Marlin on SP. 22Nov15

TR by sunshiner


Wind: calm early, but SE over 10 knots from about 7:30am
Swell: about 1m ENE
Water temp: 24.4°C
Tides: High 04:51am (1.66m); Low 10:54am (0.50m)
Current: None detected at Jew Shoal
Launch point: Middle Groyne
Surface action: None seen
Participants: diesel, tunny, redwood, beejay, scottyD, sunshiner
My trip distance: 11.5km
Redmap: No sightings provided
Keen Angler Program: No donations today, as far as I know.

While last night we had a yak fisher's ideal forecast for today, the reality at 3:00am was somewhat different, with an unforecast 25 knot SE appearing on the Live Weather down at Cape Moreton, and spreading to Maroochy airport by 4:00am. Meanwhile, at the proposed launch point the air was still. After some discussion on the beach we all agreed that we should launch but keep a weather eye open for the first signs of the strong SE should it reach as far as Noosa.

Jew Shoal was the preferred fishing location because it would allow us to easily find shelter behind Noosa Head from the strong SE wind should it eventuate.

Sea conditions were near perfect, but baitfish were scarce and this probably was the reason why none of us was getting fishy action. I tried trolling my HLP for a while and then reverted to using SPs, working through my favourite haunts in anti-clockwise sequence around the shoal. Zip, zilch, nothing! Same for everyone else, it seemed.

By 06:15 I had arrived at an easterly mark which showed no more promise (on the sonar) than anywhere else I'd tried today. Here my cast SP attracted a small squid (a first for me at Noosa) which hung on just long enough to give me a water squirt in the face just as he headed back to the depths.

Having no more ideas, I stayed put, drifting very slowly toward the west in response to a light easterly which had arrived. I was fishing in my usual way, in 20m depth, with my trailing outfit hanging down around 10m, while casting ahead with a lighter SP.

An identical copy of the 5 inch SP which was hanging out the back, 10m down on my trailing outfit. This lure had caught a couple of snapper in the past, including one nice specimen very recently and I fancy it might be big enough and visible enough to attract a longtail one day. 'Nuff said.

My GoPro was running continuously, in its usual position, secured to the end of a (leashed) suction cup post just on the starboard side, forward of the footwell. This is a position which allows me to stretch-reach the camera from my seat (presuming I have a spare hand of course). I'd just cleaned the lens, as is my habit, removing droplets of water and miscellaneous salty streaks which inevitably accumulate on the case.

All was quiet, but I didn't notice that the trailing outfit was attracting some interest. The GoPro did, though, as you'll see if you watch the movie. Eventually my peripheral vision told me that something was not quite right. We're in 20m depth but the trailing outfit rod has a bend in it. I picked up the rod and noticed that there was in fact something moving, albeit sluggishly, at the end of the line. Turtle? Large squid? Whatever; I clear the decks for action, retrieving and getting ready to stow the casting outfit, just in case. Whatever it was stayed down when I applied gentle pressure, but angled slowly up toward the surface. If I recall correctly no extra line had been taken from the spool, I still had around a max of say 12m of line out. Now the critter was coming up slowly toward the surface. Now there was a bit of surface splashing around 12m away, just to my right front. Now all hell broke loose as a baby black marlin leapt high into the air at that spot and crashed back with a loud slap. It jumped and jumped again and again, and one jump was fully caught on the GoPro.

This jump features in the movie (embedded below) so go on, take a look, and please subscribe if you like it.

There was no fierce run on the lightly set drag, but clearly some line went out. The fish was still within 10-15m of the yak, mainly out the front right, where the camera couldn't see it. The bill of a marlin is bloody fiercesome up front, especially when it's rocketing out of the water only a couple of metres away. And then it popped up right next to my starboard bow and jumped and jumped again, coming closer to me and actually brushing the glass as it went. The GoPro shows my reaction as the marlin crashed down on the deck of my Supalite, just where the fish hatch hinge is, temporarily disabling the camera by swivelling the base so that the lens pointed down into the front of the footwell. I really thought that I might be speared and took defensive action to fend the fish off (as you'll see on the movie). At this stage we parted company as the line had wrapped around the rod tip and the knot to the lure gave out as the marlin dropped back into the sea and swam off. Phew! So glad I had my GoPro running and also glad that I'd let my fellow fishos know early in the tussle, that I had a marlin on. Several of them saw the fish leaping around near my yak.

Movie, two minutes. Please subscribe to my channel if you enjoy it.

I'm not sorry the marlin escaped and feel privileged to have experienced this close and spectacular encounter. It's a hell of a buzz, I can tell you. And if you come to visit me at some future time when I'm old and feeble and unable to paddle offshore make sure you ask me to tell you the story of the first marlin I hooked from my yak. It'll make my day!

Soon afterward the wind picked up and we all headed home, fishless. But we now know what's possible out there at Jew Shoal, right now. So what's stopping you? See you next time.

Kev Long
Sunshiner
Author Kayak Fishing Manual for iPhone, iPad and Mac (click linked text to view)
Stealth Supalite X, yellow/orange
FREE iBook "Kayak Fishing Laguna Bay & Jew Shoal" for iPhone, iPad and Mac