# Qld, 17/1 Big Spanish off Pt Arkright.



## Sprocket (Nov 19, 2008)

Hi Guys, I've been a member for a while but not very active, love to fish whenever I can although it isn't often enough.
I had the pleasure of fishing 2 days over the weekend the first serious fish on my new hobie adventure island. Saturday from Mooloolaba beach to the inner gneerings trolling lures and floating pillies for mackerel. No luck although on my way home trolling my last pillie the wind picked up and I was hit hard as I was scooting along about 6 knots. The fish stoppped the kayak in its tracks and I furled my sail and started to halt the run it was on. my drag was set pretty tight and it was still peeling off 30lb braid from my tld25. I was let down by a cheap barrel swivel that I had been using as the fish pulled it apart. Pissed I was, I thought it must have been a big spanish but I hear there was marlin in close last week so you never know. I didn't get past the first run.








Sunday I strengthened up my rig and launched from Yaroomba beach with one outrigger on under pedal/paddle power. I had to use the paddle as a rudder all day as after I launched into the surf and dropped the rudder it was just flapping around with a broken pin. I didn't even feel it go. Bugger, it was annoying having to hold the paddle all morning but I wasn't going to let it spoil my day. Trolled and drifted a couple of slightly different weighted pillies all the way out towards the outer part of the reef where all the boats were, and I hadn't had a sniff. I pulled up about 150 meters north west of them and started to drift 2 pillies. I love the hobie as even without a rudder if I turn it side on to the wind it drifts beautifully without any adjustment, I sit on the tramp with my feet up on the pontoon and my back, in my lifejacket, up against the kayak. It is more comfortable than my lounge chair at home, and even though I hadn't had a touch for about 4 hours I was having a ball. Not long into my last drift as I said as soon as I get too close to the boats I'll head back. My gps was saying about 2 n/miles to shore and the wind had sprung up from the N/Northwest right into my face for the return trip. Then the action started, watching both lines from my comfy chair I saw one being teased and grabbed it in time to help a 80cm spotty into the kayak, I was stoked as it was my first mackerel for the season. no sooner I had him aboard and in the bag as I put the rod back in the rear holder My tld in the front ram tube started to go, I had a pretty light drag set as the ram tube is quite tall and could be pulled over by a big fish easily. Thinking I was onto another spotty I thumbed up the drag a little and set the hooks. Well thats when I knew I had a heavy one as it just kept peeling line off on its first run, up with the drag a bit more and I turned him around after a bit. As i brought him up close enough to see me or the kayak, he took off again and his next 2 runs were straight down, I was confused as I've never had a mackerel dive like that before, I wasn't sure what I had on. Then came a couple of surface runs and I thought yep it's a spanish alright and a big one, by far the heaviest fish I had fought before.








Finally I had him beat and he rose into view still vainly trying to pull me under water with him. And what a sight it was those beautiful bands on his side confirming my spanish suspicions. I had been fighting him on the trampoline on one knee over the side and it was a real stable position enabling me to use my left leg as a lever almost for my arm on the rod. I lifted his head and swung him around the back of the pontoon up onto the rear mounting bar and had the gaff waiting for him, whammo straight into his gullet first swing. He bucked a bit but I was able to hold him against the bar and he settled down again. I left the hooks in and holstered the rod with the line quite taut in his mouth still as I reached for my donger, I left the hooks in as my mate Paully had lost a big one a couple of days earlier after his gaff broke. Well, as I tried to manouver his big head to get a shot at him against the bar, my gaff broke too, I couldn't believe it and had flashes of him sliding back into the water as I waved good bye. I wouldn't have jumped overboard as Paully had and tried to land him by hand. because the line was still tight in its mouth it just sat there long enough for me to drop my useless gaff handle and slide my hand under its gills, he was mine now and going nowhere. Crack,crack,crack and he was lights out, straight up into the cockpit of the kayak while i euthenased him from the trampoline. I only let out a whoo hoo after I had his tail tied fast to the kayak and headed for home a very happy boy. a picture perfect re-entry into the small wind affected surf and thanks to a friendly family who shot the photos and help push and lug my gear up the steep pathway to the ute. And to cap off the perfect day my beautiful girl was warming the bed after working night shift and rewarded me with a beer and.... I'll leave the rest to your imaginations. 
Cheers and tight lines boys and girls.

*ps he went 18kg and 148cm.*


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## polylureosis (Jul 24, 2006)

Sunshiner V Sprocket

As they say on Southpark "It's ON"

Great Fish.


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## breamfish (May 19, 2009)

Hahaha
Awesome fish. Yours is heavier but his is longer


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## harrip94 (Sep 30, 2009)

great read !! damn fine fish :shock:


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## grinner (May 15, 2008)

mate, sensational report, i recognize that beach at buddina.
i would be lucky to land a spotty. by the sounds of it a spaniard would be way out of my league.
extra congratulations for that one.

have been dying to get back up there as ive got a rellie who lives about 100m from where that pic is taken.

take an epirb with you?. i was thinking i should register mine for the boat and the kayak but doubt i'd ever get 2 miles off shore with my wimpy legs. 
were you out at the gneerings?

anyways congrats, can only imagine what that felt like when you got him aboard.

cheers pete


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## greg (Mar 2, 2006)

Wow Dave
Well done mate.
Going to try for one on Wednesday


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## clarkey (Jan 13, 2009)

well done,thats an awesome fish,wise move leaving the hooks in
Clarkey


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## mrwalker (Feb 23, 2009)

Its on for young and old over there at the moment, well done on a great fish, Cheers, Dave.


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## Windshear (Aug 22, 2009)

Bonzer fish Sprocket, well done...but where's the bikini girl??? :lol: 
Andy


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## Swinger (Mar 29, 2009)

nice very very nice so what did it weigh and measure


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Nice landing, great fish.


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## bomberjames (Dec 5, 2007)

Well mate.
That is a perfect day,espically the last bit  
Cheers


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## viking1 (May 28, 2008)

Good effort mate, I'll fish there on occasion, it's a good spot. I was up there in a mates boat last week, we saw a couple of big (2m) spaniards under the boat but couldnt get them to bite. We did get some spotties though.
Cheers,
Ken.


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## dunebuggy (Dec 21, 2008)

Yes indeed..... Sunshiner vs Sprocket. lol.
Great report Sprocket. Wow, what a monster but, even though your fish went heavier than sunshiner's, I still prefer looking at sunshiner's. His mackeral had nicer legs. :lol: :lol: :lol: 
A top effort mate. I forgot to take my gaff the other day and wondered what I would do if I got something big. Imagine trying to land something like that without a gaff. 
Congrats on an awesome fish. Thanks for sharing.


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Ironbar (Apr 7, 2008)

Excellent fish, well done mate.


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## seawind (Mar 29, 2007)

Just want to add my congratulations on a great fishing feat! 8)


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## sunshiner (Feb 22, 2006)

Great description and great fish, Sprocket. Welcome to the Spaniard club. And you're right -- they are so spectacular as they come up to the yak with their shimmering colours and those distinctive stripes, not to mention the huge jaws.

Well done, mate. We hope to hear more from you soon.

Kev


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## Gundy (Jan 5, 2010)

Mate, that is a massive effort! Well done.


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## CPD (Oct 15, 2009)

Well done, I hope to see a spanish mack like that sitting in my yak tomorrow.


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## dunebuggy (Dec 21, 2008)

CPD said:


> Well done, I hope to see a spanish mack like that sitting in my yak tomorrow.


Ditto. A few of us are heading out from Kings.


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## pwr62 (Feb 10, 2008)

Well done Sprocket that is a fantastic fish and a great story really enjoyed reading it, hope to hear more from you soon.
Are you local?
Paul


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## yaktopia (Nov 30, 2008)

All sorts of MOJO achieved with that cracker...well done on a lifetime fish!


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## Sprocket (Nov 19, 2008)

> Well done Sprocket that is a fantastic fish and a great story really enjoyed reading it, hope to hear more from you soon.
> Are you local?


Yes I am. I have just moved from Palmwoods to Yandina. I'm a bit closer to the beach now too.


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

That looks like a fun fish to fight. Very nice torpedo.


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