Three rat trip

Date: 13/12/2009
Launch: 5:30am
Next tide: 5:40am High
Wind: 10kt SW
Sea: 1m SE swell, some chop
Return: 8:30am
Days since new moon: 25
Water temp: 21.5
Location: Spot C
Catch: Doughnut

Headed out with Davebeat this morning through very gentle surf (left my glasses on). Plan was to troll out to Spot C and see what we could find. We both managed to pull a rat out of a school we encountered. Straight after I got the lure back in the water after the first one, the second rod went off. $%^&*(#$ rat managed to tangle the other line so badly I had to sacrifice a bit of braid and leader. A bit further on I got a third. They were all in the 55cm range. Very frustrating having to release a fish that will feed the family but rules is rules.

We got to the mark and tried a few drifts. Plenty of bait on the sounder but no obvious signs of bigger fish. I tried a 120g knife jig and got nothing but a workout. Still plenty of blubbers in the water.

Trolled back and along the headland a little way but bottom was clearly visible in 10m and no sign of fish so we called it a day. Very easy landing, with Dave executing a perfect brace to straighten up at the end