Wind: 5 knot NE, gradually dropping to calm
Swell: about 1m E, but appeared more from the north at Jew Shoal
Water temp: 25.6°C
Current: at Jew Shoal, strong from NW to SE
Launch point: Middle Groyne
Participants: diesel, sunshiner
Keen Angler Program: No frames donated
Just the two of us in the carpark at 4:00am. We wandered down in the subdued light to find an easy launch scenario, expected, and a fresh NE breeze, half expected. Two vessels were anchored in the bay: a single masted yacht (from Brazil, as it turned out), and further out, and more to the east, a brightly lit up trawler.
After an easy launch we set course for Jew Shoal, with diesel in front. My progress was slow as we were punching into the breeze and I was in no hurry anyway. Diesel is a very strong paddler and soon he was a mere dot on the NE horizon. Also heading out to Jew Shoal today was a guy on a jetski, set up for fishing. He beat me out to the shoal and may even have beaten diesel, but he didn't bother to come over and say hello.
As usual, diesel caught another bonito on a HLP on arrival at Jew Shoal. I think he has some sort of bonito attractant as he has accounted for several of these tasty fish in the last couple of weeks. Sloppy would be the best description of conditions out there, with a confused mess of swell and chop, with occasional whitecaps caused more by steep chops than the breeze. But the sky was overcast and the water crystal clear, although there were many jelly blubbers suspended in it, especially close in shore. At first just the three of us, including the jetski hopeful.
Pretty soon I found that my expected drift toward the SW (with the breeze) was over-ridden by a strong current from the NW. The result was that I was travelling toward the SE, 90° from my planned direction. OK, relocate, paddle another 600m, get into a better position. Fish wise, it turned out to be not much better as my SP offering was attracting no customers at all, despite the obvious presence of baitfish on the sonar.
Back at the setup, after launch, diesel, who'd launched after me, told me he'd encountered in the car park a couple of South African kayak fishers who hadn't fished Noosa before. They intended to follow us out, apparently, but no GPS or radio. Anyway, it was now after 6:00 am and down to the south I could see two paddlers approaching, in two big white yaks. Presumably these were they and so I tipped off diesel, who was closer than I to them, and he paddled to them to give them a brief intro to Jew Shoal.
Not sure of the sequence of events but around this time diesel reported a serious and powerful run on a drifting pillie (probably a cobe, he thought, and I agreed). Then, just as one of the two SAFA yakkers was approaching me I hooked up for the first time this morning and soon boated a small amberjack.
The SAFA yakker came over and introduced himself to me as WayneNeeden, well known to me on The Yak Shed, and AKFF before it. It turned out that he was water testing an Eric's Canoe yak (made in South Africa) similar to the Stealth series. The other SAFA guy out there was Richard, similarly mounted and the probable importer of these craft.
Wayne proceeded to rig up a trolling bait with a hairtail at least half a metre long and just as he was leaving to troll this bait a fat and exuberant tuna (probably a yellowfin) cleared the water near us in a beautiful arcing jump. That fired him up and off he went.
By now it was time to relocate, as I'd travelled some 900m across the wind for this one small amberjack. Not even a grinner had shown itself. I paddled up current until about 400m NW of The Pinnacles, and started again, drifting down toward that well-known mark.
Diesel calls up and let's me know that he's picked up a flounder, which surprises him.
The large-toothed flounder is relatively common offshore here, but seldom large enough to eat. Pic by diesel.
This drift I picked up another, smaller amberjack, but nothing else. One last drift, I promised myself, and headed to the NW again, into the current. Just before I reached my planned drift start point diesel came up on the radio with a tail of woe. He'd been fighting a big cobe on heavy gear for the last ten minutes and had lost it next to the yak. He sounded disappointed, as you'd expect, but I tried to cheer him up and he stoically agreed to keep fishing.
First cast on my last drift. I was in 21m and sent out the usual 1/8 ounce jighead with 4 inch Powerbait (same as last week, but new leader and leader knot). It sinks quite slowly and as it does I usually jig it a little to impart some extra movement. I'm hoping for a snapper, but Jew Shoal is a Lucky Dip and you never know what might come along. So I jig and find the line is snagged. Instantaneous thought: "Can't be, you're in 20m and the line angle is only 45°". Then I find, as a result of a strong run away and down, that it's not a snag, but a big snapper. Headshakes. This is no snapper, maybe a cobia. More away and down and away and down. More of this, screaming reel, creaking rod runners, (that poor Stradic; that poor rod!). Wayne and Richard see all this and after a while, during which the rod tip never gets above the surface of the water, I let him know that I've got a cobia on, I think.
It's deja vu. Same day of the week. Same location, same tackle, exactly. I've had some recent practice, just a week ago in fact. After 20 minutes of back and forth I'm sure it's a cobe, especially as diesel dropped one just a short time ago. And sure enough, the leader eventually makes its weary and tortuous way onto the spool and I see the cobe, brown and white, holding and circling about two metres down. Then the leader vanishes into the depths yet again, following the cobe on its last desperate attempt to escape. Like last week's fish, this cobe bangs into the yak hull but this one also hangs around near the stern, out of my view and not a good place as line can hang up on the rudder. This is fixed by plunging the rod tip deep into the water and applying pressure. Then I accidentally flick the bail arm open and the slack line and straight rod cause me to think the fish has spat the hook. But no, it's still on and eventually it's exhausted and flopping around on the starboard side, just where I want it. I pass the rod into my left hand and pick up the gaff with my right and get a secure gaff hold in the head. Life's over for the cobia.
There's the little jig head, secure in the upper jaw.
Diesel came over, took this pic and then we set off for home.
Beach pics
Diesel's bonito and my cobe (105cm). Pic by diesel.
Kayak-renting lady, very interested in the fish. Pic by diesel.
The Stradic 3500FJ. Solid performer, especially with the improved drag.
I'll be trying to dodge cobia next trip.
ABC? Another bloody cobia!
Kev Long
Sunshiner
Author Kayak Fishing Manual for iPad and Mac (click linked text to view)
Stealth Supalite X, yellow/orange
If it's too much fish for you Kev, just let me know. ABC... absolutely beautiful cobia.
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