Wind: SW 0-5 knots turning light E
Swell: ESE .5mtr
Launch point: Middle Groyne
Participants: jimbo, dugout, crofty, tarzan, pedro
I achieved a dry bum launch at around 4am and as soon as I started pedalling, (I launch and land with hobie mirage drive locked in the up position and use a paddle) one of the cables on the mirage drive snapped. Nothing for it but use the paddle and some muscles that are not tuned for long distance paddling.
I headed for JS to catch a snapper or two after the recent success of a few NYs. There were hundreds of terns circling in the early morning light and the bait schools were still hanging around the western side of the shoa. Prawns were working. I ended up bagging out on 40 to 50cm snapper plus one sweety, while Jimbo landed three snapper on prawns.
I was the last to head in from JS and while making my way back, Crofty announced that he's bagged an approx 60cm sweety at Halls.
The fish are playing the game and all we need now are the pelagics.
Pedro
My sweety with my best snapper
My drought has broken. Pic by sunshiner with Wendy's camera
Contribution by crofty
I have a love hate relationship with summer. In one hand it gives us glorious days, on the other it gets light way too early. The drive to Noosa is roughly 1 hour 40 minutes without traffic and I usually try to arrive at my launch spot with enough time to get set up before the dawn of nautical twilight. But with nautical twilight at 3.37am and the sun rising at 4.47am it was never going to happen. I rolled into the car park at 4.10am to be met by Jimbo putting his wheels back in the car. How I wish I lived closer to the water.
An uneventful launch and I was off into the dawning day. Chatter on the radio suggested that Dugout was launching from Main Beach and Jimbo was heading to meet up with Pedro already on Jew Shoal. Tarzan was arriving in the car park as I left. Dugout and I kept pace chatting as we made our way out to Jew Shoal.
On arrival at the reef, flitting terns caught our attention and a paddle close showed they were picking off tiny bait from a football field sized school on the surface. Without any other obvious predators, the bait was seemingly just hanging around. Reports from the previous days suggested that they had been there for several days. I trolled across to the north east of the pinnacles which were covered in a heavy blanket of trichodesmium. Not a lot to show on the sounder other than the first ball of bait, I returned to the pinnacles and set up a drift. I had a whole yellowtail drifting in the current behind me as I flicked plastics forwards ahead of my drift. Reports from the others drifted over the radio as they hooked up and landed fish.
"I've got a 40ish snapper on prawns"
"I've got a 40ish snapper on prawns too"
"I've got a 50 on prawns"
"I've got a high 30's and a sweetlip on prawns"
There seemed to be a common theme. Prawns were catching fish, and I was catching none. Not even a sniff. There was a snapper party happening and I wasn't invited. After several hours listening to the cheers, I decided to take my ball and go and play somewhere else. I turned my steed towards the north and trolled off into the distance.
Four and a half very uneventful kilometres later, my gps told me I was over Halls Reef. If I thought the trichodesmium was thick at Jew Shoal, it was incredible here. I've never seen it so thick. It looked like great big lily pads had formed up into a stinking mess on the surface.
There seemed to be fish sitting below it though and after ensuring I was upwind of the stench, started hopping the closest plastic to a prawn I had, an atomic prong, across the bottom. Third cast and it was engulfed by a lively grassy in the high 30s. Finally I was on the board. Next cast got smashed and some spirited runs put my first homemade rod though its paces. This was a much better fish and a few minutes later a beefy head popped through the surface scum to reveal a good grassy at 58cm. I made a radio call to skite to Pedro and was quickly reminded by Sunshiner (on the beach) that I had a few centimetres to go to tip Jaro off his pedestal. Another 30 mins proved fruitless and it was well after 10am so was time to head for home. I still had an hour's paddle and a two hour drive in traffic to get back home.
As I neared the beach, I stripped down my gear and turned to come through the tiny swell caressing the sand. I locked the pedals away, stowed the rudder and began to paddle the revolution. Stopped waited for a swell to pass beneath me, and then put the power on to make it to the beach hopefully upright. Only to watch the right hand blade of my paddle waft away into the murky depths. Oh shit. Not again! I've been through this before with the Hobie noodle. Thankfully I was not destined to play the didgeridoo again, not destined to swim, not destined to be eaten alive by the shore break and destined to keep the other blade and the yak upright as I returned to the beach. Pedro was standing on the beach wondering why I was paddling like a loony. He kindly photographed my fish and emailed me a copy.
Crofty's two sweetlip.
So what was really an uneventful day, turned into quite an event.
Regards,
Jon Croft
(crofty)
Contribution by dugout
Hi All,
Woke about 4.00 am and walked the kayak down the hill and launched out at First Point/Main beach about 4.30.
I heard from Jimbo who was on his way to Jew Shoal and Crofty had arrived on the beach. I think Pedro may have already been at JS. Fairly smooth trip out with alga out fairly thick all the way out. Terns were feeding on schools of small bait but no fish seen chopping.
I fished near Jimbo most of the time as I did not have the GPS. I was using SP but did not have any action. Jimbo had caught a couple of snapper on bait as well a small shark which he kindly donated to me for the table tonight with beer batter! Thanks Jimbo.
Also there were other fish caught by Pedro. I was back on the beach about 7.00 after an enjoyable morning. Thank you all for your company.
May go out Wednesday all being well. Will take some bait as well next time.
All the best,
Dugout
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