Big Game Fishing!

Very cool.

I got invited along via a mate (Alex) to go out ‘fishing’ on a Sunday on his boss’s boat. Starting pre-6am on a Sunday morning, we got up to the Yacht club and get on the boat/ship/vessel – “Witchdoktor”. This thing is HUGE – with all the trimmings. Bob had earlier in the year driven it up from Sydney (where it was bought), stopping in at Brisbane/Cairns etc. all the way to Lae.

Of course, I was the newbie-nuffer for the first half of the day. Reel starts spinning and you’re supposed to get all the other lines fully out of the way before anything else happens (6 lines at least and x2 other trailing lures)… there can be hours of nothing – and then x2 rods start bending all of a sudden and it’s on.

Being the newbie also meant I got first crack when a reel went off. Earlier in the day I had the “big one that got away” – a decent sized dolphin fish. We all saw it jump out of the water at about 20 metres away, and I got it all the way up to the boat - - but the hook was too small and it bent & broke off the hook when yanked out of the actual water close to the boat.

Later in the day however we drove past a “boil up” (bird circling, and white tips everywhere where smaller bait fish have been forced to the surface by bigger fish) – and four of the lines all went off at once. It was allll happening. I had the biggest gauge reel (heaviest line), so I was supposed to fight hardest to get my fish in quickest. After much grunting and Lleyton Hewitt style “C’mon!!”’s – I had caught myself a 19.4kg Yellowfin tuna. Of the 4 lines, we managed (through skill of 1st mate etc.) to get 3 fish in. All around the same size…



Messy, hot, fun, excellent day out with some lads on a special boat. Big thanks to the friends (Alex), the first mate/teacher (Josh), Chef/2nd mate – (John) and of course to the Cap-i-tan. Top day out.

Some of the photo’s are up here.