Positive Fishing Letters: Wildlife Bonanza!

The fish are back!

Another Barred Barra on Fly!

After a week of overcast skies and 3 days of wind, we were both starting to go a little crazy today! We needed to get out of the tent! Well more than that actually, because we have been out on the water trying our luck, just haven't been so lucky. So I should say, today there was a need to CATCH SOME FISH!!!
Whales were breaching in the distance, Johnno had spotted a sail fish jumping in close...close enough to see it from shore, not close enough to cast at! Things were looking good, perhaps 'the change' had happened and the fish were back? Then the big Mackerel in the shallows was spotted. Alrighty this is the day we start to catch fish again, surely?
YES YES YES!! Well yes Johnno does, luckily I am happy when he catches fish and I get a good photo for our blog and fresh dinner, because I didn't catch anything again today...might be time to set up the fly rod.

Bait fishing on beach

It seems like forever ago that we caught fish to eat, but in fact it was only Friday night we had Barra for dinner for the first time in 3 months...perhaps the bottle of Port drunk after it made Friday seem so long ago? So after only 2 days of no eating fish (Johnno & Steve still managed to catch a few goldies on fly during the weekend), Johnno broke out the bait hooks and a sinker. Sunset drinks on the beach were lovely and peaceful, very relaxing, as in we didn't have get up for bites or re-baiting!

Sunset Okuma

It was mid out going tide, just after our big mince and mashed spuds for lunch, that we headed over towards the creek. The fish weren't jumping around like crazy as we had wished for, but being early in the tide we were still hopeful. Turned out it wasn't that long until Johnno was whistling to let me know he had a fish on! Barra number one for the day, as pictured at top of the blog, was tactfully played around excited dogs trying to grab it; it's been a few days since they have seen a fish caught (they have to stay with me, who hasn't caught much lately). Dinner was bleed and buried in the sand to keep cool, we weren't ready to go home just yet!
Very shortly after this Johnno shouted out that he could 'see' a Barra! By the time I turned to look at him, he was ON! By the time I'd turned my GoPro on, he was OFF!! Um, lucky we already had dinner on the beach.
As the tide drained out of the creek we headed home for filleting and coffee. The coffee never happened, there was too much going on. Birds of prey were hanging around. Dolphins were cruising the shallows. Fish were busting up! Johnno was off down the beach again!

Sea Eagle circling the Barra bones.

It's only the second time we have had Sea Eagles on the beach, in the two weeks we have been here. I've missed my birdie interaction, and it seems the dogs have too!

Charlie reminding the Eagles who's beach this is!

All this revived wild life activity was more than a good sign, the Fish Were Back Too!!
Johnno caught Trevally for the dogs dinner, which Pup was so thankful for, he was getting worried we were giving his dinner away to the birds! But then....Johnno lost a second big fish for the day!! 'WOULD have been the biggest Salmon I've ever caught' was what he meant to say, as if that doesn't sound fishy enough, what he actually said was 'It was the biggest salmon I've ever caught' haha, NO it wasn't hun. xx