Sylvannia Waters – 10/9/06

‘Ooh look, a worm!’ One of the fish swam forward to get it. ‘No, wait, wait….it may have a hook in it!’ the other one said. The first fish looked back at his mate incredulously. ‘Pffft, are you kidding? What sort of stupid idiot would be out in weather like this? It’s windy enough to blow a dog off its chain. I’m hungry and I’m eatin’ it!’ CHOMP. ‘Uh oh…’

The above bream didn’t realise that YES, I’m the sort of stupid idiot that will venture out when there are 25-30 knot winds accompanied by pouring rain. I’d waited all Saturday and half of Sunday for the weather to ease up and I was quickly running out of time. By 1:30pm, there were occasional breaks in the cloud so I bit the bullet and headed out even though my wife shook her head in amazement.

My options were limited. I still like to be safe, so sheltered waters were my only venues. With the wind coming from a south/south-east direction, I launched at the entrance to Sylvannia Waters. The houses close to the water provided good protection and although still windy, the water was relatively calm. There are lots of pontoons and moored boats so I only used SP’s today.

As I left the ramp it bucketed down! Not a great start but at least it wasn’t cold. The wind would have made fishing from a paddle kayak a futile exercise but armed with the Mirage Drive of the Hobie I was able to keep in position while I worked the structures. On the 3rd pontoon I met my mate from the first paragraph and he was quickly introduced to my live-well.

I pedalled into one of the arms and found myself almost completely out of the wind (almost). From under a large moored cruiser I pulled another bream, this one going 31cm’s total length. Number two in the well. I continued along, dropping a good fish right next to the yak but getting my 3rd and final for the day from under a pontoon adorned with a yapping terrier. Three was enough for me so after a very quick 90 minutes I set off to have a hot shower.

So why would I bother going out in such wild weather? Two reasons: Number One, I love fishing. Number Two, I also fish in competitions and on those days you fish irrespective of the weather. Today was a chance for me to expand my knowledge on where, what and how to fish when most sane people are rugged up in front of the TV. And I still managed to get some fish.

And just a quick note on Sylvannia Waters. This is a private waterway and the landowners actually own the seabed too. The only sign I saw said ‘No Commercial Fishing’ so I felt it was ok for me to go in there. Of course, if someone came out and asked me to move along then I’d happily comply. Even if someone came out screaming, I just give a quick sorry and keep going. No point in getting in an argument and letting them ruin your day. Happy yakkin’, everyone.

Cheers,
Cid