Deep-sea fishing

[khiemtran]

This weekend, come with me on a deep-sea fishing charter. I bought some half-price internet vouchers with a friend weeks ago, and today is finally the day...



We'll leave Sydney just after lunch, which means we'll get to motor past a yacht race in the harbour on our way out to sea.



Rounding South Head as we leave Sydney Harbour. There's always a bit of swell around the heads.



As we head out in search of fish, we have an escort of shearwaters. It's easy to see how they got they got their name as they slice their wave low over the waves.



Leaving Sydney behind. In our relatively small boat, it's a bit like being on a roller coaster until we get away from the heads.



All equipment is included on this charter, and the bait is pre-cut and supplied in those little white buckets.



We try different spots to find where the fish are biting. Every one has to put their line in on the same side of the boat. With so many lines so close, there are lots of tangles, but the crew are great at helping get everyone sort. If your line ends up crossed with someone else's, you need to do a complicated manoeuvre to pass your rod over or under theirs and then swap hands.



The day starts promisingly, when my friend gets two fish in the first five minutes. But, as time goes on, fewer and fewer fish get caught and most are below legal size. It was interesting to see lots of different fish that I don't normally get to see. The biggest excitement was when an Irish lady caught what the skipper thought was a famous Sydney kingfish, but it turned out to be an Australian salmon instead (regarded as good fighters but not good eating). The other highlight was seeing a big humpback whale, up close, but I didn't have my camera with me at the time.



The keepers so far. At this stage, I hadn't had a single bite and was starting to think I wouldn't catch anything. In fact most of the people on the boat hadn't caught anything legal size yet, which would have been disappointing if you paid full price.



At the very end though, the skipper tried taking us in to shallower water, and on my second drop, I finally felt something grab the line. It turned out to be a huge flathead, the biggest I've ever landed.



Here's our catch laid out ready for the ice box. My friend got a flathead and a snapper. I got the flathead on the left.



Heading back home, mission accomplished!



That night, we decide to bake the flathead. It turns out it only just fits in the roasting pan.

Comments

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I don't know this fish. Was it tasty?

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

It's very popular as an eating fish over here, but the smaller ones are regarded as better eating. This one tasted okay, but the meat was getting a little tough. You'll quite often see flathead here as part of fish and chips and if a restaurant or cafe wants to indicate that their fish and chips are slightly more premium, they'll call it out on the menu.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

In the photo where they're ready for the icebox, they seem to be smiling gleefully... probably not actually reflective of their state of mind in their last moments, though you never know.

Interesting that the smaller ones are better eating--like summer squashes :-) All the same, catching something that big is impressive!

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

It was certainly nice to catch a bigger fish, although, truth be told, it was more like a lottery than a game of skill. I think the thing to do with this sort of charter is to go along with a bunch of friends and settle back for a yarn or a beer while the lines are in the water. Some of the guests on the boat caught nothing at all and most caught nothing large enough to keep.