I didn't set out with much of a plan, but during the drive my thoughts kept gravitating towards Maloney's beach, a spot we used to fish a lot in years past but not so much recently. The seas were flat and the gentle norwester made for a good drifting speed. The more desirable table fish didn't appear to be in attendance, but I had an enjoyable time catching half a dozen of the less desirable species (a few different wrasse, bakers, flowerpots, slimies, pike) throwing plastics in 5-6m of water around the headland. I headed to squiddly spot x just before calling it quits, and they were again conspicuous in their absence. I haven't caught a squid in over a year. The shame
I pulled the pin at about 2.30 and contemplated the rest of day. An early finish is never a bad thing - I could hit the bakery again on the way home
then clean all the gear before tea. But I was down the coast and it would be a shame not to make the most of it. So a rapid packup and short drive saw me at the Moruya river to catch the last hour or so of the run in tide. Initially I was thinking of fishing it land based, but once I got there I could see some awesome eddies and weed beds that were well out of casting distance, so the yak came off the roof for a second time. I've caught a few good trevally on plastics in the Moruya, and was hoping for more of the same to at least give me a feed to take home.....when I hooked up second cast and line was screaming off the reel my mouth started watering at the thought of succulent grilled trevally fillets - I was a little disappointed when the flash of a bream came in to view, but disappointment quickly turned to joy as I saw it was a really nice fish. A couple of photos and back he went. I hooked up again 5 minutes later and landed another smaller bream, and soon after caught a high 40s flathead which filled the dinner order nicely (Squidette and I ate that fish about 4 hours after capture - ultra fresh fish really is something else). The next two hookups ended in despair as whatever they were chewed through 6lb leader after making a few runs (probably tailor), and the last fish I caught was a stunning golden flanked bream, who looked like he'd come from well up the system to chase the chicks down on the flats.It was interesting that as soon as the run in stopped, so did the hookups. It was like someone had flicked off a switch. I've heard 'no run, no fun' said many times, but this was the first time it had been so obvious to me during a session. I drove all the way back to Canberra in the dark without a single wildlife near-miss - great success!
Thanks for reading
