Ricketts, a tough Mango day

Hey guys
It put a smile on my face when Rob said he'd landed a couple in those conditions - un-erring with those HB's.

I thought it was good to have been out there on that day - that, for me, is probably the limit in terms of conditions I'd consider going out in. According to the graph, the min was about 15knots, max 23, gusts to 26, average in the 18-20 range - all northerly (see attached) .

I thought the Hobie handled the conditions well. I was out there for about 4 hours and was knackered by the end of it. Have to say I'm completely unfit by the way. Have started doing laps in the pool in the last two weeks - I can swim, I just haven't done any sport for about 10 years. I figure, geez, you're out on the yak every fortnight, you'd better start swimming again. After about a 100m, I'm stopping every lap - hmmm.

With the mirage drive, the A just forces its way through the chop and wind. Going into the wind and chop, I was doing about 2 to 2.5knots, going cross wind about 3.5 to 4 knots - this is working pretty hard, but sustained though <<Going with the wind, I reckon I could have hit about 10knots and make those stink boats laugh>>. I didn't feel unsafe at any time but was always concious of drift when idle. I'd drift 100m+ just changing an SP or getting the drogue out. Drift was only about 1.5 to 2 knots.

What I found real difficult was covering fish and getting down there effectively - Went to change to a rig with a 4oz sinker, but found I'd left my spool of line in the carpark - had to keep at it with the sp's.

On the sounder, there was a lot of fish down there - all on the bottom. I reckon I saw about 4 large ones in there. I'd set up a series of marks on the way out and consistently saw schools of fish on them all morning until about 10. It's like they all disappeared atthe same time - still the odd fish around, but not enmass like earlier in the day.

I got 1 hit all day. Mind you, I was mucking around more with the new GPS than anything else. Hope you guys are going out again soon - its been at least 4 weeks since I last caught a fish - and it was a tiddler at that - c'mmon!! When does snapper season start again??

I saw a few white caps and thought bugger it I have travelled all this way I'll try in close. So i paddled just past the marine park and thought i'd drift for a while, and bloody well drift i did, a kilometer in a matter of probably 10mins. Eikkkkkk then turned around and paddled directly into a head wind and a washing machine 1 metre chop. I was knackered, I went back to shore grabbed a rope thinking i'll try the other side and maybe tie up to the mussel farms but this was just as windy and risky to fish alone.

So no fish for me but some good excersize and an intersting paddle. I learnt one thing white caps in Port Phillip Bay is not much fun fishing particularly if the current is running one way and the wind the other. Should of brought my anchor DOH!!! I didn't feel unsafe at any stage as the battle ship Esprit powered through the chop all be it very slowly due to the head wind, it just wasn't worth the risk fishing in such ugly conditions.

Milt,