From: sunshiner
Date: 29/06/2010 4:09 PM
Weather
Cloud cover: 3/10, high cirrus
Wind direction & speed: SW initially, 7knots, dropping to calm around 10am
Sea state: pretty flat
Current direction & speed: no discernible current
The forecast was spot on again and the recent reports resulted in a very good rollup.
Participants: Leroux, Phred, Pete, Doug, Harry, Jaro and I
Pete's car was in the carpark but there was little sign of him when Jaro and I arrived, not far apart, around 0550. It was still pretty dark but nevertheless we're pretty well practised in getting set up in the pre-dawn half light and as a result Jaro and I were trundling our yaks down to the beach just after 0600. I emerged onto the beach-top first and could just discern a faint slowly moving blob out near the shark net. Pete had obviously launched just a little before us -- his trolley tracks were clear for anyone to see. He was headed for Sunshine Reef.
0610. Launching in the bloody dark, in winter.
Although there was almost no swell, Jaro still managed to encounter the wave of the day and get a little damp. It's amazing where those waves come from. Anyway, soon we were out the back, savouring the faintly increasing illumination of Laguna Bay. "Brilliant," says Jaro. And it was.
We conducted our routine radio check and triggered a call from Doug (callsign dugout). He'd just launched in the SE corner of the Bay (Coward's Corner, as we call it) and let us know that he was paddling to join us. Doug has somehow contrived to have his home just up the top of Noosa Hill, near the pub. He trundles his yak on its trolley down the boardwalk path so doesn't need to get a car involved. Might be a decent pull home though, especially with a load of fish aboard. What a great arrangement! Quite a tourist attraction too!
0623hrs. Ready to set out for JS. Doug and Jaro, with Noosa in the background.
We made good time to the shoal, with a gentle following breeze and almost no swell or chop. I had one of those mornings today. Just short of the shoal I stopped paddling to set up my fish finder. Despite my having checked last night that it was all working I found that it wouldn't fire up. Using my fingers I traced the power leads to the battery only to find that the positive lead was no longer connected. Groping further, inside the body of the kayak, I found I couldn't re-establish the connection. On then examining the battery I found that the spade type + terminal had actually broken in halves, leaving the broken piece jammed inside the connecting socket on the wire. Although I finally managed to clear the broken piece out I now found that the remaining portion of the terminal was too wide for the connector. Bugger! No fish finder today.
But Jaro's fish finder was working so I opted to hang around him. I'm under orders at the moment from SWMBO that no more fish are to be brought home until we eat out present (frozen) stocks. This gives me a great opportunity to experiment with fish catching techniques and so today I elected to use only one rod and fish only with soft plastics. The other guys, probably more sensibly, were mainly using bait following the recent successes with that technique. Soon Harry joined us, having launched a bit later than we did.
Two hours later, I was fishless -- hadn't even had a bite. Harry, Jaro and Doug all were catching fish, albeit fairly slowly at first.
0802hrs. Jaro with a quite large Slatey Bream, released as its eating qualiies are not highly rated.
0805hrs. Harry boats the first of several snapper.
0840hrs. Doug with a nice keeper snapper.
0843hrs. Harry's second brekky is interrupted by his second snapper.
As you may be able to tell, I was spending a bit of time paddling around taking pics of fish instead of fishing. Around 9am Phred and LeRoux rocked up (perhaps they're still on South Africa time ;-)). No sooner had Phred lowered a baited hook than it was monstered by something, just as I was paddling up to say hello. The fish reefed him but he persisted, giving it a bit of loose line. Sure enough, the sweetlip (for that's what it was) emerged from its hidey-hole and Phred pumped him the 20m or so up to the surface.
0952hrs. Jaro bags the mother of all toadfish. This monster's mouth was big enough to accept your fist and if you'd put it in there you'd be in danger of having your hand chopped off. Released, needless to say.
The pics above were not the only fish taken. I was being picky, selecting only the ones I thought would be of interest. At this point, alert readers may note that there are no pics of fish taken by me. But stand by, for my input is on its way, not before time either. My soft plastic was gently taken near the bottom of its swing beneath the yak. I struck only to feel the lure released by the fish. Immediately I let it drop again and this time hooked up to a fish whose fight pattern I couldn't recognize. It held down deep with a high tempo bump, bump but took little or no line from me, just swimming around in tight circles. I knew it wasn't a big fish and was surprised when yet another new species for me arrived next to the yak after a short fight.
0953hrs. Coachwhip trevally (Carangoides oblongus)(?), a species I've never seen taken at Jew Shoal before. All trevallies -- no size limit, bag limit 20.
And still the action continued...
1008hrs. Jaro with School mackerel. Min size 50cm, bag limit 10.
At 1030, just as Jaro and I were preparing to leave, a whale showed up to the south east. It must have swum close to but underneath us because its second appearance was north west of us. As we left the shoal I paddled over to Leroux to say goodbye. Harry and Phred also stayed behind. Who could blame them?
1040am. LeRoux, emotionally involved. How good are these conditions?
The paddle home was easy and fast. The surf zone transit was a cinch. We put our combined catches onto the measure mat and, it being school holidays, attracted the usual onlookers and questions.
Jaro had already given one snapper away to Harry.
Peter, Harry, Phred, Leroux and Doug please let us know how you finished up.
Email from Phred
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Subject: Fishing
From: Phred
Date: 29/06/2010 4:14 PM
Hey Kev
Just the remainder of the day - I caught two snapper. The red fish we were unsure of was a scarlet perch, legal size limit is 40cm. I got smashed by something big a couple times, even losing my rig above the trace.
LeRoux came back with a decent flathead.
Phred
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Now for tomorrow...
Kev
Red & Yellow Espri, black paddle
VHF channel 09 or 22 (if alone), Call Sign: sunshiner
http://www.noosayakkers.blogspot.com/
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