Pedra Branca report
Posted By: Michael Hay
on May 2nd, 2006
Friday night (28/4/06) – a 4 hour tow to South Port to chase the big blue fin and with a forecast of 15 knot winds for Saturday everything was all go. The trip went smoothly and we arrived at about 8.30 pm and stepped out of the car into a cold misty winters evening. The plan was to start early, with a slow and careful trip out through the South Port bar at low tide heading straight down to Pedra and into the blue fin.
Saturday came and decked in the usual fishing gear plus thermals and beanies, we were away. The trip down, approx 30 miles went fast and we arrived with another boat about the same time. We travelled around the rock a couple of times and then headed down to Flying Scud to try our luck. As we arrived at the southern end, a large school of bait-fish broke the surface and quickly disappeared out of sight. I shouted to the crew about the bait and they scrambled up the front to peer out the window to see them breaking the surface. Just as the bait disappeared, another school appeared with a large blue-fin hot on their tails. The fish cleared the water by half a meter in hot pursuit of the bait and at a guess was approximately 50 kilo. The crew waited to hear the reel start to scream, but as usual nothing happened and we continued trawling in patterns across this hot spot. 12 boats were trawling and bottom fishing around the rock with most giving up on the tuna by late morning to try for a Stripey trumpeter or a tasty bottom fish. We trawled on, catching glimpses of blue-fin jumping in amongst the seals and birds as the day went on.
Late in the day in the distance we could see about 5 boats doing some very tight circles around some diving birds and a large school of seals which were working a large school of bait. On closer inspection 1 boat was hooked up and the rest were closely circling. The blue-fin were jumping in amongst the seals and could be seen only a few meters a head of the boat. Once again the crew were on their toes just waiting for the big hit. Off to our port a boat hooked up, but the fight only lasted long enough to get the rest of the rods in. The small boats took it in turns at a run pass the school of fish and then going wide to return for another pass. The large boats circled the fish and seals and eventually trawled straight through the schools in fustration at not hooking up. By this time it was late in the day and it was time to dash back to South Port to load and wash the boat ready for the next trip.
Fingers crossed the weather is good for the Far South comp next weekend.
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