ABT Daiwa Hobie Bream Grand Final - Bemm River - Day 2

So my plan was set. Head back to where I nabbed my two fish yesterday afternoon and hope that they are still there. The weather was perfect: slightly overcast with a hint of wind that created just enough of a ripple on the surface to entice the fish to move up into the shallows.

Another start and another explosion of yaks to various sections of the system. Andrew peeled off to the left near the boat ramp while I continued over to my spot. A few other yakkers had a similar idea (Hedgey, Peter Woods and Scott Baker just to name a few) but there was plenty of water and ample room for everyone.

I started in the 1.2m zone and quickly lost my Daiwa Double Clutch HB to something. I'd say it was probably a big tailor as there was a brief run then the line was neatly sliced in two. Swine! I changed to a Chubby and landed three bream in quick succession but they were all just under. Back to the Squidgy Wriggler for me and first cast I get a keeper. 30 to the tip, so I'm pleased with that. Back out goes the wriggler...

The next hour produced possibly the best bream session I've ever had. That 30 was swiftly followed by a 35 tip and then a 32 tip. Then another crackin' EP (they are great fighters on light line) and next cast, my first upgrade of 33 cms. The bite eased a bit and two flatties were my next victims. The wind had started to pick up a bit now so I figured the fish may move further up into the shallows. This turned out to be true and I found the fish again in the 0.9-1 meter zone.

Another 33 came aboard and he was slightly fatter than the other one, so that's another upgrade. Wow! This was awesome. I had my bag by 8:50 am and it was now only 9:10 am and I'd upgraded twice. Bang, I'm on again and this guy is my best to date at 35 cms. great fishing but I'm only hoping that everyone else isn't having as good a session as me. It'll be hard to catch up if everyone weighs in a full bag again. Unless I can get that kicker fish. I really, really, REALLY need that kicker fish now.

The wind was starting to pick up (what an understatement) and soon the white caps could be seen all over the lake. I decided to start heading closer to the finish point so I turned and pushed my way through the chop.

It took me 15 minutes to get here this morning but with this wind it took me 90 minutes to get back! I tried to find some sheltered shorelines (along with everyone else) but I couldn't raise another bite. I even tried the flats in the middle of the lake for the last half hour but this was futile as well. Nothing left to do but go in and see how I went. I was sure my bag was bigger than yesterdays but it wouldn't be by much. 2.3 kgs maybe? Certainly not the 3 kg plus bag I was hoping for.

On dry land my fears were realised when everyone I spoke to had got their 3 fish. Shizer! My hopes of a top 10 finish were dashed. Even top 20 would be doubtful. I bump into Andrew and he has a smug look about him and bloody hell, he has not one but TWO kicker fish. It's a great bag and it goes 2.97 kgs. This shoots him up the leader board but his day one bag let him down and he finishes in 4th place with 5.045 kgs. Brilliant stuff. The eventual winner was the day one leader, Shane Taylor. He smashed it again and weighed in 2.98 kgs for a final weight of 6.165 kgs, the only bag over 6 kilos. 2nd place went to Richard Somerton (the AOY for 2012) with 5.75 kgs and 3rd was taken out by Scott Lovig with 5.14 kgs.

And me? My bag went 2.285 kgs and with a total of 4.285 kgs I creep up a few places to 23rd place. And so ends another year of bream tournaments. The scene is getting bigger and better every year and the calibre of fisho's is truly amazing. It's hard to pick who will win a comp nowadays as so many potential winners are fishing each round. Next year is gonna be fantastic!

I'd like to thank Hobie and Steve Fields and the ABT for being the backbone of these competitions and really putting in the hard yards so we have these rounds to travel to and fish. Then there are all the other sponsors such as Daiwa, Lowrance, Frogleys Offshore, Pure Fishing, Ecogear, Jurofishing and Hogs Breath whose support helps make this all possible. Without these guys a national kayak competition would be non-existent. And just in case I don't get a report up in the next few days, please have a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

ABT Daiwa Hobie Bream Grand Final - Bemm River - 17 & 18/11/12

So here we go. Andrew Death and I are off in his trusty fishing van for the 7 1/2 hour drive to this years Grand Final. I was really looking forward to this seeing as I missed out last year. I'd never fished the Bemm before and from all the reports I'd heard, it could be a magical place. Lots of big bream that hit hard and full bags within 20 minutes. Drool worthy stuff.

The drive went surprisingly quickly and kudos to me, I didn't fall asleep once. We arrived 15 minutes before the briefing, so we couldn't have timed it much better. I gotta tell ya, these guys from Hobie and ABT really know how to put on a good show. All the yaks were set up ready to go. After the sign in, we were given the run down on how to use the sounder and all the other gear that was included on every yak. Mine was number 34. I hoped that wasn't a sign of the place where I'd come in this GF.

It was great to catch up with all the familiar faces, especially the Mexican Crew, those shifty-looking Victorians that seem to have unlimited travelling funds and brownie points and get to nearly all the comps that occur during the year. After the usual banter, it was back to the accommodation to rig up for the next day.

One monumental occurrence that God oh God I wish I'd filmed was the sight of Craig450 and his reaction when we had a bat flying around our lounge room. I'll let him tell the story, so just ask him next time you see him at a comp. : )

The next day we set off one by one and the field split up. Being all new to me, I had no idea of where may be better than anywhere else, so I started drifting across some flats trying various SP's and HB's. I had a whack on my fourth or fifth cast, but that was it. I persevered for another two drifts before deciding it was time to try other waters and I headed over towards the shoreline in an area known as Siberia and let myself drift with the increasing wind.

Out with the drift chute and I'm flicking a 100 mm Squidgy bloodworm wriggler on a 1/40th HWS jighead. The first fish is a small flattie but it's not long after that I get what I came all this way for. It's a bream, not huge at 30 cms to the tip, but I'm on the board. It had taken me 3 hours to get this one and I felt like I needed to get a move on before too much longer. I put in another drift for zilcho, so it was off to the river mouth to see how that goes.

There were a few yaks over here, so moved off to a place a little less crowded. Peter Woods was nearby and had his 3, so he was doing ok. I kept changing various lures and varied my retrieves but couldn't even get a hit. I kept moving along the shoreline and get a soft take that screams off when I set the hook. This feels really good and a flash of silver gets me revved up. Ooh, here she comes and WTF??? It's a bloody big Estuary Perch! What's it doing out here on the flats? Still, it was a gorgeous fish, so a quick photo is taken and she is then slid back into the water. I'm back to the Wriggler when I hook up again and this time, yes, it's a bream. It's a bit better at 34 cms tip but it's still no horse that I'm hoping for. And it's skinny, too. Must've been on a diet or something...

So that's two, one more for my full bag. I then get two bream that are under size before I get another EP. With an hour to go I'm really praying to the Bream Gods and they finally answer my prayers and send me fish number 3. This guy is the best so far at 35 cms and is at least a chunky fella. I couldn't manage any more so it was back for the weigh in.

My bag was bang on 2 kgs, which would have won the two day weight at Narrabeen a couple of weeks ago, but down here it's a different story. Shane Taylor has smashed it with 3.185 kgs, the only bag over 3kgs. My bag sees me in 29th. Andrew, a mere 70 grams in front of me, is sitting in 21st. Tomorrow I really need that kicker fish. I really, really, REALLY need that kicker fish. Stay tuned for the Day 2 report early next week. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

ABT Hobie Tournament - Narrabeen - 27th & 28th Oct 2012

Okay, this was my last chance to qualify for the Grand Final down on the Bemm River in Victoria on the 17th and 18th November. The top 3 get the qualification but if anyone has already qualified, it'll go to the next competitor that hasn't qualified. This means you could potentially come 4th or 5th and still get a spot. But oh no! Numbers are down and we only have 27 kayakers. You need at least 30 to get the 3 spots available, so now there are only two invites up for grabs. Looks like I'd better get into the top 2 to make sure of it then. Aye Carumba.

About 4 weeks prior I'd had a quick session with Luke Kay to narrow down some potential spots. I'd only had joy in one area and only on an old style of soft plastic, so I'd punched the waypoint into my GPS and made sure I had a pack or two of the 2" Berkley Hawgs in Green Pumpkin ready to go. From the start I high-tailed it the 3.5kms to the waypoint and flicked out the Hawg rigged on a 1/20th TT jighead and 3lb fluoro leader.

Immediately I started getting some hits but it was 15 minutes before the first keeper went into the well. 27 cms, so I'll want to upgrade him later. There were a few other yakkers close by and I saw Jason Lambert throw one in the live well, too. Ooh, there's another bream for me and that's two. This guys a monster at 28 cms! LOL

I drift about but keep coming back to the same waypoint as this is where I'm getting most bites. Plus even though I'm switching between the Hawgs, Squidgy Wrigglers and Cranka vibes, it's the Hawgs doing all the damage. The sun starts to come out a bit too much for my liking and the bites shut right down.

Time to scout about and I pick up 3 more bream but they are all just under. I just cant manage to get my 3rd fish. Back at the weigh in and after the wash up, my bag goes 0.62 kgs and I'm sitting in 7th place. Jason Lambert is on top with 1.175kgs and Meechy is in 2nd with 0.98 kgs but I don't need to worry about them as they have both qualified. Patrick Macquarrie was in the 1st qualifying spot with 0.925 kgs with Rob Chambers next with 0.775 kgs. "Not much to peg back," I'm thinking and one kicker fish or a full bag will do it. Fingers crossed.

The next day it's back to the same waypoint (with a slight diversion to fish a weed bed on the way. Pffft, what a waste of time THAT was) and out with the same lure. The wind is up enough to ruffle the surface and thankfully it's a bit overcast today.

I'd been fishing for about 20 minutes when something happened which hasn't happened to me before. Within 5 casts I had my full bag. It had just gone 9am when I got number 3. Yahoo. This is the sort of start I dream of but just to make sure, I'd love to get a decent fish in the well. These 3 were 27, 27 and 28 cms. I want one in the 30's just to ease the nerves a little more.

Things went a bit quiet so I moved around trying to find some better fish. Try as I might, I couldn't get a bite off anything. Back to the waypoint and I'm onto another fish. This one is 28 cms too, so there is my 1st upgrade. Not much of an upgrade, but every little bit counts.

I give it another 30 minutes for zippo and decided to move over the the main weed bed in the middle of the lake. Lots of other yakkers are moving about, so it could be a good sign that not much is happening. I finally get another keeper bream on the hawg (this time rigged on a 1/40th HWS jighead) and at 29 cms tip he's my best. So now I have two at 28 and a 29, not very impressive and they are skinny fish but it's a full bag all the same. It's time to head back but have I done enough?

I bump into Eric wood on the way and he's only managed one but he says it's a pretty good one. Meechy has a full bag so it should be his but Jason Lambert has donuted. I weigh my 3 and they go 0.895 kgs. I nervously wait as bags come up and get weighed in. I'm sitting in 2nd spot when Eric brings his beasty up. It is easily the biggest bream for the weekend at 0.77 kgs. but it's not enough and I hang onto 2nd place and get one of the much sought after qualification spots. Finally, and I had to leave it to the last hurdle to get it.

Meechy took out top honours with 1.995 kgs, me next with 1.515 kgs and Eric Wood in 3rd with 1.455 kgs. That's my best placing in an ABT round so I'm pretty pleased with myself. Also a big thanks to the Seeto dudes from lureandfly.com for some of the photos. Check their site out for updates on many of the bream tournaments and also a heap of great info.

Now it's time to read up on Bemm and see what all the fuss is about. Lots of big bream down there from all the reports I've heard and bags caught within 20 minutes. Let's hope so! Wish me luck. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Squidgy Southern Bream Series Grand Final - 20th-21st October 2012

Another year and another Grand Final. The previously dreaded St Georges Basin no longer sent chills through my bones as lately I've managed to wrestle a few fish into my live well during the comps. A total of 25 kayakers had qualified and we set off knowing a southerly was forecast to hit a little later on. I moved to the same point that Jason Reid and I had success at last year and we started casting within 30 meters of each other again. Deja Vu!

This time I started fishing a squidgy 100mm wriggler in bloodworm rigged on a 1/40th HWS jighead with 3lb fluoro leader. I'd give it 10 casts and would then swap to a HB, namely a Jackall Chubby. This brought me my first fish but it wasn't the right type. A nice luderick hit the lure only 10 feet from the yak and it put up a spirited tussle before I swung it aboard. Back into the drink it goes and I swap back to the wriggler. This proved to be a good swap as within 3 casts I had my first bream in the well. Not huge at 26.6 cms total length but it only needs to be 26 cms. So that's the donut monkey off my back, now to get number 2.

The wind picked up a little and added a bit more chop to the surface. that was good and I started to get a few fish. Unfortunately they were just under but eventually a bigger specimen latched on and he went 28 tip length. Great, only one to go!

But now the wind died off and with it went the fish. I tried various lures and even went out into deeper water but apart from whiting and flathead, I couldn't get another bream for my live well. I decided to give the weed beds another try and just as I arrived the southerly moved into town. And with it, BANG, another fish. This guy was another 28 tip and that's my three! What a relief.

The wind started to increase and as the white caps rolled in, I got another. 27 tip and he's an upgrade! Where is that kicker fish though? The wind kept howling and for the next hour I bobbed around for a big fat zilcho. Eventually it was time to head in and see how I'd done.

Best for the day was Simon Morley who blitzed it and weighed in 3 fish for 2.08 kgs. The big fish for the day though went to Jason price with a 1.36 kg beauty. Unfortunately for him (but fortunately for the rest of us) he couldn't find a couple more to go with it. Rounding out 2nd and 3rd for the day were Rob Chambers (1.55 kgs) and Jason Reid (1.54 kgs). I was sitting in equal 6th with 1.04 kgs. Tomorrow is another day though and the Shoalhaven can be very tricky at times, so it was still anybodies to take.

The next day dawned beautifully but I would have preferred a little more wind to stir things up a bit. I had my plan and set off to where I'd picked up a few fish off the surface the last couple of times I'd been here. This time however, they weren't coming out to play and I left the spot with only a flathead to my name. Off to the channel where Hedgey snaffled the big bream from right under my yak last comp and it's where I got my first for the day, once again falling for the squidgy wriggler. Only 26.5 cms again, but she'll do.

Things were very quiet and I moved to the other side of the river to try some weed beds. Not even a hit, so I ventured back up to my original starting area as by now the tide was pushing in and a drift over the flats there may be productive. A few of the power boats were thinking the same thing and I slotted in among them. Cast retrieve, cast retrieve, cast....ooh, the lines moving sideways. I lift the rod and set the hook and 'Zzzzz' goes the drag and this feels better. It's silver AND it's a bream. He punched above his weight though and only goes 28 tip. Ok, one more to go and I've got my bag.

I tried all the edges, all the poles and time eventually was up so I headed back to the weigh in. On the way I passed some old oyster rack rails that had sandy patches between them. As I  moved along, I flicked a Lobby into these patches. Thankfully, one of these had a bream waiting and frantically I heaved him away from the structure and quickly lifted him into the yak. YES!!! That's my 3rd and at 30 tip, he's the best. But where is that bloody kicker fish though?

I'm hot tailing it back and as I pass some more dilapidated racks, I hear the 'kiss,kiss' sound of a bream taking something off the surface. It's right in between 4 poles sticking out of the water. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I lofted my Lobby into the middle of them, gave it a few twitches and let it sink. BANG! The fish hit it like a train and the rod bent as I lent back. The drag was locked up but all the fish had to do was swim sideways and he'd do me. And that's what he did. PING! went the line and he was gone. So that's where the kicker fish was...

Back on shore there was the usual grumbling about lost fish and no fish what-so-ever but the guy with the biggest smile was Stewart Dunn. He had a cracker bag and looked like he'd take it out. Jason Reid had his full bag though, so it wasn't a given and Luke Kay had also managed three good fish. Down to the wire it went and the eventual stat's played out in that exact order. Stewart (2.78kgs), Jason (2.66 kgs) and Luke (2.48 kgs) Simon Morley could only manage 1 fish today and dropped to fourth with 2445 kgs. Without that kicker, I couldn't keep up with these guys but I managed a very creditable 5th place with 2.175 kgs and was one of only two anglers to get a full bag both days, the other being Jason Reid. Jason took out the AOY and deservedly so too as he's been so consistent all year, nearly always placing in the top 5.

Thanks again to the organisers for another fantastic year and also thank you to Steve Fields and Hobie for supporting me during these comp's. the next report I'll put up is for the ABT Narrabeen round which was my last chance to qualify for the ABt Kayak Grand Final down in Victoria on the Bemm River. Stay tuned. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Woolooware Bay - 30/9/12

Flatties for dinner, that was the quest and a quick flick for a jewfish or two wouldn't go astray either. Of course, it was a bit late in the morning for a jewfish but you never know. But the jewfish weren't about so I moved to some flats and started flicking about the same 100mm Squidgy slick rig. Two casts later I have my first flathead. Yay! Then about 5 casts after that, I get number two. Not huge croc's at about 45 cm's but they are the perfect eating size.

It went a bit quite so I moved locations and started flicking a blade about and picked up my very first Grinner. Then it was time for another flathead and three was enough for me. One lone bream got in on the act when he snaffled my Squidgy Bloodworm Wriggler and to cap off the morning, I briefly hooked up to a salmon that rocketed up from the bottom, jumped twice then threw back my lure.

I'm off on a south pacific cruise for 10 days and when I get back I'm down to St Georges Basin for the final of the Squidgy Southern Series Bream Comp. Then the week after that it's the last roll of the dice to qualify for the ABT Final with a two day event on Narrabeen Lake. Exciting times ahead.

So until I get back from the cruise, Happy yakkin' everybody!

cheers,
Cid

8 week catch up...

Well, 8 weeks is a long time between reports but I've got a good excuse. I haven't been fishing! The last time I went out was for the Squidgy Sydney round back on the 8th July. With Lachlans and my soccer season in full swing there just weren't enough hours in the day to get among the fish. But I've a bit of catching up to do, so here goes...

Western Sydney Bream and Bass annual Bream Scramble - 24th June 2012

I was teamed up with Gary again and our first port of call only saw a few chopper tailor come over the side. From here we moved to deeper water and started working some blades and plastics in 10 meters. It wasn't too long before Gary gets a legal. Yahoo, we're on the board. 30 minutes later, Gary gets another that's about 33 fork length. 'You beauty, my turn next,' I think.

We plug away for another 40 minutes and are about to move when Gary gets another. Magic, we'll give it one more drift then. And then Gary gets another corker that's 34 fork. I'm starting to get sick of netting all these fish and am feeling like a free-loader. I grab Gary's lure and flick it out. Hop, hop, hop BANG! I'm on! And just as quick, it's busted me up. Schizer! That's one lure I owe you Gary.

Gary closes his eyes and grabs a random blade, hurls it out and lands another bream. Then another!!! That's our 5 bag, it's now 11:35am and I haven't landed a fish since 7:20am.

To cut to the chase, 8 legal fish (two of those were upgrades) came into the boat and I netted everyone of them. Apart from the chopper tailors, I didn't land a bloody thing. Not even a flattie. Worst. Day. Ever! Thank God it's a team event and I have to say I did a brilliant job scooping them up for Gary. I didn't miss one!

The weigh in showed it was a tough day but there were a couple of good bags weighed in. We didn't get the  top spot (that was 3.696 kgs) but we did manage 4th (with 3.185 kgs) which was pretty good for a field of 37 boats. Thankfully Gary was on his game today. Next year, I promise I'll catch one, mate.

Squidgy Southern Bream Series - Sydney Harbour - 8th July 2012

27 kayaks set off on this cool morning after 83 boats had scattered into the distance. I started working some flats for not even a touch and I thought 'Oh oh, I hope I do better than my day with Gary?' I set my sights on some boats and third boat I get my first legal of 27 tip length. Yay!

I get three more off the hulls but they're all just under. I then started throwing a cranka vibe around some weed bed edges and bring in another 2 bream that are both 25.5 cm tip. Ooooooh so close (they've gotta be 26 cms tip length minimum).

I move about, targeting pontoons, boats, rocky shorelines, flats and weed beds. I try Chubby's, Atomic Hardz, small stick minnows, Squidgy Wrigglers, Atomic Paddle Tails, Cranka, TT and Ecogear blades and all I can manage is more undersize bream. With 15 minutes to go I flick a black blade under a boat hull and hallelujah, it's a bream!


That fish kicked me up into 11th place (with 0.765 kgs) on another very tough day. 14 yakkers couldn't manage a legal but of course there is always someone who has a great day and Stewart smashed it. His bag of 1.725 kgs was nearly 400 grams in front of Shane Taylor (1.35 kgs) who just edged out Andrew Hancox with 1.335 kgs.

That result will do me though as I should be safe for qualifying for the Grand Final in October now. There is another round at the St Georges Basin on the 2nd September but being fathers day, I'll spend it with the family instead. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Depot Beach - Snappy Time

Not a report from me but I wish I'd been there...

Stewart and a few of his buddies decided to escape the rat-race and headed south a couple of weekends ago to Depot Beach, a great spot to chase snapper, which is just north of Batemans Bay. With these legendary fish not far from the launch site, a good weekend was hoped to be had by all.

And they did, too! Phone calls deliberately intended to upset me, followed by photos that confirmed the tales that I presumed to be lies, only rubbed salt into the wounds of the unlucky anglers that were left at home. Conditions were pretty good; there was a marginal swell but at least it wasn't very lumpy and overcast skies meant the fish weren't too skittish.

A couple of the lads trolled hard bodies but Stewart stuck to SP's. 6" minnow style stickbaits and as is Stewart's way, he chases them basically on bream gear. The first fish punished him for this choice of tackle but the light gear meant that he was getting many more bites than the others.

The final tally was about 30 fish, with Stewart getting done over 3 times by big beasties that he couldn't stop. By-catch was a few flatties which normally are great, but they're rubbish when you're chasing these hump-headed sun-burnt bream on steroids.

This weekend I'm fishing with Gary Brown in the Western Sydney Bream and Bass annual Bream Scramble. This comp is open to all and is a teams event where you have to weigh in your 5 biggest bream. Gary and I took it out a few years ago, so we're due for another win. It's a boat only event, so no yaks allowed (boo, hiss) but it's always a great day. $140 entry fee with $1500 going to the winner and a BBQ thrown in, too. So if you yakkers have a friend with a boat, rock on up at 6am and join in. Comp times are 7am to 1pm. As I said, Gary and I have dibs on first place, but you can always try for second or third.  :  )  Full details and the entry form can be found here:
http://www.wsbb.com.au/smf/index.php?topic=5129.0

Hopefully I'll see you down there. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Cooks River - mid-May 2012

I love it when a plan works out as it should. A midweek session, great tides (low at 10:55am) and magic weather and hopefully there'll be a big jewfish or two around.

It'd been a while since I'd hooked one of these silver beasts and I was itchin' to do battle. That big initial run, those ferocious head-shakes and the ensuing stubborn fight make these fish the king of the estuaries. I launched at 10am from a deserted boat ramp. The various bridges within the system were my targets and with a little luck I'd also pick up a couple of bream while travelling between them.

The first few bridges were fish-less but I managed a couple of average sized bream (about 28cm tip) on my 2" Atomic paddle tails rigged on HWS hooks. These kept my interest up but they weren't what I was after.

My tackle of choice for the jewfish was a Daiwa Advantage Rod and reel, spooled with 8lb braid and 10lb fluoro leader. The lure was a Squidgy 100mm slick-rig in black and gold.

As I approached the next bridge the current had virtually stopped. There were a few swirling eddies and the sounder showed a depth of 3.9 meters. Perfect. I started with the middle pylons, casting to the bases and letting the lure sink down until it settled on the bottom. I'd then give it a big double-hop and as it fell I kept the line taught to feel for any bites or 'ticks' that may indicate it being picked up.

Fourth cast, third hop and it's hit hard. Oh yes, this is what I was after. There were immediate head shakes and then a powerful run that thankfully went out into open water and away from those line-shredding concrete pylons. It peeled off 20 meters of line, there was another series of head shakes and again there was another 20 meter run. I could tell it was a good fish (duh?), but would it crack that magical meter mark? My best to date was 84 cms, so I at least hoped it would beat that.


The fish slugged it out near the bottom and started circling me anti-clockwise. I think this is where the Mirage drive really comes into it's own when you're fighting a big fish. I was able to keep maneuvering myself away from the fish to get different angles of pull on it and and in doing so could dictate which way it ran and thus keep it away from the bridge and out in the open.

This slug-fest went on for about 8 minutes and the last few runs were only of 5 meters or so. Eventually she planed up from the bottom (ooooh, will she go a meter???) and rolled on her side next to the yak, beaten but still glowing in those magical purple/silver hues they are so well known for. I carefully lifted her into the yak and headed for shore so I could get her on the brag mat. As I made my way in, Andrew called to see how I was going? "I'll call in 10 minutes", I said! : )

Oh man, wouldn't you know it? There was not one person around that could take a photo of me with her. So onto the mat she went and no, she's not a meter but it's still pretty close. 91.5 cm and that a new PB for me. I slip her back into the drink and swim her about to refresh her. Eventually she started clamping down on my hand and I just manage to get one last photo before she zooms outta sight. Beautiful!

There were no more jewfish after that but I managed to get what I came out for which isn't always the case, especially when chasing these elusive big predators. Now it's time to ring a few fellow yakkers and start the bragging. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Oyster Bay with Danielle - 6th May 2012

Earlier this month Lachlan was staying at a friends place for the night so I took the opportunity to smuggle Danielle onto the kayak seeing as it's been awhile since she's been out with me. She was so excited, the night before she was saying, 'Early to bed, Daddy. We're going fishing in the morning!'.

And thankfully it wasn't too cold either. We had the ramp to ourselves and conditions were excellent. We started trolling a Chubby and a Babyvib while we watched the mullet jumping sporadically around the bay. Last time she managed a good flathead, so our goal today was to catch her her first bream.

Things were surprisingly quiet and we even had a short stint at flicking a surface lure under overhanging trees. I was hoping for a big surface smash but alas, no luck there. Finally though, the rod bucked and with a 'Ooh' and wide eyes, she was on!

This wasn't a big fish but she loved it just the same. I repeated the words I'd mentioned to Lachlan when he was learning. "Rod up, a little more, no, not that much, point it towards the fish, keep winding. Well done, that's it...'. And yes, it was a bream. Not legal but who cares when you're just out having fun. We had a quick photo and she dropped the little guy back into the water for another time.

We continued around the bay, eating a few chocolate biscuits, talking about fish and ballet and let's not tell Lachlan and 'Ooh, are there sharks in here? What about crocodiles?' Our laughter was interrupted by the singing of the drag as a better fish raced off with the Chubby.

Lots of funny faces were pulled as Danielle struggled to wind this 'huge' fish in. I saw the silver flash and this bream was soon in the net, too. Yay! This one was legal (about 27 tip length) but we weren't out for a feed today, so this guy won his freedom, too.

The time literally flew by and before we knew it we had to head back in. There was still time for another first for Danielle though, and although the drag didn't sing or the rod bend too much, she landed her first tailor. 'See ya fishy!' we yelled as he shot off into the depths and we continued back to the ramp.

Another fantastic day and I love being able to share these experiences and teach my children a wonderful pastime that hopefully they'll treasure as much as I do. Our time is all too brief on this planet so you've gotta squeeze every last drop out of it while you can. These memories will last a lifetime for me and I'm pretty sure Lachlan and Danielle will cherish these times too. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Botany Bay in April

Phone calls made, locations discussed and a launch site decided. We're off to Towra! Larry, Andrew, Stewart and myself met at the western end of Silver Beach at Kurnell and launched from the boat ramp. Conditions were great but the swell created a nasty shore break that would be tricky coming back in.

Neither of us had been here for over a month, so it'd be interesting to see if a few kings were over the flats, or maybe even a school of bonito, but with me in tow, it was unlikely any bonito would show up within coo-ee. We were pretty confident there'd be a few big bream about as the tides were good for some action over the weed beds.

I started off with some surface lures and soon switched to un-weighted SP's. Not even a touch. I slow rolled a Chubby mid-diver and couldn't even raise a pike. The other boys had moved out into deeper water (2.5-3.5 meters) and on approach I could see Andrew hooked up. In comes a trevally and over his shoulder I can see Stewart hooked up, too. His is also a trevally and it's not too long before we all get involved.

I rig up with an Atomic 3" paddle tail (flecked motor oil with a chartreuse tail) on a 1/24th jighead and get monstered on the first cast. That happens sometimes with 2lb leader. On goes anotrher one and this time I keep it under control and bring in my first treva of the day. As I slip mine into the live well, I can see Larry is on for his first, too.

The next hour saw us all land fish, with multiple hook ups a common thing. Andrew was the standout today though and landed over a dozen cracking fish. Stewart did see one king but couldn't tempt him and Larry was the only one that could get a bream into the kayak. Still, when the trevally are on, it's a great session. I left the fish still biting and the boys went back the next day and although not as many fish were caught, the size was noticably bigger.

A week later, Stewart and I gave the HWO a try. It's been very lack-lustre at this spot lately and we weren't that confident of getting much there, in fact it was really the Drums in the middle of the Bay we were going to have a crack at for kings. Still it's always worth a throw and the first casts with our Waxwings saw us both hook up. Woohooo! The tailor are here and they were a good size, too. At between 45-50 cms, they had a bit of grunt and we probably landed a dozen each before we decided to continue out to the Drums. Of course, we lost a good deal more as they jumped and threw our hooks and the main reason we moved on was because a bigger specimen had taken my waxwing as a souvenier. It's hard to leave when they're biting like this, but we had bigger fish to fry, so to speak!

But as our luck would have it, as we neared the Drums, the tugs moved in with a tanker and that was our chance gone. 'Back to see if the tailor are still there?' said Stewart. Why not?

Fifty meters away Stewarts sounder lights up and he reckons they're bream, so he stops to drop a blade down. I continue and have now rigged up an old blue/silver metal slug that's been laying in my tackle box for years. Out she goes into the middle of the churning water. A few cranks of the handle and it's hit. "The tailor are still here,' I yell back to Stewie and then all of a sudden, things change. The spool starts singing and I quickly realise that this isn't a tailor!

It makes a 50 meter run towards the beach and I think 'Thank God it didn't head towards the oil jetty.' But this fish can read my mind and on cue, takes a left and races off again. I'm chasing it now and there is considerable weight on the other end of my line. I'm only using 10lb leader and can't put too much pressure on it. More tug of war between us and then another 30 meter run before I stop it again.

Now we're only 20 meters from the jetty and I decided to try the gently-gently approach. Sometimes with Kings, if you just keep gentle pressure on them, you can guide them with you. I start to move away and 'YES', it's following me. And it did for 5 meters before it decides that enough is enough and it does a screaming run to the jetty and ping!, it's all over. Ooh, that was a big fish, easily the biggest king I've hooked (my best to date is 89cms). In fact, I don't think he was even that troubled by me. If only I'd hooked him on the heavier gear. Ah well, that's fishin'.

From there we headed into the shallows and picked a a few bream and trevally on a range of HB's and SP's. I landed one good bream of 38cms on a Saku lure and after a quick photo, back he went. The next report I put up will be on the Squidgy Shoalhaven round that was on the other week. You know that weekend, it was the one when the southerly blew all sunday while we were out trying to fish the racks. LOL Happy fishin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Breamin' with Tezza - 25/4/2012

As promised, here is the report from Terry. I'll follow this one up with a report on the couple of times I mad it out onto Botany Bay with Stewart, Andrew and Larry when we struck gold with the trevally and Tailor.

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve done some serious bream spinning, so I organised with a mate to hit the Parramatta River on Good Friday in our yaks.

We met up in the car park at 5:30am, discussing our plan of attack on where to hit some spots. We slid the yaks into the water, as the tide was still rising to a 1.7mtr, we both started off with surface lures, hoping for some surface action, trying to tempt a bream or two to take our offerings. For me there was no interest, while my mate Jeff had a little interest, but they were only small fish, so I guess it wasn’t meant to be.

We moved on. Jeff fished with plastics, & I fished the rock walls with hard-bodies. We did this for ½ hour, still for no hits or bumps. I had two rods rigged with divers & each one was getting worked for nuthin’!

2 hours on the water and we still had zippo. I suggested we move to the main part of the river, as by this time the tide had turned around and still not too many stink boats were about. Off we headed to a particular spot I knew and we worked the rocky point that has plenty of barnacles over the rocks.  I was hoping that the bream would be there feeding and not long after arrival, my lure was smashed as the tip of the rod loaded towards the water. It felt solid as it headed for cover, but with a bit of rod work I steered him into the net and what a relief that was.

 Jeff was yet to catch his first bream, though he was getting some cracking whiting on his Atomic Hardz. Some fish were measuring 45cm which he was very amazed with, but luckily I was there to show Jeff what we were really after as whiting wasn’t our target species.

We kept at it, getting a few bream just under the legal limit, which kept us interested. Slowly we moved along the rock wall casting our lures.  Soon I was on again, for fish number 2; the signs were now looking good for us to get a bag of 5 in the well and possibly an upgrade or two.

 The next cast I led another chunky solid fish into the net. At this time of year the bream feed up ready for winter & some of these fish were of high quality.

The blood was pumping and I had a great feeling about this spot, that I would get my bag within a few casts and sure enough, I’m on again the very next cast: it was a hat-trick!

 

Now if it was a comp you’d be struggling to turn a reel, I think the bream know these days LOL. Jeff couldn’t believe how I got that many bream in so many casts & upgrade in between. Never mind Jeff there is always next time, maybe those Easter eggs you gave me gave me good luck.

There's some crackin' fish amongst those, Terry. Just catch them during a comp next time, eh? Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Bassin' with Tezza - April 2012

While I haven't been getting out too much, Terry has been getting into the natives with his usual gusto. Here is his latest report, and this one will be followed with a report on a Breaming session that Terry had on the Parramatta River.

In the last fast weeks that's gone by, we 've had some descent rain falls, bringing the river levels up, making it fairly unfishable .

With levels at 6 metres flowing strong, it was dragging out old cars, alligator weed, up rooting trees, collapsing banks, etc. It was going to take sometime for the river to settle completely but when conditions seemed OK, I ventured out.

On this two day trip I planned to investigate the river, to see how much it had changed, but hoping that the bass would be still there & didn’t catch a free ride to head down river to spawn in the salt.

I had got my father in-law to drop me off at a particular spot bright & early, as I was planning on heading down stream for the day with him kindly picking me up in the afternoon.

I set of with the current, as the water still had plenty of flow. The water looked really good, but let me tell ya, the river had changed dramatically and I was hoping there would still be snags for me to fish.

I kept my fishing gear simple for the day: I packed light with 2 rods and I rigged 1 with a hard body & the other with a Betts spin.

I flicked around for awhile for a few little hits & bumps, trying different lures as I went. It was going to be one of those days, I thought. I continued being fish less, casting lures into those sneaky pockets & snags, honing my casting skills to be more accurate. I thought that's what its going to be, casting practice all day.

I was a fair way down river, by this time and I finally had a big hit & the line was swimming across the yak, It felt like a good fish, tho' even small bass can fight just as hard as a big one. “Where do they get all the power from”, I thought but soon it was in the landing net looking in really good condition without any scars or bruising. I didn’t give it a measure, but a happy snap did me fine , a descent fish was released & I was on the board. I was hoping that from this point on there would be more.

These bass do very well to fight the floods & not get any marks or bruising, they hide in deep pockets of the river. It's amazing that any can remain at all after seeing what the floods were like.

I was on a high after that 1^st fish, and the next cast into the bank, as the lure was falling into the depths, I waited a few seconds before I retrieved the lure.  It felt like the knot had come undone, there was nothing there. ‘WHAT HAPPENED HERE ‘ I thought as I wound in & the line went straight under the yak , "Oh hang on, I’m on!" Wow this fish didn’t waste anytime at all, being 15 metres away from the bank, this fish went like lightening & into the middle of the river .The yak was getting towed around as the fish was fighting for freedom. As I slid it into the net I thought "where is my lure?" WOW !!!! it was down its gob, it was smashed .

The only down fall was not putting the fish into too much stress , trying to get the lure out of its mouth but luckily I was using the Betts at the time .

I approached  a very narrow section with plenty of water flowing through it with timber all over the place. I cast into a back eddy  and WHAMO, I was on again, no mucking around now, as it can run for cover very quickly & its all over in a blink of an eye, but with a few awkward moments, it was in the net . These fish were quality & I was surprised to see them in numbers and I continued to get plenty more. Normally at this time of year when the river has been flowing they start making their way down river for spawning.

Day2   I started where I had left off from day 1, it was crazy! Every 5-7 casts I had a bass, it doesn’t get any better than that.

I had lost count by mid morning on how many I caught. Though as the day went on it was slowing down making things just a little tough. Most of the fish were averaging the same size. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t crack a 400mm. That would of put the icing on the cake .

It was  a great 2 day adventure I had with plenty to see & lots of fish caught. Hopefully next season the weather will be a bit kinder to us .

Thanks again for the report, Terry. At least someone has been getting out regularly. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Squidgy Southern Bream Series - St. Georges Basin - 18-19 Feb

Ooh, we nearly cracked the fifty! Forty seven kayaks set off and I had my game plan ready to go. No travelling a bazillion miles for me, I was staying fairly close and from the launch I turned left and started at the first point you come to, drifting down with the breeze, working SP's on a HWS over the weedbeds.

Jason Reid was only 30m away from me and it wasn't long before he hooked up on his surface lure. A few seconds later, I snared one (woohoo, a double hook-up) and it was only 7:23am! The very next cast I land another but it's only 24.5cms to the tip, so it goes back into the drink.

I'm swapping between Squidy 100mm wrigglers and the Atomic 2" paddle tails and at 8:25am, the paddle tail pins me number two for the day. Jason already has two and soon after he gets his third. All off the surface, too. Bloody show-off! A flattie of about 55 cms gets my hopes up briefly and eventually I decided to move out into deeper water and try blading.

Another couple of flatties and then a 35cm snapper keep me on my toes and at 9:34am, I land number 3. Hallelujah! My first 3 bag down here at St. Georges Basin. I nearly faint and fall in the water but I keep my composure and proceed to catch more flatties, snapper and whiting and eventually have to come in with just those three that I landed.

After the weigh-in, it's even more of a shock to just be outside the top 10 in 11th place with 1.19 kgs. Andrew is just in front of me and Stewart has had a cracker of a day and sits in 2nd place. That night there's lie upon lie told about what, where and what with and we hit the sack early in anticipation of another good day tomorrow.

It was the same game plan for Jason and I and he has two in the well before I get my first hook-up. This guy hit the paddle tail on the run and zipped the line off the reel before coming to a sudden halt. I kept the pressure on the fish but somehow it just didn't feel right. I kept the rod bent but there was no movement so I figured he'd done me in the weeds. I approached where my line entered the water and I could see my line disappearing into a big weed clump. 'Bugger,' I thought and I grabbed the line to pull the lure free. But then the weed kicked and I could see a silver shape underneath it. 'What the..?' He was still there! I eased him out and into the net and I'm on the board for day 2!

But that was it. I landed one more undersize bream and picked up three flathead in the last 45 minutes but as far as legal bream go, nada. Andrew has only picked up two today and Stewart has donuted. I drop back to 19th place with a total of 1.725 kgs. Andrew takes out 15th with 2.03 kgs and Stewart ends up in 13th with 2.11 kgs. Jason ended up in 4th with 3.46 kgs.

Top spot went to Matty Petrie with a cracker bag of 6 fish for 3.93 kgs and second place went to Josh Carpenter with 6 fish for 3.855 kgs. Josh also took out big bream with a massive beast of 1.37 kgs. Both these guys have qualified for the World Championships in the US of A later this year so congratulations to both of them.

This weekend (10th-11th March) see's us all up at Forster for the NSW State titles. Forster has everything you could want in a fishery: lots and lots of racks, weedbeds, sand flats, etc and also some really, really big bream. All the details are on the usual websites: http://www.hobiefishing.com.au/ and http://bream.com.au/index.php

And we should get the fifty yaks this weekend, weather permitting. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

Botany Bay - 12/2/12 and the next SSBS/Hobie Tournament

No chance of getting out for me but Tezza hit the bay last weekend hoping to get stuck into the schools of surface fish - Bonito, Tailor and Salmon - that have been doing the rounds. He moved about a bit and had a couple of hits but the fish just weren't busting up.

He decided to change tactics and threw on a Mick Munns Lexan blade (the cool ones with the silicon legs) in the hopes of picking up some bream and trevally. Poor bugga didn't have any luck with those fish but he did manage some ok by-catch. FOUR JEWFISH!

Bloody hell, I'd love to get some by-catch like that. None of them were huge but on the light gear

that Terry uses, they are pretty good results. A simple lift and drop technique is what tempted these guys and I reckon Terry will be hitting this spot for more action over the next few weeks. I think I'll have to follow him just to see where it is! Well done, Tezza and thanks for the photos and not rubbing it in too much.

This weekend sees the next round of the Squidgy Southern Bream Series kick off at St. Georges Basin. This is a two day event and for us lucky yakkers, it's also a qualifier for the World Championships that will be held in the US of A later this year. The top two spots qualify, so I'm expecting that this drawcard, as well as the excellent payouts from these comps will see a field of over 50 yakkers competing at this beautiful fishing location.

The weather is looking good too, so I'm hoping to finally get my full bag at this spot. This is yet to be acheived by me so I reckon I'm well and truly overdue! For all the details, please visit http://www.hobiefishing.com.au/ or http://www.ssbs.basinlureandfly.org.au/. See you all down there. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

Hobie Squidgy Southern Bream - Georges River - 29/1/12

Wow! 41 kayaks turned up for this years round, that's 15 more than last year. Great to see some good numbers turning up for these events. Hopefully it'll just get biggger and better each year. The conditions were great at kick off and with the 86 boats on hand, the beach was a crowded spot.

Most of the yaks set off into Woolooware Bay but 4 of us headed out towards Towra Point. This area consistently holds some big fish and I was hoping for a similar fish or two as I landed last week. But, on arrival at Towra Point, 'SNAP' and there goes my idler cable. Not a big problem though as it's mainly for keeping the turbo fins in time, but I still decided to go fairly easy on it for the rest of the day. Pretty good lifetime really, as it's 3 years old and gets plenty of workouts.

Andrew cut in towards the shallows while I remained out in the 1.8 to 2.5 meter zone. I started with HB's but soon changed to a HWS jighead with a Squidgy 100mm Bloodworm Wriggler attached. First a small flattie and then nothing for the next hour. I moved around further towards Quibray Bay and at 9:33am I landed my first bream (29 fork) that absolutely wolfed the plastic down. That's the donut monkey off my back and I decided to keep drifting the weedbeds for the morning.

The wind was howling now, probably 20 to 25 knots and conditions were considerably lumpy. I changed to a Gulp 3" Grub in camo colour (on a HWS again) and this resulted in number 2 for the well but slightly smaller this time at 28 cms fork length. I bumped into Andrew who hadn't even encountered a small one yet. Good for me, bad for him. A few of the boats I'd spoken to were doing it tough also.

The wind just wouldn't ease up and at about 11:45am I decided to start slowly heading back towards the weigh-in. As I rounded Towra Point, I decided to let the wind push me along this potentially nice drift along the shore. The ledge dropped from a meter into 2 meters and as the tide was running out, I was hoping a bream or two might be lurking there waiting for a feed. I'd changed lures again; this time it was an Atomic 2" paddle tail in translucent pink, rigged on a 1/32nd jighead, just to help it get down that little bit quicker and tied to 3lb fluoro straight through.

First cast I let is sink and give it two hops when it's hit like a freight train. This thing races off and does a wide arc around me, heading back out into Botany Bay. With 3lb silly string (and a light drag), I have to give chase and I take my time, giving a return thumbs up to two boats that are cruising around the corner and who saw me hook up. As it comes up, I can see it's a good fish (not a kilo though) and I'm wrapped to get him in the net. 35 fork length and probably 650 to 700 grams, so that's a good full bag for me. I'm guessing I have about 1.5 kgs which should get me top 10 but I douvbt it'd be enough to make the podium.

No more joy for me over the next two hours apart from one more undersize bream and at the weigh-in it's many a tale of woe but there are also some good bags thrown in, too. My main goal is to qualify for the Grand Final and with 4 spots up for grabs, I may be in with a chance. My 3 fish pull the scales down to 1.59 kg and I'm sitting in 5th place. But Luke Kay has already qualified, so I'm holding on, but only just. but then Jonathan Chen steps up and Aaarrrghh, he weighs in 1.64 kgs, bumping me out of contention. Well done to him though and it's a case of Deja Vu' for me as I came 6th here last year, too!

The winner was Ian Seeto with 1.935 kgs and 2nd was shire local Jason Reid with 1.91 kgs. 3rd was taken out by the ever consistent Jason Meech with 1.73 kgs. Overall I racked up just over 13 kms and the photo shows the path I took and where I landed my three fish.

The next comp is on the 18th & 19th February, down at St Georges Basin. This is a location that turns on some great fishing, but unfortunately, not for me. I'm due to have a good round down there though and this would be a good one to take out as it's also a qualifying round for the Hobie World Series (http://www.hobiefishing.com.au/). we should get 50+ yaks there for this one, depending on the weather but either way, it'll be a hoot of a weekend. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid