Nice one Jonny!!
Well bread has done it for me yet again, after I don't know how long with not a lot of fish I decided that since the tide was bang on for a spot of mulleting off the back of Salerie (about 2 hours down) I should get the stinky old shirvy out and have a go.
Not much to start with but I son had a wobbly little bite which I hit into, I was promptly hit back and the line took off, rod arched over, OH YES!!, for about 3 seconds. Bum.
No worry, back to it and about 4 drifts later I hit another bite and into a fish, not the same weight as the first one and went for cover almost straight away so down the rocks on my bum, net in hand, managed to coax it out of the rocks. Not a mullet, pollacks...
Sorted him out, back in the water, re-bait, cast out...
About a minute into the drift, bang floats gone again, not a pollack this time I think to myself, the reel sings a little and the fish goes deep, can't see it, then he goes for cover (again) and down the rocks on me bum (again), heaved it out of the rocks and it came to the surface without much fight. Not a mullet... Again... Bum.
So... Back to it, there has to be one in the murk somewhere...
About a dozen drifts later and this looks better, bit further out, the float bobs twice and shoots under, strike and this certainly wasn't a rockie!! The reel screamed as something large hurtled off across the entrance of the marina and didn't want to stop. Then, my worst nightmare... I could hear a boat coming, wouldn't normally be an issue, but the tide board was reading 1.3m and the fish was about 40 yards away near the surface. Arrrrgggggg.....
Tried my best to make some line on him and he was determined to just charge about the place, line screeching off the reel (and I now work a much tighter drag than I used to for those who will say something), the boat was now in sight, I had to do it, tightened the drag right up with the fighting drag lever (Shimano 3000 Match reel) and against all that I normally do with mullet, stuck my finger on the spool to stop it turning, pumped him back through the water very ungraciously, the line felt like it was going to break, only had a 5lb trace on.
Managed to get him close enough and the boat driver, seeing me with rod arched as far as it would go, kindly took a slightly wider line and I was clear, Phew!! I could now back down a little and let the fish run a little, an incredible fight, much more than I've ever had before, he was screaming line off constantly but my worry about further boats (as this state of tide tends to be busiest) had me tighten the drag right down again and bully him in really straining the line and rod locked over.
Eventually i saw him and with the fight and weight, thought he must be a qualifier, or even a PB (which is 4-15).
Got him in the net with not too much trouble and then tried to get back up the rocks which were in the wet slippy zone at that point.
Got him back to the gear, photo, weighed him and....... 3-3-0. Bum. I so had him as a qualifier, even weighed him twice on the digi's making sure they were on zero etc.
Gutted to not be a qualifier but by heck, what a fight, such a shame to have to spoil it with the boat traffic.
Signing off as a happy chappy...
I only have slight issue with this fish seeing the photo, other than the damage to his side, the pectoral fin is rather pointy not rounded and the eye doesn't look right, but I guess the lips say it all and they are definitely a thick lipped lips.
Looks like some a Storm Original Thunderstick of some kind to me -- not jointed.
