Landing a Pig from a Boat

[wazatherfisherman]

When you get a group of guys together and go houseboat fishing for a 5 day trip, sometimes there are "personality" clashes. Close quarter living, especially after a couple of nights of little or no sleep, can take it's toll of those on board. Alcohol had previously been the cause of a few drama's, so we have our own rules as to what is allowed to come on board. It's OK to have a few drinks, expected really, but getting drunk on these trips is out of the question and thankfully all agree to strictly adhere to this condition at the pre-trip meeting.

We started doing the 5 day trips instead of the 2 night 'weekend' outings, for several reasons. Firstly, the cost for 5 days midweek was the same as for the Friday to Sunday "weekend"- why not have the extra two nights? Secondly, during the week you were far more likely to get an anchorage or mooring that you desired. Add to this, with the river much, much quieter, more often than not, you'd find some fish without having a heap of other boats come and sit on top of you, after all, in an area as big as Cowan Creek, there is room for any amount of people. Thirdly, for the amount of tackle and gear you would take, to simply put in a few more meals was pretty easy as you already had everything else you needed on board. So for the sake of a few extra meals, it was well worthwhile doing the extra nights.

Handy too, to return on a Friday, as that left the weekend to give some "recovery time" and try and realign your sleep pattern, before having to go back to work the next week. Besides, you needed time to clean and dry your gear after a full-on week of fishing.

The real focus Is on fishing for Hairtail and mostly centred on the dusk until dawn hours, they are around during the day some years, but generally it's the nights that are the productive times. Other species like Bream, Snapper and Mulloway are also more likely to be around in any numbers once the sun has disappeared behind the hills that surround the river valley, so of a night, the whole crew "fishes hard".

By morning, those who've lasted the entire night are both hungry and tired, so the BBQ is fired up for the bacon and sausages, someone does the eggs and baked beans inside and someone else does the toast or rolls. Amazing how the smell of bacon, sausages and onions can stir the crew back to life! After a good feed, the days plans are made.

Based on the previous nights action- or lack of- the location for the next night is decided on pretty early, in order to move and then re-moor, taking into consideration that you have to run the motors for at least an hour or so as a minimum, in order to recharge the houseboat's batteries, which run everything including the lights. Anchor up, live bait baskets put into boxes full of water and aerator's powered up to keep bait oxygenated, burley dispenser in, dingy moved to the stern and away you go.

Once the location change has been made and the boat moored again to our satisfaction, the live bait baskets are redeployed from their temporary aerated boxes on the back deck (we always take a couple of plastic laundry baskets to house the bait fish we catch), burley dispenser refilled and lowered over. We normally do a general clean-up of the outside decks while underway. Finally all jobs done and a few hours sleep for some, the non sleepers often get in the dingy and head for the sand banks- which are at the end of all the bays- to pump a few pink nippers or just stretch the legs properly.

The sleepers get a few hours in and the boat is generally "awake" again by mid afternoon. These trips, there is always a competition of sorts, in regards to biggest fish, most fish and most species. There is also the "blubber award" for biggest whinge and a few other not so wanted "trophy's" for various misdemeanours- the competition is hotly contested, with everyone trying to win a category. Several rules are drawn up at the pre-fish meeting, mainly to enable comfortable fishing more than actually trying to make stringent fishing rules.

A couple of the basic rules were NO live bait to be out without lead- the Yellowtail don't take long to find each other and swim around and around, creating giant, impossible tangles. So live bait had a "minimum size" sinker agreed on.

NO rods to be left "unattended" for more than fifteen minutes, see above for the reason! If you wanted a breather from fishing, in with the live bait. Dead bait of any sort exempt from unattended rule.

NO "sabotage" of Hairtail set-ups, other rods exempt.

"Sabotage"?? Yep, sabotage! When Hairtailing, sometimes you have to wait long periods for action and unless you have another line out to fish for other species, it can get a bit boring, particularly during the "resting" daylight hours. So to while away the time, the "lesser" species are targeted in between the bursts of Hairtail action. Lesser rigs were open for sabotage. Not fish losing sabotage, prank sabotage.

Sabotage actually stemmed from one particular trip, where a dead Bonito complete with a fillet taken off one side, was sneakily hooked onto one of the first-time fishers light outfits and slipped quietly back over the side. Drag loosened a bit and the unsuspecting fisher, on returning to his rod after using the toilet, picked up the rod, felt the weight and commenced to "play" the dead Bonito, which had been lowered to just off the bottom, straight under the boat. With cries of "get the net, no get the gaff, it's a beauty", all the crew came to see the landing. Of course to my co-conspirator Doug and I, who'd done the sabotage, trying to keep a straight face was pretty hard, with all the excitement happening. As the dead fish was pumped to the surface, along with plenty of excitement and encouragement, the camera was readied as well.

When the Bonito was finally "played" to the surface, the unsuspecting fisher (we're still mates!) said "Wow, it's a Tuna!" then as it rolled over next to the boat, exposing the side with the fillet missing he said the funniest thing- "IT IS A TUNA and LOOK A SHARK'S BITTEN IT!!" I nearly fell over the side with laughter, so did Doug, who said "Yep, a shark with a fillet knife"- took a minute or so for the rest of the boys to understand what had happened, but it was really funny.

So it began, from then on, ALL first time crew members copped a similar fate every trip. The old hands knew, but nobody ever mentioned it for fear of ruining the fun. If there were no new crew, it didn't stop the sabotage and each trip, the "committee" would secretly elect a "victim" for a prank or two. It's handy to ALWAYS be on the committee. Just NEVER the Hairtail rods, wouldn't be fair "competition-wise"

Some of the tricks were as simple as using a clear piece of sellotape around the rod and line, between the 1st and 2nd guides down from the tip, makes it hard to reel in, even harder to cast- this one was obviously only good for after dark. Over the years, these pranks got a little better organised and would usually need "props" to be sought out and "smuggled" on board.

One particular year, we had a new crewman, who although well liked by us all, was one of those guys who genuinely talks way too much. Every time there was a lull in conversation, Jonno would start yakking about something, which is OK usually, but not when the "serious" fishing was at hand. He'd been like it when out with us in the Harbour a fortnight before the houseboat trip and nearly driven us mad, running one subject into the next, with hardly a breath between topics. As he was both the "newbie" and the constant talker, he was the perfect next victim for houseboat pranks.

Prank "shopping" starts at the $2 shops and usually there's enough things there to "catch", but this year, we wanted to go all out and ordered a special item from the butcher a week earlier than we were leaving. A full pig's head. Once the ears were cut off, when in the water, it looked remarkably like a human head! So the stage was set, once again only two of us knew what was going on and the pig's head was secreted aboard still 3/4's frozen. Due to everybody being on their toes the first night, we waited until the next afternoon before hooking the head onto Jonno's Bream rod and lowering it back over the side.

To set this prank up, a story about a fisherman lost in the bay after being pulled over by a big Jewie was talked about and different scenario's concocted on his demise, then we'd constantly been on about "fish with a light drag" when Breaming and after "checking" Jonno's drag a couple of times, convinced him it was too tight and a "good" Bream would "do him" easily up in Cowan, better off playing them gently when out in the deeper water.

Sure enough, when returning to his rod after fishing the other end of the houseboat (yes he had a line out each end- also annoying!) he felt the weight and lifting and winding gently as instructed, started to play the pigs's head in. Bravado quickly took over, and as nothing very big had been landed since the night before, Jonno started to carry on about "showing you guys how it's done" etc etc. The gaff was called for and the "beast" played to the surface. Craig, who'd bought the head, asked Jonno what it was as it reached the surface, and after looking at it for a few seconds, said "I'm not sure, but it's alive, whatever it is, put up a pretty good fight". As only the two of us knew what it was, Craig and I were laughing so much we couldn't  help with the gaffing and landing of the head. Wasn't until it was on the deck, that it started to dawn on the others what it actually was. Not Jonno, poor bugger still had no idea and just stood there looking at it in wonder.

Finally, with the entire crew virtually rolling around on the deck, the penny dropped, Jonno realising he'd been "got". When normality returned a few minutes later, the pig's head was "released" to the river and activities resumed. 

Later that same afternoon, Jonno also landed a rubber Chicken, followed by a plastic Elephant, a plastic train and finally 2 of the furry mouse cat toys, one on each rod. He received the trophy for "most unusual capture" at the presentation ceremony after the trip. It was a miniature plastic Turkey on a wooden block. 

And that's how to land a pig from a boat.

 

 

[Green Hornet]

Another great story Waza. Initially, I thought it was going to be about drummer fishing.

Boys will be boys.

[Rebel]

Super Story. Well done.

[bessell1955]

Wow, you do play hard when on a fishing trip.

[wazatherfisherman]

3 hours ago, Green Hornet said:

Another great story Waza. Initially, I thought it was going to be about drummer fishing.

Boys will be boys.

Hi Pete yes, boys will be boys! Hell fun though to break the boredom!

[wazatherfisherman]

3 hours ago, bessell1955 said:

Wow, you do play hard when on a fishing trip.

Hi bessell1955 yes but all in the name of a good time. Fun times every trip regardless of what was biting

[bessell1955]

Yes, I agree that is what it is all about, having a good time.

[61 crusher]

Hi Waza another good read, nothing better than livening up a slow session with a bit of fun. One I was party to was while game fishing years ago, the guy who was next up if a rod went off was fast asleep 💤 , so In comes a 15kg outfit lure & trace disconnected from the snap swivel & then out comes an old vinyl record, then we inserted the snap through the hole in the vinyl  & added a clip, then fed the record back out & engaged ratchet, well waking up & nearly jumping out of his skin to get to the rod was priceless in itself 😂.

 I was actually surprised what a good fight the record gave, pulling line & darting left then right & when finally pulled in every one was cracking up 🤣 except the guy who caught the record fish. 
 

A story I heard, don’t know how true it is though. Was 3 guys fishing in an open boat off JB & they were catching snapper except for the guy in the middle & he says “ how come I’m not catching any & you guys are we’ve got the same bait” well one of the guys being a smart alec says “its what we are doing with our fingers before baiting up” looking puzzled “what do you mean” well the guy at one end of the boat says “you have to put your finger where the sun don’t shine before you bait up”   “Yeh right” was the guy in the middles response. After several more snapper come over the side all pannies so far, the guy in the middle discreetly decides to do what his mate suggested & hooks up to an absolute thumper of a snapper 😂😂 & fish of the day

Edited April 11, 2020 by 61 crusher

[wazatherfisherman]

22 minutes ago, 61 crusher said:

Hi Waza another good read, nothing better than livening up a slow session with a bit of fun. One I was party to was while game fishing years ago, the guy who was next up if a rod went off was fast asleep 💤 , so In comes a 15kg outfit lure & trace disconnected from the snap swivel & then out comes an old vinyl record, then we inserted the snap through the hole in the vinyl  & added a clip, then fed the record back out & engaged ratchet, well waking up & nearly jumping out of his skin to get to the rod was priceless in itself 😂.

 I was actually surprised what a good fight the record gave, pulling line & darting left then right & when finally pulled in every one was cracking up 🤣 except the guy who caught the record fish. 
 

A story I heard, don’t know how true it is though. Was 3 guys fishing in an open boat off JB & they were catching snapper except for the guy in the middle & he says “ how come I’m not catching any & you guys are we’ve got the same bait” well one of the guys being a smart alec says “its what we are doing with our fingers before baiting up” looking puzzled “what do you mean” well the guy at the end of the boat says “you have to put your finger where the sun don’t shine before you bait up”   “Yeh right” was the guy in the middles response. After several more snapper come over the side all pannies so far, the guy in the middle discreetly decides to do what his mate suggested & hooks up to an absolute thumper of a snapper 😂😂 fish of the day

Have said it for years, you want to get a fisherman out of bed in the morning, just invent the clock with the alarm that sounds like a ratchet screaming- that'd work for me

[61 crusher]

On 4/11/2020 at 6:13 PM, wazatherfisherman said:

Have said it for years, you want to get a fisherman out of bed in the morning, just invent the clock with the alarm that sounds like a ratchet screaming- that'd work for me

It would definitely work for me Waza, I’d be so wide awake the snooze button would be useless 👀

Edited April 13, 2020 by 61 crusher