Silver Bullets & Green Machines

[Member]

SILVER BULLETS & GREEN MACHINES

In the light of the recent rains we have been experiencing across our very wet summer this year, turning the upper reaches of our tidal estuaries where I tend to chase Wild Bass in fresh water to a somewhat dirty muddy colour quite regularly making it hard to find actively feeding fish. It has been a blessing in disguise as it has forced me to search for other locations further away from my home base of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, chartering unknown ground and what an experience it has been.
 
Accompanied by Ben, Nath and Shaun on recent trips we have come across some good Bass, all reasonably healthy, some with lesions, some without, with most of them averaging around that 35cm to 40cm mark. A couple of weeks back Shaun caught and released quite a nice fish after casting at some awesome laydown structure which looked to have been around the 45cm mark. Most of the fish have been caught on surface, even during the day with the sun well and truly overhead.

Today I decided to venture to this area again after a late start, by 6am I was on the water and after the past few days of light scattered rain in this catchment, the water level had noticeably risen since I’ve been there from past trips. Before I launch, I have got into a habit of casting a few lures at some likely structure that looks pretty fishy in this area. On my fifth cast at an eddy on the other side of the river I had a hit from a fish as my surface lure landed on the water, saw a big tail swirl and paused the lure, another hit, no hook up, gave the rod a few twitches and wack, with drag screaming and the way it hit the lure I was elated to finally see that I had my first Mary River Cod on the end of the line after pulling it away from some underlying snags.

Mary River Cod are an endangered species, should not be targeted and if caught as by catch should immediately be placed straight back as close as possible from where you caught the fish. Heavy penalties apply if you are in possession of these endangered fish.

I ventured further upstream hoping that the Bass would play the game and as it turned out, they were playing tough to get. After about two and a half hours of casting my River 2 Sea Gripp Crank 55 I finally got rewarded, a series of trade mark hits from a less than committed Bass, one after the next, about half a dozen in total as I retrieved it slowly back to the yak, no hook up. Next cast I banged one in closer and my lure got smashed as an explosion of water erupted on the surface. I fought the fish all the way yak side only to lose it as I went to comfort lift the fish. Next snag which was the last before I decided to pull the pin at this location, I had one last cast which resulted in a Bass hitting the lure real hard like they do when they are aggressively feeding, only problem was that there was a set of rapids just downstream of where I was playing the fish. After some fun and games I managed to finally land a healthy 37cm Bass, took a few piccy’s and released it above the rapids.

I loaded the yak back up on the Ute and headed to another location where in previous weeks we have had some action from some very aggressive Bass. Heading down the first lot of rapids I realised that there was plenty of water running through this skinnier water which made it awkward to cast at the one spot, time again. Becoming overly frustrated with the current I headed further downstream where I came across some likely snags that just screamed fish.

The turn of events that happened next, I don’t know whether it was luck or aquired knowledge, but the memories will live with me forever, it was a pretty special moment. I lined my kayak up purposely perpendicular to this maze of a lay down tree. First cast, lure lands where I wanted it to, bale arm goes over, one twitch and my lure gets mauled, an explosion of water then erupts in front of me and my guess was it wasn’t a Bass. It pulled me and the kayak straight into its logged jammed home. Nothing would stop it, with my legs either side of the kayak to slow it down I instantly high sticked my rod to avoid it rubbing on the front of my kayak and tightened the drag up as quickly as possible. By keeping my rod high, I was trying to keep the fish on the surface and avoiding it to head deeper into the unknown, all the while thinking will my knots hold, don’t pull the hooks and keep the fish away from the timber. Adrenaline had kicked wright in, my heart was pumping out of my chest, yet trying to keep a cool head, at this stage thinking the only way out of this was to put the butt of my rod in my mouth and try to paddle away from the snag which would give me some distance between the fish and the lay down. Next thing I know it pulled harder straight back into the timber, almost pulling my teeth out of the cork. With rod back in one hand and the other struggling to paddle against the current I was beginning to tire the fish getting it out in some open water with a short lead.

I look around only to find that there weren’t too many places to retrieve my lure from its bucket mouth and safely release this fish as the current was too strong constantly taking me closer to other snags. I came to the conclusion that if I could get this fish close to a sandy beach further downstream about 30metres away I could stand up and release her without a lure in its mouth. With the current quickly getting us there I still had to steer her away from some sub surface structure. Finally I could rest at ease knowing I had her exactly where I wanted to be, as I got off the kayak she decided to take one last ditch effort to freedom after an explosive run in about six inches of water catching my leader on her gill raker only to hear the line go ping and feel my line go slack, time almost stopped. I quickly reacted knowing she still had the lure in her mouth, I could still see her in the shallows in front of me. I dropped to my knees immediately and put my thumb straight into her mouth getting hooked by one of the stray trebles of the lure which was a very small price to pay for what was a priceless experience.

She never left the water as I finally got the lure out of her mouth, I took some photos, swam her back upstream a little way and released her very strong and healthy where she belonged. Her approximate length was about 75cm to 80cm and I caught her on 10lb Tuf Line using a 12lb mono leader.

This would have to be one of my fishing highlights, one experience, I’m sure I’ll never forget.

Cheers Dave

[Member]

Fitzy if you feel that this report is detrimental to the MRC, please pull it from the site.

Cheers Dave

[Member]

Mate i thought i was on a winner for this months prize but i think you just blew me outa the water !

Awesome report very descriptive and intense read and amazing by catch fish !!!

been having oodles of luck with 3 bass pushing 40 on a black jitterbug just yesty arvo but you still outfished that !

Great stuff mate

Steve

[Member]

Great stuff Steve,

I just enjoy sharing what knowledge I gain from these experiences and from what others have passed onto me. This is how we can all grow to better ourselves when we have a rod in our hands.

Congratulations on those Bass you caught too, those black Jitterbugs are deadly hey!

[Member]

Next time you go past this way give me a yell ill show you my yakking creek, learn allot fishing with different blokes 

Did the MRC tire allot or did they still have plenty of gusty left in them? Really suprised you managed to snag them i havent heard of anyone having luck with murry cod lately.

Steve

[Member]

TOP work on the green fish dave   ! it is my everest that one and one im determined to achieve, well done on yours mate! 

[Member]

Next time you go past this way give me a yell ill show you my yakking creek, learn allot fishing with different blokes 

Did the MRC tire allot or did they still have plenty of gusty left in them? Really suprised you managed to snag them i havent heard of anyone having luck with murry cod lately.

Steve

Steve,

It never really tired that much and was still pretty green even when I got her in the shallows.

Cheers for the offer too mate, offer is reciprocated.

[Member]

Awesome work Dave and definately one to file away in the memory banks!
Wonderfully descriptive edge-of -the-seat reading too.

Thanks.
 

[Member]

Well done Dave, top read & some beautiful fish

Cheers Andrew

[Member]

Nice one Dave, I think you pretty much captured the ethos of freshwater fishing with that story. I'll bet you can still feel that fish on the line still. I'd hate to think of someone with fewer scruples hooking those Cod. Great read.
John

[Member]

Ripping yarn Dave, was there

[Member]

Good stuff Dave nothing like a good successful day on the water where ever it is well done on the MRC I've only ever caught one and I remember it like it was yesterday[back in 95] down your way when I live there about 9pm one night on a top prop lure.Great fish and deserve the protection they have they were stocked in Baroon pocket years ago but not sure who is stocking the dam now days.

Paul

[Member]

Thanks for your kind words everyone, yep, I reckon this one I will remember like yesterday in years to come too, Paul.

Your right, they do deserve the protection that's in place. I don't know about the stocking of Baroon Pocket Dam, however I do know that the Ewen Maddock Fish Management have a permit to stock MRC. Only problem is finding available stock. I don't know why DEEDI are restricting commercial hatcheries to be able to breed these iconic fish, especially with them being so endangered?

The stocking group of Ewen Maddock Dam made a conservative effort to source fingerlings of the MRC this year but were unsuccessful. The only known commercial hatchery operator that I know of now who can legally breed the MRC is Russel Manning from up at Cooroy. I had quite a lengthy chat to Russell before Christmas last year and have ordered some Cod for next years release. EMFMI have a management plan in place where by we are able to stock 500 MRC fingerlings per year.

It would be great to see there population grow in the wild to a point where they would be no longer endangered and get the respect they so rightly deserve.

[Member]

Nice one Dave, some awesome fish there

[Member]

Thanks for your kind words everyone, yep, I reckon this one I will remember like yesterday in years to come too, Paul.

Your right, they do deserve the protection that's in place. I don't know about the stocking of Baroon Pocket Dam, however I do know that the Ewen Maddock Fish Management have a permit to stock MRC. Only problem is finding available stock. I don't know why DEEDI are restricting commercial hatcheries to be able to breed these iconic fish, especially with them being so endangered?

The stocking group of Ewen Maddock Dam made a conservative effort to source fingerlings of the MRC this year but were unsuccessful. The only known commercial hatchery operator that I know of now who can legally breed the MRC is Russel Manning from up at Cooroy. I had quite a lengthy chat to Russell before Christmas last year and have ordered some Cod for next years release. EMFMI have a management plan in place where by we are able to stock 500 MRC fingerlings per year.

It would be great to see there population grow in the wild to a point where they would be no longer endangered and get the respect they so rightly deserve.

I know in NPD there have been releases over the period of time stocking has been going on.  The fish stocking programs page on our website(http://www.prfma.com.au/fishstocking.html) shows the number released since stocking began.  There haven't been huge numbers released and there are large sections of NPD there are off limits to fishing.  I don't have the exact figures but I know there has only been a small number captured.  Not sure how the react or like dam life considering the seem to like laydown type structure and that sort of thing.

In any event fantastic report and ripper trip there Bracey.