Sambos converge on Nth Coast NSW

Author: josh

Category: Trip Reports

Created on Sunday, 22 August 2010 15:19

Written by Josh

Today's trip out ended with a good dose of spectacular irony and was easily my most enjoyable excursion for some time. It all started pretty quietly, putting in just before 6AM to a stiff westerly that blew me to the reefs out to the south pretty quickly. When I reached what looked to be a likely spot on the sounder I reefed the sail and lowered down a luminous Storm jig (supplied by member Roller, who sent them all the way from the UK) on one line and a soft plastic on the other. They both hooked up within a minute, one after the other. Both fish cod, both returned. I soon grew tired of red rock cod after pulling in a few more, so I tied on a couple of trolling lures and pulled out the sail. From here I got onto a sth easterly reach with a sth westerly powering me along and steadily I may my way to the mouth of the Clarence and beyond to explore the shoreline of Yamba.

I poked around here and took some very interesting marks around Iluka bluff before heading back to the nth east towards Woody Head. By the time I'd reached the point at Woody Head (NSW) I'd sailed 26km. I furled the sail to pedal my way across the headland (where I often find fish casting towards the rocks) and as I did so I watched on as a fairly large shark (with a really thick head) leaped clear out of the water and did a semi-twist mid air and landed with a heavy splash. With a distance of about 60 metres separating us I was unable to determine it's species but pulled out the Shark Shield in readiness just in case. I drifted directly to the position I saw it jump, constantly scanning the water for more signs of it, camera and Rapala at the ready. It was right about now that my sounder decided to inform me of how long my 7AH battery could run it for, conking out on cue. This is where the irony begins because only moments after the sounder screen flicked off I started seeing fish. And lots of them.

I didn't need the sounder to keep track of these fish, because whatever they were were hanging around the surface in a thick cluster, their fins and tails poking through the waters surface. These are what the shark was so excited about. Luckily I happened to have the perfect casting lure rigged at the time - Squidgy pilchard style flickbait - which was swallowed almost as soon as I cast it into the stew. As soon as the strike came I knew what I'd hooked. It felt just like a big aussie salmon and as it leaped into the air and performed some aerial acrobatics my assumption was confirmed. Not just any old sambo either, but a real nice one - around the 4kg range. This fish was the keeper, but just the start of many more to come, all exactly the same.

I paused for a few seconds before bleeding the fish, wondering if doing so in the presence of a large shark was such a good idea. Then I just reminded myself that sambos are no good to eat unless they are bled, so I went ahead and did it anyway. I probably should have switched on the shield at this point, but I figured the shark would be more interested in the school, which was slowly heading south. With the fish bagged I turned around and pedalled back into the action, casting the same lure and instantly hooking up again.

This is how it went one fish after another for another 6 - 7 fish, though I returned all of the others. I wasn't really keen on speed-bleeding any more fish, especially after getting another look at the shark, it's shape ominously defined by a clearing between the salmon created as it carved through the school.

Besides... aussie salmon are only palatable if eaten fresh, and this one fish was easily enough for me, so there wasn't a whole lot of point to keeping any more.&They are, however, a hell of a lot of fun to catch and easily one of the best pound for pound fighting fish on the planet. While they do get bigger, these were fine specimens that gave me a really good fight each and every time on the Nitro Viper. I managed to catch most of this action with my cams, so an action packed clip is to follow.