When any keen fisho gets the text message asking, “What are you doing tomorrow?”, the correct response is always “Where are we going and what time do I need to be ready?”
Once committed to a fishing trip, it’s time to try and organise work shift swaps, annual leave or other forms of leave to make this adventure happen. It would be rude not to.
This particular trip comes with a little more pressure than usual, as it’s to keep the guests fed at my mate Trent’s wedding. His father-in-law-to-be and an uncle from Australia will also be joining us. Challenge accepted!
With adverse weather plaguing any attempt, we sat tight, till the day before the big wedding. At least the fish would be fresh!
With the troops onboard and briefing complete, we headed into the morning darkness to give ourselves the best chance, arriving at Spot X as the sun just started to peek over the horizon. Berley deployed.
Shark, shark and another shark—the thought goes through your head of how can we process these and serve to guests without them knowing what they are eating?
As we welcomed the golden hour of first light and a running tide, the stray lines started to run, with some nice snapper showing up for a pilchard breakfast.
Over time and many hours untangling, cutting and retying, we have found that two straylines astern and two flasher rigs, one over each side, is what worked well for us.
The flasher rigs were now also attracting snapper. With often multiple fish on at a time, it didn’t take long to have the amount required for this special gathering.
What a great feeling to be able to share the experience of our great snapper fishery with people who would not normally have the opportunity to go fishing or are used to catching a barramundi in a croc infested river. The smile on the faces and the fact the wedding guests will be fed, lightened the mood. With an afternoon wedding planned for the next day, there would have always been the opportunity for a wedding morning fish if needed—the bride may have preferred otherwise though.
With the snapper iki’d, bled, shinkei jime’d and packed on ice, all before breakfast, we made a beeline back to the ramp.
