YFT hooked and lost, 23Nov07

From: "kevin long"
Subject: Quick report on today's trip -- 23Nov07
Date: Friday, 23 November 2007 2:22 PM

Hi guys

Stated mission for today's operation not accomplished, unfortunately, but please read on. Beanie joined Harvey and me and we launched without drama at about 0530, all using the channel on the western side of the groyne. The swell was med-low and there was no significant wind. Once outside, I paused to set up GPS and casting outfit, while my companions paddled off in the general direction of JS. Once ready, I opted to troll a hard bodied plastic lure and set off for JS Centre.

6am, two km short of JS, and still a long way behind Beanie and Harv, I got a solid strike and hookup on the trolled lure. I took the weight and judged it to be a tuna and settled down for a long fight as these guys can give out a fair bit of curry. To my surprise, after only a 5-10min fight I clearly had gained the upper hand, despite being towed 100 or so metres back toward my launch point. Shortly afterward, I had a magnificent 10 kilo plus yellowfin tuna relatively under control and readied the gaff for the coup-de-grace. On its first pass at surface level close to the yak I could see that the fish, which was glowing silver, yellow and dark blue in the early morning light, was secured in the upper jaw by the tail treble of the lure. Second pass and the fish was all but beaten, but I could see that his capture was going to provide me with a dilemma, because there was no way this fish was going to comfortably fit into my fish box and so for my planned 2-hour snapper session it would have to share the cockpit with me. Also in consideration was the extra weight, another 10kg plus, which I'd have to drag around. Never mind -- I decided to take him because I'd never caught a yellowfin tuna from the yak, and Mal Price has, and they are very good eating. Here he is, on the port side of the yak and I have the gaff in my right hand. I line up the gaff shot and before I could sink its deadly point into its shoulder, my yellowfin gave one simple flip and the hook pulled out and he gained his freedom.

And so I eventually arrived at JS, and, having elected to start a drift from the NW edge, 300m or so out, was joined by Beanie and Harv at about 0630. I threw out the drogue, picked up my snapper casting outfit, and with my first cast demonstrated to Beanie how far to cast. Within less than a minute of the jig in this first cast hitting the water I came up tight on a nice fish which started to take line off the spool against the steady drag. I called it for a snapper, which it almost certainly was, but I didn't find out because after another 30 secs the hook pulled out -- on a brand new, needle-sharp jig. Fish 2, Kev 0.

Conditions were glassy today and there was a fair bit of Trichodesmium around, the usual turtles, as well as the odd school of small mackerel tuna causing havoc among the baitfish schools hanging over the reef. Despite all of my efforts, I couldn't raise a decent snapper - got one or two small reefies and a small snapper (all released). Harvey got a small grass sweetlip which he released, or perhaps it released itself. We left at about 0920 and were back on the beach shortly after 1000, all coming in on the small surf again, west of the groyne, dodging swimmers and surfers as we approached the beach, more or less in control.

This is the first in about ten sessions in a row where I've failed to bring a keeper home from JS. All other occasions were in conditions where there was a reasonable breeze, and therefore a good drift, and perhaps this was the reason for the paucity of fish.

When are we going again, Jaro? I hope Harvey and Beanie are not discouraged, for they will catch snapper if they keep trying.

Kev
Red & Yellow Espri (nice and clean today)