10.04kg Snub Nosed Dart!!

[ActiveAngler]

Hi Guys,

From my trip to Tassie my scottish grandad provided me with a news article from back in 1993, which was from the Innisfail Advocate. To my suprise, it was of my 10.04kg Potential Junior World Record Snub Nosed Dart that I caught at the Johnstone River, Innsfail at a place called (and excuse the spelling here), Reckavichies Hole. A nice rocky backwater that would always have been people fishing this particular location.

I was fishing the Festival Tournament with my cousin, Kylie and our good friend Chris (who you can see in the pic), and we had caught a few healthy bream. I tied on a small packet prawn on a bronze bait keeper hook with a ugly stick rod and a Abu Garcia overhead reel and 6kg line. Casted the smelly 4cm prawn out to where I had been casting, and as it was drifting down and 30 seconds later, line was still running from my reel with no noticeable increase in spool speed. I decided to lock up and holy sh1t, the reel screamed off!!!

The unknown something, as we had no idea what it was, took us in circling motion, down the river, past other competitors, and had peopel shouting out "what have you hooked" and we literally had no idea.

At one stage, the fish came up and we saw a tail and called it SHARK!!! With Chris having the knife only centrimetres away from the line, ready to cut the line, I decided to fight the SHARK!!

As it got closer and closer, up she came!! We all shouted 'What is it"!! As Chris gaffed the fish, in she came, 10.04kg of SOMETHING!! 45 minutes of circular battle - bliss!!

We took the hook out which snapped in half only seconds after gaffing the fish, we then put the fish at the back of the boat under a prawn box. (You know the bright orange plastic containers).

Taking it too weigh in, people couldnt believe what amatuers produced from our little tinnie and from the well fished, Johnstone River.

Now this is where it got very interesting!! I managed to clean up Junior Angler and the fish was a potential World Record, however, the committee was as helpful as asking a broke person for money. They just were not interested. We were also accused by the committee of netting the fish as the prawn container left like a X shaping over the head of the fish. So we had to get other competitors to prove they saw us fighting the fish. With all that doubt casted over us, we missed out on champion angler and champion team and the head of the committee won the comp with two 1kg bream!! Explain that.........

But with the article being presented my from old grandad, it was a blast from the past.

I have contained the article for you viewing, for those who are keen to see a big kick ass Snub Nosed Dart.

Cheers - Ben

[Beevor]

Ben Holder the champion junior angler of the competition proudly holds his winning fish, a 10.04kg Snub Nosed Dart

Jeez, you looked a lot older back then

Nice fish mate - Have you caught one since?

Are they more commonly known as Permit nowadays? Or are they a slightly different species?

[ActiveAngler]

LOL - thanks Beevs - I will remember that one

I have caught 2 more back in 2001 fishing in Silver Sands, north of Lakefield National Park. But a lot smaller.

You are spot on, more commonly known as Permit, but also known as Snub Nose Dart of Oyster Crackers.

They also classify the Snub Nose Dart as a Pelagic species. - would you believe.

The only similar fish to a Permit is a Swallowtail Dart.

Cheers - Ben

[adidaspeteman]

Thats a stonka Permit mate, what a memory that would be for you.

[vanurose]

What an amazing story. I enjoyed reading it a lot. Oh, what a wonderful memory you must have of that eventful day. I am so glad that it is all recorded for posterity in black and white. You will be able to show your grandchildren one day too.
Thanks for sharing this great story to us all.
Cheers
Rose