# Best, wierdest, eeriest & scariest trip yet!



## worleybird (Aug 31, 2008)

I went up to woopi yesterday. I think those woopi guys are just using photoshop. It's all s myth. There's no fish. I caught none!!!
Just kidding, the weather wasn't the best. I did not have the best jig heads for it. The others all got fish but I didn't. I will be heading back up there soon when the weather's good. thanks boys for letting me tag along!

Now to the weirdest/best trip i''ve had.

I wasn't expecting to go out at all today with the southerly blowing most of the day! Then we had a storm and it glassed right off! So I got the ok from mel (my wife) and jumped in the car and off to the beach.
















I had some new plastics to try and my "DK Ferret" to troll around. I ran into a school of mack tuna but they didn't want what i was offering. I flicked around for a while with nothing but a beautiful arvo.









I then decided to moved to another part of the reef off 2nd island. Picked up a squire (45cm) on the troll. 









Once I got him I paddled back to the mark that i had drifted off and decided to flick the plastic around. First cast was in the water for about 10 seconds sinking about 1/2 way down suddenly went tight. Then VERY tight. I gave a wind and that's when the fish realised it had a sharp pointy thing jabbing into its' gum. It took off and i knew it was gonna be hard to land on 6lb straight to the jig and a dodgy old plastic reel. After about a minute of it taking line and not giving any back I was just about empty of line. I had to put a little more pressure on the drag to prevent a spooling which meant eventually he snapped me off! :?









After that, it was getting dark so I decided to paddle in (trolling all the way of course!) Just when I was beside 2nd island my reel took off again slightly and then muchly. It was a much stronger run than the other one. I was quite close to the island as well and it was pulling me towards a gnarly bombie. I managed to avoid the waves and got the fish up a few minutes later. A nice size snapper (easily my pb) at 70cm and right on 4kg.

Now for the eeri weird bit:
It was now very dark and I still had to negotiate the rocks and waves on the way home! There had been a lot of storm action in the distance which was getting closer and closer but it was still clear skys over me! While i was paddling i started hearing this zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt noise. I looked all around and eventually found it was my rod tip making electric sort of noises. Ahhh crap. (I had run into friends on the headland before i left and they tried to go fishing off the rocks but he kept getting electric shocks through his rod and his wifes hair was standing right on end so they got out of there) It seems the same was happening to me. I quickly pulled the rods down flat and paddled a lot harder. Every time i put my paddle above my head it would also make that zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt noise so i kept as low as i could. It was fully night and it started to pour rain. I obviously made it in alright but my adrenalin was pumping and kinda thinking "was I nearly struck by lightning?"!!! (happened to anyone else???)

Anyway It was good to get a couple of snapper and have a real nice and freaky arvo at the same time. There's a couple more pics in the next post.


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## worleybird (Aug 31, 2008)

Here's the rest of the pics.


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## mcbigg (Jul 14, 2007)

Nice report, nice pics and nice shnappers!

You shoulda kept the rods up! Getting struck by lightning would have given you a story to sell to the papers at least! (Better than that 'broke my leg to get out of a snag' crap anyways.)

Would have pre-cooked the fish for ya too!


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## Revo (Aug 3, 2008)

Wow - thanks for the story. That's quite eerie. :shock: Congrats on the snapper - very noice indeed!


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## crazyratwoman (Feb 26, 2007)

We saw the clouds up your way and the rumbling thunder... that woulda been enough for me haha

I think that T-curve and I might have to meet up with you so you can show us around those islands, we saw them not long ago and they look awesome!


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## breamingfromabass (Aug 22, 2007)

that does sound weird!!!

Well glad you got back ok and scored some good fish too!

Luke


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## worleybird (Aug 31, 2008)

Yeah it is a good set up. easy launch. Short paddle to fairly fishy area and lots of reef to chose from!
and when you live a few hundred metres from the launch site it's even better!!! ;-)

Stephen


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## worleybird (Aug 31, 2008)

Just saw the quote in your signature kerry. What sort of clothes would you suggest in this sort of weather? Is there such thing as random atmospheric elecricity protectant clothing? :lol:


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## tugga (Mar 24, 2008)

Way to go Stephen !!! I was disappointed when I couldn't get out with you last night.....now I'm not sure !!! Great lookin' snapper mate. Hope there is plenty more to come.
Ray


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## azzaroo (Aug 17, 2007)

noice worley.... i think the woopi boys may decide to pay you a visit after that story, were you trolling sp's?cheers aaron :lol:


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Yep, that'd be the lightning. I think you were very, very lucky.
A mate and I avoided a direct lightning hit by 80m a few summers back. We ditched our rods 1/2 way up the cliff when we realised how serious it was and hugged the rocks with each strike. Our bodies were literally buzzing and the hair on our arms was standing straight up in the rain. There was a one non stop rumble, we knew it was nasty and only moved up at 5-10m intervals every time the thunder clapped. Then there was an almighty crack. The building above got a direct hit and I felt the surge through the water runoff. As soon as we got to the top, we ran to the car and got the hell outta there.

Bloody scary


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

Great snapper worley, sounds lke laying the rods down was a smart thing. On the other hand I have never tried lighting fried snapper before ;-) 8)

Cheers Dave


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## Mustang (Jun 6, 2008)

Well done Worleybird,
Just goes to show that the fish still bite no matter what the weather is like, I'm guessing the Barometer would have dropped through the floor with the storm and you still caught some great fish. Congrats.


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## OneLastCast (Mar 4, 2008)

wow, my grandma's been shock by lighning twice and lived.

But on the water you are lucky its amazing how the water can change so quick while fishing at sea!

I dont see how you would have got zapped as you were in a polyurethane yak. Lucky they don't make metal or aluminium yaks :lol:


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## Wattie (Apr 30, 2007)

What a great read.  
I would have been shitting myself......people often ask if I am scared of sharks.

No, there are far more people killed each yer by lightning 

Anyway, great read and great fish.

BTW I was talking to my brother in NZ yesterday whos two sons got me into kayaking. They texed him while I was on the phone to him. They had just come back from a fishing trip on the yaks and Lance had caught a 22lb scnapper and took him over half an hour to get it in.

How much did your one weigh...looks like it would have been up there.


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

WB nice fish mate

The eerie noise was the atmosphere for sure mate, and also notice the paddle has an alloy shaft, and am guessing you have graphite rods as well, so you had conductors galore in those conditions and I think that is a time when old glass rods are much better


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## worleybird (Aug 31, 2008)

I think you can definitely get struck while in a yak as there is usually plenty of water on the yak for the charge to run through. You are also usually holding a metal or glass paddle which you are dipping in the water and sticking in the air at the same time.

Azzaroo:
I was trolling my favourite lure that i think will catch any fish. It's a floating bibbed minnow called a "DK Ferret". it floated up to me one day in the river and i used it the next day on the rocks and got slammed by several 4kg salmon. I've also cuaght tailor, flathead and of course snapper on it. I've only trolled with it twice outside and both times i've got at leaast one snapper. (FTA at $8.95)

Stephen


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## onemorecast (Apr 17, 2006)

Firstly, Great catch Worley, especially stopping that big snapper on the very light gear.

As for the lighting, if you're a golfer or know one, and you go out agin in those conditions, you could always take along a 2 iron and shove it in your rod holder. They say even God can't hit a 2 iron.


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## worleybird (Aug 31, 2008)

Dodge: one rod was graphite and the other 2 were glass. The glass rods were also buzzing.


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## worleybird (Aug 31, 2008)

The big snapper was right on the 4kg. easily my pb!


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## Y-Knot (Sep 26, 2006)

beauty of a snapper worley, congrats on the pb ... a very lucky fella by the sounds


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## chrissy (Jul 7, 2007)

Nice one steve, geez i wish i got out yesterday,perfect conditions. Tried this mornin but went home once i saw that bloody NWerly rippin up the surface.  Youll have to come back up on a good day,and i think we will have to come down your way aswell :twisted:


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## Biggles (Jan 6, 2008)

Nuthin to do with the thunderstorm, you just came across Chrissy and Wals electric fence around the juvenile pinkies, lol.

Regards

Al


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