Subject: fishing today -- 20aug09
Date: Thursday, 20 August 2009 4:22 PM
Having lain awake since 2am mulling over a multitude of ideas (I suppose everyone gets those night brain-racing episodes?), I wasn't particularly keen on climbing out of our warm bed at 0515 but then, it was for fishing, and I'd promised I'd be there... So up I was, checking the weather, just after 0500. DI Point's automatic weather station was showing a 10 knot southerly breeze at 0500 and further south the weather information being magically channelled into our kitchen gave even more encouragement. So the trip was on -- 0545 for a 0600 launch.. Destination -- somewhere out there.
For once I was the first to arrive at the carpark, at around 0535. There was enough light for me to quickly confirm a very kind surf zone, almost suitable, but not quite, for a dry launch in a baby bath. As I walked back from my beach vantage point both Jaro and Mark pulled in to the carpark. A few minutes later we were on the beach, our yaks ready to go. Our destination was now agreed, north Sunshine Reef.
0602hrs. I'm experimenting with a home-made camera holder and the above is the result. I climbed aboard, turned on the video and headed out. The small shore break was enough to spill a little water over the bow and into the footwell but that was the worst of it. The pic above is one of the early frames of the video.
0605hrs. Mark in his Scupper Pro, breathless at the grandeur of dawn in Laguna Bay, immediately after launch.
Guess who was already on the horizon. You're right -- Jaro -- off like a shot again. I'd earlier decided to troll via the SE corner of Jew Shoal and so set a course for one of my marks out there aware that Mark would be following me soon. Having reached the Jew Shoal mark I turned for the agreed location at Sunshine Reef and was shortly joined by Mark, who travelled out with me to where Jaro said he'd be. Sure enough, there he was, right on the bow as we tracked toward the RV, even though we couldn't see him until we were about 400m away. There were fish to be caught and the weather was perfect so we settled down to the task very quickly and before long were drifting as a trio with lines out and breath bated.
Mark was first on the board, but his fish was nothing to create excitement -- a giant toado (the place must be infested with them at the moment) attacked his Rapala trolled lure as he retrieved it to start drfit fishing. Then a triumphant yell from Jaro about 15 minutes into our drift caught our attention. Mark and I turned our gaze toward his yak and enviously eyed his bent rod -- clearly a reasonable fish. And so very shortly afterward Jaro boated a keeper snapper. It's always satisfying if one of the group scores a decent fish early on -- it's a solid indicator that the fish are on the bite. And so it proved, as a few minutes later my light casting outfit came up tight against a good fish hooked up at the maximum depth (around 30m) of water available nearby. I turned on the video cam during this fight and got some useful footage. Shortly a nice snapper was floating tiredly next to the yak. Mark was watching closely as I muffed the gaff shot a couple of times before pinning the fish and safely depositing it under my feet in the footwell.
0755hrs. My snapper hits the deck.
Mark was now on notice. He's a very experienced fisho but this was only his second kayak fishing trip, I understand. And very soon his trailing outfit went off and he boated his first snapper from his kayak. Congratulations, Mark, we're sure there'll be many more.
Then things went quiet. We'd drifted some 600m from our start point, in a near perfect drift when Jaro announced he was going back to try the drift again. Mark and I stayed on the drift for another 400m or so before Mark decided also to go back to the start. Shortly after this Jaro announced that he'd boated a second snapper. Then my lighter jighead got slammed in mid retrieve as I was bringing it back in to recast. I fought the fish for perhaps 30 seconds before it spat the hook out. It didn't seem like a big fish but it certainly had enough power to strip line off the reel against the drag -- possibly a snapper. Then I hooked a much smaller fish (again on the cast soft plastic) which put up a spirited fight. I decided to photograph this fish as an aid to future identification for those who are unfamiliar with it.
0857hrs. Yellowtail (aka yakka). A prized live bait. Note the mouth structure -- one of the keys to identification. Not closely related to yellowtail kingfish. Released.
This was the extent of the action for the day. Mark left around 10am while Jaro and I hung around a bit longer before opting to paddle to Jew Shoal to give that a try. It was dead also, so the impression we got was that all of the action was over by 0900. Jaro and I enjoyed a pleasant paddle back to the beach in ideal water conditions, arriving there around 1230, having paddled and drifted some 20km (as measured by my GPS). And we still felt pretty good and could still stand when we got there some 6.5 hrs after launch...
Fish kept by Jaro and me arrayed on the rear deck of my yak on the beach.
Video from today:
We didn't get to photograph and measure Mark's fish as he'd presumably left the beach long before we got back. Anything else to report, Mark?
Thanks for coming along, guys. That paddle out to Sunshine Reef seems easier and easier -- maybe we're getting fitter.
Doesn't look very good for an offshore trip for several days although Sunday afternoon might present an opportunity.
Kev
Red & Yellow Espri, black paddle
VHF channel 09 or 22 (if alone), Call Sign: sunshiner
http://noosayakers.blogspot.com
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