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Launched into Fishing Ck which runs into Corio Bay at about 10 am. Two rods, 6 ft with a bit of backbone with 7kg Fireline and 4 inch blue fish hb, and 8 ft bream/whiting rod, 2.8 kg Fireline and sx40 clone.
Low tide just after 11 am, small amount of movement. Water was surprsingly clear given sea was total yuk. Still nowhere near crystal clear. Wind was up and cloud about, so cold and gloomy. Nearly didn't go as been hoping for a still blue day, like earlier in week.
Started down toward the bay trolling both lures. Away fron launch zone, wind was fierce but managable. 15 min later, the 7 kg rod was thumped. Put down paddle, immediately was blown across creek onto high sandbank, some waves slopping into yak. And I am still in the creek a long way from the bay! Brought in a 35 cm flathead. After releasing the flattie, took time to get trebles out of net. Then, I found spider's web around me. The 2.8 kg Fireline had blown and tangled around nearly everything. Nearly lost my temper trying to sort it out, reel it in, get my lure back. Wind and spray was just not good. Avoided swearing and smashing things up.
Kept paddling with the 7 kg line out. Did a 30 m portage across a dry sandbank which saved me several hundred m of paddling as channel doubles back. Couldn't get anywhere near the bay as waves and wind too much (my favourite spot is across bay on other side) so doubled back and explored an area I had not been far into. I could have paddled into bay but I was already getting too much spray (cold) and I wanted to enjoy myself, not do a marathon. As it was, when wind was coming from left side, I had to turn my face to right everytime left side of paddle came out of water. If I didn't, then I got water across my face.
Saw a fishy looking spot for flathead on other side of channel, cruised up, then back on other side so lure would cross over it. Bang. Brought 41 cm flattie to net. Pulled yak up on shore where I was blown against, and then released flathead.
Paddled along bank which is mud but hard and about 2 m high. Currents run along it and it looked fishy, good channel. Got 25 cm trevally on Sprog (sx40 clone). Continued paddling along mud bank and back but no hits. Think Sprog was not swimming right.
Decided to test out my new anchor (I'll put up a post about it in "Do it youself" another night.) and throw a bait in. Went to shore, changed gear, set up anchor. It worked, anchored in channel. Cast out prawn on 2.8 kg gear. Bang. Seemed slow fish but could feel some head shaking. After minutes of to and fro, landed a catfish, about 45 cm. Let it go. Got a small nick on my foot from spine of which the slight pain brought back memories of other times and places.
Catfish had swollowed hook, so put on a new one but one of those bent shank ones. Had several solid hits on the prawn, rod bending right over then releasing. Missed. Changed hook back to my normal one. Caught 25 cm butter bream and small bream 23 cm maybe. Moved around trying anchor. Worked well. Feeling too cold and worn out by now so started for launch spot.
Back at launch area, after gruelling paddle back through some very choppy water against wind ('bout 2 pm back). Amazed at how quiet it looked at launch area. Pulled yak up out of water, then a bit more to stop it wandering. Cast out prawn on 2.8 kg rod. 30 m cast as I wanted to get into channel just out from shallows. Put rod in yak rod holder. Started packing up gear when rod bent over and nearly hit me. Grabbed it. Solid fish. Brought bream to shore, lay it in yak, raced up to car for camera. Took a phota and released it. Then realised I had not measured it. Would have been a keeper size.
Baited up, cast out. Poured myself a cup of tea from thermos, first one for the day. Another solid hit. Another good bream. Admired it then let it go. Finished packing and headed for home.
Low tide just after 11 am, small amount of movement. Water was surprsingly clear given sea was total yuk. Still nowhere near crystal clear. Wind was up and cloud about, so cold and gloomy. Nearly didn't go as been hoping for a still blue day, like earlier in week.
Started down toward the bay trolling both lures. Away fron launch zone, wind was fierce but managable. 15 min later, the 7 kg rod was thumped. Put down paddle, immediately was blown across creek onto high sandbank, some waves slopping into yak. And I am still in the creek a long way from the bay! Brought in a 35 cm flathead. After releasing the flattie, took time to get trebles out of net. Then, I found spider's web around me. The 2.8 kg Fireline had blown and tangled around nearly everything. Nearly lost my temper trying to sort it out, reel it in, get my lure back. Wind and spray was just not good. Avoided swearing and smashing things up.
Kept paddling with the 7 kg line out. Did a 30 m portage across a dry sandbank which saved me several hundred m of paddling as channel doubles back. Couldn't get anywhere near the bay as waves and wind too much (my favourite spot is across bay on other side) so doubled back and explored an area I had not been far into. I could have paddled into bay but I was already getting too much spray (cold) and I wanted to enjoy myself, not do a marathon. As it was, when wind was coming from left side, I had to turn my face to right everytime left side of paddle came out of water. If I didn't, then I got water across my face.
Saw a fishy looking spot for flathead on other side of channel, cruised up, then back on other side so lure would cross over it. Bang. Brought 41 cm flattie to net. Pulled yak up on shore where I was blown against, and then released flathead.
Paddled along bank which is mud but hard and about 2 m high. Currents run along it and it looked fishy, good channel. Got 25 cm trevally on Sprog (sx40 clone). Continued paddling along mud bank and back but no hits. Think Sprog was not swimming right.
Decided to test out my new anchor (I'll put up a post about it in "Do it youself" another night.) and throw a bait in. Went to shore, changed gear, set up anchor. It worked, anchored in channel. Cast out prawn on 2.8 kg gear. Bang. Seemed slow fish but could feel some head shaking. After minutes of to and fro, landed a catfish, about 45 cm. Let it go. Got a small nick on my foot from spine of which the slight pain brought back memories of other times and places.
Catfish had swollowed hook, so put on a new one but one of those bent shank ones. Had several solid hits on the prawn, rod bending right over then releasing. Missed. Changed hook back to my normal one. Caught 25 cm butter bream and small bream 23 cm maybe. Moved around trying anchor. Worked well. Feeling too cold and worn out by now so started for launch spot.
Back at launch area, after gruelling paddle back through some very choppy water against wind ('bout 2 pm back). Amazed at how quiet it looked at launch area. Pulled yak up out of water, then a bit more to stop it wandering. Cast out prawn on 2.8 kg rod. 30 m cast as I wanted to get into channel just out from shallows. Put rod in yak rod holder. Started packing up gear when rod bent over and nearly hit me. Grabbed it. Solid fish. Brought bream to shore, lay it in yak, raced up to car for camera. Took a phota and released it. Then realised I had not measured it. Would have been a keeper size.
Baited up, cast out. Poured myself a cup of tea from thermos, first one for the day. Another solid hit. Another good bream. Admired it then let it go. Finished packing and headed for home.
