ESRArecords

EUROPEAN SPEARFISHING RECORDS ASSOCIATION

Yellowtail

Yellowtail
Yellowtail
Référence : 1999.12.02
IBSRC Notable Catch Award

30,2 kg/66,5 lbs yellowtail kingfish speared in Sydney, December 2, 1999

A (big) king’s week

For sure it was quite a week. Diving early morning from the shore of Long Reef , on this nice day of November the 30th, I have this enjoyable feeling that something is going to happen. The viso is poor vertically, better horizontally, and I as come back form my first « ambush » on the bottom, I quote a tail fading in the gloom, and I bet it is a yellow tail. Few minutes after, as I again lay in a depression of a reef, a nice jew materialise on my right side. I fire, but my rubbers are not tensed to their max (what a mistake), and the jew went away, giving me back a slightly curved spear. No worries, I put the spear back, arm my rubbers to the max, and go back for ambush. Two kingies arrive in front of me, and this time my spear go through the fish without any problem, just a bit over the lateral line. My Sporasub Viper 110 gun is attached to a belt reel, and I just let a few meters of rope, working the fish quietly because I don’t want to loose it as I realise that the fight is enlarging the scar from the spear, then catch it by the gills and finish it. Back home, the kingie is weighted 17,5 kg.

This was not enough I guess. Two days after, on December 2nd, I’m back at the same place. Better viso, and better ambushes. This time four kingies arrive right on me, as I wait on a sandy patch by a rock. Two are huge, and I go for the biggest. They are close, and this time I have my 1m80 « Paxman » gun from W.A. The perfect shot, and the spear hit the big fish just behind the gills. It’s a hell of a struggle anyway, and I realise now the real size of the kingie. The previous one was just a baby, this must be the mummy. Giving all his forces in the battle, the magnificent fish surrenders after 5mn that last one hour for me. A right wave send me on the top of the reef, like a providential lift. Whouah, the fish is really big, and I can feel it as I have to carry it on my shoulders, going for a 10 mn walk back to the car. Verdict : 30,2 kg, my personal best for a totally non-assisted catch. This does give a great feeling of self-accomplishment, doesn’t it ?
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