We decided to check the second cray pot first, this is the one left in a hurry without proper locations.

After a very uncomfortable manual pulling from 35 metres depth we were surprised to find what we certainly had not targeted with our effort even though it was still a pleasant surprise. Inside the pot there were 2 snappers, 1 undersized that we quickly released, the other took us a good 10 minutes to get out and what an experience that was risking to get bitten by a very green 8-pound snapper as we attempted to remove it from the pot. After putting him on ice we directed ourselves onto the other pot and now we had very high hopes.

We did not have a lot of confidence into the previous one but this one we had certainly done it properly and on pulling it up the weight confirmed us that something was inside it so now it was just a matter of whether it was some more snappers or the well deserved crays. After a tug of war with the pot, our best hope were met and, pulling this on board was like landing that first big 30 pounder snapper.

Six beautiful limestone crayfish sitting inside the pot and were they big! After a few attempts at removing the big ones we decided we could do it a bit later so we headed straight back for Rapid Bay. 15 minutes closer to land and the sea had started to get better and, after having set the auto pilot, Vince and I were both at the back admiring our catch and the joy was so high that we had totally forgotten the sea conditions and the hard work of pulling the pots. On arrival at Rapid Bay we decided to anchor the boat and have another go at removing the big crays.

After further struggles we decided that the only way to get them out was to cut their long antennae so we did it. It was a great pleasure when weighing them to find out that we had a 2.8 and a 3.8Kg crays on board.

By now it was around 2 o'clock and the approaching slack water made us think of aiming at those whitings that I was still convinced to be down there. So on our arrival back on our new ground we marked the ledge and I located where the exact likelihood spot of the fish being was in relation to the marks. Noticed however that I'm not actually looking for the fish colour but for bottom features on my sounder. After a first attempt of anchoring goes wrong with the anchor not holding to the bottom a second one put us exactly on location.

Within a matter of seconds we were in a frenzy of whiting bites that saw us catching just over two dozen in less than 1 hour. I was so happy with my day and with the fact that I had proven once again to Vince that the area had certain whiting potential, that we decided to head back home and to give it another shot the following day.

On arrival at the ramp a friend was there from Adelaide and was he happy with his timing! Eugene had decided to come and join us for a fishing day on Day 4 and the sight of those crays made him wondered what he would have missed if he had just come a day sooner. At home there were beautiful food and wine and plenty of smiles all around.
At the start of Day 4 the wind was still blowing hard from the south east so the idea to head south was once again rejected and we decided to take Eugene on our newly discovered whiting grounds just a few miles north of CJ.

On arrival the conditions seemed perfect down there even though they must have not been out wide considering that on approaching the ground we crossed the Glenelg fast ferry just less than 200 meters away, obviously put off track by the sea conditions they must have met out wide on their way to Kingscote.

In rough weather they must stick to CJ on the shelter of the peninsula and then cut across to Penneshaw in Backstairs Passage to then head to Kingscote. I found it so hard to believe that a boat of that size cannot cope with the conditions out there when I think of us going across to the crays the day before in even worse weather, but then again we are trying to compare a Mono with a Cat and as Bill would say "forget it". It makes you think again about the decisions of this government, doesn't it? But lets get back to fishing.

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