ABT/Hobie St Georges Basin Tournament - 23/1/10

Remember that plea of mine a couple of weeks back to catch bream at St Georges like I'd been catching in the Georges River. Well it obviously fell on deaf ears as I didn't get any of them... well, not enough of them anyway.

23 yakkers set forth and spread far and wide. I started shallow hoping for some surface action but couldn't even attract a follow. I dropped back into slightly deeper water and flicked about a 2" Gulp shrimp (pepper). Whack! And I'm on. This fish goes 32 cm fork length and that's a good start after only 30 minutes.

I got a few more tentative hits but no hook ups. I drop back into deeper water (4.5 meters) and switch to a blade. Eventually I hook up again and swing in another bream. Ooh, it'll be close, better put this one on the lie detector. I fumble around inside my hull but cant find my ruler. Ah well, into the live well he goes.

I landed a couple of flatties and a whiting before deciding to move on. And so I ventured about, hooking and landing some thumper whiting and a dozen or so flathead but no m ore bream. Where are the buggas?

And then, right on midday, the southerly hit. And boy, did it hit! 30 knot winds whipped the basin up and things were pretty hairy out there. I wasn't far from the start and figured the churned up water may get the fish biting on the weed edges. Back to the blade (the only thing I could cast with any distance in the wind) and I quickly get a crunching hit. This is what I'm after. Breeam number three. But unfortunately, it's sunburnt and has blue freckles. Aaarrrgghhh. It's a squire. Back he goes and half a dozen casts later I get another hit. And you guessed it, another Squire.

By now the basin is really like a washing machine and I decide to pull the pin. Many of the yaks have already returned and I can see the others heading in, too. The landing site looks like a surf beach now (in fact the water is o rough that there are a couple of smaller tinnies that have pulled up to get out of the rough water) so I stow away all my gear and tether the rods, all except for one because I don't have a tether for it.

The wind is howling, the waters churning, there's weed everywhere and I'm being thrown about all over the shop. I'm not far from shore when I get swamped over the back of the yak and I feel

the wave picking me up. I throw my body sideways and stay in the saddle but now I'm side on and can see another wave bearing down on me. I kick the mirage drive but it's too late and I'm struck fullly on the side and over I go. I bail out and land on my feet in chest deep water. I quickly right the yak and notice immediately that the untethered rod is missing. I feel around with my feet but there is so much stuff churning about under the water (and I can't see the bottom either) that I can't feel it anywhere.

It's too rough to stay out here so I jump back on the yak and get into shore. I wan't the only one to get a dunking and even the guys in the PA's said they nearly went over, too. It's a great reminder that conditions can change at anytime and that a PFD should be worn no matter where or when you are out on your kayak.

Now I'm onshore, I get out my trusty ruler and put the smallest fish onto it. NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! 24 .8 cms. Can you believe it? 2mm short. Back he goes and I weigh in my 1 fish for 660 grams. There were some great bags weighed in, with Peter Woods taking it out with 2.3 kgs and the ever consistent Jason Meech getting 2nd with 2.18 kgs, closely followed by Jason Price for 3rd with 1.9 kgs.

I'd like to pass on a big thanks to David O'Toole from Outdoors and Beyond in Nowra and Huskisson who ran the BBQ and provided every angler with a food and drink pack. Such support is greatly appreciated by us competitors.

Well yesterday I competed in the Basin Lure and Flys 'Squidgy Southern Bream Series' held on the Georges River. But for that update, check back tomorrow. ; ) Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid