Decided to take a fortnight off during the shool holidays and managed to get out a couple of times and finally landed on some gold.

Now, most would know that I have been fishing for a very long time but I have always struggled to find the right spot. I have both Navionics and C-Map on the boat so have looked for countour lines and have come across countless lumps and bumps in my travels which have shown fish, but havent managed to get anything of substance, other than a very enjoyable snapper (in April last year)

I have the ability to fish beside someone who catches fish....without getting a touch on my line

Anyhow, Thursday of the first week of the holidays looked good wind wise (glassy) but with swell coming down from 2m so it wqs breaking on 5FB...We powered out to 35m for a play and after a few picks and drifts, we managed 45cm KG which was quickly in the esky. 

With wife and Daughter feeling a bit off, we were going to head 3nm north west towards west end but half way there, noticed i was 3.5nm from the spot my mates picked up some Dhuies in the April demersal opening so we abruptly turned 90degrees to the left, into the swell and headed out that way.

We rocked up on site, I threw three baits over  (2 x 100gm Vexed and 1 x 50gm (4 of us onboard). As they hit the water, Claire jumped off the deck and rushed to the gunnel and started power chucking over the side.

While giving her a sympothetic pat on the back, one of the rods started flicking then it was on so the young bloke got that one. Mum was wiping her chin off and the second rod started going. I passed her a water bottle and then grabbed the other rod.

After a quick battle for me, a Dhu popped up beside the boat through the chunder plume....but i was extremely happy as it was my first keeper size (not size by the old scale but very close)

Quickly into the boat to support the young man who was having a battle with the drag getting a work out at times, and after a few moments, pops up another dhu which went just over 6kg. His first dhuie!

The cheering and shouting by me unfortunately got the attention of another boat nearby who essentially dropped just updrift from us 

Any how, we were done with two on board and commenced the punch back to GI for lunch.

Yesterday, we went out again and didnt want to go back to that spot....so headed directly west of Garden Island, aiming for the 40's where we came across some whales. I made the mistake of turning off the sounder to hope they would come close, but once they had passed, it wouldnt find bottom. After a 15 minute drive back in towards the bank for it to find bottom, we headed 180 degrees back out again to a spot which produced a couple of picks before deciding to go and take a look at the Dhu spot to take a proper look at the ground to see what i needed to look for. 

Both kids had their heads over the rail for a moment but they rapidly got distracted where, again, on the first drift, both rods went over and after a fun fight, another Dhu pops up to the surface, along with a Sargent baker.

I was content with one due to commitments in the afternoon, so we charged back into GI for lunch after taking a real good look at the ground to see what I need to look for elsewhere.....and it is near on exactly the same as what i see elsewhere but catch nothing on...

Overall, that is 6 dhuies on the boat in the last 6 months, from 4 trips. In the previous 41 years, I have had three dhuies on boats I have been on, with only 1 being size based on the old scale.

Finally, some would know that we had to say goodbye to our dog Charlie earlier this year. It absoloutely broke me for months, but we now have Navi with us, who at this point, is a 6.5 month old Kelpie who was surrended. She is a good kid on the boat, happily falls asleep, has fallen off after chasing a seagull and enjoys some Dhufish scraps...

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