2 Attachment(s)
RLF bycatch...... BREAM!!!
Hey guys. A bit more from my exploits earlier this year here in Townsville. While floodwater runoff kept the river running and the weirs flowing, the action was nothing short of superb.
Barra were the mainstay of the runoff fishery, with a few nice jacks popping up every now and then. Based on previous runoffs though, I had an inkling that all the bait washed over, and congregating at the Aplins weir wall rocks, would attract a bit more. With flows subsiding one night I made my way out onto the rocks and rigged up my trusty Mira shad. casting across the flow, cranking it deep and twitching it back, I picked up a few barra. However, a couple of hits felt different, and when I hooked up to a mad headshaker that pulled loose, I knew something else was here to play ball.
Changing tactics, I cranked down and slow rolled this time, bumping the tops of the submerged rocks, only pausing slightly to swing the lure before a gentle twitch and another roll. This time the tap and pull felt more solid, and a quick snap of the wrist locked horns with another denizen of the deep. After an energetic fight in the flow, a 30+ yellowfin emerged into the light.
Then the jacks moved in...
Yep, RLF...... only this time, the humiliation was all mine. 12 lb leader, rampaging jacks in current. Owen, who at this point had come down for a look see (more on that later, my newest aquarium resident happened to gobble a squidgy wriggler and I needed to borrow a bucket), decided to sledge me a little, asking where these bream were.
3 casts ensued, 3 hookups to heavy weight, strong rapid headshakes and powerful darting runs. Could only be one thing.... better bream. Not to be: monumental wipeout, straightened jighead and a bitten through loop knot saw all three remain unconverted.
3 more casts, all met with smashing strikes, sizzling powerful runs, then 2 more massive wipeouts and a massive bricking saw jacks crash the party to level the scores. Only a barra was needed to complete the wipeout slam, and 2 casts later the wriggler was inhaled by a 70+ fish, which immediately went airborne and busted the leader like spider silk.
WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!! AHAHAHHAHAAH!
Did manage to land a few. The atomic shads were worth their weight in gold, slow rolled across current brought a couple red devils to hand, as well as a nice spunky little barra.