The Trip Home….
By the next morning Matt had put Centurion safely in the lee of Penrith Island, and as I woke, and walked out the back, a feeling of déjà vu come over me as I looked out over the sea and took in all the beauty the this area has to offer.
The early morning dawn, the colors of the ocean as the blend into the sky on the horizon, nothing and I mean nothing beats waking up on the reef.
But like all good things they must come to an end, but not just yet, there was one more fishing session left, and we were going to go down swinging.
Raptor was soon pulled up along side, and the loading of gear, bait and people began. Greg and Matt had similar plans, to look for ground that was likely to produce some good bottom fish.
We headed out to the edge of the reef to chase a few trout and red throat but unfortunately we had found the nursery and we found the undersize fish to be in plague proportions.
A couple more moves produced more of the same, until Brett’s rod buckled under some serious pressure, at first it was call for a shark and that was soon change to a XL cod, but as it neared the surface, no one on board could make out the strange beast making its way slowly up. It’s a… a… Wobbygong, Greg said in a bemused voice.
It surely was, the shag pile creature looked like it would be more at home in Madonna’s bedroom than sitting on the surface at the end of a fishing line.
This was the first time many of us had seen this shark before and were all taken in by what nature had provided for camouflage; a truly remarkable creature.
Before too long, it was time to turn Raptor towards home and bring to an end an unforgettable fishing experience. On the trip back to Mackay we cruised back at a leisurely 25 knots and shared some more memories of the trophy size fish that had been caught during the trip.
A trip of this nature opens your eyes to the sheer size and magnitude that this part of the world has to offer, as well the endless fishing possibilities. Every keen fisherman needs to experience this sort of wonderland once in the life, so stop dreaming and go mothershipping on the Great Barrier Reef.
If you are keen on a mothershipping experience onboard the centurion fishing charter boat to the Outer Great Barrier Reef, then give Greg Reynolds a call on 0413 823 736 and make it happen, also make sure you log onto reefari.com.au and check out the action from this trip and other insane fishing action.
It all sounds so good. here I am stuck working – when i obviously should be fishing ….. wish I was there with you
wow! I wish I could go fishing and getting fishes as big as you got. This is not allowed in my place and I don’t know where to go fishing. Thanks for sharing your experience!