Subject: fishing today -- 17Jan10 -- NY record Spaniard
Date: Sunday, 17 January 2010 3:12 PM
A 0500 start again, in conditions which were perfect squared.
The yakkers' parking area is starting to look like a camping ground. Never mind, we did our best to remind the campers, at 0430am, that they shouldn't be there. Obviously the Sunshine Coast Regional Council is doing nothing to police its own parking rules.
I arrived at about 0430 to find Brian (aka paddleparra, or is it parapaddler?) prepping his yak and Graham, slightly edgy on this his first foray with Noosa Yakkers, just about rigged and ready to go. Jim rolled in followed by whalebait then Jaro.
After yesterday's frustrating session in which we could see big fish but not induce them to take our offerings, our hopes weren't high of greater success today but at least we had top conditions with little or no wind forecast and very small swell.
0501hrs. Graham (L-Plater) with whalebait, ready to launch. Jaro is half way along the launch channel.
0504hrs. From front, paddleparra (perhaps it should be pedalpara) and his Hobie, jimbo, whalebait
I closely followed Graham on this his first surf launch which was fine. Well done, mate. We set up out the back and then Graham accepted my offer of a tour of the western side of Laguna Bay. Off we went, toward the river mouth, casting now and again when we came across bonito bustups. After a few minutes I recognized Stu in his camo Prowler Elite paddling strongly toward us from the launch area. He joined us before we got to the river mouth, as did Jaro. We four paused for a while checking for signs of mackerel activity before moving on toward the river mouth.
0539hrs. Stu and Jaro drifting and watchfully waiting off Main Beach. Great conditions, eh?
0540hrs. Graham, afloat off Main Beach, gets his first view of Noosa from the sea.
By now the other Noosa Yakkers were well scattered across the Bay. Those with radios could monitor who was where and whether any action was being encountered. Things were quiet, so I suggested to Graham that he might like to pedal the 2+km to Little Hall's Reef while I paddled it. He agreed and we set off, through the open ocean. Part way into this journey my trolling outfit (Penn 320GTi overhead reel, cheap boat rod, Halco Laser lure as favoured recently by Jaro) ratchet went off with a loud buzz. I reached around and picked it up and could feel the weight of what I judged to be a 2-3kg mackerel for a few seconds then the pressure went off. The hooks had pulled free. Bugger, it would have been nice for Graham to be present to see a reasonable fish caught from a kayak. Little did I know that later he would have this experience in spades.
We reached LH Reef and there was clearly no action around there so headed inshore where again finding no action we turned toward the river mouth area where increasing numbers of power boats could be seen congregating, perhaps because there were fish present. On reaching the western side of the river mouth we could see whalebait among numerous power boats big and small and a mass of fluttering and diving terns. The source of action here appeared to be small bait balls being harassed by small predators, perhaps school mackerel, bonito or long toms.
We hung around here for around 30 minutes, just casting occasionally and chatting, waiting for the spotties to hopefully arrive. At the end of this time I offered to show Graham the eastern side of the bay so we set off in that general direction, trolling as we went. A few minutes after we set off, at about 0730, with Graham travelling alongside me a few metres away, my trolling outfit howled. I picked up the rod and noted that the spool was spinning furiously against the drag and water was spraying off the spinning spool due to centrifugal force. This was some strike! I was fishing 11.3kg Trilene monofilament without leader, the main line tied directly to a tiny swivel on the front end of home made wire trace about 25cm long. This wire trace was wired directly to the tow point of the lure and as I'd done the wiring myself, I knew it was good. So, I had plenty in my favour.
The run stopped and the fish seemed to simply hold position and for a fleeting moment I thought perhaps I'd foul hooked a big ray. Then it took off again and the fight had me calling it for a shark, many of which had recently been caught on hard body lures. After about five minutes I had regained enough self control that I put out a radio message to Noosa Yakkers that I was hooked up to something big. For about ten minutes I was towed around, quite quickly at times, the water gurgling along under the keel as the fish tried its best to get away. Stu was paddling along behind me with his phone camera in action. At last I started to get line back onto the spool, even after I'd backed off the drag a little to ease stress on the single knot which was connecting me with the fish and which had been under pressure for 15 minutes. I was impressed with the force with which this fish had been pulling me around but clearly, after about 15 minutes, I was starting to win.
Stu was about ten metres away when I first saw the fish, about 5 metres down. A huge Spaniard! But it was now exhausted. I could see that the lure was entirely inside its scissor-like jaws so I knew it was well hooked. And I knew that the wire trace was sound. I applied pressure and the Spaniard planed up to the surface beside the yak. Shit! It was enormous!
Stu captures the moment when the Spaniard planed up to the surface. Note that the yak is still being towed. Thanks for the photo, Stu.
For a fraction of a second I toyed with the idea of using the lip gripper to boat her but then quickly decided to gaff him. The fish was on the wrong side of the yak for a right handed gaffer, as I am. So a left handed shot was necessary. The first gaff shot hit him solidly in the left shoulder, just behind the head. The fish barely responded -- it was knackered. I started to haul her aboard.
Stu does it again with his phone cam. Half of the fish is still under water.
I dragged her across my lap, taking care to keep those fiercesome jaws clear of the family jewels, still valuable to me even if they are a little tarnished with age. I then swivelled the fish around so its head would go into the footwell, the safest (only?) place for such a fish in the Espri.
Got her aboard at last. Thanks for the priceless photos, Stu.
For several minutes I held it securely by the tail with the head jammed into the footwell until I was quite sure that it wasn't going to suddenly leap out like a coiled spring. Then it was on with the tail rope which I always carry on the yak.
Clearly this was the end of my fishing for the day. Hell, I barely had space to paddle and was very glad that I was less than 1km from Middle Groyne. I'd told all kayakers who were on radio that I'd nailed a decent Spaniard and several came over for a look. I then announced that I was going in to the beach. Part way there, after achieving a relatively comfortable paddling style with the Spaniard's aft section tucked under my right arm, I encountered Jaro who offered to take some more, on water, pics with his camera.
We rafted up the two yaks, starboard sides facing each other and Jaro took several pics. Thanks, mate. Note that the lure is visible inside the jaws of the fish.
I'm very glad that there was hardly any swell today as it allowed me to take a small chance and proceed straight in to the beach without my usual disciplined stowing and tidying up procedure. Besides, I would have had to drop the Spaniard over the side (on the tail rope) in order to access the hatch in which I normally stow my gear.
Bill Barnett hit the beach a couple of minutes after me. He'd caught his first fish from the yak -- a legal sized school mackerel.
0822hrs. Bill with his schoolie on his 40th wedding anniversary. It's amazing he got permission to go fishing...
Then Tony Walmsley paddled in to the beach. I didn't even know he was out there. Nice to see you Tony.
Bill offered to take a pic of the Spaniard on the beach...
0826hrs. Seated on the rear deck of my Espri.
Jaro then came in and, as the Spaniard was too long for the measure mat, he loaned me his ruler to complement the measure mat and we agreed that the fish was 1.49m long.
Then a bikini-clad young lady came over to see what all the fuss was about. When asked, she agreed with alacrity to be photographed holding the fish.
Top day in Noosa... Check out the shadow
Our scales weren't big enough so I took the fish to Davo's where it went a neat 17kg.
While this report doesn't dwell on the experiences today of the other Noosa Yakkers present, I encourage them to add their own reports. I don't know for sure whether anyone other than Bill and I caught fish, but we'd all certainly like to know if you did.
I'm off to Bass Strait for a couple of weeks come Wednesday to sail the eastern island chain down to and around Flinders Island. See you all when I get back, and leave some fish for me please.
Kev
Red & Yellow Espri, black paddle
VHF channel 09 or 22 (if alone), Call Sign: sunshiner
http://noosayakers.blogspot.com
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