Local Mack

So I’ve been eyeing this spot off for a while, deep ground then a significant rise in depth out wide from our local waters. The day had to be fairly flat as it was a fair way out, that day came today (Saturday), low swell and almost no wind.

Crispy was the skipper (again, cheers mate) and we had Alexander aka Gidgee and Troy aka teedee along for the ride. Off to the boat ramp we go and I have never seen the sea so flat. We power out to the spot, completely unaware if this ground will hold fish as I have never been there before nor has anyone I have dived with. In my mind I was hoping for Macks, even the odd stray Tuna/Wahoo/Billfish.

We arrive at the spot and the water is blue, warm and flat, I jump in and we have fantastic viz. However after 20 minutes of swimming and looking around I see nothing apart from a school of Buff. Feeling a bit disappointed for not having put us on “the spot” I swim behind the boat onto deeper ground. Its then they appeared, the familiar shape, torpeado like fish swim into view, a school of Spanish Macks ranging from 10-14kgs. But they were very cagey and didnt approach us.

I dive in the oposite direction, showing no interest in the school, they do not swim in front of me. I twang the rubbers, tap the gun, make the ‘throat noise’, still, no interest. These local Macks arent like the ones up north! I resurface, then I see Troy dive, he dives deep and long, at the end of his dive he takes a shot at the school, and hits a fish. Unfortunately the shot was long and the flopper didnt engage.

The macks were playing hard to get and spooking when dived, but I had a hankering for some mack’ering. We burley up some fish frames, the burley drifts into the water column like snow flakes. The school re-appears, however seperate to the school were 3 Large Macks.

As luck would have it, I spoke to Paul McKeown aka Crusty yesterday, he told me if Macks are spooking, wait till they are directly underneath you, then dive directly from above. This is what I did, (thanks for the tip Paul!)

A nice size Mack swims underneath me, I dive and dive deep, I am reaching the end of my breath hold, but the fish is JUST out of range. I see its a fat fish, I get a little closer, but still unsure if I’m in range (this is when I needed a 1.5 gun) but I must return to the surface, its now or never. I line my 1.4 Aimrite up to its head and shoot……..lights out, brain shot, no kick, no flutter, absolutely nothing. I suck in sweet oxygen and yell to the boys. I was affraid that my spear didnt penetrate properly and thus requiring a second shot. Crispy arrives as I am lifting the mack to the surface. I then have the fish in my hands and am yelling in sheer joy, my first local mack, and its a biggie.

I swim the fish back to the boat, and I am lucky, VERY lucky. The shot entered in the neck and penetrated into its skull. The flopper didnt engage one bit and the spear fell out with very little pressure due to only 4-5inches pf spear penetration. If it wasnt a kill shot I wouldnt have landed this awesome fish. I am stoked to have speared my first local Mack and my first Mack of the new season :)

Total undressed weight is 20kgs

Aleks Ceklic
aka Admin