# Funny thing happened on the way....



## Billybob (Aug 29, 2005)

Bit of a funny one this one.
Trolled out past the headland yesterday morning with yak buddy James. Pretty ordinary conditions; wind 15 to 20 knots (weather forecast 10 to 15), seas and swell 1.5m-1.8m... rather sloppy.
Only a few birds half heartedly working, more inclined to follow us to see if we could locate anything.
About half an hour into our troll pattern my rod (with a Gold Bomber on) went down but didn't peel any line. James called 'you're on' just as I noticed the hook-up.
My immediate response was "Just a small Mackie or Spotty", as the fish was just hanging there on the edge of triggering the drag and head shaking like you wouldn't believe.
After a minute or two I decided to load up a bit at which point the fish went deep, peeled a little bit of line then just sat deep under the yak, shaking it's head 90 to the dozen.
Couldn't budge it or get it to run for at least five minutes, it just hung under me and refused to budge. At that point I'd decided I had a shark on so tightened the drag and started pumping and winding.
Surprise, surprise, this 9kg Bluefin Tuna finally (after a lot of circling and diving) came to the surface and presented itself for gaffing. I would have thought it was a bigger fish by the way it pulled (eventually)... must have just finished breakfast.
I suppose if this thing we do was predictable it would get a bit boring so, no complaints here.
That was all the action we got for the morning, apart from the adrenaline rush of handling the shore dump on Main Beach later on.


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## rawprawn (Aug 31, 2005)

Great fish Billybob


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Very nice.


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## Rod L (Aug 29, 2005)

That's a beaut Billybob


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

wife keeps telling me. 'we've gotta move to Noosa. Great weather, good lifestyle for the kids, happy people, plenty of work, great restaurants"

and I keep saying, no dear, not a chance.

well bugger that, I'm moving!!! WIth 9kg Bluefin tuna scoffing trolled lures off main beach, I could soon get used to the lifestyle!.

Hmm, methinks I better put te house on the market and start getting a taste for XXXX. Noosa here we come...


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## Milt (Sep 2, 2005)

Unbelievable :shock: :shock: :shock:


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## Cid (Nov 14, 2005)

Great fish, Billybob. Fantastic!


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## Russ (Feb 24, 2006)

:shock: HOLY CRAP :lol:


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## Yakabe (Dec 16, 2005)

Cracker fish Billybob.


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## Oink (Oct 23, 2005)

Yep, all of the above! :shock:


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## PoddyMullet (Aug 29, 2005)

What's the biggest shock/surprise you've ever reeled in BillyBob :?:


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## Billybob (Aug 29, 2005)

The biggest surprise, I think, was the 14kg GT I hooked in Laguna Bay just before xmas last year.
It's the biggest Trevally anyone's seen around these parts for donkeys years. We were heading across the bay to try and get out of the murky water and into some fish. I had just got hold of the new River2Sea 'Arrow Squid' lure and thought I may as well troll it on the way. As you can see it worked a treat.










The most satisfying was the 17.5kg Spanish Mackerel I trolled up out wide on Sunshine Reef in June last year. I took one troll bait with me, a huge Yellowtail Pike I'd caught earlier in the season and had been keeping for later in the season when the big Spaniards would be around. My plan was to paddle troll it until I got a strike, and boy, did this guy hit it hard. It was a 7km paddle back to Main Beach but I was grinning all the way.


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## Bleys (Oct 4, 2005)

Holy mackerel!!! Billybob, man... you're a L-E-G-E-N-D!!! Those are some massive catches off a yak.

Cheers,
Leon


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## vuki (Feb 10, 2006)

i'm new to the kayak scene, but can i just ask what do you do once you get the fish on board the kayak, where do you put it??

thats amazing


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## Billybob (Aug 29, 2005)

G'day vuki.
I can get a Tuna or Spaniard, up to about 12kg, into the front hatch or (most of it) in the rear tank well.
Anything bigger can be accommodated in a 'fish cradle' that I've mounted just in front of the forward hatch. It's got a click lock strap that allows me to 'lock in' a bigger fish along the centre line of the yak, with me pretty much sitting on its tail.


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