spotty, sweety, SR, 31Mar10

From: "kevin long"
Subject: fishing today: 31Mar10
Date: Wednesday, 31 March 2010 3:52 PM

WX
Cloud cover: 8/10 initially, some showers
Wind direction & speed: S less than 10knots

0538hrs. I'm ready to launch. Whalebait's drag marks at right.

Easy launch. The exit channel is nice and deep, if quite narrow. There were a couple of sets which broke 10m west of the exit but the exit slot was cool.

Radio checks over, and all in agreement that we'd head for Sunshine Reef after Stu's recommendation from yesterday (Thanks, Stu) we paddled off in stretched single file: Wb, jimbo, and I as tail-end charlie, a good 5 minutes behind as I'd found, after I'd tied the lure on, that I'd neglected to run my line through the level wind gizmo of my trolling outfit. Do it again, dopey!

Even so, I was paddling away by 0605, starting from 100m or so north of the shark net.

Approaching Dolphin Point (no dolphins, today) several white hulls hove into my peripheral vision on my right hand side, overtaking me. There they were, Noosa's finest (after Noosa Yakkers, of course), the Outrigger paddlers, complete with staunch NY-er, Hollywood, at the bow position in one of these beautiful craft. We greeted each other then they obviously thought they weren't tough enough to continue as they turned around and went home again.

Soon I passed Hells Gates and the choppiness caused partly by wave reflection eased as the water deepened. A few terns were evident but no big flocks but here and there small flocks of feeding terns and shearwaters were gathering brekky. Jimbo and I headed for the close in mark, my A405, and set up drifts, soon detecting that, despite a southerly breeze, we were drifting east. I opted to work over this area thoroughly so set up my first drift from 200m west of the mark.

After several casts I'd seen no activity until there was a light take and a scrappy little "yakka" emerged from the depths, having decided to monster my 4 inch squidgee.

0719hrs. Yellowtail, prized baitfish. This one about 25cm long.

Shortly after this, jimbo moved slightly further out to sea, despite the fact that Wb, already out wide, reported no activity. But jimbo soon cracked a nice sweetlip, announcing its capture over the radio to his two fishing mates.

After a while I was getting a little bored so decided to try some experimental photography while drifting.

0757hrs. Shot looking back toward Australia from a half submerged camera. That's my trailing outfit and if you look closely you'll see Noosa Hill on the horizon. The slack cord in the foreground is attached to my drogue.

By 0900hrs I'd drifted three times over my mark on three slightly differing paths and hadn't been able to scare up any more action so announced by radio to my companions that I was packing up and heading home. Jimbo agreed with me but just then, Wb, about 800m NE of my position, announced that he was hooked up to a decent fish. Being keen to get some action shots if possible I opted to join him and did so after about 15 minutes, by which time the fish had been boated.

0919hrs. Crazed serial killer with spotty mac, at Sunshine Reef wide of Noosa NP.

The slimy mackerel rig Wb used to catch the spotty.

This photography over, I selected the Middle Groyne waypoint on my GPS and was given the great news that MG was only 5.75km away, in a straight line. My yak doesn't paddle over hills too well so the actual distance to MG was likely more like 6.5km. I set off, followed by Wb, who at least had a nice fish in the bag.

On the way back we encountered several longtail tuna leaping clear of the surface and then a huge school of baitfish, possibly being sheep-dogged by large predators down deep. Wb became distracted by the possibilities of catching a longtail so hung around a while but I plugged on. Eventually I hove to at the shark net, tidied up my gear and had an easy landing. Jimbo had already come ashore 30 minutes or so before me and I knew that Wb was about 30 minutes behind so I recovered and washed my yak and roofed it before Jimbo and I wandered down to the beach accompanied by measure mat and camera, to meet Wb.

Wb's spotty mac, 81cm.

Jimbo's grass sweetlip, 50cm.

Thanks for coming along Wb and jimbo. Weather's looking good tomorrow, not so good for Friday, now.

Kev
Red & Yellow Espri, black paddle
VHF channel 09 or 22 (if alone), Call Sign: sunshiner
http://www.noosayakkers.blogspot.com/

Busted at Sunshine, 27Mar10

From: "kevin long"
Subject: fishing today -- 27mar10
Date: Saturday, 27 March 2010 4:11 PM

Three of us today: Ian, whalebait and I. Planning to launch before 0600, I was in the carpark before 0530 and encountered whalebait already there, lifting his yak off his truck as I dimmed my headlights to avoid dazzling him. During much of the previous hour or so I'd been listening to the waves whack the beach at nearby Sunshine Beach and had half convinced myself that the swell might be challenging at Middle Groyne. However, all was quiet there. A quick recce to view the exit confirmed that it was a day suitable for a baby bath launch (must do that someday).

Ian's familiar Subaru has been replaced by a Mitsubishi temporarily and it was in Ian's usual parking place, the number one spot. So he was already out there, somewhere -- probably Sunshine Reef which destination whalebait and I agreed upon. The launch was a doddle -- so easy, in fact that wb and I went out side by side instead of opting for the usual indian-file ride along the exit channel. The Middle Groyne dolphin pack greeted us in the dim morning glow as we set up our yaks ready for the fray.

0602hrs. Wb and I set off in flat conditions after launching in dim light at about 0540.

While we were rigging up, Ian (callsign: Eye-Tag) came up on the radio for the first time. Despite the fact that he was fishing on the opposite side of Noosa Hill from us, we heard him loud and clear. He'd caught a few fish already and reported that the wind had now dropped out completely at Sunshine Reef. Plenty of terns were evident, leaving the river mouth area and heading in the same direction as we were so we reckoned there must be baitfish around out there somewhere. Unlike during some recent trips, there was no evidence of baitfish concentrations in Laguna Bay itself, making our choice of a trip to Sunshine Reef more appropriate. We both trolled as we travelled, wb with a rigged dead fish and I with my favourite hard body lure, the Halco Laser.

0605hrs. We were treated to a glorious sunrise closely followed by a sharp refreshing shower.

By 0645 we were passing Hell's Gates, heading directly for one of our familiar marks at Sunshine Reef, guided by our respective GPS devices. Soon I could see a small dot on the horizon, probably Ian's head, just to the left of a larger dot which was obviously a power boat, one of many which left the Noosa River this morning. As wb paused briefly to check his trolled offering I called Ian and asked him if he could see us. Sure enough, he could and he then let on that he was presently hooked up.

Within 15 minutes we were pulling up near Ian. Nearby a flock of terns and shearwaters was busily collecting breakfast provided by a school of baitfish swimming on the surface. No sign of fishy predators, though. While Ian had bagged some fish, pics later, he had a tale of woe to relate. As usual, he'd been fishing with three outfits. He was also anchored. One of his cast offerings had been picked up by a large fish which he fought to a standstill during which it did a macrame job on his other lines and anchor rope. This fish was a longtail tuna and it at last broke free within gaffing range. Then, one of his other outfits, still entangled, was taken by another longtail tuna. This encounter also resulted in a breakoff as Ian had no hope of dealing with the fish under the circumstances. So he was down two lures.

I opted to try for a snapper or sweetlip, as Ian's fishbox held evidence of their presence here today. I rummaged around among my tackle bits and pieces and extracted the necessary jighead then realised that I had no soft plastics with me. I'd become so used in the last three months to fishing for pelagics only that I'd completely forgotten to pack them in. Both Ian and wb kindly offered to donate to my cause (thanks, guys) and soon the situation was remedied with a gift of a couple of snapbacks from wb.

The wind was now from the SSE and freshening, but still OK for a drift. So Ian and I paddled upwind two hundred metres from our mark to start off. Wb opted to head out into slightly deeper water a couple of hundred metres east of us. I put out the trailing outfit armed with a large soft plastic recommended (and recently gifted) by Ian then sent out my lighter outfit with one of Wb's snapbacks impaled on it. I'm pretty sure that it was on this first cast that I got a hookup. Anyway I called it for a small but keeper snapper or sweetlip as the fish obviously had some weight and was able to take a little line off me against the drag. I was just congratulating myself on my success when the situation changed abruptly. Line started pouring from the spool as if the fish had just realised it was hooked and decided to take drastic action. The jig was at maximum depth, around 28m and by the angle of the line, the fish went straight toward Ian's yak, about 50m away, but staying down deep. I knew I was in trouble as the run continued, parallel with the bottom with my drag set at the maximum for the 6kg line. This was possibly a large sweetlip and it was heading for shelter, likely a cave or rock overhang. After a while the run stopped. Uh, oh -- looks like he's made it home. Sure enough, after a little more to-ing and fro-ing, the line went slack. I'd been bricked.

Apart from a seriously well-hooked scorpion cod which took about 10 minutes to de-hook and release during my second drift, this was the extent of my drift fishing action today. Wb was reporting by radio that he'd been monstered a couple of times in the first twenty minutes or so but he had no fish to show for his efforts either. By now the wind was increasing in speed and the drift getting faster and less viable. By 0900 I'd decided to finish my present drift then head for home so told Ian and wb who were continuing their drift fishing. I redeployed my Laser Pro on my trolling outfit and tied a slug onto my casting outfit and turned for Middle Groyne, some 4.2km distant according to my GPS.

At around 0920 I was paddling along at about 5kph just north of Hells Gates in 13m of water when my trolling rig growled. I turned and picked it up just in time to witness a drag searing run toward the northern horizon. This was a powerful fish and I guessed it was a longtail tuna. Over the next 20 minutes or so I gradually got the fish closer to the yak, amid several other long runs and could confirm from the brilliant chrome flash of the flank and a good view as it swept past 20m or so away that this was a longtail tuna about one metre long and very fat. All of this time I was jiggling around in the steep chop commonly encountered in that location and must admit that a couple of times, as the tuna surged away, I felt that I was close to tipping the yak. At last I had all but about 20m of line back on the spool and could clearly see the fish as it circled the yak, as deep down as it could get. Then suddenly, pop, the line gave out and the tuna swam off with my favourite lure.

Too bad! I resumed my journey back to MG having been towed north of my original track by several hundred metres.

The return to the beach at MG was very easy as there's now a much deeper channel next to the wall than a month or so ago. Jaro (unable to yak fish until 08May) was waiting on the beach to see what results Noosa Yakkers had come up with today. I related my sad stories, by the end of which Ian appeared off the groyne and joined us. Knowing he had some fish I got out the measure mat.

Ian's bag. Top left: Venus tusk fish (min size: 30cm); bottom left: grass sweetlip; right: snapper.

Then wb appeared. He pulled a nice spotty mac from the internal space of his yak.

Wb's spotty mac, taken on a whole yakka bait while drifting at Sunshine Reef.

Straw hats and beards are in fashion among successful yak fishers.

Thanks for coming along Ian and Wb and for coming down to the beach to meet us, Jaro. Now, off to BCF to replace that lure...

Kev
Red & Yellow Espri, black paddle
VHF channel 09 or 22 (if alone), Call Sign: sunshiner
http://noosayakkers.blogspot.com

Fish 2, WB 0, 23Mar10

From: "madcowes"
Subject: fishing today - 23 mar 2010
Date: Tuesday, 23 March 2010 5:02 PM

Headed out today on my lonesome. Conditions were ok - the rip at the rockwall is very powerful at the moment and coming back in through it is hard work.

Caught one small shark on my way out to a lumpy sunshine reef. Not much bird activity but did encounter a few small bust ups of large tuna, hooked up to one and promptly destroyed my poor little sienna 2500 (RIP). I just don't learn!

Heading back in just past tea tree bay I hooked up to a large fish, but my drag was too tight, the fish took 15 meters of line and then flew out of the water and managed to snap brand new 30 pound line. The fish was very dark in colour and created an almighty splash as it re-entered the water with my trace, hooks and squid skirt, on its way to freedom.

cheers - brian

River fishing, 17Mar10

From: "Stuart Denissen"
Subject: Fishing today
Date: Wednesday, 17 March 2010 5:37 PM

Hi all,

I went for a paddle on the river today, straight out from the end of Gympie Terrace. I worked the back of the little Island due to the wind blowing me all about. I tried an assortment of lures and soft plastics to no avail. I then started using pieces of a mac tuna which I had caught a couple weeks back at Laguna Bay - instant success. I pulled in about 15 bream in an hour and a half, most being over 30cm (only kept a couple) When the tide had pushed low I paddled over to a bank in the middle of the river and fished the edge. I cast my bait and was reeling it in slowly when my drag took off, I fought a fish for a few minutes before seeing a huge flathead on the end of the line, unfortunately as I was boating it the hook pulled loose much to my disgust, lucky no one was there to here my profanities. Even though the weather was not kayak favourable I just had to get my paddle wet!

I took a pic of a bream from my phone, see attachment.

cheers

Stu

All quiet, 10Mar10

From: "Jim Thompson"
Subject: Yak Fishing Report - Wed 10 Mar '10
Date: Wednesday, 10 March 2010 3:56 PM

Hi Yakkers,

Nothing to report other than weather, launch and sea conditions - no fish, so stop reading now if you don't want to read the details.

I was the only yakker in the car park at 0530 (only a few spare car parks due to about 30 kids doing surf swim training). The launch was okay but made a bit tricky by having to negotiate between some large in-coming sets. Once set up I headed for North Sunshine Reef where Whalebait and Dr Dog had had some success yesterday, also the water was likely to be clearer there than in the confines of the bay and anywhere near the river mouth. The sky was mostly overcast with a light 5-10k NW breeze and a moderate 2.5m swell which became more like 5m around the shallower areas off Dolphin Point, Fairy Pools and along the rock wall out to Hells Gates.

I trolled a HB lure out to just north of Hells Gates (no strikes) then switched to a slimey mounted on a Spaniard Special which I then trolled extensively over a number of our known NSR marks without a touch. I also did a bit of bottom fishing with soft plastics at a couple of these marks, also without a touch. Although the water was surprisingly clear, there was a very strong ESE current running, which, together with the NW breeze meant I was scooting along at up to 2.5kph when drifting. Only on one occasion did I come close to some bird/surface bust ups (I think Mac tuna), but they quickly dissipated when I got within casting range.

So, having paddled and drifted for 6-7 km all over NSR without success, at 0900 I decided to head for home thinking I had suffered the curse of the NW wind theory. I again swapped back to a HB lure (Halco Laser Pro) at Hells Gates for the major part of the ~6km paddle back to MG. With the sun now out the water clarity was much more definitive. At Dolphin Point I crossed a distinctive transition between the quite clear blue ocean water and the tannin stained brown waters of the bay. The abrupt transition, marked by a line of foam, snaked as far as the eye could see to the north from Dolphin Point.

I landed back on the beach at MG ~1020 after successfully negotiating the still sizeable swells and logged off with Noosa Coast Guard (had logged on as I had been out by myself .... or so I thought). I discovered another set of kayak wheels I did not readily recognize below the Life Guard's tower, and then wondered who else had been out this morning. I guessed it must be one of the NYs without a radio, otherwise I would have received a call .... maybe Wayne B or Stu D? Did any other NY go out this morning? Let us know if you had any better luck than me.

Cheers,
Jimbo

Fish 3, WB 1, 09Mar10

From: "madcowes"
Subject: Fishing Today 9 Mar 2010 - Fish 3 - Brian 1
Date: Tuesday, 9 March 2010 6:24 PM

Launched at MG approx 6am accompanied by dr Dog. Not a bird in sight and dirty brown water everywhere. I had already decided to head to sunshine reef where I hoped the water would be a bit clearer.

A couple of large solitary tuna free jumping gave us some encouragement as there were only few scattered birds on our way out. Once we passed the headland of the NP Dr dog spied a small bust up 500mtrs ahead, so we agreed to head over for a closer look.

I fired off my first cast and it was absolutely nailed by what I initially called for a mac tuna, but after 10 minutes of spirited battle I was starting to have second thoughts. Dr Dog by this stage seemed to be a fair way away, I glanced down at my GPS
and noticed that I was doing about 4-5kph towards double island point with the fish still taking drag!

It was at this point I realised that even though I had 15kg braid and 15kg mono leader my little 3-6kg rod was going to be a problem. Several times I managed to catch up to the fish and it was directly underneath me but any line I gained back was quickly lost again as the fish headed straight down to the bottom. By this stage I had been towed approximately 1.5 kms out to sea from my starting point and was in 38mtrs of water. After
a 20 minute battle eventually the hooks pulled, although I never saw the fish I’m pretty confident
that it was not mac tuna and probably a longtail.

A quick rendezvous with Dr dog who’'d also hooked up and unfortunately had the hooks pull also. I decided that seeing we were out so far I was going to head over a check out a mark in my GPS, seeing nothing spectacular on the bottom I started to head back inshore to the close in sunshine reef marks.

I must have paddled 10 strokes, when my trolling outfit went screaming off into the distance, in a typical spaniard run. After a short tussle I secured my fish and got a couple of photos courtesy of dr dog (thanks mate).

Forgot to measure the fish but weighed in at 11.4kg – taken on a trolled slimy.

The rest of the trip was highly eventful for me: 2 more massive strikes, both on a trolled slimy.

1st fish pulled the hooks after 5 minutes. 2nd fish stripped about 200mtrs of line in no time at all at was towing me towards coolum at 6 – 6.5kms ph according to my GPS. This also ended in tears when my line parted company at the trace. I suspect the previous
fight had damaged my braid.

It was a day of what could have been. All my strikes were out a lot deeper than we normally fish 35+ meters of water, and approx 1 –to 1.5 kms out from our widest SR reef marks.

We managed just under 19kms today & I am completely knackered and have very sore arms.

Go get em tomorrow!

Cheers Brian

Spaniard for doc dog, 01Mar10

From: "Mark Powell"
Subject: Fishing March 1
Date: Monday, 1 March 2010 4:31 PM

Hi All,

I went out from MG this morning at the very gentlemanly hour of 9.00 am having earlier had a bike ride and attended to a few chores that could not wait. With the rain the car park was sparsely populated and the only Yakker vehicle was Stu who was just doing a wash down after an early foray. He had no luck this morning. After a paddle around Laguna Bay "Stu" said he stuck his nose around the corner but found conditions too uncomfortable early but thought wind and waves were abating a little by the time he left the water. He had seen plenty of bird activity but nothing was interested in his hard bodied lures.

I launched without difficulty at what seemed to be the first of the run out tide. Occasional big sets coming through but long lulls in between making the paddle along the wall a regulation launch.

Just off the rock wall birds could be seen working frantically and once I got out the back to set up I could see a school of long toms flipping around all over the place.

Leaving them to their feeding I proceeded to troll a large LASER PRO (18 CM GOLD) and kept my casting outfit ready with a 50 gm metal slug -- this time with a wire trace.

I paddled down to Little Halls and went from bust up to bust up trying to get a cast in but the fish were very shy and dived whenever I got close enough to flick a lure. Having failed to get any strikes on the casting outfit and no interest in the large Laser pro I changed down a size on the Hardbodied lure to the one Kev and Jaro have had considerable success with and as I made my way back towards MG I hooked up on the trolling outfit.

I thought it was a tuna as there seemed to be an almighty lot of head shaking going on. I was then confused as after one good run the fish came to the boat meekly and showed itself to be a reasonable spaniard (Narrow Barred methinks). Sunshiner the strike came very close to where you got your fish last week.

The fishing gods smiled on me and I was able to get a gaff in and subdue the fish just as the rear trebles fell from their tenuous grip on the underside of his jaw. The front trebles had come adrift from the fish some time earlier in the struggle.

I trolled well back across the bay towards some birds and was surprised by another good strike just as I made ready to cast at some boiling bait schools. The fish took off at a great rate under considerable drag pressure so I thought I had a bigger Spaniard on and then all of a sudden almost no pressure. I thought the fish was coming back towards me so I wound furiously only to see the remnants of a small mackerel (perhaps a schoolie) come waterskiing across the surface still attached to my lure. I suppose I was either sharked or a bigger mackerel liked the look of the agitated little schoolie.

I was having no luck with the wire on the cast outfit so I changed back to the old favourite of a Raider tied straight to the double with no swivel. This change met with immediate success on a very fiesty little Mac Tuna whom I released to fight another day.

I pretty much had the bay to myself (very few boats) and as I was the only Yakker out I logged in to Coastguard for safety sake.

I caught a nice little wave back to the beach but had to wait a while to pick my run in as the swell was picking up through the morning and half a dozen board riders were now enjoying the wave off the rock wall.

All in all a great morning. I was back on the beach at 12.30 pm and it looked as if the fish were going to be feeding all day as there was still lots of birds working and mac tuna schools working everywhere.

Nice and cool paddling in the rain.
Cheers,
Doctor Dog