Another day (or two) on the harbour

I had just about forgotten how hard fishing our harbour entrance can be, so Wednesday I rang the skipper I occasionaly crew for, and aranged a trip for last Saturday, 6-30 start at the marina for a 12 hour trip. That gave me a few days to get the gear ready, BUT Thursday there was a message from another skipper asking if I wanted to fill a vacant space on Friday, 5-45 start. Oh bugger it, why not as his is a fast aluminium cat.
Both days were forecast for light winds and small tides. After an hour we reached the end of the South head and turned towards the graveyard still 5km away, we started looking for fish, but though they were showing on the sounder, that did not mean they were opening their mouths, so we headed further down. By this time it was half ebb tide and the current was strong. I use a Shimano TLD 25 with 18kg nylon over a heavy Daiwa 15kg 1.6m rod. (I do sometimes use braid but find it a bit brutal with the snapper headshakes).
Our third spot was a bit slow but at least some fish, though in 20m of water I could only hold bottom with 30oz of lead without dropping it way back and getting heaps of tangles as I was near the front of the boat. Apart from one shark, nothing big on the boat for the day, I had 2 at about 5lb plus a few smaller ones.
We were back by 4, so I dropped fish off to a couple of friends then set to filleting the rest, the 2 larger ones I readied for smoking.
Bright and early the next morning, back on the water for a 2.5 hour chug down the river and harbour, same problem at first, no takers until down the graveyard.

More later

Good report Rhod a lot of fishing in two days. Does the graveyard refer to the boats, the people on them or the fish caught

cover this tomorrow

Can't wait for your next update!

Looking forward to part 2

Part two.
It really was not my day, toiling away at the bow which has quite a slope aft, down towards low tide I had only caught a couple of takers about 30cm, 27cm the legal limit. As the tidal flow dropped off, we lay broadside to the building swell, and started rolling , which tipped me and the chilly bin I was sitting on over, so there I was on my back half wrapped around the anchor winch and bin, and my rod, 20 ounces of lead and 2 circle hooks draped around me, blood flowing from my thumb where the winch bit me and where my legs had scraped over the lid of the bin. I had been rebaiting so had no counterpull and was not watching the waves.
It took a short while to get back in fishing mode, washing the blood off my hand in a bucket of water and putting some extra attractant on the fish bait. My thumb only hurts now when I hit it!
We then moved into the harbour a bit, and I started catching a few snapper, but nothing big like some at the stern were catching, but soon we started rolling again, so engines started and lines in I looked down the stern where chilly bins and gear were sliding from side to side and the crew dodging them. An interesting day I could have done without, but I said I would go so was committed. A good job I caught a few the day before, even though it cost about 50 quid
I will write the Graveyard as a new topic tomorrow, I have done it before but I cannot find it.
Sorry no pictures of either day.

Ouch! That must have hurt!

Hope it was a bucket of water you washed your hand in, you know what these sailors are like