50nm offshore

[re-tyred]

The weather forecast was as near to perfect as you could ever get for eastern bass strait, for the weekend. Saturday I was busy with coast guard meetings, but today was clear. We launched at 4.30 am and crossed a flat calm bar in the dark. Setup a waypoint out in the deep about 10nm east of the kingfish oil rigs. Plotter said 49nm mile to go. Told the autopilot to take us there and got the thermos out to make coffee. It was as flat as the lake. Two hours and a lot of chat and another coffee. Glorious sunshine and a flat calm sea. We were just on the edge of the shipping lanes. Plenty of container ships and car Carriers passed a mile or two south of us. We decided to start in 250mtrs to see if we could get a Harpooka. A few little bites but not much. 15 minutes to wind it in. A small spurdog shark was it. Moved out to 400mtrs and sent em down again. Half hour not much. 25minute wind up and getting the daily work out. Zip. Ok out to the real deep for some Ling. Stopped in 610 MTRS and down they went.
10 minutes to hit bottom. Almost immediately a little boing boing. Hmm I reckon that was a bite. Gave it a bit of slack. A bit more faint activity. Looks like time to wind it up. Ate a chocolate biscuit. Limbered up, and started cranking. A lot of weight. Cranking cranking, starting to sweat. 10 minutes the reel is about half full, still plenty of weight. 25 minutes and the leader, a bit of colour then up pops a meter long Ling. Phewy. Bait up, drop it over it heads down. Make a cup of tea, by the time I am sipping tea the line stops going out. Meanwhile my mate has wound his in for a good sized Ling. Three drops later, cups of tea, party pies, more biscuits, more sweating and there are six Ling in the esky. It is full. Probably 40kg of fish. We spent the rest of the awesome day , trying for a swordfish and some blue eye trevally, without success. 50nm back home and crossed a still flat calm bar at 5pm.
Fish pics tomorrow.

[denis barden]

Good weather makes a good day
Well done

[Elmer Stratty]

Cracking weather this weekend...hopefully a sign of things to come this winter.

Great write up again Retyred

[Lightningx]

Sounds like a top day out in the deep!
Waiting to see the pics of the fish
Cheers

[re-tyred]

A few good feeds in these.

[Kimtown]

Very nice work!

What rig and baits were effective for the ling?

[re-tyred]

Heavy paternoster. 12/0 Circle hooks 150lb mono with flashing lights and glow in the dark squid on the eye of the hook. Mainline is 40kg braid. About 1500mtrs of it on a big game real.
Bait. Squid plus left over whiting frames. Fill the hooks with as many baits as you can fit. Its a big deal to pull it up after one bite.

[Kimtown]

Heavy paternoster. 12/0 Circle hooks 150lb mono with flashing lights and glow in the dark squid on the eye of the hook. Mainline is 40kg braid. About 1500mtrs of it on a big game real.
Bait. Squid plus left over whiting frames. Fill the hooks with as many baits as you can fit. Its a big deal to pull it up after one bite.

Thanks mate!

No electric reels for you?

[re-tyred]

Heavy paternoster. 12/0 Circle hooks 150lb mono with flashing lights and glow in the dark squid on the eye of the hook. Mainline is 40kg braid. About 1500mtrs of it on a big game real.
Bait. Squid plus left over whiting frames. Fill the hooks with as many baits as you can fit. Its a big deal to pull it up after one bite.

Thanks mate!

No electric reels for you?

Nah we are all body builders