Friday, December 16, 2022
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Bob was a man who loved his game fishing and he was good at it. A favourite fishing recollection seems appropriate.
The 2003 Tollgates Tournament (Batemans Bay) saw Bob and his 'Elusive' crew (Larry Barnes, Peter Kastelein, Hayden Neal and myself) frustrated after the first two days that having tagged a few fish we were still out of the running in our preferred Tag and Release category. A couple of other boats had really got among them.
We agreed to we spend the final (third) day trying to encourage a marlin that might earn us the Biggest Game Fish trophy. The morning spent fishing in the local Bay waters proved fruitless so we half threw-in-the-towel and headed north back home to Ulladulla. Of course as game boats do, we continued dragging a pattern of lures.
We were off Brush Island when Bob twigged that we were in particularly good water temperature and he decided to work in this warm water for a while. What a good call that proved to be. A big blue marlin hooked up and we got it into the boat.
We were then in a quandary. It was a trophy fish, but we were a lot closer by then to Ulladulla than to Batemans Bay where the fish needed be weighed-in. How were we going to get the fish back to the weigh station before the tournament closing time?
Another good Bob Muir call. Power home to Ulladulla; unload the fish onto a trailer; and drive it back to the Bay. This we did. The reaction of many motorists on the Princes Highway to a box trailer with a monster marlin hanging out of it might be imagined. What might also be imagined was the reaction from other tournament crews to this fish being backed up to the weigh station in a trailer only minutes before the tournament closed.
Despite the sideways glances of some other competitors, unconventional practice or not, our fish was accepted as a legitimate entry, and at 218 kg it took the trophy.
Bob will get another laugh out of this.
Thanks Larry Barnes for helping me with this.
Brian Koorey
