scattered over the flats off Towra Point. Terry and I worked the edges of the racks while waiting for the tide come in and it wasn't too long before I had my first in the well. This guy fell to a Gulp 2" Shrimp in molting colour rigged on a 1/40th hidden weight jighead. Not forgetting my first hookup last week, I'd made sure the drag was nice and tight today. Lots of strong, surging runs told me this was a good fish but by using the cushioning effect of my rod and dropping the tip when the fish ran, I was able to keep him from busting me off or making the safety of the snags. Man, the fish are in good condition! I wonder how the guys are going down at Glenelg?
By now Gary Brown (http://www.garybrownfishing.com.au/) had turned up in his tinnie and after a quick chat we all split up. The water was just starting to cover the rocks so I made use of the kayaks skinny-water abilities and moved in to harass the bream that would hopefully be moving amongst them looking for a snack. I started off with a Lucky Craft pencil but only had one half-hearted swirl behind it for 15 minutes worth of effort. Time to switch to a shallow-diving Chubby. By keeping the rod tip high, I knew the Chubby would dive to about 30 cms, jus
t swimming above the rocks. This was scary territory and I'd have to be on my toes to make sure I didn't get busted up!
t swimming above the rocks. This was scary territory and I'd have to be on my toes to make sure I didn't get busted up!First cast and I get a quick tap on the lure. Second cast and I get another whack, but still no hook-up. At least I know there are a few fish about. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a silver flash so I flick the Chubby in that direction. Crank, crank, crank, BOOFO! Oh yeah, lovely! The fish scoots sideways and I keep the rod tip up as high as I can while trying to keep him up on the surface. I prevent him from getting his head down and I slip the net under a twin of the first fish I caught. How I'd love to have two fish like this in a comp.
By the now the sun is quite strong and the fishing goes quiet. An overcast day over these flats would be sensational. I pick up a flathead right on the edge of the flats where they meet the weedbeds and that's it for me for the day. Terry had a day like I had last week and couldn't manage to get any legals. He'd moved up into the mangroves and picked up half a dozen off the surface but the biggest only went 24 cms. My two guys both went 33 cms to the fork and pulled the scales down to 1.305 kgs.
Back at the ramp, we could see Gary fishing around Captain Cook Bridge. I rang him and although he'd not managed any bream, he'd put three flatties of 50 cms into the well, as well as a 60 cm jewfish! Great stuff for middle of the morning with lots of boat traffic about.
Checking the results of the Hobie/ABT kayak tourny at Glenelg, I saw that day 1 was very tough. Only 5 legal (28 cm fork length) fish were caught but day two was being held closer to the mouth of the river where it wouldn't be so affected by the fresh water run-off. As predicted, more fish were weighed in and when all was done and dusted, the angler on top was Greg Lewis, a fellow member of the Hobie State Fishing Team. Greg's a top breamer and really knows his stuff and was the only angler to manage a full bag for the day. For a complete wrap up of events, please visit http://www.hobiefishing.com.au/ or http://www.bream.com.au/. Congratulations Greg on a deserved win.
Now the countdown is on for the first NSW round which will be held on Narrabeen Lake on the 7th-8th November. This should be a big turnout and remember, it's open to all SOT kayaks, not just Hobies. So get involved, meet some great anglers and see what it's all about. Happy yakkin', everyone!
cheers,
Cid
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment