Swell: low N
Current: at Jew Shoal, none
Launch point: Middle Groyne
Participants: richmond, eyetag, gemini, windy, carlo, sunshiner
With a month of fat living (and no kayaking) behind me, and in front too, around the stomach area, I was anxious to get back into the saddle to hopefully help shed some of that unwanted weight and regain my paddling fitness (and maybe even catch a fish or two).
The forecast from several days ago held up and conditions were ideal when I arrived at MG at 0515. Carlo and gemini were already there, setting up, and eye tag, richmond and windy had already launched in the previous hour.
Incredibly, a few minutes before we launched here (take another look at the waves above) two board riders (suspected hetero couple, visitors to Noosa) were sitting on their boards just out in front. What were they thinking?
Soon we were sitting out the back, having mastered the tricky sets, readying our gear. Eyetag quickly responded to my radio call and confirmed that he and richmond were up near LH Reef while windy had opted to head for JS. As the wind for JS seemed very favorable I opted to head for that familiar place, as did my two companions.
No birds, no surface action; not even a whale at this stage. Water beautifully clean and blue and not a whitecap in sight.
We started our fishing at the western edge of JS, at Old Faithful (a name which possibly needs changing in view of recent results for me there) with the aim of drifting across the shoal with the gentle westerly, catching heaps of snapper and sweetlip as we went.
I could see windy to the east and was happy to hear his news, by radio, that he’d just bagged a PB snapper of 56cm. Maybe there was a chance for the rest of us. Meanwhile our two mates to the west, eyetag and richmond, were reporting no action and a baby whale hanging around them (where’s Mum? was eyetag’s worry).
Shortly I had my first bit of action on my SP. True, it put little strain on my gear but this quite common fish looked uncommonly striking in the early morning light so I pulled out the camera.
Shortly afterward another couple of reefies common on JS took my SP.
While even small fish such as these can give encouragement the reality was that snapper and sweetlip were scarce today.
At morning tea time we congregated just south of the Pinnacles and took the opportunity to get a pic of the only keeper snapper taken, and its captor, “windy”.
By about 0900 at JS we were all a little jaded, having fished for several hours for a slim result. Gemini opted to paddle over to LH reef to see if he could get a close look at a whale hanging around eyetag and richmond. Carlo pulled the pin, having run out of bait and patience. Windy and I also left around the same time and although I was a fair way in front of him at the start he soon overhauled me. Having been gifted suitable legs by his parents, he can really get that Hobie moving.
Windy and I spent a little time off the end of the groyne discussing options for arriving on the beach the right way up. The waves were small but they were breaking right across the beach and quite tricky for anyone who has had little experience in beach launches.
From radio conversations I understand that eyetag and richmond had little to show for the morning’s fishing either, but please feel free, anyone, to post a comment.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Asides from the fish it was a good day out. The whales were a sight, and I ended up a little too close when they decided to U-turn and head towards the national park. Not close enough to be a major concern, but mildly alarming all the same. They can really move when they want to!
ReplyDelete