Middle Lagoon - part two

The wind was picking up in the next couple of days, so we launched at 6am with the tide way out.  Only the little boats were able to get on the water at this stage and we knew a few hours later with more water in the Lagoon the bigger boats would zoom past heading out to the 23km mark.  Some of the bigger boats were catching good size fish.

Low Tide -  launching boat

We only travelled about 3 kms out, motoring around looking for structure when in the distance we saw what looked like a school of dolphins.  Donna was not convinced, and wanted to head over to do some trolling.  We were both more than happy to troll, because we found bottom bashing was unable to hold our interest for extended periods of time.  We headed over to check out the activity. When  Donna got hit , we knew it wasn't weed  she was  caught up in.  Line went out at a very impressive rate. Although the salesman we bought the rods from assured us we could bend these rods in half, to our amazement it proved to be factual.  It took some time to bring the fish in, and with all the head banging and slashes of silver we could see , shouts of "its a shark?" Queenie? Trevally? then hopes raised with maybe a Spanish Mackerel? and to our absolute surprise there was a Tuna !!

How do you get a Tuna in the boat?  First you need to put the GoPro down so both hands are on the Gaff. 

Gene has never gaffed a fish before so he takes 4 or 5 unsuccessful swings, and with the thought of loosing our first Tuna he grabs the net.  Well, the fish took one look a the net and it reeled off an easy 20 metres of line nearly taking Donna overboard with it.  Five minutes later, picture Donna now tired, knees locked in against the hull, bum in the seat and she has the fish back beside the boat.  Obviously this fish is going to have to be eaten by a shark, jump into the boat of its own accord or be gaffed.  Donna was having bets on the first two because the fish hadn't slowed up and she still had the rod bent in half. 

Success our 1st Tuna was landed!

  

1st Tuna

 

 









We landed our 2nd Bigeye Tuna

Buoyed by our success in go the lures again.  Some time later just when we think we were only going to catch one, Donna's line was off again.  This time we both yell Tuna!  She had the hang of it now and put the hurt on the fish from the get go, and this one took less time to land.

 

Esky space already at a premium, there was no way a third Tuna was going in, so we decided our luck may have changed and we would target the elusive Bluebone on our way back in.  Two Stripy seaperch and a cod later we gave in. The Bluebone challenge lives to fight another day.

 

 



The Seagulls loved scavenging the
Tuna offcuts

This will keep the freezer working hard