The platform I wanted to fish also had a couple of guys on it, but there is more than enough room for half a dozen fishos, so we set up. Got the sneakers and cleats on and walked out to see how they two guys were faring. They had been there for a couple of hours and one had a single blackfish and the other had none. They said, "no fish today". I rigged up, cast in and had an immediate down, dropping the fish in my surprise. A couple of big swells were coming through, so I called out to the two Chinese guys to watch the water. The swell rushed up the sloping rock, losing its force, but still swirled around out calves. The two Chinese guys stepped up higher and emptied their GUMBOOTS, which had no cleats on them. I politely told them that it was a very dangerous rock with the swells rolling over it, and to keep an eye on the water at all times. They were lovely guys and took no offense. They were very interested in my setup, so I spent a few minutes showing them how I rig and bait for blackies. Cast in and again got an immediate down, landing a nice fish. Three more in quick succession brought my tally to four in 15 minutes of fishing. John hooked one and dropped it at the edge of the ledge. The swells were coming through faster and bigger, so I decided it was too dangerous for JD, who is only learning. A big one came over the rock and swept through at thigh height, so that was it. One of the Chinese guys also copped this wave and luckily he was a bit higher up the platform. He walked up to his gear and got the wet clothes off. I spoke to him again, and his english wasn't good, but he understood. I begged them to be very careful and fish off the high rock if they were going to stay. I gave them my four fish in the hope that they may call it quits. I could imagine if one of them went in, as they both had the same clothing on. The one who got wet, took off - a pair of overalls, A sloppy joe, a flanno shirt, a woolen singlet, trackie pants, long socks and gum boots. He was an anchor, if he went in. I'm glad they did take some notice of the dangers though. I also helped them with their rig. They had 17lb trace and 30lb braid. The bait was a fist sized (well almost) lump of cabbage. I baited their hooks with a leaf of cabbage and showed them how to half hitch it. Left them to it and hiked back out with John, to fish at a sheltered spot. Complete contrast as there was no swell, gin clear water and almost the bottom of the tide. The fish were there though and we both landed some good sized ones. John got three, dropped a few and got looped up in the barnacles. Got to keep an eye on the belly in the line, JD. I ended up with 8 landed, the biggest going 42cm and the smallest 36cm. We stayed much longer than normal, but a few hours included the hike in and out. Got home and the thunder rumbled, but only a few fat drops fell. My other mates say, "Geez you're lucky with fishing." Yeah, I must be - it's just dumb luck.
