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

Botany Bay & Georges River - Jan 2010

After months of nagging, I finally convinced Gary Brown to ditch the dirty filthy stink boat and join me in a kayak session to find out what true angling is all about! We launched off Silver beach at Kurnell and were greeted with a calm but overcast day.

Gary was a little apprehensive at first and asked a few times if he'd get wet. 'Only if you fall in,' I said. Gary's only other experiences in a similar size craft were two trips in a canoe a few years ago. Both of these ended up with Gary in the drink, so he was hoping not to make it three out of three.

Once in and out on the water, I gave him the run down on the Mirage Drive and the rudder and we quickly moved off to the HWO. The wind was up a little bit but Gary quickly got the hang of it and after 10 minutes without a touch, we moved out to The Sticks. Here we started using smaller SP's: Berkley 3" Bass Minnows (pearl watermelon) and Gulp 2" Shrimps (pepper) rigged on 1/16th TT jigheads.

We quickly landed a few reddies before Gary lands his first legal (just!) fish from a yak - a fiesty Botany Bay Trevally. I had to catch up quickly and hooked up to something that felt very decent. A few good runs and strong surges had me calling it for a treavlly too, but when she came up she'd turned into a nice fat Bream. 37cms fork length and Garys trevally now looks like a tiddler.

We manage another two bream and another trevally before heading back in. Gary said that surprisingly, it was a quite enjoyable morning and nowhere near as bad as he thought it may be. So will he sell his power boat? I don't think so!

The next day I took Lachlan out but the wind picked up so we were only out for 30 minutes. This was enough time for him to land his first ever trevally which we picked up while trolling a couple of Ecogear SX40's. He played it out perfectly and was chuffed at getting a new type of fish. Back on the beach he reminded me about eight times how I didn't catch anything. Cheeky bugga!

After that, we had a few sessions on the Georges River chasing bream and flathead. The bream were about but once again, the flathead eluded us. Well, we did get a few small ones but the bigger specimens have been decidely quite for me this summer. Apart from the big girl I got a few weeks ago, of course.

The bream all fell to HB's, with Jackall Chubbys (shallow divers) and the SX40s being the weapons of choice. Lachlan hasn't quite got the hang of casting just yet but it wont be long before he's got it under control.

I snuck out one morning for a quick trip by myself and managed to find a few bream, this time all on SP's. The main fish of note was taken from a boat hull on a Gulp 2" Shrimp (banana) and really had the gear stretched to it's limit. Twice I had the rod tip right down in the water to keep the line from rubbing on the boat hull. She went 39 cms total length and was easily over a kilo. Back she went and I hope she comes back to me during the Squidgy Comp Georges River round in a couple of weeks time.

On the way back I changed to a blade, hoping for a flattie or two but the final fish of the day was another bream, this one going 35 cms total length. Please, please, please let me get fish like these in the comp!

On Saturday the 21st January it's the St Georges Basin round for the ABT/Hobie Kayak Bream tournament. Visit http://www.hobiefishing.com.au/ or http://www.bream.com.au/ for more details. From reports I've heard, there have been lots of fish about with some absolute horses amongst them. I can't wait. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

Micks Bassday

Mick and I decided to head out again on Tuesday, a bit of a celebratory trip for Mick's birthday.

Well the small ones started early as per usual, but it was much slower than out last trip, the bass basically wanted the fly to sit dead still for about 30 seconds before they would go near it.

I'd just finished building a small fly rod to use in the kayak, my 9 foot rod was just too hard to handle when trying to land the fish, so I got an old rod and some bits of old broken beach rods and started to create a nice rod around 6'6". I flounder with the size difference at first but once I got into the rythym I was soon extremely happy with my new creation.

We worked the banks for a while for a few small fish before Mick hooked up to a nice fish around 29cm, from here they just got bigger for Mick with a 32cm fish coming about 15 mins later.

We decided to swap banks and we worked the shady hole under the trees, sometimes we could even sight cast our fish and sit quietly in the kayak until the fish decided to eat the fly.

The action slowed a little and it had been about 1 hour since I'd had any hits, while Mick was still catching the odd small fish it wasn't until we drifted up the river into a nice shady hole that the fish came on again.

I'd just called out "I'm on" when Mick also hooked up, this time it was a nice fish around 350cm and Mick was grinning again. It wasn't the 400 plus he was looking for, but it was still a nice fish and it was good to see him smiling on his birthday.

We fished for a while, with still more 25cm fish hitting our flies, it was at this point that I thought Mick had caught his birthday present until he called out again "I'm on", it wasn't a big fish, but when you love your bass as much as Mick, to see a tagged fish and be able to record the details, it topped off a great morning fishing.

Happy Birthday Mick

Cheers,

Fordy

Flying Bass

In Carl's last report he said "it's been a long time" since he went bass fishing, with a crazy year for me on the work front and the trout streams around Lithgow getting a fair go, it's certainly been a long time since I did any decent kayak fishing.

I've been looking forward to catching up with my good mate Mick Munns for a while now and after he and Carl did so well on the bass we planned to hit Penrith for a morning session on Sunday 27th December.

What a top morning we had, the rain held off but the overcast conditions meant that the annoying waterskiers and site seeing boaties had gone to the movies or shopping the post Christmas sales instead.

Within the first few casts Mick was on, not a big fish but it was the surface strike we were looking for. I tried a few different surface lures but the hits kept coming on Mick's HSJ flies and soon after I started fly casting a louder hit came and I was on to a good fish in the late 300s. It was a long battle with the fish burrying me in the weed and when I finally got him near the Yak and reached for the net, he spat the hooks and swam away. A shower of bleeps rained from my mouth and I turned to see Mick filming every second of my disaster. He turned away and chuckled to himself as he started casting again.

Soon we decided to change sides of the river and I was rolling my line in under some heavy cover and pulling out fish after fish, problem was they were all around 25cm and not really impressive by anyones standards.

I rolled another cast and heard Mick call out "This is a much better fish", I flicked my fly out to the centre of the river and paddled up to see what was going on. Mick had the net hidden next to him, but I could tell he was trying to hide his smile and he lifted the net to reveal a beautiful bass coming in at 41.5cm. After a quick photo session, he released it back to it's snaggy home and we fished for a few more small ones before returning to the ramp.

It was a top morning and it's certainly re-ignited my passion for bass fishing and I'm keen to improve on my fly fishing techniques from the Yak.

Anyway's it's off to the tying table now to make some more HSJs before our next session on Tuesday the 5th January.

Cheers,

Fordy

Nepean - 20/12/09

It's been a long time but I finally made it out for a bassin' session with Mick Munns from Lure Logic Tournament Tackle. We launched from Tench Reserve at 5:15am into the gloom and very slight drizzle, hoping the bass would be willing to play.

I had rigged up with my favourite bass lure, one of Micks Micro Rack Rats with the rubber legs, that is all battered and bruised from previous surface hits from these bronze battlers. Mick is fifty meters ahead and has already landed a small tacker. I leap-frog him and miss my first two boofs before I hook a good fish. He dives straight down into the weed and buries me. I move in and lift the line slowly but as I thought, he's gone.

Lots of little guys are trying to hit the lure even out in the open but it's a cast right next to a semi-submerged log that gets a good hit. I'm quicker this time and keep him up out of the weed and in comes the first bass (29 cms) for the season (yeah, yeah, I know, it's a bit late...).

Mick has moved over to the other side of the river and is swoffing away with the fly wand. I hear him yell out "Good fish!" so I quickly set off to see what all the fuss is about. 30 meters away I pull out the video camera just in time to see him haul in a monster! Lots of yahoos and on the lie detector she goes. 44 cms and she's absoultely gorgeous and in prime condition. We take a few happy snaps and quickly get her back into the water where she gives a few hard tail beats and shoots back to her lair.

Mick had pulled her out from under some overhanging branches. He'd rolled his black & purple Bass Hopper fly right under it with his 3 wgt flyrod and given it a few twitches when all hell broke loose. First she came out, then darted back in, then back out and into the weeds, then back under the trees again before Mick could tame her. What a catch!

We continued moving downstream and enjoyed a great couple of hours taking fish off the surface. My best for the day was a 33 cm fish that came with its own salad supply. I really thought it'd buried me like the other fish had done earlier but luckily some quick rod work managed to extract her from her hidey hole.

This bassin' is such great fun and I can't wait to get back out and have another crack at these fish. The surface smashes and close quarters combat is so exciting. And hooking a fish like Micks is simply superb. My best is 40 cms, so I've got a bit of work to do to catch up to him, especially seeing as his best from the Nepean is over 56 cms!

And just in case I don't get another post in over the next day or two, thank you all for supporting Adam and I and our DVD and website and may you all have a safe and merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

ABT/Hobie Redcliffe Tournament - 12th - 13th Dec 2009

OMG!!! Worst. Tournament. Ever...

For me, that is! As per usual, Hobie and ABT lived up to their excellent reputation and showcased another professional tournament that combined with the good naturedness of kayaking to provide a fun and informative weekend for all. Including those that didn't catch fish.

Saturday greeted us with 20-25 knot winds and a surf launch which proved a bit wet for some. I'd never fished here before and had a choice of north to the reefs or south (to more reefs). I chose south and dropped a good fish only 10 minutes into the comp. Little did I know it, but I could've packed up and gone home then. I made it all the way down to Redcliffe and back, battling wind and some pretty wild swell for absolutely zip! Nuthin', nadda, zilcho. In fact, I not only didn't land a bream, I didn't land anything. Not even a small flattie.

Ooh, I was so frustrated. Heading back north at about 10:45 am, a wave picks me up and as I look down I see a large rock with my name written all over it. "Hmmm, not good," I think. "But wait, I think I'll make it!" Well, I almost made it. Crunch!!! The only part to hit was my rudder but that was enough to sheer off the pin that holds it in place. Now my kayak is swirling around and it's out with the paddle. I look at it for a minute thinking "How do you use one of these?" before I get into gear and head into shore.

As the others head back in, it's apparent that whoever went north had a pretty good day. Lots of tales of unstoppable fish but no really big bags which is quite surprising. After the wash up, it's the ever consistent Greg Lewis that's on the top of the table with 1.72 kgs. He's a breamin' machine and could catch one in a rain puddle, I reckon. Another regular that always manages to get fish that are just undersize is Steve Fields from Hobie, but today he has flung the donut monkey off his back and also bagged out.

Sunday is the opposite of saturday and we are greeted with almost glassy conditions. North I go with about half the fleet and start peppering the numerous reefs with HB's. I see a few yakkers hook up but no bream are coming over the sides.

I finally take up position next to a reef and decide SP's may be worth a shot and rig up a 100mm Squidgy Wriggler (Avocado) smeared with S-factor. Another angler pulls up about 30 meters away and we exchange hellos and general banter. I hear a reel sing and turn to see his rod bucking under the strain of a good fish. In comes a crackin' bream. 10 minutes later, he's on again and it's another beauty.

I'm thinking "I must be next," when he lets out a yeehah! Three fish in 25 minutes and he's off to weigh them in. I stay in the area but don't even get a touch. Please insert a dozen swear words here.

I'm starting to wonder if there are any fish at all around here when I finally, FINALLY hook

something. Not a bloody bream but a Moses Perch. That's a new species for me but I'd much prefer a bream. More casting and I get a flathead. Aaarggghhhh. Come on! It's bloody hot, the wind is starting to pick up and I still don't have a bream to my name.

I keep on casting and try numerous lures hoping to hit on a type and colour that will work. I try slow retrieves, fast retrieves, twitch retrieves, 'crank 'em down and bump the bottom' retrieves, surface lures with poppers and walk-the-dog style lures, floaters, sinkers, suspending and the whole kit and caboodle of SP's in my arsenal.

I do manage a small Rock Cod and another Moses Perch but these are all I can muster from the northern reefs. I head back towards the launch beach and decided to target the small reefs just out from it. The wind is pushing the waves and it's washing over the back of the rocks, so I settle in behind them figuring any fish will be searching for bits and pieces washed off into the white

water. I rig up with a gulp 2" shrimp (peppered) and stay put. I stick it out for the next hour and get busted up by two HUGE fish that I didn't even see and drop what would've been a 30cm fork bream.

With my tail between my legs, I mope into shore, utterly defeated by Redcliffe. Not one

bream (not even a tiddler) did I land all weekend. Frustrating.

And then to top it all off, the guy, Nicholas Meredith, who caught the 3 bream next to me ended up winning with 1.92 kgs (well done Nicholas). And what did he catch them on? A 100mm Squidgy Wriggler in bloodworm. Obviously the bream don't like avocado, eh? Greg Lewis held onto 2nd place with 1.72 kgs and 3rd was taken by Will Lee with 1.46 kgs.

It was great to see some of the top guns of the sport, Tristan Taylor and Darren 'Dizzy' Borg, getting in a yak and refining their techniques to temp the bream and hopefully in future tournaments we'll see a lot more of these top anglers joining our ranks. I've already thrown the gauntlet down to Steve Morgan and he's promised that soon, he'll jump in one and give it a go, too.

This weekend I might give the bream a miss and chase bass instead...Bloody bream... Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid

Botany Bay and Oyster Bay

Get your Orders in!

You have just over a week left to get your orders in for the Kayak Fishing Sydney DVD to gain entry into out giveaway. Place your order through our website by COB on the Friday 18th December to have a chance at winning one of our 10 prize packs.

The photo shows a selection of the items we have to giveaway and include rods, reels, hats, hard body lures, soft plastics, jigheads, braid scissors, rod covers, tackle boxes and shirts. The 10 winners will be randomly drawn and will be announced on the website and contacted by email.

Botany Bay

Terry set off from Kurnell last week and left the lures at home and decided to chase some fish with good ol' bait. He anchored up and started off a berley trail and rigged up with nippers to get a great haul of bream and trevally. Mixed in were a couple of undersize flathead and whiting so it was a pretty good session that he had out there.

CJ gets the goods...

Another report I had was from CJ, a regular reader of the reports and who recently purchased

the DVD and fired Adam and I off a few questions on the best way of catching his first king. So he watched the DVD, followed our advice and managed to catch a couple of beauties from Botany Bay.

CJ has really put in the time and effort and was amply rewarded. These two fell to the Mojo lures that we use in the DVD. I'm sure he'll rack up some big numbers now, in fact, I might have to get him to give me a lesson or two. Well done, CJ. I'll keep an eye out for you when I'm out on the Bay next.

Oyster Bay Bream ... but just one!

I had a quick one hour practice breamin' session last week and found it pretty quiet. It was the middle of the day however, so I wasn't expecting too much to be on offer. I did manage to get one cracker though, which nearly had me wrapped around the jetty I pulled it out from. He (or she) fell to a camo Sandworm on a 1/20th jighead. A couple of these would be nice in the next ABT/Hobie tournament.

Speaking of which, the next round is on this weekend at Redcliffe in sunny Queensland. You can enter on the day and fish either the saturday OR the sunday or both if you wish, but only your best bag will count. For further details, visit http://www.hobiefishing.com.au/ or http://www.bream.com.au/ .

If you're after a yak or extra gear in Qld, the place to visit is Sunstate Hobie. Mal Grey (07 5447 6317) is the boss and he has all the answers (although he wouldn't tell me where the good spots are at Redcliffe). http://www.sunstatehobie.com.au/ has all the info on hobie yaks and accessories.

Time to pray to the Bream Gods... Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,

Cid