Botany Bay - 11/7/09

There'd been a few mutterings about good size tailor being caught in the Bay so the crack of dawn on saturday saw Stewart, Terry and myself pushing off to the Hot Water Outlet hoping to catch a few off guard. The conditions were ideal, with only a slight SW wind of 8-10 knots. The cold weather certainly keeps the traffic on the water down and we had the outlet to ourselves, except for a boat anchored 100 meters away.

First cast and Terry hooks up as soon as his lure hits the water. That's a good sign. The fish jumps three times before spitting the lure back at him. Sucka! I'm in position now and as I cast I notice out of the corner of my eye Stewart hooking up, too. And Terry is also back on. Triple hook up, yeehah!

I've cast one of Mick Munn's creations - a 'Splash and Dash' that I've reduced to one treble on the back. I find the tailor don't seem to throw this lure as much as when there are two trebles on it. I crank it quickly over the top and instantly it's mauled by a fish. In the background I hear Terry cry out as his fish jumps off. That's two he's lost. Double sucka!! Mine stays connected and he looks about 35 cms, so into the livewell he goes.

Stewart has also dropped his fish but is on again immediately and eventually lands a nice one that looks about 45 cms. Terry yells out "I'm on," but it's quickly followed by "Aaarrggghhhhh, not again!" when this fish does a Houdini on him, too. Triple sucka!!! Stewart and I are giggling like fools but finally, Terry gets one in the boat that is about 40 cms. And next cast he gets another almost the same size. He's on a roll now.

My popper is getting smacked across the surface non-stop and I land 6 fish and lose 3 before the action stops. As is typical of tailor, they disappear not long after sun up, so it's essential to be on the water at the right time. If your twenty minutes late, it's no fish for you! We landed a couple of decent fish between 45 and 50 cms and we all lost some bigger ones that put on a great acrobatic display leaping clear of the water several times before gaining their freedom.

We also tried for some kings but didn't even get a touch and eventually wound up the day with a couple of bream that were found lurking underneath some moored boats and barges. Not a bad couple of hours in the middle of winter. Happy yakkin', everybody!

cheers,

Cid

WSBB Bream Scramble - 21/6/09

Well you've probably guessed that because I didn't get a report up on the 21st June, Gary and I didn't win the Scramble. And you'd be right, too! Basically, we had a pretty average day, only managing 3 bream (Gary got two of 'em) and none of those were noteworthy either. Overall we finished up 18th amongst a field of 30.

We started off ok when Gary landed our first bream after 20 minutes. Further exploring in Exile Bay proved fruitless (or fishless), so we moved up towards Putney and fished some rockwalls. I'd hardly had a touch all morning while flicking about a Gulp 2" Shrimp (banana colour) so I changed to the old faithful Camo sandworm. As my cast landed 6 feet from shore, Gary said "You'll probably hook up first cast." No sooner had the words left his mouth when I noticed my line zipping sideways. I struck and immediately thought 'Holy Moly, what's this?' The fish made a strong surge for deeper water and peeled line off my reel. "Trevally?" says Gary. Nope I say, no tail thumps. I'm guessing it's the bream from hell and back the drag off now that we're in safer water. I gain some line, it takes some line. With heart pumping and sweaty hands, I'm envisioning a great kicker fish - 1.5 kgs perhaps...or more! Yeah, baby!

As Gary and I peer over the side into the depths we both let out a "Get $%#*ed" when we see the culprit. What the bloody hell is a Yellowtail Kingfish doing way up here, and what the hell is he doing taking a measley little sandworm? We laugh and curse, get a photo and put the undersize fella (he was only 60 cms) back into the drink.

No more joy up here so we head off to some flats. Gary again comes up with the goods and adds number two to the well. I get an undersize one and that's it. Next spot is Westport Marina and first cast I get one that's a keeper. Yahoo!

All our usual spots are very quiet and as time wore on we decide to give Exile Bay one last chance for redemption over the last half hour of the comp. I change to a shallow diving Jackal Chubby as we're fishing water only 2 feet deep and on the second cast it's hammered big time. I see a quick flash of silver. Finally, a good bream. But no-way, Jose. This time it's a nice trevally that goes 55cms. Another great fish but useless to us today. Gary asks if I know how to hook a bream when his TT Switchblade is snaffled on the drop.

"Good fish," he says, and his line zips this way and that. True to our form, it's not a bream at all but a bloody big whiting of 42 cms. We're p!ssing ourselves laughing by now and at the end of the day, if you're having fun that's all that really matters. Next year we'll get 'em.

On a good note, Gary competed as a non-boater in the ABT Pflueger Lake Macquarie round last weekend and took out top spot which sees him qualify for the Grand Final in October. It was a fantastic effort against a large, highly competitive field and was well and truly overdue for Gary. Well done partner, great to see.

Word is out that Hobie and ABT are about to announce the dates and venues for the next lot of Kayak Bream Tournaments for 2009/2010 and it's going to be bigger and better than the last season. I can't wait for it to kick off again and I'm looking forward to getting to as many as possible. Keeping checking the usual sites (http://www.hobiefishing.com.au/ and http://www.bream.com.au/) for updates. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

More Jewfish on the Georges - 12/6/09 to 19/6/09

Another week of chasing these truly beautiful fish with more mixed results. I wish I could crack a pattern but as yet it's still a case of being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes I get 'em, sometimes I don't! That's why they call it fishing and not catching, to quote a well known phrase.

This time though, I didn't catch any around structure. They were taken in the middle of the river, fishing the edges where the water drops off into deeper sections. I won't say exactly where, but it's inbetween Como Bridge and Captain Cook Bridge. : )

One thing is that mornings have worked slightly better for me but then again, I don't stay out too long once it gets dark. Tides haven't made a big difference on whether they are running in or out but I definately catch fewer fish right in the middle of the tides.

The same lures caught fish again and next time I'm going to give a few of the larger blades a go. I'm pretty sure they will be just as effective and they will ensure I get near the seabed when the tide is really moving along.

The wet weather hasn't put them off either. If anything, I've caught more when it's been pretty

miserable. This is probably due to the fact that there is almost no boat traffic rather than the fact that they like the rain. But I'm still waiting to get a biggun'! So far, the best I've managed is a 55 cm specimen, with most between 40 cms and 50 cms. I'll just keep sluggin' away and putting in the time. Every cast I make gets me one cast closer to that absolute stonker.

This sunday sees Gary and I defend our champions title as we compete in the Western Sydney Bream and Bass (www.wsbb.com.au) annual Bream Scramble. It's a one day teams event, catch and release, with our 5 best bream to be brought back for the weigh-in. Last year was really close but we hope to repeat our performance and come out on top again. Here's hoping... Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

Georges River - 30/5/09 to 5/6/09

With all the bream comps out of the way (except for one coming up in 2 weeks), it was time to give the bream a rest and chase after a much more elusive quarry. I've been wanting to nail a few jewfish the last few years and haven't really had much success but I guess that's because I don't really target them specifically very often.


Well, it was time to change all that and this week, with a little help from Andrew and Stewart, we hit the usual spots in the Georges River, which are well known to most anglers - Captain Cook Bridge, Tom Uglys Bridge, Como Bridge as well as a couple of the deeper holes off headlands, such as just outside of Oatley Bay. Funny fish these Jewfish, one day you'll catch them at one spot and the next day there's not a scale to be raised. We would always manage some bycatch of flathead but they weren't what we were after so whenever anyone landed one you'd hear, "Aargghh, it's a bloody flattie!" This was quickly followed by chuckles and smart R's comments from the two who hadn't landed it.

The lures we used varied and at times they all seemed to work. I'd had most hits using a Squidgie Slick Rig 110mm Black and Gold Fish but when I ran out of these and switched to the Evil Minnow colour (light purple and silver) it didn't seem to make any difference. Andrew and Stewart were getting their fish on a prawn imitation SP that was rigged on a TT Revhead. The tackle I'm using is a Daiwa Advantage 2500 on a matching Daiwa rod. The TD Sensor braid is only 8lb, tipped with 20lb fluoro leader but the fish aren't that big at the moment, so the heavier gear can wait a little longer.


The technique I used was one I read in an article in Modern fishing a while back (I think Phil Bennet was the author. If so, thanks Phil!) on catching jewfish on lures. I was casting upcurrent and giving the lure a sharp lift and would then let the current carry it back towards me. The secret (well, Phils secret) to this was keeping contact with the lure as it fell back to the seabed. I reckon that 90% of the hits came on the drop and you had to have that tension on your line to be able to feel the bites and react quickly with a strike.

On one of the sessions I lost a real thumper of a fish that done me over on some piece of submerged structure. I'd just flicked my bail arm over after letting the lure sink to the bottom when I felt an almighty whack. Instinctively I set the hooks and this thing took off like a train. I only had time for one "WOOHOO!" before I felt the leader grind against something before all went slack. Man oh man, what an adrenaline rush.


I plan to concentrate on these magnificent fish over the next few months and I know that Port Hacking has some beauties within it's system too, so it'll be just a matter of getting out and giving it a go.
I'm still a relative beginner when it comes to catching these guys so I'll stick with the normal suggestions for best times ie The last and first hour of the top or bottom of the tide and if it coincides with dawn or dusk, then even better. Hopefully it won't be too long before we start seeing some quality specimens come over the side of our yaks. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Towra Point - 6/5/09 & Oyster Bay - 17/5/09

TOWRA POINT

Andrew (Rebel) and I thought a surface session amongst the mangroves would be successful so we headed to Towra Point for the last of the runout tide. Conditions were great but I wasn't. I was a bit out of condition due to my lack of activity after my stay in hospital.

Rebel started out with his famous Sugapen while I tied on a Sammy 65. We had a few half hearted hits but nothing that would connect with the hooks. Finally I succeeded and landed my only legal bream for the day, a 29cm specimen that put up a good fight for his size. I changed to a Squidgie 100m Wriggler in bloodworm rigged on a 1/40th HWS jighead and landed a flattie of about 40cms from the edge of a weedbed. Not quite big enough for me so I released him to grow a bit more.

It was surprisigly quiet and we pushed way up into the mangroves to try to find the fish. Maybe they were waiting for the tide to change? I had to leave early and left Andrew in the wilderness where he finished up with 2 legal bream and a handful that were just undersize.

Back at the ramp I took a quick snap of my one and only then sent him back on his way to catch up with his flathead mate so they could talk about their kayaking experiences.


OYSTER BAY

Lachlan had been pestering me for another round at Oyster Bay so in the afternoon we hit the slightly murky water. Last time we were here we lost Lachlans Baby Vibe to a big flattie so I'd bought him a replacement one which bought a grin to his face. I decided on a bit of a comparison with a more expensive lure, a Jackall Chubby which was almost twice the price.

We were only going to be out for an hour or so and it wasn't long before Lachlans lure gets a hook up. A small bream that is sent back. Five minutes later, lachlan hooks up again and this time it's a nice flattie of about 45 cms. Then two minutes later he hooks another undersize bream.

I wind my chubby in to make sure it's not covered in weed. It's not, so I flick it back out again. Whack! Holy crap...Lachlan's on again! This time it's a legal bream

so we at least have two keepers to take home. Finally, I hook up and net another flattie but at 40 cms he's smaller than Lachlans that's in the well. I get the lip grips on him, swing him around to put in the live well and then proceed to drop him over the side of the yak and back into the water. Lachlan giggles his head off and proceeds to hook the next three fish but they are all undersize so we go home with only the two.

So the Baby Vibe came out a clear winner today but I know that on any given day, certain styles of lures will outfish others. Colour, shape and action all play a part and only further testing will define the lure that will be the "King of Oyster Bay". Lachlan already knows that his is the King between him and I anyway. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid

Squidgie Bream Grand Final - Parramatta River - 3/5/09

Firstly, a big apology for not putting any reports up for a few weeks but I DO have a good excuse! A couple of weeks ago I managed to put myself in hospital (just unlucky me, I guess. I had a Mallory-Weiss Tear. Look it up if you want to) for 6 days (4 of those in Intensive Care) and for some reason, they wouldn't let me out to have a yak and a fish. All is good now though so I should get out this week sometime and get a few runs on the board. To top it off, this report isn't even about fishing from a kayak. Oh the shame...

Luckily, all my dramas happened before the Squidgie Grand Final so Gary and I could still attend and go for gold. 20 teams departed from Hen and Chicken Bay at 7am and Gary and I had already worked out a detailed plan that we were going to stick to. First stop was a rock wall 5 minutes up river. Gary started throwing a Chubby and I was working a 2" Gulp shrimp (pepper) rigged on a 1/20th jighead. Only 10 minutes into it, and I hook up. Nice fish and he's 31 cms to the fork. That's a good start. Gary then hooks up but drops it and 5 minutes later, I do the same. Bugga. No more bites after that so we move off to work some bridges with blades.

For the next 3 hours Gary and I proceeded to hook and drop fish left, right and center! I thought I had rubber hooks on at one stage. It was soooooooooo frustrating. Finally, at Gladesville Marina, Gary gets the hooks to stick and number 2 (29 cms fork) is in the well.

Off to Birkenhead Point Marina and more dropped fish. Over to some flats for one flathead. Back upstream to Westport Marina and BANG, I hook up big time. Thump, thump, thump up the line and I realise it's a trevally. A good one too but useless in a bream comp. A quick photo and back he goes.

The next fish I land is a nice Leather Jacket. Oh, for fuggs sake! With only 45 minutes to go, we venture up to Exile Bay. I'm flicking a berkley Big Eye Blade around when it gets crunched as soon as it hits the water. I see a flash of silver and call out to Gary, "Yes, finally, get the net." But our luck today was well and truly absent and in comes another trevally. Aaaargh! Time ticks away and I hook up again. Another flash of silver and you guessed it, ANOTHER Trevally. Gary and I are laughing at this stage and we couldn't have caught a bream if you thrown one at us from 3 feet away. That's fishing for you. Sometimes it all comes together and sometimes it all goes to s%#t.

Our two fish weighed in at 1.040 kgs and the winning bag by Team Squidgie was over 4 kilos so we weren't even close. We still had fun though and that's what it's all about. A big thanks to Gary for having me on board and our next comp together will be the WSBB Bream Scramble in a couple of months, where Gary and I will be defending our win from last year. I think we'd better get out there and practice. Happy yakkin', everyone.

cheers,

Cid

ABT/Hobie Kayak Bream Grand Final - Forster, 24-25 March, 2009

So much for the plan of getting to Forster on monday afternoon and having a quick scout around to suss the area out. Sheesh! I arrived at 7:30pm and settled into my motel and got organised for the next morning. New leaders, changed a few trebles, and checked all my gear twice. I think it was about 12:30am before I got to sleep. To say my anticipation level was high was a huge understatement.

5:15am saw me having my yellow Hobie Outback assigned to me. She was fully kitted out with rod leashes, livewell, etc but no sounder. Not really needed up here as the water is quite clear and you can see the bottom in most places anyway. It sure was impressive having all these Hobies lined in a row, ready for action. The briefing went without a hitch with the only change being a delayed start due to the lack of daylight at 6am. At 6:45am, the flag was dropped and 26 bream anglers spread out to their various locations that would hopefully hold some kicker fish.

I'd decided on fishing a junction up Breckenridge Channel and about half a dozen of us ventured the same way. Conditions were almost ideal: I would've preferred a bit more cloud cover but at least there was no wind. Reaching my spot, I started off with a Gulp 2" Shrimp (Banana Prawn) rigged on a 1/20th jighead and 4lb leader. I targeted marker poles and drop-offs but I had only managed one tentative tap before reaching some washboards surrounding an Oyster Lease. I changed to an Ecogear SX40 and started casting my way round.

About 20 minutes later I hook up. "Beauty, here comes number one," I think. I land him, put him on the tape and I forlornly look skywards with a sigh. 24.8 cms... Typical. The minimum length is 25 cms, so after a quick curse, I send him back. The bites are few and far between and I'm livid when I drop a keeper after doing the hard bit of extracting him from under a jetty.

I decided to head further upstream and eventually find a nice set of racks with a few inches of water over them. I change to a Jackall Chubby (shallow diver) and start working the edges. The wind has started to pick up now and it's getting tricky casting and keeping the yak on course at the same time. Suddenly, Whacko! Ooh, I'm on!

The trick to working the racks is to always be on your toes, have your drag nice and tight and get the fish in ASAP before they can get their heads down and bury you in the pylons. Of course, it doesn't always work but this guy was no trouble and I skipped him towards me easily. 23 cms and back he goes, too. Shortly after I get another that's 24 cms and I realise I'm running out of time. With an hour to go I've changed back to the 2" shrimp and YES! I get one that's a keeper. He's not a bad fish and boy, what a relief.

That was it for me and I head back thinking one isn't good enough. Back at the weigh-in, it's been a tough day all round and my one fish of 400 grams sees me sitting in 10th place. The leader is only on 980 grams for two fish, so I'm still in with a chance if I can get a big fish tomorrow.

Conditions where identical to the previous day and the first loacation saw Dave, Ken and I fishing the same flats with surface lures over only a foot of water. Lots of laughs and chatting (typical for a kayak tournament, I'm glad to say) which was only broken by Dave swearing and sobbing when busted up by a big bugga that would've seen him shoot up the rankings quite a few spots. Bad luck, Dave, it was probably a flattie anyway! : )

There was quite a bit of action but the fish were only small to start with and I figured if I wanted to give myself a good chance at getting a big bruiser, I'd get him in the racks. I left the boys and headed back to my racks from yesterday. The was a bit more water over the racks this time so I started with the Chubby. I'd cast right over the racks and hold the rod high while I twitched and wriggled the lure back to me. I figured the fish would be on top feeding and luckily I was right.

10 minutes into it, the lure is pounced on as it lands and I know straight away this is a good fish!

He shoots off to the adjacent racks but I'm quicker and throw my rod sideways to pressure him away. He darts back but I swing the rod again, all while winding furiously to keep him coming towards me. With one quick movement I grab the net and scoop him up. YES! That's what I want. I didn't measure him but he was probably about 33 cms fork length and approximately 600-650 grams. It's a good start and now all I need is a big kilo fish to put me in the running.

Only 15 minutes later I hook up again, and this guys goes 26.5 cms fork. Not big but good enough for the live well. That's my bag limit, now to upgrade. Over the next 4 hours I land another 5 bream, all legal, but none big enough to replace the two I already have. The wind picked up again, even stronger than yesterday and I knew heading back would be right into it, so I reluctantly set off, knowing that the two wouldn't be enough to grab the lead. I'd be happy just to hold onto my 10th place.

I made it back with 2 minutes to spare and by the time I got to the tent they'd already started the weigh in. Holding top spot was Scott Lovig with a total bag of 4 fish for 2.19 kgs. Before me was the day one leader, Michael Maas. He had some nice fish too, and the crowd (and Scott) were on the edge of their seats as the scales ticked over. He needed 1.22 kgs to take it out and the crowd let out a collective sigh when the scales settled at 1.17 kgs, for a total of 2.15 kgs. So close but not good enough. My two fish weighed 1.02 kgs, so not a bad bag and enough to see me edge up to 7th place overall.

The results were tallied and finally, Scott was crowned the inaugral ABT/Hobie Australian Kayak Bream Champion. Well done, Scott. A thoroughly deserved win, a fantastic trophy and bragging rights for a whole year. Taking the final podium spot was Ken Raley, who'd caught all his fish on surface lures, for a 4 fish bag of 1.95 kgs. For a report on the final, including the gear used by Scott and Michael, please look at

http://www.hobiefishing.com.au/

The level of professionalism shown in running these events by ABT and Hobie have set an amazing standard and the future bodes well for next years season of events. More rounds, more venues, more kayakers and more prizes will surely see our wonderful sport prosper and surely only good things will come of it. I know that I for one, can hardly wait. Happy yakkin', everyone!

Cheers,

Cid