# NSW Sydney, More Dilemmas



## MrX (Feb 7, 2008)

The plan this morning was tranquil trip out, maybe forage a feed of snapper for the family dinner.

Two snapper rods:
- 2-4kg, 12lb leader, 4" plastics; and
- 3-5kg, 20lb leader, bigger plastics.

Took a king rig anyway, just in case: 50lb rod, tyrnos lever-drag overhead, 50lb leader, bag of cuttle strips, scottalvey downrigger with 3lb bomb.

But Paulb hooked up to a monster king early on the way to the snapper marks. Decisions. Kept going.

Pulled in a massive "big red rock monster", head about the size of a football (sherrin, not quite a steeden). Now, I know they are great eating - poor man's lobster. But they sting like a hornet if poked, and there is no way that huge spiky head will fit in my keeper bag. Where to put it? Undecided, left it swinging safely behind me in the net, and cast out a plastic.

Then the snapper mayhem started. My mark was covered in life. Decision made, tipped out the hardy red rocky, and netted my first pannie. The next one came on board on the same drift.










Then a rat king - bastards on snapper gear. Took a while to subdue and release.

Two more plate sized reds on the next drift.










Called Paul.

Another snap on the next drift. Had enough, so released.

Then a time consuming rat. Released the bastard.

Another snap. Released.

Then Paul arrived, delayed by more bloody rat kings. And the snaps stopped biting.

We decided to chase the kings.

Deployed a cuttle strip off the scottalvey, and it was smashed within minutes, by a big one. Real big bastard. Had to crank up the lever drag way past strike, but it wouldn't turn. You'd think 50lb leader would be strong enough to hold a fish from a moving kayak, but it snapped at the hook. I put it down to user error - snell must have slid up to the eye, and cut it off.

Headed towards home, and another bastard king took the trolled plastic from my little snapper rod. This one was a bit bigger than a rat, could be legal, so had to detour to the deeper water. Managed to subdue it (eventually) on the light gear, without breaking anything.










It's pretty quiet around here this time of year - no boats today!


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## Southerly (Apr 20, 2007)

Well done. Sadly my cold kept me at home. Got the wheels of my cart all fixed so ready to roll.


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## blueyak (Jan 20, 2009)

winning


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## paulb (Nov 12, 2006)

Tom - you forgot to mention the 'tranquil' launch....... Watching your kayak getting washed up with you getting dragged up the beach behind it, I regretted being too slow with the camera.

Unfortunately I got dusted 30 seconds into a run that showed no sign of slowing. After that I re-rigged, got blown northwards and by the time I caught up with Tom, I'd missed snapper time........ Despite the current and the swell, the fish seemed quite shy, only a couple of rats boated early on.


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## Marty75 (Oct 23, 2007)

Awesome! Hoping to get out myself next Sat. If conditions are ok I'll be heading to Longy. First time since Queens birthday long weekend.


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## MrX (Feb 7, 2008)

Yeah - I guess it wasn't all that tranquil this morning. Two trailorboats checked out the surge before sunrise, squealed like schoolgirls, and left shaking their heads at me rigging up.

Paul turned up, rigged up, and launched like a fairy (penguin).

Then I charged through the surge like a hungry bull elephant seal (and you have no pics to prove otherwise).


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Top day Tom....best of both species. 

If only Paul had landed that monster....


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## SkybluCraig (Sep 28, 2010)

That's good fishing.

I'm gonna try and grow some bigger ones before next week as I'm pretty sure they're about down our way too.


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## Wrassemagnet (Oct 17, 2007)

NICE!

Looks like the place she's open up for bizness


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## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

That's an excellent bag Mr X. How do you like to rig your cuttly strips on the downrigger? And what kind of depth/speed do you run with a 3 lb bomb? I've tried my downrigger once with a 1lb bomb and it was trailing behind me at a fair slant at 4 ks/10 m


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## MrX (Feb 7, 2008)

G'day Squidley.



> "How do you like to rig your cuttly strips on the downrigger?"


Rubber band attached (10 wraps) to the mainline, about 3m from the single 6/0 livebait hook (any longer, it's difficult to clear when I hook up on another line), no swivel. I try to keep the bait in mid-water, or just above the fish.

The rubber band stays on the line. This allows you to attach the line to the dr bomb when moving, or to a big breakaway snapper sinker when flicking plastics on the drift.



> "what kind of depth/speed do you run with a 3 lb bomb?


About 3-4kmh (sometimes slower). You get some angle on the line, but there's not much you can do about that. I let out a bit more to keep the bomb where I want it. I have tried heavier leads to cut the angle, but it's not worth it.


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## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

Thanks! I'm glad to find it's a rig I know how to do 

I found the 1 lb bomb gave my yak a noticeable lean but I probably shouldn't have rotated the boom straight out; hang it closer to the gunwhale and get away with a heavier weight?


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## MrX (Feb 7, 2008)

Hang in there Gatesy. Next month will be the hardest.


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