TR by Jaro
Participants: Pedro, Wendy and Jaro
Conditions: Sunny, small swell, westerly building to 10 knots and then dying to 6 knots later.
Quite a strong current present while fishing.
The intrepid trio arrived around 5.40am and soon launched in very calm seas, all getting out with dry bums. I headed for JS while Pedro and Wendy went to A Bay reef. The wind picked up but still was not too bad with only the odd small white cap appearing.
After nearly 2 hours of fruitless fishing at JS (one small nibble) I headed for SR to meet up with Pedro and Wendy who had not even a nibble. After another fruitless hour we all pulled the plug and headed for home against the now abated wind.
After a long time out of the saddle it was good to have a good workout even though I was totally spent by the time I had cleaned up at home.
Jaro
Since mid 2007, members of Noosa Yakkers have been writing and illustrating kayak fishing Trip Reports and publishing them by whatever means available. This blog collects all of our early reports (sent out by email) plus the later TR published here on Blogger, and more recently, Monthly Summaries of the reports published on our Facebook Group.
First cast whack. 05Aug13
TR by sunshiner
Wind: Light westerly, less than 3 knots
Swell: 1m easterly
Current: none
Launch point: Middle Groyne
Participants: sunshiner only
That first cast at 7:00am led me to believe that I was going to bag out today…
Getting out of a warm bed pre-sunrise in mid winter, even in Noosa, is always tough for me, but I felt better as I crested the hill looking down at Laguna Bay. Never get sick of that view up to DIP!
Clear sky, no wind, small swell and the car park all to myself. Hard to get a better start.
Dry bummed it but the potential was there to get very wet. The channel next to the wall is starting to reappear, but the sand bank about 2/3 of the way along the wall is still there. Being a bit out of practice I stuffed about a bit getting myself organized but was off paddling soon enough. I'd decided on Jew Shoal rather than A-Bay reef because a westerly had been blowing all night, calming down toward sunrise. A stiff westerly is not pleasant when you have to make that long paddle back to Middle Groyne from Sunshine.
Water clear, no chop, easy paddle north to Jew Shoal. A few terns and a gannet or two, but no dolphins or whales or powerboats. The westerly was still puffing gently so I headed for the western edge of the shoal, intent on drifting across toward the Pinnacles, fishing with SPs as I went. The HLP was out the back, throbbing temptingly, but attracted no attention.
Laid out my first cast and watched the 1/8 ounce jig head and SP plop down and head for the bottom, 18m below. Ten seconds later, the line tightened, drag screamed, hook pulled! Typical snapper hit on the drop! Over two hours later I still hadn't had another strike; bummer! Meanwhile, conditions were glorious. Several times I saw brief bustups, probably mac tuna; baitfish trying to get airborne to escape.
Headed homeward, arriving off the beach by 10:30am. Nearly got monstered, but the old brace did the trick and kept us upright, though I did get my head wet when we were buried in the wave as it broke right on top of me. Very refreshing, if chilly.
A-Bay reef's looking good for the next trip.
Kev Long
Sunshiner
Author Kayak Fishing Manual for iPad (click linked text to view)
Stealth Supalite X, yellow/orange
Wind: Light westerly, less than 3 knots
Swell: 1m easterly
Current: none
Launch point: Middle Groyne
Participants: sunshiner only
That first cast at 7:00am led me to believe that I was going to bag out today…
Getting out of a warm bed pre-sunrise in mid winter, even in Noosa, is always tough for me, but I felt better as I crested the hill looking down at Laguna Bay. Never get sick of that view up to DIP!
Clear sky, no wind, small swell and the car park all to myself. Hard to get a better start.
Dry bummed it but the potential was there to get very wet. The channel next to the wall is starting to reappear, but the sand bank about 2/3 of the way along the wall is still there. Being a bit out of practice I stuffed about a bit getting myself organized but was off paddling soon enough. I'd decided on Jew Shoal rather than A-Bay reef because a westerly had been blowing all night, calming down toward sunrise. A stiff westerly is not pleasant when you have to make that long paddle back to Middle Groyne from Sunshine.
Water clear, no chop, easy paddle north to Jew Shoal. A few terns and a gannet or two, but no dolphins or whales or powerboats. The westerly was still puffing gently so I headed for the western edge of the shoal, intent on drifting across toward the Pinnacles, fishing with SPs as I went. The HLP was out the back, throbbing temptingly, but attracted no attention.
Laid out my first cast and watched the 1/8 ounce jig head and SP plop down and head for the bottom, 18m below. Ten seconds later, the line tightened, drag screamed, hook pulled! Typical snapper hit on the drop! Over two hours later I still hadn't had another strike; bummer! Meanwhile, conditions were glorious. Several times I saw brief bustups, probably mac tuna; baitfish trying to get airborne to escape.
Headed homeward, arriving off the beach by 10:30am. Nearly got monstered, but the old brace did the trick and kept us upright, though I did get my head wet when we were buried in the wave as it broke right on top of me. Very refreshing, if chilly.
A-Bay reef's looking good for the next trip.
Kev Long
Sunshiner
Author Kayak Fishing Manual for iPad (click linked text to view)
Stealth Supalite X, yellow/orange
Fine day for a paddle - Lake Mac 04Aug13
TR by Gemini
Participants: Gemini
Conditions: Sunny, light breeze
Just a quick report from today's outing. Instead of a morning trip as I originally intended, I didn't get onto the lake until the late afternoon. Even if no fish were caught, after the last few weeks of rubbish weather just being there was well worth the effort.
I paddled around the 3 ways and tried my luck, but not a single touch. As is becoming common for my late afternoon trips, I didn't take a strike until just before pulling the pin. Casting at a large patch of lillys snagged me a nice little fight from a feisty 38cm bass.
After releasing the bass I had a few more casts, but it was getting cool and dark so I called it a day.
Owie's Flathead, 20Jul13
TR by TurtleBoy
Conditions; Large swell and high wind in the bay
Sheltered conditions in Noosa River.
Dropping tide
Owie and I decided on the Friday night if the wind and swell were up then we would meet at Lions Park and paddle in the river at first light. Whalerider had a big week entertaining clients so he opted for a sleep in and declined our offer to join us. Shortly after launching it started to rain and I realised that he probably made the right call, but within 10 minutes the showers cleared and we had almost perfect conditions.
Towing HBL's we headed through Woods Bay and down towards the 3 ways off Ricky's where we saw a few bust ups. Not sure what they were, perhaps Trevally or Tailor. Unfortunately they weren't interested in either poppers nor vibes so after about 45 minutes we moved on towards the end of the new retaining wall and across to the frying pan area.
Owen anchored his kayak with a full deployment of burley bucket, set light line with a small hook and float and worked his soft plastic across the bottom with great success all on the run out tide.
Owie's catch included a nice size bream taken on the float and the 54cm flathead pictured below on SP.
Nice day for a paddle and dinner for the newbie. on ya "O"
Cheers, TurtleBoy
Conditions; Large swell and high wind in the bay
Sheltered conditions in Noosa River.
Dropping tide
Owie and I decided on the Friday night if the wind and swell were up then we would meet at Lions Park and paddle in the river at first light. Whalerider had a big week entertaining clients so he opted for a sleep in and declined our offer to join us. Shortly after launching it started to rain and I realised that he probably made the right call, but within 10 minutes the showers cleared and we had almost perfect conditions.
Towing HBL's we headed through Woods Bay and down towards the 3 ways off Ricky's where we saw a few bust ups. Not sure what they were, perhaps Trevally or Tailor. Unfortunately they weren't interested in either poppers nor vibes so after about 45 minutes we moved on towards the end of the new retaining wall and across to the frying pan area.
Owen anchored his kayak with a full deployment of burley bucket, set light line with a small hook and float and worked his soft plastic across the bottom with great success all on the run out tide.
Nice day for a paddle and dinner for the newbie. on ya "O"
Cheers, TurtleBoy
Pretty Big Cod, 16Jul13
TR by Pedro
Wind: SSW to S 10 to15 knots
Swell: 1m SE
Current: None detected
Launch Point: Middle Groyne
Participants: Pedro
I launched at 5.45am and had to be patient as it was low tide and the sand monster was awake. The swell was constant and with the waves breaking every 10 to 15 seconds so I positioned myself close to the sand bar and punched through white water for a good five minutes before picking a small lull and making it out the back first try.
I headed for Granite Bay to try my luck with garfish. With the overcast sky and SW wind it was bloody cold. With no gar caught after half an hour I packed up and headed for JS as around the corner towards SR it looked too windy. I copped a lovely shower of rain on the way and wished I'd brought my jacket. I was glad I came though as before my eyes an awesome rainbow appeared.
I thought to myself maybe my luck will change, and it wasn't long before I hooked up, and ten minutes later landed a nice gold spot cod.
I hung around for another half an hour landing a 45cm snapper before heading in. The tide was in, making the waves less powerful resulting in an upright landing.
The cod measured 96cm and weighed 14.5kg.
Cheers
Pedro
Nice Paddle, No Fish. 07Jul13
TR by Jimbo
Wind: SSW-S 5-10 knots
Swell: 1.0 m Easterly
Current: minimal
Launch Point: Middle Groyne
Participants: Jimbo
Not a lot to report really.
I launched at MG just before 0630 and decided to head for Lt Halls/Halls area since the reports from Jew Sh for the previous two days were not encouraging.
I did a couple of drifts with cast prawn and trailing pilchard baits over Lt Halls en-route to Halls. There was a couple of nibbles and one encouraging hook up on the cast prawn but the fish spat the hook after about 10 secs.
At Halls I drift fished over four marks I have in that area for one reefie. At 1000 I pulled the pin and headed for home into a freshening southerly with a short stop at Lt Halls for one more try, but without a touch.
I arrived back at MG at 1130. Both launch and return conditions were a doddle, the latter at very low tide conditions.
So, a nice paddle after a break of about 10 weeks, but no fish. Similar to the previous two trip reports, there was no surface action, bird activity, dolphins, turtles or whales sighted. Chatter on the radio between the charter operators suggested they also had a lean day.
Jimbo
Wind: SSW-S 5-10 knots
Swell: 1.0 m Easterly
Current: minimal
Launch Point: Middle Groyne
Participants: Jimbo
Not a lot to report really.
I launched at MG just before 0630 and decided to head for Lt Halls/Halls area since the reports from Jew Sh for the previous two days were not encouraging.
I did a couple of drifts with cast prawn and trailing pilchard baits over Lt Halls en-route to Halls. There was a couple of nibbles and one encouraging hook up on the cast prawn but the fish spat the hook after about 10 secs.
At Halls I drift fished over four marks I have in that area for one reefie. At 1000 I pulled the pin and headed for home into a freshening southerly with a short stop at Lt Halls for one more try, but without a touch.
I arrived back at MG at 1130. Both launch and return conditions were a doddle, the latter at very low tide conditions.
So, a nice paddle after a break of about 10 weeks, but no fish. Similar to the previous two trip reports, there was no surface action, bird activity, dolphins, turtles or whales sighted. Chatter on the radio between the charter operators suggested they also had a lean day.
Jimbo
Snapper in the sunshine. 06Jul13
TR by sunshiner
Wind: Light NW earlier, then calm
Swell: 1.3m easterly
Current: none
Launch point: Middle Groyne
Participants: pedro, redwood, deecee (DC), gemini, whalebait, carter, sunshiner
Despite the fact that the guys who went yesterday got no fish, today, being Saturday and better weather, attracted a few Noosa Yakkers, all locals. As acting Trip Coordinator (Jaro's off wrestling grizzlies in Alaska) I made the call for a 7:00am start, a little late for the others, as it turned out as I was last to launch and also had to scratch around to find a decent carpark for unloading.
Although there were some bigger waves coming through I dry bummed it today, and was soon out the back in glassy conditions. Ahead of me about 2-3 km out was a low bank of cloud extending from west to east and I guessed it probably would have been a bit foggy with a NW breeze at Jew Shoal.
A couple of quick radio calls established that most of the gang at least were at Jew Shoal and had landed nothing yet so I opted to head there also. Kayaking in Laguna Bay on such a winter's morning as today's is always pleasant and I relished getting out into the ocean again.
Jew Shoal was pretty quiet today, with no surface action, not even turtles, dolphins or whales visible. The drift was perfect but the fish were scarce. I understand that redwood had an encounter with at least one unstoppable (perhaps he'll tell us about it) but I, using lures only, didn't get a touch. Most of the others got at least one small snapper each, using various baits, and whalebait did best with three, although none caught exceeded 50cm. All fish seemed to come from the deeper water (20m+) at the eastern and NW edges. Even pedro managed only one barely size fish.
By 1030-ish those of us left had accumulated at the NW corner where whalebait had found some fish so I took the opportunity to take a pic.
Shortly afterward we were all heading home, just as a SE breeze sprang up. All negotiated the break easily, but care was needed as some bigger waves were coming through and the tide was low.
View from the Tempo.
Today was a showcase winter day in Noosa and a superb day to be out on the ocean. It was good to meet Matt Carter ("carter") today who had his first trip with us so welcome, Matt.
Pic and text contributions from other participants welcome, just comment below or send pics (cropped and downsized to 700px wide, please) to me. Alternatively, if you have the facility, post your contribution on the practice blog and tell me about it.
Kev
Track map from Gemini's GPS
Distance 16.1 km
Max Speed 12.4 km/hour
Avg Speed 2.6 km/hour
Wind: Light NW earlier, then calm
Swell: 1.3m easterly
Current: none
Launch point: Middle Groyne
Participants: pedro, redwood, deecee (DC), gemini, whalebait, carter, sunshiner
Despite the fact that the guys who went yesterday got no fish, today, being Saturday and better weather, attracted a few Noosa Yakkers, all locals. As acting Trip Coordinator (Jaro's off wrestling grizzlies in Alaska) I made the call for a 7:00am start, a little late for the others, as it turned out as I was last to launch and also had to scratch around to find a decent carpark for unloading.
Note there is no channel next to the groyne and the sandbank which has moved shoreward is visible in this pic if you look carefully.
Although there were some bigger waves coming through I dry bummed it today, and was soon out the back in glassy conditions. Ahead of me about 2-3 km out was a low bank of cloud extending from west to east and I guessed it probably would have been a bit foggy with a NW breeze at Jew Shoal.
A couple of quick radio calls established that most of the gang at least were at Jew Shoal and had landed nothing yet so I opted to head there also. Kayaking in Laguna Bay on such a winter's morning as today's is always pleasant and I relished getting out into the ocean again.
Jew Shoal was pretty quiet today, with no surface action, not even turtles, dolphins or whales visible. The drift was perfect but the fish were scarce. I understand that redwood had an encounter with at least one unstoppable (perhaps he'll tell us about it) but I, using lures only, didn't get a touch. Most of the others got at least one small snapper each, using various baits, and whalebait did best with three, although none caught exceeded 50cm. All fish seemed to come from the deeper water (20m+) at the eastern and NW edges. Even pedro managed only one barely size fish.
By 1030-ish those of us left had accumulated at the NW corner where whalebait had found some fish so I took the opportunity to take a pic.
From left: carter, gemini, whalebait, redwood
Shortly afterward we were all heading home, just as a SE breeze sprang up. All negotiated the break easily, but care was needed as some bigger waves were coming through and the tide was low.
Carter demonstrating a brace.
Gemini shows how to get a Tempo up onto the plane.
View from the Tempo.
Today was a showcase winter day in Noosa and a superb day to be out on the ocean. It was good to meet Matt Carter ("carter") today who had his first trip with us so welcome, Matt.
Pic and text contributions from other participants welcome, just comment below or send pics (cropped and downsized to 700px wide, please) to me. Alternatively, if you have the facility, post your contribution on the practice blog and tell me about it.
Kev
Track map from Gemini's GPS
Distance 16.1 km
Max Speed 12.4 km/hour
Avg Speed 2.6 km/hour
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