DAIWA FISHING TIPS: It pays to prepare (for that fish of a lifetime) – Mark Bargenquast

I must admit I do get a bit slack about preparation when I’m going fishing, usually heading out, finding a few fish then deciding what lures to rig up to get the job done. Generally speaking I just focus on one species when I’m going out, well I’ll tell you a great story of my last trip where this time preparation paid off! Big time.

It was the last spring tide in January here in hervey bay, we had been getting plenty of big threadfin salmon and a few barra as by catch in the rivers and I owed my cousin Brett a fishing trip, Brett runs cattle properties inland and fishing is something he does not get the chance to do very often.

Something that morning, possibly a gut feeling told me to rig the saltiga 4500 for heavy work, really that’s what they’re designed for, not casting light vibes at threadys all day, so I rigged some 80 pound fluro and a big 10 inch plastic on an 8/0 hook……………….like I said gut feeling!

Well the morning started well, Brett got his first thready using the 4000 FREAMS/black label combo, his first big fish really it fought well with some blistering runs and headshakes, then my son and I both landed one it was already a great day already. Out the front of the river mouth a rock bar juts off the bank at right angles causing a mean eddy when the tide runs, I had been busted off there before on several occasions, the fish were big, fast and unstoppable. I really wanted one!

Anyway deciding that seeing Brett getting smoked sounded like a good idea. First cast was short, second was in the zone, he took 3 winds then the rod buckled with a massive boil on the lure and poured line at an alarming rate, I had mentally decided to keep on top of this fish and I actually had the boat on the plane to keep up, through the rocks and shallow bommies, eventually in open water and half hour later a monster 40 kg river GT was landed, photographed and released. Amazing Bretts 3^rd fish on a lure and what a capture, I’m sure this fish was hunting down threadys for a meal!

So remember always prepare and have that heavy SALTIGA rigged in the background because without it we wouldn’t have made the capture!