Date: 24 March 2014
Wind: ESE less than 5 knots
Swell: .75m E
Launch Point: MG
Participants: Corie,Jimbo,Pedro,Doctor Dog
I arrived at MG car park at 5.30 am to find Corie and Pedro already on the water and Jimbo about to launch. There was some discussion about the increasing swell but Jimbo assured me the launch looked "doable" as far as he could see in the half dark. The breeze was very light from the ESE.
I took a little time with my preparations this morning as I have developed some lower back pain during recent adventures on the yak - a few minutes of stretching exercises delayed me a little but I was on the water at 6.00 am and started trolling towards LH Reef shortly after.
I had 2 trolling outfits and a slug caster at the ready. One trolling rod was armed with a Halco Laser Pro HB and the other with a Pilchard on an easy troll lead head gang of 3 x 6/0 hooks with swivels between the hooks.
I only deployed the later outfit once past the river mouth as I wanted to avoid the small sharks that are often about close in.
I had not reached LH when the trolled pilchard outfit - a big baitrunner overloaded with 50 lb mono on a Shimano 2 piece rod - went off with a very fast heavy fish heading east in a blistering run against a moderate drag. There were no birds working or bust-ups evident when the fish initially hit but soon afterwards there was action all round Laguna Bay but I was the only one hooked up.
By radio I let the Noosa Yakkers know I was hooked up and there was action aplenty all-round but it seemed they were all around in A - Bay.
I had sight of the fish after 15 mins and was fairly confident in calling it for a Longtail Tuna but then it settled in for it's classic dogged circling fight and refused to come to the gaff for another hour. My misplaced gaff shot ( into the cheek plate) barely held long enough for me to get the fish aboard when the hooks fell from the tuna's mouth.
The surface splashes and bird flocks had dropped off by this time and both Corie and Pedro had returned from the outer bays only to be disappointed by the inactivity.
I returned to MG for a safe passage back to the beach inspite of the increasing swell.
Eyetag was on station to record my return to the beach only to be disappointed when I stayed upright. His healing biceps injury is twitching to get back on the yak but will keep him off the water for another month at least.
The bathing beauties came from the shorter set to check out the fish.
Thanks for the company guys - Pedro was still out there fishless at last radio report - Jimbo had a small shark and Corie too was fishless today.
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