TR by Redwood
Trip date: 16 March 2014
Participants: Tunny, Redwood
Launch Site: Noosa Sound
Destination: River Mouth/Woods Bay/Ricky's
Conditions: Wind NE 25 knots at river mouth
Tunny, Peter (friend of Tunny's) and myself met at the back of Noosa Sound for an early night session on the river. The wind had picked up significantly in the past few hours and was really blowing a gale in the open areas. We knew the wind might be a bit annoying, but in the river you have many options to deal with wind. So we dropped our yaks in the river at 5.30pm and headed anti-clockwise to Ricky's. I was using Stormin's Hobie loaner for the night as my arm is still cactus (thanks Stormin!).
We weaved in and out of the boats in the Woods Bay and then headed across to Ricky's. Just next to Ricky's I could see mullet sized fish jumping out and a couple of Turns diving which gave us a bit of hope considering our lunar and tide timing wasn't perfect.
I created a circuit from Ricky's, to the current line, through the boats and back to Ricky's trolling against the tide and drifting a gladiator with it. I'm still to have any success on soft plastics so I was really hoping I'd get something so that I could break my duck. After a few laps I gave up and decided I would revert to my tried and tested route down to the river mouth before it got too dark. On a side note I finally managed to see the current line Itag's been talking about; that's a relief as I thought I must have been a drongo for not being able to pick it up before.. reserved for ace fisho's only.
I radioed Tunny to tell him my plans and he told me Peter had just landed an undersized Potato Cod. I left them doing their thing around the Woods Bay and headed across to the frying pan. I've not snagged anything at all in the frying pan yet, but it looks like such a good stretch of water that I always give it a troll before heading down to the mouth. No fish in the Frying Pan again. I rounded the entrance of the FP and headed NE to the river mouth. The wind was fierce. I was pumping away at the pedals at the same pace I had been for the past hour and looking across the wide section of the river I seemed to be making good progress; the water was rushing past and all looked tickiey-boo. I then looked to the close side and saw I was not making any ground at all, if not loosing ground. Time for the turbos. I pumped as hard as I could and with a considerable amount of effort, I eventually made it to the mouth.
Once there, I set up a loop which took me across the back of the mouth proper to the south side fishing jetty, then in-river a bit and back again. This little circuit has proved very successful in the past and on the second loop proved successful again with a 20cm Big Eye Trevally. The wind was making the loops very hard work and what should have taken very little effort was taking a great amount. I radioed Tunny to tell him I'd most likely be heading back to calmer waters soon. He said he'd picked up a Hairtail and that Peter had headed home. On what was meant to be my final loop I had a very good hit but didn't hook up, so I decided to do a few more which, yielded nothing.
I headed back towards Ricky's with the wind pushing me down the river at a healthy pace. Around the sand bags I met up with Tunny and I said I was headed back to Ricky's when a huge fish jumped clear out of the water. With the moon shining bright I could see it's outline clearly and it was at least a metre long but I couldn't identify it from it's shape. It was enough though to encourage Tunny and I to troll the deep channel near the sand bags and rock wall for a bit. On my way toward Ricky's I got a very good hit on the bomber but it turned out to be a big Hairtail. I thought I might take this one home to show the kids, but as I was pondering where to put this toothy critter in the Hobie, it managed to spit the hooks. I headed back Ricky', turned and headed back through the channel where I picked up another big Hairtail on the bomber. The R2S minnow had not had a touch all evening. Tunny and I did a few more loops before deciding to head back to the cars. Tunny went via the Sheraton whilst I opted to go via Munna Point.
I'd not explored the canals around the sound fully so thought I might do that this evening. The first canal to the left was a dead end so I passed it. I went under the bridge and then took the second canal to the left. I didn't know it at the time but my trolling lines were out much further than I thought they were and just as I'd gone round the bend into the canal my bomber was hit by something big. The thing on the end meant business and by the time I'd managed to get the rod out of the holder the fish had pulled me into a moored boat. I suspected it might be a very nice Jack, but would have to be much bigger than the last one I caught as this was putting up a real fight. It was at this point that I started to appreciate the mirage drive fully as I had to try and untangle myself and get off the boat (my other line was wrapped around me and the other rod). I manage to do this and get myself into a decent fighting position when the hooks came out. Buggerybollocks!
I did a few laps of the area hoping in vain for another hookup after which I headed back to the launch spot where Tunny and I ended an enjoyable evening on the river despite the wind and only the one fish to show for it.
Tunny, Peter (friend of Tunny's) and myself met at the back of Noosa Sound for an early night session on the river. The wind had picked up significantly in the past few hours and was really blowing a gale in the open areas. We knew the wind might be a bit annoying, but in the river you have many options to deal with wind. So we dropped our yaks in the river at 5.30pm and headed anti-clockwise to Ricky's. I was using Stormin's Hobie loaner for the night as my arm is still cactus (thanks Stormin!).
We weaved in and out of the boats in the Woods Bay and then headed across to Ricky's. Just next to Ricky's I could see mullet sized fish jumping out and a couple of Turns diving which gave us a bit of hope considering our lunar and tide timing wasn't perfect.
I created a circuit from Ricky's, to the current line, through the boats and back to Ricky's trolling against the tide and drifting a gladiator with it. I'm still to have any success on soft plastics so I was really hoping I'd get something so that I could break my duck. After a few laps I gave up and decided I would revert to my tried and tested route down to the river mouth before it got too dark. On a side note I finally managed to see the current line Itag's been talking about; that's a relief as I thought I must have been a drongo for not being able to pick it up before.. reserved for ace fisho's only.
I radioed Tunny to tell him my plans and he told me Peter had just landed an undersized Potato Cod. I left them doing their thing around the Woods Bay and headed across to the frying pan. I've not snagged anything at all in the frying pan yet, but it looks like such a good stretch of water that I always give it a troll before heading down to the mouth. No fish in the Frying Pan again. I rounded the entrance of the FP and headed NE to the river mouth. The wind was fierce. I was pumping away at the pedals at the same pace I had been for the past hour and looking across the wide section of the river I seemed to be making good progress; the water was rushing past and all looked tickiey-boo. I then looked to the close side and saw I was not making any ground at all, if not loosing ground. Time for the turbos. I pumped as hard as I could and with a considerable amount of effort, I eventually made it to the mouth.
Once there, I set up a loop which took me across the back of the mouth proper to the south side fishing jetty, then in-river a bit and back again. This little circuit has proved very successful in the past and on the second loop proved successful again with a 20cm Big Eye Trevally. The wind was making the loops very hard work and what should have taken very little effort was taking a great amount. I radioed Tunny to tell him I'd most likely be heading back to calmer waters soon. He said he'd picked up a Hairtail and that Peter had headed home. On what was meant to be my final loop I had a very good hit but didn't hook up, so I decided to do a few more which, yielded nothing.
I headed back towards Ricky's with the wind pushing me down the river at a healthy pace. Around the sand bags I met up with Tunny and I said I was headed back to Ricky's when a huge fish jumped clear out of the water. With the moon shining bright I could see it's outline clearly and it was at least a metre long but I couldn't identify it from it's shape. It was enough though to encourage Tunny and I to troll the deep channel near the sand bags and rock wall for a bit. On my way toward Ricky's I got a very good hit on the bomber but it turned out to be a big Hairtail. I thought I might take this one home to show the kids, but as I was pondering where to put this toothy critter in the Hobie, it managed to spit the hooks. I headed back Ricky', turned and headed back through the channel where I picked up another big Hairtail on the bomber. The R2S minnow had not had a touch all evening. Tunny and I did a few more loops before deciding to head back to the cars. Tunny went via the Sheraton whilst I opted to go via Munna Point.
I'd not explored the canals around the sound fully so thought I might do that this evening. The first canal to the left was a dead end so I passed it. I went under the bridge and then took the second canal to the left. I didn't know it at the time but my trolling lines were out much further than I thought they were and just as I'd gone round the bend into the canal my bomber was hit by something big. The thing on the end meant business and by the time I'd managed to get the rod out of the holder the fish had pulled me into a moored boat. I suspected it might be a very nice Jack, but would have to be much bigger than the last one I caught as this was putting up a real fight. It was at this point that I started to appreciate the mirage drive fully as I had to try and untangle myself and get off the boat (my other line was wrapped around me and the other rod). I manage to do this and get myself into a decent fighting position when the hooks came out. Buggerybollocks!
I did a few laps of the area hoping in vain for another hookup after which I headed back to the launch spot where Tunny and I ended an enjoyable evening on the river despite the wind and only the one fish to show for it.
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