Been a while since having a bo peep at the dam so three of us decided to have a look when the chance arrived after the recent rain and wind but office hours start this time.
And presently the Hinze Dam gauge is showing -1.48m below from the spillway.
My thoughts were to go south from launching in the eastern arm and drift fish back to the ramp with the forecast southerly jigging plastics in the deep water.
Got there at 7.45am and Jim [jumaji] was already on the water, and I joined him in glassy conditions about 30 minutes later and decided to troll down to the drift starting point using a P50 crazy deep and a Jackal TN60.
Came to Ragsies Reach to see the old tall gum that was always the sentinel at Ragsies had finally succumbed to the inundation of the new water levels, and rather sad although unavoidable
- The Ragsie gum tree is dead
Caught up with Jim and we poked around looking for deep holes with schooled fish and decided to quietly fish our way back to the old temporary ramp now submerged to have some smoko, by now the southerly was quietly making itself felt in patches.
At this point I was a jigging a purple twin tailed plastic along the bottom and Jim called on the UHF to say he could see another kayak coming along the far shoreline and later proved to be Wazza [Seadog] making a late start due to having a dose of the wog at present and had decided on some R&R on the dam in the sun.
Jim landed first, and by the time I got there he was ashore looking like King Canute controlling the water line
- The king is enthroned at the edge
Waz joined us at the old ramp and we had a cuppa and few laughs, and at which time we saw the ranger doing a patrol in his boat and got a friendly wave.
After the break Waz went south and was later spoken to by the ranger who must have seen the posters around town put up by Mr Crab [a GC gulp juice yarn] as they only passed by Jim and me later with no chat.
Waz trolled mostly, Jim cast and trolled, and I just jigged the plastic although had now added a Betts Spin to the jig head, and for all us a big donut although we did not try the deep water near the tower which may have been worthwhile.
With the breeze now up Waz and Jim sailed while I did the slow paddle/drift back to the ramp
- Waz [mary poppins and brolly] heads Jim's sail rig near the ramp
Ashore early after lunch for a cold bevvie in the sun before heading to home.
Company good but fishing is hard with the colder water and only produced donuts.
