quiet at JS, 07Jan08

From: "kevin long"
Subject: kayak fishing 07Jan08
Date: Monday, 7 January 2008 2:20 PM

Hi guys

Four of us went out this morning in quite benign conditions. Jaro, Jim, Mal and I launched uneventfully shortly after 0600 on the western side of the groyne and were at JS before 0700. The sea was flat except for a gentle rolling swell and there was little if any breeze.

On arrival at JS I noticed that there had been no sign of fish action on the way out and that even out at JS, the water still had a greenish tinge instead of being the hoped-for deep blue. No surface activity was evident. But we stuck with the plan. Jim struck first with a just-legal grass sweetlip. Then Mal, after about an hour, scored a juvenile yellowtail kingfish (a first for him). See photo, taken into the sun with condensation on inside of camera case -- caused probably by high humidity of the air trapped in the case. Note fact sheet on yellowtail kingfish attached -- legal size limit 50cm -- no bag limit (editor: these rules now changed)



It was noticeable to all of us that, while there was a very gentle easterly breeze pushing us across the JS reef, there appeared to be a current from the west down deep. This had the effect of reducing the amount of time our jigs were in the strike zone -- perhaps a contributing reason for our lack of snapper.

So, that was it. We departed for home at 0900-ish, Jaro and I fishless. The return through the waves and holidaymakers, again on the western side of the groyne, into the beach was exciting but all went well and as usual we ageing chic magnets still managed to drag a couple of beauties away from their beach umbrellas. See photo.


Oh, and I took the radio. It performed perfectly and I was able to easily speak with Coastguard Noosa from out at JS. After a while I switched to Channel 09 (the channel which I think we should use for future yak-to-yak communication) when the novelty of listening to sundry bar-crossers reporting on Channel 22 wore off. The radio also was completely comfortable to carry. I strapped it to my PFD and it sat happily under my right armpit for the whole trip.

Kev
Red & Yellow Espri with fish scales on it
VHF channel 09, Call Sign: sunshiner

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