From: sunshiner
Date: 6/02/2011 4:07 PM
Weather
Cloud cover: mostly 8/10 to 9/10
Wind direction & speed: northerly/NE up to 10 knots
Sea state: low swell
Current direction & speed: at Sunshine Reef strong toward the SE and around Hell's Gates. At Jew Shoal, none.
Participants: Jaro, jimbo, eyetag and I
At last, the wind had abated and the sea started to clean up but this is Queensland in the middle of an old fashioned wet season so, you guessed it, the rain was pissing down. At least it was when I left home but at least there was no wind. Jaro followed me in pouring rain into the MG carpark where we both parked in our customary slots. Jim had arrived earlier than we did so we three sat around while the rain went from pissing down to a bearable patter over a period of ten minutes or so. Just nearby, father and son team sprocket (Dave) and proangler (James) were unloading their yaks too.
For once there was no sign of eyetag's car. Clearly some dire event had popped up because eyetag never misses an opportunity to fish. Explanation later.
The beach and its access remain quite eroded as a result of the disgusting weather we've had inflicted on us but it was still accessible, especially on the way downhill. Jimbo, I and jaro headed out together through the small break which was springing up because of the low tide.
0512hrs. We usually go through the narrow exit in Indian file. Here jimbo is waiting for the sets to pass and then it's my turn. Jaro's right behind me. (Snip from video shot in very low light conditions)
The exit was clean and easy, and as usual when there are a few waves running, quite exhilarating unless you're in a Stealth in which case it's a bit ho-hum.
We set up and jimbo opted to head for Sunshine Reef while jaro and I figured that Jew Shoal might be OK. The breeze from the north and accompanying chop made for a bit of a slog but we were fresh and keen to see what the day would deliver.
All was quiet, apart from terns passing overhead going out to sea, until 1.4km out from JS when Jaro's trolled HLP went off to the accompaniment of loud yells from Jaro. If you've been out there with him you'll know what I mean. I hove to and retrieved my lure -- ready to lend a hand should it be necessary. The camera was ready too.
0551hrs. So it's a bronze whaler about 1.5m long and very angry -- and it's got Jaro's prized Laser Pro in its mouth. (Snip from video)
So Jaro does the usual trick and whacks it in the lower jaw with his gaff as deftly as only a vet surgeon or possibly a dentist can do. Unfortunately, the shark leaps about somewhat and Jaro's trusty gaff breaks, leaving only the rubber handle in his hand. The shark either swallows the gaff or dislodges it in the accompanying melee. No gaff and a bronzie with a prized lure on the line! Many expletives later Jaro realises that I probably have a gaff and asks politely if he can borrow it. "Sure", says I. The shark is thrashing around as they do but I have to manoeuvre right up close to pass over the gaff. This is successfully done with the shark exuberantly filling the narrow space between the yaks as we transfer my gaff to Jaro. This successfully done Jaro now uses his vet surgeon skills again to extract the hooks from the now gaffed lower jaw and release the shark to go and harass some other life form.
At this point I must explain that there was permanent moisture on the outside of the camera lens due to the extreme humidity and continual rain and spray so please excuse the slight blurring of some images.
Sharks are not in short supply out there at the moment as I found when we arrived at Jew Shoal and a smallish shark with vertical stripes (a tiger?) dodged around my yak as I manoeuvred trying to get a cast at a busting up school of small tuna or macs (I failed - they were moving too fast). Ah well, I settled into a drift routine a couple of hundred metres from Jaro who, having returned my gaff to me, is now down to lip gripper and hands only to deal with fish. He's deploying baits -- a banana prawn on one outfit and a whole pilly drifting on another. I opt for an artificial lure -- a soft plastic.
More yells from Jaro and a hasty radio message about "biggy -- possibly a mac". So this is what friends are for -- I stop fishing and paddle over to him (this takes a couple of minutes) to make sure that he's got a gaff if he needs it and also to possibly get a nice pic. By the time I get there he's managed without a gaff and boated a spectacular fish -- on a banana (prawn).
0644hrs. How's that for a snapper? Jaro's biggest so far and one many snapper fishos would swap their wives for.
It was now raining steadily, again. Shortly after this, having been informed of what was happening at JS, jimbo decided to relocate from North Sunshine Reef -- into a strong current. See you in an hour or so Jimbo! And then eyetag calls up on the radio from MG. I quickly relayed to him the situation at JS, adding that there were occasional big splashes reminiscent of feeding Spaniards (which was true). "On my way" he responds.
Meanwhile I'm fishless -- but I've got a few pics. Jaro and I resume drift fishing on his new favourite drift and Jaro starts to get regular bites and occasional keeper sweetlip -- but only on the banana prawns. I'm using artificials only but decide to deploy one of my biggest soft plastics -- a great green pre-loved rubber thing with a paddle tail, a single hook about 8/0 and moulded-in weight. I put it out on the trailing outfit and didn't bother to retrieve it when paddling back up to the start of the drift -- letting it hang back about 20 metres and wend its lonely way the 400m or so back to the start of our drift. Half way along this transit I noticed some splashes and a few terns close to my course and then immediately a loud buzz emanated from the VanStaal reel. The buzz lasted all of two seconds and I guessed what had happened.
The tail sheared off immediately behind the hook. Work of the local mackerel gang.
Jaro was still boating the occasional sweetlip. Jimbo had arrived after a long slow paddle and eyetag had also appeared from the south. I was still fishless. Eyetag, trolling a HUGE pike bait around the shoal, came up on the radio after about an hour out there and revealed that he'd managed to approach one of the several bustups happening off in the distance and fired off a cast with a slug which was immediately engulfed. The fish turned out to be a yellowfin tuna, his first from a yak and rarely taken among us kayak fishers here.
That got Jaro and me going, especially as there was just such a bust-up barely 300m to the north. Appropriately rigged, we set off after them. Unfortunately, the whole school, and its attendant bunch of terns, was heading north, at paddling speed, into a northerly wind. Just as we got within casting range they were no longer within casting range and so on and on it went. 1.5km norther and later, enshrouded in low cloud and in a heavy rain shower, we gave it away. I'd got close enough just twice during this pursuit and got two casts away, got one "bump" and that's all.
By the time Jaro and I gave up, we could no longer see land. Not that the land was far away, but the heavy rain had reduced visibility. At first I felt slightly disoriented and found that my directional instincts clashed with the indications given by my GPS but, knowing that the GPS was more likely to be right, I followed its pointer and soon began to see through the murk, directly ahead at about 1.2km range, the dive-boat which I knew was anchored near the JS shallows.
Eyetag was drifting close to my path as I came onto the shoal so I took the opportunity to stop near him and get a pic of his first ever yellowfin tuna.
Before the morning was out, eyetag caught three of these speedsters, each by casting a slug. Note the long, folded back pectoral fin and the very large eye.
By 1030 we were all pretty knackered; Jim from paddling out to Sunshine Reef and then back to JS, eyetag from his early morning start and highly successful crabbing expedition before heading out to JS, I from photographing various fish and chasing pelagics all over the ocean, and Jaro from doing some of the above plus subduing a shark and a massive snapper. So we headed for home, our landing beach now 4km downwind and the day growing hotter by the minute.
Jaro and his snapper. It went 83cm on our measure mat and 6.7kg on Davo's scales.
Another great day but I'm ready to hit the cot. Thanks for coming along guys and thanks for organizing, Jaro.
Hope to see some of you at the R2S event on 16Feb. All are welcome. Email turtleboy (Steve) if you want to come.
Kev
Red & white Stealth Supalite, black paddle
VHF channel 09 or 22 (if alone), Call Sign: sunshiner
http://www.noosayakkers.blogspot.com/
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