Around Oz the First Time - Chapter 62 - 80 Mile Beach to Port Hedland

We are still here, and other than fishing, there isn’t much more to do, so we are looking to clean up a few work points we can. Robyn, when she gets up early is able to get enough internet to download any work that has been emailed overnight.

The tide is not until 1.00pm today so there is plenty of time to reset the rigs destroyed yesterday which were the heavy rigs aimed at the larger sharks we have seen, plus oil all the gear again, just to be sure, if the “big one” is hooked. This time I add a 150lb wire trace and make my own gang hooks to ensure no failure from the store-bought gear that I have had in earlier fights.

There is news from the parts people, nothing they can confirm, and that’s all. Silver Leader is expecting another call this afternoon, and if positive will mean a 5.00am charge down to Port Headland to be on their front door at 7.30 opening time, race back and look to get the part fitted so we can then make a dash back to Port Headland and continue our trip.

During the morning a van parks across from us. Now that’s nothing to be overly excited about, BUT, the vehicle towing it advertises the owner is a mechanic. Silver Leader is all over him while they set up like a seagull on a hot chip. They are staying until Friday which means there will someone who actually knows what they are doing, could assist with the installation of the tensioner.

All we need is the part!

The fishing starts slowly, or so I think. I retrieve, what appears to be a heavy line, and as the final waves crash, something let’s go and I see a flash of what I initially think is a shark fin. I hurl the basically unaffected bait back in. Immediately the line seems to go taught without bites. Again, I retrieve what seems to be a heavy than usual line. As it gets closer it is evident that I am playing with a large crab.

This time the last wave works in my favour and the is enough time to get to it, as it has let go close to the edge of the water and scrape it up the beach. I decide to put the crab in a bag with water until we can identify it. Forbsy who has just arrived, handles the water collection.

Again, today it is going to be catch and release, as we still have all those fillets in the freezer. If sharks are the main fare that won’t be hard to do. The first shark is almost a metre long and on the light gear I have started with, gives me a great fight. It takes a bit of doing to release the shark as it has swallowed the hooks.

Snaps taken and returned to the sea, I rebait and throw back. Almost immediately there is another hit, and it feels like a shark again. The light gear is performing brilliantly on these “small” sharks and I again have to play it behind the breakers, this time for a little longer. The shark is a little longer, and finally I have it on the sand. It has self-released but it is easily secured for photos before going back in.

With all these smaller sharks being caught I change to the heavy gear, coupled with a piece of the mulloway we caught yesterday. Nothing happens for a while. I check the line and the bait is gone. Bugger, I was hoping after the result of using the other piece yesterday, this was my best chance of getting a go a larger shark.

I reload with a large salmon fillet and let fly. It doesn’t take long before I have an enquiry and the fight is on. The shark feels a little larger than the ones I have been catching, but not much. My thoughts are right, and a four-foot shark is beached. It is a bit thicker than the previous two but still, not either of the large sharks we have seen in the water just past the breakers.

This one takes a little more to release as it has swallowed all three hooks. Silver Leader assists me, as the shark has dragged me across towards him. I take some pictures of him holding the shark and then swap phone for shark and do the same thing. This shark has decimated my bait so I re-rig before hurling the bait towards an adversary.

All of a sudden, there is an enormous attack on the line and then nothing, and I mean nothing. Despite all the precautions of a wire trace and heavier trace, the shark has bitten straight through it. Annoyed I retrieve the remaining line and head back to re-rig. I don’t have a heavy sinker, but I do have all the other required parts.

I am not going to put a clear trace on the line, simply a wire trace to a gang hook, with the 100lb braid tied directly to the trace. Simple but should be effective and without the big sinker, I have improvised with two smaller ones. I find I cannot hurl the bait as far because of the dynamics of the rig. No worries there are sharks everywhere here.

Forbsy has nailed a decent salmon, between the numerous sharks, and gets it to the bag ready for the others we are “going to catch” for a fresh fish dinner. It ended up being the only non-shark we caught. While I am watching him return to the fray, I feel that large hit again, and this time I am ready. The fight is on, and the fight ends as quickly as it starts. Disappointed I reel in, but this time there is still weight, perhaps he has just spat the hooks.

When the line finally comes in there are no hooks, and on further inspection the shark has bitten through the coupling in the trace. Not my day on the big ones.

I change the trace and start again.

Quickly I have another smaller shark and beach the animal. There is a bit of a crowd around me I notice. One lady in particular is interested in taking a picture of the shark. She enquiries as to their eating quality and I tell her its basically what you used to get in the fish and chips shops. I offer to fillet the shark and let her have it, and she agrees. I go to start the process and she suggests that she is imposing, and she will hold my rod, with bait in the water while I do the job. I am not sure if there was an ulterior motive, but I accede to the suggestion, putting on two pieces of fish strips to cover the entire gang hooks, heave it back into the water, set the drag such that if anything big grabs the bait it will not pull her in.

So we have my new friend Jan, a gathering family watching the filleting process, and me the novice filleter, never having filleted a shark before and Jan, with little idea of what to do on, on the beach fishing. I heave two fillets off the shark, and I hear screams from the direction of the beach. Jan is on and winding madly, fighting a good-sized shark. I walk down to her to offer encouragement and to get the phone into video mode and film the last of the fight.

She has wound the line around the reel somehow and the winding has stopped so Jan is walking the shark up the beach from the water to the hysterical joy of the gathered crowd. We get her to stop walking backwards before she is fighting the fish inside the park grounds. Jan is shaking with adrenalin. I take the rod from her and open the bail arm and walk down the beach to address the problem with the reel. After that is remedied, I reel back to the shark, noticing it has swallowed everything, getting the hooks out will be a difficult play.

Jan has settled somewhat now, and I congratulate her on her prize. I ask if she wants me to fillet this one as well, to which she declines, the fillets she already has will be enough for her and her husband. I hand the filleted shark to the son of the family onlookers and ask him to dispose of it in the water, which he does.

The shark on the ground now needs to be dehooked. I end up busting the line off as the gang hooks are effectively gone and I don’t really want to perform surgery on the fish, which would invariably be terminal for the shark, with the crowd around. We take pictures of Jan holding the shark, allow the family to touch the shark getting a feel of the textures of its skin and see the teeth of this killing machine.

The shark is now placid enough, probably from the lack of oxygen, and I give it to the son again to eject back into the surf. This he does with care, care not to get bitten rather than care for the shark. Smart move young man.

All on the beach are heading back as it is time for a late lunch. Before I do, I need to skin the shark and the salmon we have given to Jan. She is tickled pink with her work and can’t wait to tell her husband of her exploits. He is suitably impressed, there will be fish on the table for dinner tonight in that van.

Back to the van, Robyn is ready for an ice cream, so we head up to the reception for an old fashioned ice cream in a cone. The line at the desk is long, there are vans booking in and campers buying provisions, and us simply wanting ice creams. Takes us nearly half an hour to get out of there, but we have nowhere better to be.

Back to the van Silver Leader and Rosalie are at the door and they are bubbling. The part is in! They have had confirmation from Port Headland. All we need to do now is go and get it, which cannot happen today, we simply cannot get there before the closing time today. We will discuss the plan at beer o’clock drinks and snacks, when we are all together shortly.

The mechanic from across the way has had a look at the Jeep and suggested that they could have simply fixed the bearing rather than had to replace it, but that’s old news now, we have a new part we are installing it. We decide we will get out of here first-light and head to Port Headland so we are on the front porch of the supplier at 7.30am.

Jan comes from her dinner to thank us again for giving them the fish fillets, offering photos of what she did to them. They ate it all, salmon and shark, plus salad. She waddles back to her van I suspect and will sleep well tonight.

I retire early to ensure I am fully ready for the five hour return trip in the morning.