Taking on the Lions Creek Catties

Two dead trees

It was Thursday afternoon and my spares started at one and went through till home time so I decided to sign out and go home. I had a quick feed and dug up some bait and packed my bike, the equipment was a rovex medium bc combo and a combo of all different bits and pieces I call my light spin combo consisting of daiwa light spin graphite rod, Shakespeare 2 spool reel to change for certain fish and one is spooled with 2kg braid and the other, a graphite spool is spooled with 4kg fluoro carbon. The combo has never failed me and today it will get a work out.



45-50cm on my spin



 I headed down to a place in lions creek I hadn’t fished yet, mainly because I was never able to get to it but today was different, I walked through bushes and shrubs and god knows what to get into a clearing under a gum tree. Lion’s creek runs into the main fresh water part of the river and is populated with tarpon, eels, yellow belly, Barra, grunter and catfish. Unfortunately the Barra weren’t coming out to play today even on my unbeatable Sebile lures. Fortunately I had some small sinkers and longshanks and quickly put on some worms, I put it out on my bait caster because I know tarpon love the worms and a big one would all but love my spin combo.



smaller cattie on F18



 The only thing hooking up was catfish, the first one being around 40cm and the next 45-50. There were two dead gum trees in the water and I cast dead between then and instantly the line was rushing off the bait caster into the water and I pulled out the biggest catfish I have ever caught so far… an idea hit me in the middle of this fun, chuck out a worm on my light combo and have some even better fun, that’s what I did and wouldn’t you know it I hooked up on a large tarpon that slammed the worm and took off with my line, my drag was on full lock and the spool was still wiring the dam tarpon almost spooled my braid, luckily it tired out just as half the backing was gone and I got it I to the bank, lip grips wouldn’t sort this one out because it refused to stop moving and kept jumping into the water and trying to swim off.



First one on worms



 I had no other choice but to cut the leader and let it swim off after I tried to grab it and it kept spiking me. The combo finally got its well-deserved workout for the day but I wanted more so I threw some more worms out landing some catties but then the clouds broke and killed the action, I could still feel bites so I decided to leave the worms out there and put a proper Barra lure on my bait caster, a Barra classics F18, keen to catch a Barra I tossed it out and retrieved it a couple of times near the worms trying to tempt what was nibbling them. All of a sudden on my 7^th retrieve a fish almost pulled me into the water because I forgot to loosen the drag and was unprepared. It turned out it was now my even newer pb cattie around 60-70cm. a few more fish took bait and the F18 and it was getting dark so I decided to head home and clean my gear while there was still light. Sunday the 10^th April Going to Bundaberg, keen for some good beach and estuary action more updates soon, fish guru.



NEW PB