Fish Tales - Chapter 3 - 20 February 2022

Participants

Me – nicknamed – the Skipper

Julian Banks – nicknamed – the Hooligan

Target Species

Flathead

Co-ordinates

Wallis Lake – the Camp Elim Drifts

Methods Employed

Boat drifting flicking soft plastics (pumpkinseed and nuclear chicken formats) and hard bodied lures

The Tally

Fish #1 – Flathead Score Hooligan 1 – Skipper Nil

Fish #2 – Flathead Score Hooligan 2 – Skipper Nil

Fish #3 – Flathead Score Hooligan 3 – Skipper Nil

Only one problem the Skipper never saw a target species

.

The Story of the Day

After the testing conditions of yesterday, waking to a much better outlook inspired us to try again. Hooligan, an urban bound teacher rarely gets away and when he does he likes to take life to the full. It takes only a rumour of another foray into the battle to be the catalyst for adrenalin.

The day has given us little or no wind, making the drifting much easier, and even though not from the most ideal directions, because of its lack of intensity we can plan and execute sneak attacks on our quarry. Further we can wander right into the shallows without the worry of beaching at speed into the mud or sand at the edge of the lake.

We are at it early and the sun rising over the tree line of the eastern side of the lake as we start our attack. The shimmering light of the rising sun against structures protruding from the water make for some interesting snaps, although I struggle with the light and movement.

Its not long before Hooligan is on. We have been working a weed line and a reasonable flathead has sought to ambush, would be prey. Line screams from Hooligan’s rod as he has forgotten to tighten the drag. He tightens it a little but prefers to be right on the limit of the fish’s attempts to escape. He retrieves some line only to have it taken back by the fighting fish.

Eventually he has it to the boat and I net it for him and the score is one to nil. A 46cm fish in the esky and back to fishing again.

We go a bit deeper and strike ribbon weed, and for a while catch a plethora of “weed fish”. We joke and sledge each other about the sizes as we clear off the rubbish and send the lure back to the water again.

Soon enough Hooligan is on again and a similar sized flathead finds its way into the esky. Hooligan is heard to sledge he is catching not fishing, a clear jibe at my inability to secure a fish.

Looking to increase my chances I move the boat to a line of crab pots and we wander along them casting lures close to see what might be lurking. Unbelievably Hooligan strikes again and #3 is in the esky. The sledging becomes more intense. Not bad for someone who suggests pictures I put on Social media from time to time are “lies, all lies”.

We see a commercial fisherman working his traps and we wander over with a view to potentially giving him the flathead frames for his pots, saving me from disposing of them when we get home. He is out with his family checking his pots, wife and two children in the boat soaking up the sunshine.

As we nose up to the commercial boat, we discuss my plan and then are thwarted by the fact neither of us has a sharp knife, making filleting the flathead only a dream. It was a good plan but as with the best laid plans of mice and men…

Hooligan needs to get home to Sydney so we call it quits around lunch time. Buoyantly he has won the day. He will go home in an upbeat mood.

The Skipper never got a bite. Same rig, same lures, same technique, all to no avail. 

That’s fishing for you.