On Sunday 20th February, Carl and I headed off to the Gold Coast to have another crack at those marlin. Reports were that the bait had thinned out and that the fish had moved too, but it was the only weather window we were going to get, so we going regardless.
At 5am, we left the Seaway and headed
due east on a 30km run. On arrival, our fears were realised. There was hardly
any bait showing. To top it off, the current had come in so with a 10knot SE
wind blowing, the conditions were a bit sporty.
After persevering for a while, we
managed to get a few big yakkas, but no slimies. It was better than nothing so
I rigged up a couple and put them out. Our drift was pretty fast so we covered some
ground in a short time. This was going to be a long day…
The morning passed with no action
so I suggested we run a long way north and just drift down the line hoping to
bump into a stray fish. We had just cracked open an ice-cold beer when the
surface line went away. I fed it a bit and tightened up. Carl took the rod and had
a fairly easy fight with what I assumed was a skippy. When the leader came up,
Carl said that it was a yellowfin, so it was with great relief that I put it on
ice for sushi later that night. We have not been that chuffed with a small fish
in a long time.
Hoping that there were a few more
around, I took us to the top of the drift where we could put out fresh bait and
finish our beer. This time, the drift was quiet. We were nearing the end of the
drift when the deep line on the heavy tackle went away. After hooking up, it
stayed deep and made a slow, consistent run. We were both on the same page and
thought… “Shark”. A few minutes in, the run stopped and the line angle came up.
We were both like … hold on … what’s happening here. Carl managed to gain a lot
of line and soon the fish was on the surface a short distance away.
Unfortunately, we could both see the brown shape… but it was pretty short for
the size sharks that were normally around this area. Only then did we see that
it was a good size cobia. This was Carl’s first one, so we did not want to
stuff it up. We had the fish on the leader a few times but it would then go on
a short run. Not wanting to pull the hook, I was very soft on the leader and
after the 6th or 7th time, did I get a shot with the gaff.
I wasted no time lifting it into the boat where it continued to fight on the
deck. Eventually we could subdue it and get it on ice. What a great first of
the species, and out day was suddenly made - anything else would be a bonus.
 |
| Carl with an 18kg Cobia |
We made another drift, hoping there
would be some action on the tide change, but the only other action we got was
from a big shark that kept us busy for 45 minutes on mega drag before chafing
through the leader.
We headed back home with some
great eating fish. Lets hope the bait and the marlin return after this rain as
it would be nice to get a few more before the summer ends.
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