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Ian's familiar Subaru has been replaced by a Mitsubishi temporarily and it was in Ian's usual parking place, the number one spot.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
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