Port melb pinkies on a yak

[Sebb]

Saturday May 16, 10am-3pm.
Weather : 5-17 degrees sunny
Wind : 15-25kmh north wind
Moon : 32% waning crescent
Barometer : 1030 steady
Tide : high 8:45am
Water temp : 14.3° C. Couple degrees warmer than Campbell's cove on Fri.
Lure : gulp nemesis 4 inch and 5 inch shad nuclear chicken. Zman slim swimz bad shad. 1/8 jig head 1/0
Gear : 2-4 kg rod, 2500 reel, 10lb braid, 10lb fluorocarbon leader

Dropped missus at work then straight to port melb.
Got on the water 10am, turned on the sounder and saw a school of fish, undersized pinkie on first cast, and another on second cast.

Must be a school of small pinkies in 5m water, so I moved a bit and another school on the sounder, another cast and caught a snotty trevally. Never caught this species before and yet I caught one yesterday and one today. Weird.
So decided to go straight to the wooden pylons, spoke to another kayak fisho that caught a 42cm and his mate caught a 45cm and 46cm early in the morning. I was late I thought.

Moved around a bit casting around while struggling against the drift (25kmh north wind). The kayak was spinning and knocking the pylons (forgot my clip anchor).
So decided to be outside the wooden pylon maze and cast into them instead. Let the plastic to the bottom, hop hop in 8-10m water.

Tap tap tap bang! Bbzzzttt! Then another! And another!
Quiet a bit then another!

The bite was very delicate and subtle. But thank you to my now favourite rod, the Black Label detected the bite easily.
The Caldia LT 2500 was more than capable. The rod has serious power on the butt.

The challenge was to pull the fish out. Those pylons with mussels on them are very sharp. Setting the right drag is critical. Too loose and the fish can dance around the pylons, too tight makes more tension and will cut the braid even quicker.
I dont usually play hard with heavy drag, but today I had to. Took a while to finally got the right drag. Enough to tire the fish without too much tension to cut the braid on the pylons and not letting the fish dance around.

Hooked a lot, dropped a few, lost some due to line cut, released some, took 5 home. That biggest one is 40cm. Mostly on nemesis 4 inch nuclear chicken.

Also caught a 39cm flathead that I gave away to an old man on his old boat fishing solo. He was looking at me catching so I offered him the flathead that he took happily.

Note: when I was fighting the 40cm, I thought I was going to lose it. Was a complete mayhem. Was setting another rod, got hit, so the other rod was on the way, and the fish went to around 7 pylons, the kayak drifted and dragged, knocked around. Almost broke the other rod.
I could feel the fish was still on and the line was rubbing on pylons (amazing rod, can't stop praising this black label rod).
Being on native watercraft, I could instant reverse, away from the pylons and lucky the fish went out of the pylon maze too!

What a day... now I'm beat but will sleep like a baby.

[denis barden]

Top report Top fish

[davek]

Nice fish, Seb, good day out, cheers davo

[happyfriggincamper]

Damn mate - great day and report!

[Tim399]

Great result and write up seb, already planning on heading to the same location for the first time with a few mates this afternoon.

[Lightningx]

Very nice Seb!
Some nice size pinkies there.
Great morning on the water.
Cheers

[Seniorfisho]

Well done Seb, I think you could have provided a bit more info, lol

[Sebb]

Damn mate - great day and report!

Get a kayak! Now! And we go kayak fishing

Great result and write up seb, already planning on heading to the same location for the first time with a few mates this afternoon.

Good luck!
Just drove past it, few kayaks and boats.

Well done Seb, I think you could have provided a bit more info, lol

[purple5ive]

Nice work. Glad your enjoying the new rod.
Those pylons are getting hammered, must be holding some good fish atm.

[Tim399]

Damn mate - great day and report!

Get a kayak! Now! And we go kayak fishing

Great result and write up seb, already planning on heading to the same location for the first time with a few mates this afternoon.

Good luck!
Just drove past it, few kayaks and boats.

Well done Seb, I think you could have provided a bit more info, lol

I am expecting there to be a few yaks out given the ripper day it is. We are going for more of a social catch up, our little group usually goes either fly or kayak fishing every few weeks, will be a bonus if we get to land some fish