A solo Western Australian beach angler running the channel as the Fishing Scotsman set out to land a metre-plus mulloway in 24 hours and finished the challenge by sundown - then kept fishing.
The parameters of the session were unambiguous. Twelve o'clock start, twenty-four hours on the clock, target species jewfish, target size one metre or larger.
"Hey guys, the plan is today we're going to try and get a 1-m plus mulloway in corner for you guys," he said at the start, holding the camera himself. "It's 12. I'm going to fish for 24 hours. See if I can get one in 24 hours. That's the plan. So the 24 hours starts now."
The gear was deliberately old-school. A 12-foot Prevail rod he had owned since arriving in Australia, mullet frames as burley, fresh mullet on a fish-finder rig.
The tailors arrived first. By 2:15 pm a 46 cm tailor was on the sand, kept for fresh bait. A 41 cm fish followed, then a third just after 5:30 pm. The mulloway, however, weren't showing.
"Yeah, fish on," he says. "Guys, I've done it. 110-cm mulloway. I wanted the 1-m plus. It's now 17:42. 110 cm. Let's get a photo and get this baby back. It is, folks. 110-cm mulloway. I did it. I done the 24-hour challenge in under 6 hours."
The fight, by his account, was anything but composed.
"Once I hooked it, it was big head shakes," he says. "Then I thought I seen flopping about like a stingray. Then I seen it again. And I knew it was a mulloway, and I was just so scared I lost it. I knew it was a big one. I'm shaking. I can easily go home."
He didn't go home. The fish swam away, and he reset the rod for the second mulloway.
That one, an 80-centimetre fish, came on the next bite cycle just as the sun dropped.
"Mulloway number two. 80 cm," he says, returning the fish quickly. "Brilliant. I did, guys. Mulloway number two. 80 cm. Just going to quickly get him back. Happy days."
A third followed within minutes, on what he assumed was again a tailor.
"Yeah, fish on. Woah, this is big. Big shakes. Is that another mulloway? Big head shakes," he says as the line came tight. "There it is. Keep tension on the rod. Use the wave's full advantage. Mulloway number three. 85 cm. First time I've ever caught three mulloway in the same session. Absolutely brilliant."
"What a day," he closes. "Started fishing at 12. Set myself a challenge. Trying to get a 1-m plus mulloway in 24 hours. Smashed it in 6 hours. Then just non-stop action. Got four mulloway in total. Two sharks, three tailor, catfish. Just unbelievable. That's 12 right now. This has been a 12-hour session. It's been a big day."
The fish all went back. The 110 cm mulloway swam away strong on the release, and the angler's only concession to fatigue at the end was an early bedtime in the swag for the long drive home in the morning.