[justcrusin]

Well the new yak has arrived and the first paddle went well

Thought i'd post a few things that i felt would be to silly to ask! but should of (bet i'm not the only one). Anyone with more experience please feel free to correct or give adivce

1. If the rods are behind you in the holders how do you know if you have a fish on?
Have the drag set low and when a fish hits of it goes (sorry wasn't that lucky first time out but did hook a mooring on the way out from the ramp)

2. HINT: when setting up boat make sure to take all travel straps are off! especially the rudder strap or you paddle away from the shore and start pulling at the rudder cords to no avail :?

3. Don't worry if you drop your paddle overboard they float! but do have a leash

4. Don't start trowling until clear of the moored boats. If this is extremely nessacary keep an eye out for the lure and don't hook the yatch on the outer edge 2 boats west of the ramp :shock:

5. Ask questions on here DON"T join a kayak lesson full of tourist ( they launched at the same time as me OMG the screaming and shriking was unbearable) :roll:
HINT if this happens to you paddle the other way quickly. I'm sure all the sharks were attracted towards them

Thats lesson one from Daves school of experiential learning. Feel free to ad your lessons and stay tuned for more.

Sorry Shaned I've heard that water is wet but didn't find out (wooh whoo )

Cheers Dave

 

[Peril]

Good one Dave. All those noob mistakes are part of the initiation. However you should get wet, its only fair to other members of the forum

 

[RedPhoenix]

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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[justcrusin]

Thanks Red, will make sure to listen for that one when i hook up a fish :shock:

Another thing i found was when trolling there was a lot of weed floating and my sp kept getting a weed build up. Anyone know how to get around this

I was however suprised how close i could get to the fish without scareing them. Heaps of large bream and blackfish they just wouldn't bight.

Photo below is the sand island at the northern end of the main channel into brisbane waters.

 

[Peril]

Another thing i found was when trolling there was a lot of weed floating and my sp kept getting a weed build up. Anyone know how to get around this

Weedless jig heads or worm hooks with a running weight (google "texas rig" and "carolina rig") will help with weed. Mostly designed for dragging sps through weedbeds rather than broken weed drifting/trolling. For the latter, I will leave it and try something else.

 

[Billybob]

Dave, I only use the rear flush mounts for my (5kg to 10kg) heavier outfits.
I set the drag pretty hard as I'm targeting bigger mackerel and tuna. Believe me, you'll know when you have a fish on.
For smaller species like tailor, trevally etc you'll need to fit an adjustable rod holder up front.
I prefer either the Attwood Pro Series or the Scotty Powerlock.
Both are quality units with a wide neck which makes it easier to retrieve your rod when you get a strike.

 

[spottymac]

I have done the same thing,it happened last weekend,it's very embarrassing when you have to paddle back in through some big surf or jump over the side and swim to the back of the yak to unhook it,or if you have a mate with you he can do it,

 

[troppo]

Good stuff, Justcrusin32. Learning is all part of the fun. With rods behind ya, I found the drag on one of my reels was loud enough to hear but others wouldn't make a sound I could hear above the splashing and gurgling (and that is not me having a drink). Also, if I tilt my head back far enough to try and see the rod tip behind me, I get dizzy and nearly fall in. That's why I started putting the fishing rod forward.

 

[evarn]

Don't forget to tighten all your bungs too.. else you'll be racing back to shore with that sinking feeling!

Surprisingly enough, when i got back to shore the yak had no water in it...

Ivan

 

[justcrusin]

Well I took on lake macquarie today,
Larger expanse of water with lots of wind and current.
Some more things learnt today.

The front hatch is still very accessable on the prowler by sitting side saddle creeping forward and a bit of a lean.

Testing out the stability 45 degrees is about were you fall out, but still didn't capsize, I was very impressed with that.

Getting back in the yak from deep water is just as easy, exactly like the stick post for wet reentry.

AND water is wet

Got a couple of good whacks on the sp's, but didn't land any just lost a couple of sp's bitten in two.

Another problem of having the drag set two low i got caught a few times on weed and instead of pulling through it the drag would go off the the sp stuck.

I think i am hooked was looking for a reason to get a half day at work tomorrow so i could go for a yak fish :twisted:

cheers dave

 

[RedPhoenix]

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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QlpoOTFBWSZTWSRhk14AABlfgAASUIGAEiEAEAo///+gIACKhqmxTJHphT1PCajIyGg1U/Em0J6oxqaaBgmZRWAd4MM3AzpPiot5LA019w5otclOy5qu9s3d20KYRI81B7FV+tHJ+SiCOJROYSmXHLlURkTQkPSDLvjJbj+slOLwYt+QodU4eQ06NUN3i4u75o/E9atjJhlDJSY04cs2N8PNyTFgwY/iLUPMg1v2BYN/F3JFOFCQJGGTXg==

 

[Fishing Man]

a few good points there mate,

 

[justcrusin]

Lesson number 168 in daves school of yak

If landing a flathead taken on an sx-40 be careful for as the flatty spits the sx-40 out it gets tangled in your landing net and you spend the next 20 mins trying to get it out. (bloody double trebles)

If the bloke at the tackle shops gives you advice take it with a grain of salt (didn't see one bull shark up the creek but he had me sh4#ing bricks the night before)

Little lures with trebles get hooked to everything, you, your lifejacket, your rash vest, the other lines, it's own line, the landing net, and anything else that happen to get in the way.

Ice kool esky are great

The prowler is a very easy yak to paddle.

Buying the pfd with the pockets was an excellent choice. Great for holding pliers and grabers. Not game enough to store jures in it yet

Broaching can happen very quickly if your not paying attention (its all good, didn't flip)

Cheers Dave

 

[Peril]

If landing a flathead taken on an sx-40 be careful for as the flatty spits the sx-40 out it gets tangled in your landing net and you spend the next 20 mins trying to get it out. (bloody double trebles)

...

Little lures with trebles get hooked to everything, you, your lifejacket, your rash vest, the other lines, it's own line, the landing net, and anything else that happen to get in the way

They sure do. You will hook yourself soon enough, most likely when handling a chopper. And those owner trebles are sharp.

Flatten the barbs! Will cost you very few fish and will save you a lot of grief and lost fishing time. I do this for all my small hbs and have only dropped one fish, which was foul-hooked anyhow. Kinder to the fish you release as well

 

[onemorecast]

OK Here's mine from this past week:

Getting 40 mil PVC will allow you to get your rods futher away from the water. (I read that here and took it to heart) However I suspect they are just a little too lose at least in the Hobie Sport. One of mine is sitting off the tennis court wharf of Scotalnd Island and the other is in Lovett Bay.

It's still a good idea, but I think I will wrap some duct tape around them next time so are more snug and don't come out with the rod

 

[justcrusin]

Flatten the barbs! Will cost you very few fish and will save you a lot of grief and lost fishing time. I do this for all my small hbs and have only dropped one fish, which was foul-hooked anyhow. Kinder to the fish you release as well

Hi Peril do you file them down or crimp them with pliers

Dave

 

[Peril]

Dave, I use longnose pliers. Grab the hook where the barb is, but not gripping the barb. Twist one way then back the other. This will do one of three things:

* shear off the barb - this is the best outcome in my book, leaving a clean hook;

* flatten the barb against the hook - generally not perfectly so still possible for the barb to catch things, but nowhere near the same amount of trouble as unflattened;

* break the hook. This is a reliable test of brittle hooks. As soon as this happens I remove all the trebles from the lure and put on some quality ones. It is pointless testing crap trebles on bream - you'll only kick yourself later. Its amazing how many lures across the price range ship with trebles that aren't up to it. This is a major benefit of flattening the barbs!

The really annoying part of this is when you've done this, you go fishing, throw your hb in the water and ten minutes later drag in an ugly great puffer fish that has mangled your tested and beautifully prepared trebles. I seem to be able to find them in any estuary so Patonga Ck won't be any different. Though the only time I've fished there, from the shore, I only got a couple of undersized lizards

 

[shayned]

Well I took on lake macquarie today,
Larger expanse of water with lots of wind and current.
Some more things learnt today.

The front hatch is still very accessable on the prowler by sitting side saddle creeping forward and a bit of a lean.

Testing out the stability 45 degrees is about were you fall out, but still didn't capsize, I was very impressed with that.

Getting back in the yak from deep water is just as easy, exactly like the stick post for wet reentry.

[color=yellow]AND water is wet [/color]

Got a couple of good whacks on the sp's, but didn't land any just lost a couple of sp's bitten in two.

Another problem of having the drag set two low i got caught a few times on weed and instead of pulling through it the drag would go off the the sp stuck.

I think i am hooked was looking for a reason to get a half day at work tomorrow so i could go for a yak fish :twisted:

cheers dave

About bloody time too, if you ask me :lol: