ACCORDING to Fisho reader John Kelly, you don’t have to be the best angler to catch a fish of a lifetime.
John makes this statement after recently catching the sort of flathead any angler would no doubt be extremely proud of.
“You don’t have to be the most talented, technical or persistent fisherman. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time,” John told Fisho.
A few weeks ago John was in Ballina for a weekend to visit family. With a little time to spare John and his brother-in-law ducked out with a bream rod and a couple of lures.
Working the falts around the mouth of the Richmond River in the hope of getting a few flatties, John soon hooked the lizard pictured here on a large vibe. .
“It was extremely heavy so I called it for a stingray,” he said.
“I slowly worked to try and get it in closer without paying much attention. Then suddenly [brother-in’law] Joey sees what’s on the end of the line and yells out it’s a massive flattie!
“I spent the next 20 minutes trying to land the fish.”
A very happy John eventually landed his 92cm flattie and “took a few quick photos before setting her free to keep stocking the system.”
In conclusion John said it rained for the rest of the weekend and he didn’t get another chance to fish, but the smile couldn’t be wiped from his face.
