Subject: fishing today -- 05dec09
Date: Saturday, 5 December 2009 3:15 PM
Twelve months ago today Harry, Jaro and I had one of our better days up to that time, launching at Sunshine Beach and fishing the nearby reef. Today things were very quiet. Probably we should have opted for Sunshine Reef instead of Jew Shoal, which was so active last week. Well, that's fishing.
Before departure this morning we'd already had an unusually large rollup indicated. Here's the list (no particular order): Jaro, Hunter, Grammy, Al from Brisbane (AJD -- AKFF), jimbo, whalebait, Jay, doctor dog, Ian, and I. Ian opted to leave at around 0300 and to head for ??, the rest of us, being sleepy-heads and without lights, opted for launches between 0430 and 0600.
0434hrs. Jaro has just launched. AJD is out there a few minutes earlier and Ian (much earlier launch) is ???. Very low tide. Very easy exit.
We'd opted to head for Jew Shoal because last week it was firing. Jaro and AJD led the charge, both mounted in yellow Viking Profish. I followed and then came whalebait and the others.
There were many baitfish evident in close to the launch point, but no huge eruptions/smashes which we're all hoping will happen very soon. The weather was perfect, with a low swell and light westerly breeze initially.
I headed for the western edge of the shoal in anticipation that the drift would be toward the east. The closer I got to the mark the more surface action there appeared. In my part of the shoal, at least, schools of what turned out to be small mackerel tuna were harrassing dense shoals of glassies (tiny, transparent baitfish around 25mm long). As doctor dog remarked later, terns were noticeable by their absence. Perhaps they'd already gorged themselves before our arrival, or perhaps there was better feeding available elsewhere. Note that last week the baitfish were being harrassed by very small bonito and were forming baitballs which terns and shearwaters were exploiting.
On arrival, individuals selected their drifts and started fishing. I think it was Jaro who first reported a capture -- a 50cm or so mac tuna which he released. All except two of us at Jew Shoal were radio equipped and so we could pass important info readily. The drift was very slow and from west to east so it was great for comprehensively covering a lot of territory and, given our scattering over the reef, we did.
Early on I hooked a small black-tipped cod on an SP (released of course). Being still interested in capturing new yak fishing images I deliberately hung around whalebait as he usually gets something but today he wasn't quite up to the mark, having been partying the night before, apparently.
Anyway, eventually doctor dog nearby hooked up and so I paddled over to show him the new camera in operation. He very cooperatively smiled for the camera and held his captive lovingly whilst I clicked away, eventually releasing his mac tuna to a less certain fate.
Mark (aka doctor dog) and his main catch, today.
And, partly because I have so few pics, another:
doctor dog, typical of his profession, watches with touching concern as his released mac tuna tries to come to terms with freedom.
By 0800 the lack of action led to a dribbling departure of the entire push from Jew Shoal, Jim leading the break, despite the fact that he'd caught a large toado. On the way back whalebait hooked a small school mackerel 40-45cm which, undersized (legal limit 50cm), was released. Other than that I know of no other catches on the return trip. Incidentally, if you're not confident of being able to identify the school mackerel versus the spotty mackerel you can approach one of the more experienced guys who can probably help. Note that both are caught in similar situations, frequently feeding on the same bait school, but one has a size limit of 50cm and the other 60cm. If in doubt, return it to the water if under 60cm.
Jim and I opted to unload our fishing gear on the beach and strip down our yaks for a bit of surfing practice for a short while but the waves weren't really big enough to present a challenge. I was talking to Jay after beaching and he told me that he'd been smoked twice while fishing with SPs today, being unable to control whatever he'd hooked even with 15 pound braid. That's fishing and it's also a problem many of us would have liked today. And hunter (Roger) reported that he'd caught his first two yak-caught fish - a grinner and a small reefie which from his description was probably a black-tip cod.
Thanks for coming along guys. Plenty of fellowship was evident and we made two new friends who hadn't joined us before, Al and Jay.
I'm now hoping for a break in the weather next week as Sunday's looking too breezy (Monday might be better, Jaro?). And, Ian, how'd and where'd you go?
Kev
Red & Yellow Espri, black paddle
VHF channel 09 or 22 (if alone), Call Sign: sunshiner
http://noosayakers.blogspot.com
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