Twelve long weeks ago kayaking was stopped due minor operations. Last week was my first taste of fishing, though a tad naughty... http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php ... 27s+orders
I can paddle now, cause I'm better. So I took the Hobie Adventure to Scarby to meet the Beekeeper.
Adventure is Mirage Drive (pedals), but I wanted to paddle (Plan A), which they do, a whole lot better than an Outback without a rudder.... :shock: However, when you are out of it you for a while you forget things, such as forward rod angles, which simply do not work when paddling. Plan B - move the trolling rods to the back. This still didn't work because of the forward rods, so Plan C was to peddle.
Not much to report other than no strikes from trolling HBs for over an hour and a half. Nevertheless, it was great to be out on the water again, when finally a rear reel rang the dinner bell. One legal tailor. Bother, I forgot the fishbag and ice, so it's back to the beach via the shallow water to get the tailor on ice. I was trolling (yes trolling this on the 5000 Saltist), as it has been quite productive on a number of species.
Having the Adventure was a bonus as it is fitted with a sounder, showing me several bits of reef I didn't know about. Hoping for a flatty or another tailor in here (40 metres from the rocks, 2.8 metres of water).
The Saltist went ballistic as line ripped off sideways towards Flag Reef. Suddenly a direction change to the east, drag tightened and it looks like a trip to Moreton Island is on the cards, as the Adventure and Fatso get towed along at 4 kph/hr, line still stripping. "Pedal, pedal! Run it down and get some line back." I managed a call to Beekeeper "going to Moreton Island ", but he had his hands full on a speedster too. Second line in and still heading for the island. I found the steering of the adventure excellent for changing the yak's direction immediately after the fish changed. Dorsals sighted ... doesn't look like a shark.
At one stage I cut across a corner too far and had slack line for two seconds, allowing me to test the amount of drag, which was so much I could barely pull any off. Thinking about it later that alone could have been fatal, and I was lucky to regain contact without any sudden shock loads. A major direction change for the next ten minutes had me being towed south, during which time Beekeeper announced he'd dropped his fish and was on his way (from 2 kms away). Still peddling fast there was a bang, as the peddles went to the left and could not be moved. I must have clipped the release with my foot allowing one side to pop up and jam both locking release levers.
This was not good as another direction change to the east and the pattern started to change, diving under the yak more than towing. Damn the pedals ... I couldn't release them to get the flippers out of the way. Beekeeper arrived to see almost fatal entangling on the fins as the fish went under repeatedly then around. Eventually, 38 minutes into the fight, we could see a long silver shape circling 4 metres down. Now 3 m, now 2 and a floater, rather a vertical float, and so worn out that a hand into the gills brought no shakes or shudders. The spectators 'oooohed and aaahed', and Jimbo said something like, "Yours is bigger than mine."
Thanks to Jimbo for the majority of the photos, and for coming to help.
trev
I can paddle now, cause I'm better. So I took the Hobie Adventure to Scarby to meet the Beekeeper.
Adventure is Mirage Drive (pedals), but I wanted to paddle (Plan A), which they do, a whole lot better than an Outback without a rudder.... :shock: However, when you are out of it you for a while you forget things, such as forward rod angles, which simply do not work when paddling. Plan B - move the trolling rods to the back. This still didn't work because of the forward rods, so Plan C was to peddle.
Not much to report other than no strikes from trolling HBs for over an hour and a half. Nevertheless, it was great to be out on the water again, when finally a rear reel rang the dinner bell. One legal tailor. Bother, I forgot the fishbag and ice, so it's back to the beach via the shallow water to get the tailor on ice. I was trolling (yes trolling this on the 5000 Saltist), as it has been quite productive on a number of species.
Having the Adventure was a bonus as it is fitted with a sounder, showing me several bits of reef I didn't know about. Hoping for a flatty or another tailor in here (40 metres from the rocks, 2.8 metres of water).
The Saltist went ballistic as line ripped off sideways towards Flag Reef. Suddenly a direction change to the east, drag tightened and it looks like a trip to Moreton Island is on the cards, as the Adventure and Fatso get towed along at 4 kph/hr, line still stripping. "Pedal, pedal! Run it down and get some line back." I managed a call to Beekeeper "going to Moreton Island ", but he had his hands full on a speedster too. Second line in and still heading for the island. I found the steering of the adventure excellent for changing the yak's direction immediately after the fish changed. Dorsals sighted ... doesn't look like a shark.
At one stage I cut across a corner too far and had slack line for two seconds, allowing me to test the amount of drag, which was so much I could barely pull any off. Thinking about it later that alone could have been fatal, and I was lucky to regain contact without any sudden shock loads. A major direction change for the next ten minutes had me being towed south, during which time Beekeeper announced he'd dropped his fish and was on his way (from 2 kms away). Still peddling fast there was a bang, as the peddles went to the left and could not be moved. I must have clipped the release with my foot allowing one side to pop up and jam both locking release levers.
This was not good as another direction change to the east and the pattern started to change, diving under the yak more than towing. Damn the pedals ... I couldn't release them to get the flippers out of the way. Beekeeper arrived to see almost fatal entangling on the fins as the fish went under repeatedly then around. Eventually, 38 minutes into the fight, we could see a long silver shape circling 4 metres down. Now 3 m, now 2 and a floater, rather a vertical float, and so worn out that a hand into the gills brought no shakes or shudders. The spectators 'oooohed and aaahed', and Jimbo said something like, "Yours is bigger than mine."
Thanks to Jimbo for the majority of the photos, and for coming to help.
trev