I returned to the rocky jetty before the sun had risen over the mountains. In the stillness of the morning air, the flat surface revealed a number of blennies and gobies in the shallow water. I baited up the size 22 hook with a tiny piece of shrimp-tail. I positioned the bait over the nose of a large goby, and dropped the rod tip ever so slightly. The shrimp slowly sank into range and was snapped up by the goby.
I’m identifying this as a Giant Goby, unless anyone can say differently? It looks similar to a rock goby, but lacks the yellow band at the top of the first dorsal fin.
A familiar pattern emerged: a fish on the first cast followed by a long drought. The blennies – rusty blennies as far as I could tell – were very easily spooked. I finally enticed one to have a chew of the shrimp, but it didn’t hook itself.
A few unidentified wrasse crash dived and snapped the fine line, but I couldn’t get much interest from the other fish.
I fished on for an hour or so, but could only catch another Painted Comber on a small pink Isome.
Seven new species from this trip is a good tally. At 9 a.m. the breakfast buffet was calling.
Total Catch:
- 1 Giant Goby
- 1 Painted Comber
A Fishing Diary 