A great morning on the Snapper

[Downunder_Sthn_Ferreter 16]

Hi all,

 

Finally got out amongst the Snapper this morning here on Port Phillip Bay,

Melbourne.

 

Tad breezy this morn & a fair bit of seafog about.

Very busy out there boat wise as a few comps are being run this weekend.

It's Melbourne Cup weekend here, & as theres a good head of fish in the bay at this time

of year plus most people having a long weekend because of the horse race Tuesday.

 

It's one busy stretch of water.

Still the fish are about in great numbers.

We did two drops on anchor before finding this handsome fella

that went 14lb.

Great fish to find in amongst a lot of 4 or 5lb schoolies.

 

See how it dwarfs the smaller models below in this pic.

 

We had to work for our catch with a final drop out deep in 21meters in an area

i frequent when things are slower in closer.

Once the moon bite time kicked in a couple of hours into the run in tide,

things picked up, with multiple rod hits and plenty of smiles all round for the crew.

Constant handfull's of cubed up pilchard & other assorted old bait were liberally thrown

over to keep things interested by the red brigade below.

As Port Phillip Bay is fairly low in strong current in the areas we fish often,

the cubing berley effect works REALLY REALLY GOOD

 

Here's a pic of the vessel i was in charge of today.

Owned by a good friend,

Its a lovely sea going tough comfortable rig.

 

In total we had 16 Snapper ranging in size from 3lb up to the best fish at 14lb.

Quality day on the water, when reports were very obvious that a lot of others struggled,

including some charterboat operators.

I actually had good friend Matt Hunt , (Rex Hunts son) ring me as he had it a we bit slower

where he was.

 

I sent him the gps numbers to the area we were fishing.

Haven't spoken to him this eve to see how he faired.

He had already nailed 5 good fish for his charter earlier

on when i had trouble locating decent schools on the sounder.

 

These fish do eat well particulary if filleted then sliced down to fish & chip style pieces.

Coated in either a favourite batter or breadcrumbs and herbs, they come up a treat.

Alternatively they are often seen at BBQ'S as a centre piece.

 

Fish of over 10lb lend themselves well to this as they do

have a stronger flavour than the smaller 3 to 8lb fish.

Cooked whole on BBQ wrapped in foil with a few slices in flesh prior to cooking &

a liberal rub of Lemon juice & a little salt & pepper,

perhaps a bit of garlic & sliced tomato's....they come up pretty good...

 

Easy to serve, just open the foil & say FISH IS READY...

Have a fork and plate ready for each person...

then dig in..

 

All in all it was a great return to the bay i have grown up on &

worked on for quite a few years.

Its been near 5 months since my last trip out, so

it was good therapy.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Shaun

[ginga john 268]

Oh how the other half live !, in england its pissing of rain and cold, and i fished the bristol channel last week and caught 6 whiting in 4 hours, the biggest was 9 ounces.

And the little boat is a cracker too, well done and good luck

[Guest ROUGH COATED]

Good write up shaun would love to come to australia and do some fishing and hunting ,sounds like you had a good day anyway all the best in your fishing ROUGH COATED

[Guest dances]

congrats mate

[Downunder_Sthn_Ferreter 16]

Oh how the other half live !, in england its pissing of rain and cold, and i fished the bristol channel last week and caught 6 whiting in 4 hours, the biggest was 9 ounces.

And the little boat is a cracker too, well done and good luck

 

 

Did someone mention Whiting

 

Here's a pic of an average few hours on the tide from now until

July almost next year if you know your spots

 

These are King George Whiting.

These fish are around the 38 through 48 cm range, weighing in at between 450 to 750 grams...

They really put a rattle in the rods we use for them..

 

& taste about as good as a fish could.

 

Come Easter time here and you will pay $48.00 per kilo for boneless fillets...

 

lol i can catch 3 times that amount in price for under $20

 

Cheers,

 

Shaun

 

P.S..

If any of you are ever heading to Melbourne.

I Can help with putting you onto fish in both saltwater & freshwater.

Have fished english coarse style methods since i was 14.

Came 3rd in the Australian National Championships way back in 1991.

 

Cheers,

 

Shaun