112 Reasons to Smile From Ear to Ear
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2016 11:02 pm
No work in Darwin for me in 2016 (unlike the past 5 years) so a quick fly in and fly out trip was booked instead, and my first on the majestic Daly River.
Arrived at Woolianna and launched around 8am, heading downstream with three other equally enthusiastic and experienced fishos aboard Obsession Fishing Safaris with Justin Jones, whom I've tagged along with several times before.
First stop was Lizzie where surprisingly we had the creek to ourselves for a few hours and enjoyed the spoils boating maybe 20 fish to 70cm before we moved on downstream to Clear Creek and mixed it up with trolling and casting for 3 more legal fish. We then powered down to the mouth where we were stationed aboard the mothership for the next 4 nights. Our first day saw around 25 legal fish and perhaps 10 more dropped - a cracking first day! We dined well , downed many a bevy and enjoyed a ripper sunset before an early bed in preparation for the days ahead.
The next three days we worked around several of the creeks around the mouth again with a mix of flicking junctions and trolling the main channels - with some great sessions and seriously hot conditions. High humidity made for sweltering conditions amongst the upper reaches of the creeks and afternoon storm clouds rolled in most days, with some cracking storms and soothing downpours enjoyed by all.
Some great fish on the fourth day including beaut 85, 86 and a 93cm barras for the other fellas. I managed a healthy king thready on the troll - a first for me and a chance for a happy snap
Fifth and final day saw an earlier start to pass the sandbars downstream and working our way along some of the creeks heading back to Wollianna. Spots were harder to come by with far greater numbers of boats consuming most of the run off creeks. Managed to find an unoccupied creek and anchored up for the next few hours flicking a mixture of hard bodies and soft plastics for a few small keepers.
Then the 10 minutes that changed my life...
My soft-vibe had barely dipped beneath the surface and I was sure i'd felt a draw on the line. Almost immediately I noticed the line shift against the shoulder current and I knew I was in action and struck. A nice boil showed and she knew she was hooked, screaming out of the junction and off downstream. Line fizzed off my Curado 50E and my heart rate went rocketing up. She came to the surface and we saw she was big as she rolled. We didn't know how big.
Twenty metres downstream she veered off and headed into the sticks and some thumbing of the spool and pleas for her to come out fell on deaf ears as we watched the surface timber shudder and dip down into the water. I could feel the line chaffing on the woodwork. I was destined to lose another good fish. Then the line went slack and I felt a snap, with the obligatory tirade of obscenities that followed and utter despair at losing yet another cracking good fish. I was gutted.
The line started veering back into the main river channel, and she had somehow snapped herself free of the riverside snags...I was still on She jumped twice and we all saw her size...this was the one I'd been waiting for...6 years after I first dropped a damn good fish under the boat at Shady...this was looking like a metery...
Some anxious moments, racing heartbeat, a failed first net attempt and finally she came aboard...
One.
Hundred.
Twelve..
112cm...my first every metery and finally I'd done it!
Justin had kept saying to us during the safari "one cast...that's all it is...one cast can change everything"...i don't think the smile has left my face since 0838hrs Monday 21st March on the mighty Daly River...one of the best days of my life!!
I've joined the club #DeepRiver
Arrived at Woolianna and launched around 8am, heading downstream with three other equally enthusiastic and experienced fishos aboard Obsession Fishing Safaris with Justin Jones, whom I've tagged along with several times before.
First stop was Lizzie where surprisingly we had the creek to ourselves for a few hours and enjoyed the spoils boating maybe 20 fish to 70cm before we moved on downstream to Clear Creek and mixed it up with trolling and casting for 3 more legal fish. We then powered down to the mouth where we were stationed aboard the mothership for the next 4 nights. Our first day saw around 25 legal fish and perhaps 10 more dropped - a cracking first day! We dined well , downed many a bevy and enjoyed a ripper sunset before an early bed in preparation for the days ahead.
The next three days we worked around several of the creeks around the mouth again with a mix of flicking junctions and trolling the main channels - with some great sessions and seriously hot conditions. High humidity made for sweltering conditions amongst the upper reaches of the creeks and afternoon storm clouds rolled in most days, with some cracking storms and soothing downpours enjoyed by all.
Some great fish on the fourth day including beaut 85, 86 and a 93cm barras for the other fellas. I managed a healthy king thready on the troll - a first for me and a chance for a happy snap
Fifth and final day saw an earlier start to pass the sandbars downstream and working our way along some of the creeks heading back to Wollianna. Spots were harder to come by with far greater numbers of boats consuming most of the run off creeks. Managed to find an unoccupied creek and anchored up for the next few hours flicking a mixture of hard bodies and soft plastics for a few small keepers.
Then the 10 minutes that changed my life...
My soft-vibe had barely dipped beneath the surface and I was sure i'd felt a draw on the line. Almost immediately I noticed the line shift against the shoulder current and I knew I was in action and struck. A nice boil showed and she knew she was hooked, screaming out of the junction and off downstream. Line fizzed off my Curado 50E and my heart rate went rocketing up. She came to the surface and we saw she was big as she rolled. We didn't know how big.
Twenty metres downstream she veered off and headed into the sticks and some thumbing of the spool and pleas for her to come out fell on deaf ears as we watched the surface timber shudder and dip down into the water. I could feel the line chaffing on the woodwork. I was destined to lose another good fish. Then the line went slack and I felt a snap, with the obligatory tirade of obscenities that followed and utter despair at losing yet another cracking good fish. I was gutted.
The line started veering back into the main river channel, and she had somehow snapped herself free of the riverside snags...I was still on She jumped twice and we all saw her size...this was the one I'd been waiting for...6 years after I first dropped a damn good fish under the boat at Shady...this was looking like a metery...
Some anxious moments, racing heartbeat, a failed first net attempt and finally she came aboard...
One.
Hundred.
Twelve..
112cm...my first every metery and finally I'd done it!
Justin had kept saying to us during the safari "one cast...that's all it is...one cast can change everything"...i don't think the smile has left my face since 0838hrs Monday 21st March on the mighty Daly River...one of the best days of my life!!
I've joined the club #DeepRiver