the surface, the water was green so I couldn't see any colour until it was about 5m from the surface, it looked big.

Classic big air bubble purge as it came up, it was a dhu, a big dhu, but was it the magic 20 kegga that I've been trying to catch for many years (previous best dhu was 17.5kg). The fish hit the surface and the first thing that stood out wasn't the length, yeah it was long and over 1m but what stood out was the size of the head, shoulders and girth of the fish.

I looked at my deckie and we both said at the same time that's gotta be 20 surely? Amongst some swear words. Of all days you forget the gopro.

It was a new personal best dhu for me, I had spent so much time on the south coast thinking that's where I would have the best chance of a 20 plus dhu but it turns out it was my own backyard that I would achieve the goal of a 20 plus dhu.

108cm long and weighed 23.35kg. Fish was weighed at the ramp with a small crowd of other fishermen watching including fisheries officers that inspected me, they didn't bother to measure it.

Photos don't do this dhu justice, first stop on the way home was a trip to see my dad, talk about a proud father/son moment.
 

 

Image Upload: 

Posts: 89

Date Joined: 10/11/14

The photo does do it justice

Sun, 2021-04-18 14:14

The photo does do it justice mate what a bloody horse awsome fish 

Faulkner Family's picture

Posts: 17830

Date Joined: 11/03/08

 Awesome effort there. That

Sun, 2021-04-18 14:15

 Awesome effort there. That certainly is a solid fish. That feeling when you see the big ones break the surface can't be put in words. The smile says it All. 

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RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

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Date Joined: 19/06/14

Excellent!.

Sun, 2021-04-18 14:44

Well done on such an epic looking fish. Looks like you've fixed your protein intake for the next month or so. 

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Gav475's picture

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Date Joined: 16/11/11

 Well done.  Absolute slob of

Sun, 2021-04-18 15:25

 Well done.  Absolute slob of a fish.

Brock O's picture

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Date Joined: 11/01/08

That's is a monster....Great

Sun, 2021-04-18 15:56

That's is a monster....Great read, Congrats!!

Chinbald's picture

Posts: 315

Date Joined: 21/02/09

That’s an Impressive Fish

Sun, 2021-04-18 16:03

Well done cracker Dhu 

richie68's picture

Posts: 165

Date Joined: 07/08/11

Awesome fish

Sun, 2021-04-18 17:00

 Fish of a lifetime mate, well done. Sometimes the small lumps hold the best fish. If I may enquire were you metro?

Posts: 308

Date Joined: 28/05/15

 Yeah metro, south of rotto. 

Sun, 2021-04-18 17:46

 Yeah metro, south of rotto. 

sea-kem's picture

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Date Joined: 30/11/09

 Just wow! Well done on

Sun, 2021-04-18 18:01

 Just wow! Well done on taking the punt. 

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Love the West!

Scotte's picture

Posts: 1143

Date Joined: 07/12/06

 Lovely solid fish.Very very

Sun, 2021-04-18 18:54

 Lovely solid fish.

Very very heavy for 1080. Not doubting the weight at all.

Well done

 

Posts: 308

Date Joined: 28/05/15

 I had the same thoughts when

Sun, 2021-04-18 19:13

 I had the same thoughts when the number came up. 
scales were brand new, actually had my deckie drive to the tackle shop to buy them when we retrieved so we could weigh them.

weighed it a second time 10 minutes later at 32.36kg but I went with the lower first reading.

Also checked the scales at home with a 20kg weight plate and it was spot on.

it was seriously fat and healthy. I have seen a 106cm dhu weigh 22kg on certifies scales, sometimes they are just fatties.

but yep, I was just as shocked to see it tip the scales at that based on its length. I have a spreadsheet that I keep dhu weights and lengths just out of interest, when I see someone with a 20kg plus dhu I ask them the length and I record it on my spreadsheet too. They vary so much I have fish on the spreadsheet that weigh the same but have upwards of 10cm difference in length and also the other way round I had a 105cm 17.5kg dhu and my mate had the 106cm 22kg, so much variance, I really enjoy that side of things I find it really interesting.

i have the dhu in my fish bag in a slurry as I have to wait until Friday to get a Japanese Ink print made.

 

Posts: 308

Date Joined: 28/05/15

 You just made me think of

Sun, 2021-04-18 19:45

 You just made me think of something, perhaps I should go check my brag mat and make sure its accurate at all, i will go measure the fish with a tape measure now.

Posts: 308

Date Joined: 28/05/15

 Just got the fish out and

Sun, 2021-04-18 19:56

Just got the fish out and measured using a tape measure 1085mm, tail has a bit of kink to it and possibly constricted/shrunk a little in the slurry overnight. I will check the brag mat tomorrow for accuracy, wouldn't surprise me if it's a cm or two out.

rob90's picture

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Date Joined: 06/02/13

 Epic fish mate.

Sun, 2021-04-18 19:30

 Epic fish mate. Congratulations 

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 Hi my name is rob............. and I'm a........... fishaholic

Livewire's picture

Posts: 264

Date Joined: 25/11/16

 Well done cracking dhu! A

Sun, 2021-04-18 19:56

 Well done cracking dhu! A mate got one 112cm that was 23kg's. But the biggest I've seen  came in at the fish co-opp i use to work in. 24.6kg on a commercial scale, sorry no length on that one, in the same bin was a 18kg pink snapper!

Adam Gallash's picture

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Epic

Sun, 2021-04-18 20:27

 Absolute monster, well done.

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chevaps's picture

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Date Joined: 04/01/13

Aweome fish!  Well done. I'm

Sun, 2021-04-18 20:54

Awesome fish!  Well done.

 

I'm much like you, i will always drop on tiny bits of "Furuno fluff" even if no fish are showing.

I have mates that aren't keen on dropping unless they see the "Furuno blobs".

Each to their own i guess, but in my mind, you aren't always going to catch the fish in the transducer's cone, so it's worth a crack.

Posts: 308

Date Joined: 28/05/15

 Wise man (commercial

Sun, 2021-04-18 21:04

 Wise man (commercial fishermen I worked for) once told me you could have a tonne of fish sitting right on the bottom or amongst the structure and you won't see anything on the sounder.

 

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Date Joined: 05/05/06

One decision, could have

Mon, 2021-04-19 04:40

One decision, could have easily of just decided not to drop! 

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Bend over

Francis's picture

Posts: 326

Date Joined: 17/06/08

What a beast ! Would of given

Mon, 2021-04-19 09:18

What a beast ! Would of given the arms a good work out... also when trying to knock the fillets off that thing. I've always wondered how people go filleting a fish that big !

 

Well done...

johno's picture

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Date Joined: 20/07/08

 Well done, awesome PB!!

Mon, 2021-04-19 10:03

 Well done, awesome PB!! congrats 

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still trying's picture

Posts: 1016

Date Joined: 27/06/17

 What an awesome fish

Mon, 2021-04-19 10:21

 What an awesome fish

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 rather be fishing

Posts: 24

Date Joined: 02/02/21

 Absoloute cracka. That will

Mon, 2021-04-19 12:03

 Absoloute cracka. That will keep a smile on your face for some time to come. 

Hose A's picture

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Date Joined: 10/05/16

 What a monster!!Definitely

Mon, 2021-04-19 12:42

 What a monster!!

Definitely fish of  lifetime, congrats!!!

 

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Cheers John

 

“There's nothing more dangerous as a resourceful idiot”

 

davewillo's picture

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Date Joined: 08/09/16

 What an absolute horse of a

Mon, 2021-04-19 12:38

 What an absolute horse of a dhu! Congrats on a great catch!

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 PGFC member and lure tragic

Posts: 445

Date Joined: 29/04/18

 Epic fish mate

Mon, 2021-04-19 13:27

 Epic fish mate congratulations 

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 Happy dayz 

little johnny's picture

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Date Joined: 04/12/11

Looks every bit

Mon, 2021-04-19 18:48

Of it . I got one years ago 1.150 long . Weighed 22.950 . Yours very solid and fat . Top fish jealous . Be hard one to beat. Well done cracker

Posts: 308

Date Joined: 28/05/15

 I peaked at 37, with any

Mon, 2021-04-19 20:02

 I peaked at 37, with any luck and some good health I'm hoping I can fish into my 70's, so it's all down hill from here! I don't think I will see a fish like this again.

little johnny's picture

Posts: 5320

Date Joined: 04/12/11

I don’t think

Mon, 2021-04-19 22:17

Anyone will see fish like that . Very few and far between now days , I would love to get 25 kg one . That’s my dream . Never happen . Top fish ,

Posts: 89

Date Joined: 20/03/20

 Fuck yeah  monster mate,

Tue, 2021-04-20 06:21

 Fuck yeah  monster mate, congrats.

Let us know what the flesh is like when filleted, as some of the larger models can get a bit course and dry, then some others are fine.

 

Beast, well done

kirky79's picture

Posts: 1349

Date Joined: 13/01/12

Horse

Tue, 2021-04-20 14:37

Amazing catch and a great write up too!
Congrats. 

Tom M's picture

Posts: 662

Date Joined: 22/09/15

 Great recap of the day and

Wed, 2021-04-21 09:04

 Great recap of the day and worth the read. Top fish without a doubt. Recall seeing 1 back in the mid 70's that weighed 55lb caught out from Safety Bay as mentioned would be rare these days.

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Alpha's picture

Posts: 193

Date Joined: 13/02/17

Well done

Wed, 2021-04-21 20:46

 fantastic fish and read. Well done. 

Simo_'s picture

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Date Joined: 13/11/06

 Wow! what a beast!

Wed, 2021-04-21 22:41

 Wow! what a beast!

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Bring on April

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Date Joined: 07/05/12

WOW!!! 

Thu, 2021-04-22 08:47

WOW!!! 

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Honourary Pies member for a while