Fishing with Karen 2: Catching bluebone.

After yesterdays loss of fish; see last blog or check out YouTube clip   I woke determined to CATCH every fish I hooked today!

Landed my big bluebone!

We went for a walk at low tide yesterday afternoon to collect Octopus for bait.  It’s not your ‘normal’ choice of bait for Salmon, but they took it yesterday, so I was prepared to try it again today, thinking that Bluebone and MJ’s love it too!

I hooked and landed a small Trevalley in the morning, good start to the day, not much fish about, but nothing lost so far, sticking to the plan!!!

Johnno went for a walk down the beach again, after yesterdays Success of the large Queenfish on his new 8wt fly rod, he went looking for some more similar fun.  I chucked out an octy leg and waited.  Without as much wildlife action happening, I wasn’t feeling so confident today. No dolphins, they seemed to be with the salmon the last two days. Not even much bait fish.  Maybe the windier day had affected the fishing?  Not so, it wasn’t long before I started getting bites.

Little tap tap bites, too fast to hook, then a strong powerful one, and into a snag.  But I wasn’t convinced it was my strike that caused the hook to snag onto the rocky bottom, it didn’t feel right, my strike was way too slow, the hook was stuck already.  I waited.  Seconds later I felt the next pull, and without giving the fish a moment to think about what was happening, because I realised it was trying to go for safety in the bigger rocks, I pulled it backwards.  Too scared to even wind my reel, I just walked backwards, thankfully I was on a large flat rock and could without falling.  I thumbed the reel when the powerful fish tried to pull out my already hard drag.  Realising I had a prime fish at the end of my line, either a large MJ or Bluebone, I was determined not to loose it!!  Not daring to waste time turning on my GoPro, we have lost a lot of fish this week trying to reach for the on button, I couldn’t give this fish a chance to pull back into the rocks.  Once the fish was out of the rocks and over the sand I saw the beautiful colours of Bluebone, my heart skipped a beat.  Clear of sharp rocks to cut line or bulldoze his head into, I braved it and turned on the GoPro.  Here is the excitement that followed, I’ve never caught a Bluebone this big, usually Johnno uses a 100lb handline to pull them from the rocks, so I was super proud of myself.  Oh and they taste sensational!!

Bluebone for lunch!