THE GREAT SHARK HUNT

26th January, 4pm, Australia Day. So there we were, 8 guys rocking down the deep sandy track towards Rivernook beach in two 4WD’s, full of gear including a surf board, a full esky, 200 metres of rope with a shark rig attached and various other fishing implements. The plan; catch some decent salmon in the afternoon to put on the big rig and get Matt to paddle the bait out behind the breaking waves for the bronze whalers to find after dark. How much more Australian could you be on Australia Day? We caught the salmon ok, but the problem was Matt getting out there in one piece, carrying a sand bag weight and dragging the 200 metres of rope behind him. The waves were hammering him, throwing him about like a cork, but he is a determined fellow is Matt, although even the most determined must finally accept defeat. After a 15 minute battle with the surging white waves he came back in, dropped of the gear and this time attempted the paddle out without the added weight, which he finally succeeded. The second attempt with the rig went pretty well, Matt getting it about 100 metres out from shore. This time he paddled to the first sand bank and dragged it to himself and then paddled to the next sandbank and repeated the procedure. We should have just covered him in tuna oil first and put the two big hooks through his wetsuit!! The waves were big, the wind coming in strong, bringing with it the occasional shower of rain. We collected a huge amount of driftwood and had us a magnificent bonfire which warmed us up as we kept a check on the battery of surf rods lined up along the beach until close to midnight. The shark rig wasn‘t touched, probably not out far enough, and the conditions were not great. But it was a lot of fun, and if we had of gotten on to one it would have been an experience to remember, a bunch of guys hanging onto a rope and having a tug of war with a big sea creature. We did end up with a few salmon and a couple of snapper though and are already planning our next assault. Stay tuned!!