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Josh's Blog -
Yakass
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Written by Josh
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Thursday, 01 October 2009 |
Less than a month to go... getting giddy with excitement
Although we haven't mentioned it a whole until recently, Carl, Holger and I have been planning on this upcoming sailing/kayak fishing expedition around Fraser island for quite some time. More recently we invited Hobie Fishing Team member Paulo to come along as well, bringing our numbers to four (a fitting number). We always wanted to keep numbers small, this being our first major 8-day AI adventure. It's easily the sort of trip that could be undone by poorly equipped participants, so we've had to knock back a few people who expressed interest. Not everyone has a real understanding of the concept of ultralight camping (or the right kind of gear for it), which is the only approach that makes sense for a trip like the one we're undertaking. You really have to know your comrades in an adventure like this, and be sure that they have all the gear they need to be fully self-sufficient, and have enough experience to know how to use it all.
It hit home when H and I went camping at Sandon with Craig, Doug & Troy, all of whom were kitted up more appropriately for base camping, complete with eskies, bulky swags, tents and sleeping mats. And while they were able to get away with it (due to the distances involved being relatively short, as well as only needing to be equipped for a single night), their approach would most certainly have caused problems on an extended trip. Having worked in outdoor retail stores for over a decade of my life, I know full well that this is the only approach that most Aussie campers know. For sure, the lightweight approach H and I took had the others quite impressed, and they quickly saw the beauty in the ultra-light philosophy. A requisite of undertaking an adventure like this is being appropriately equipped and familiar enough with all of your gear. Most of the good quality ultra-light camping gear in Australia is not cheap either, so it costs a small fortune to be suitably geared for what we're doing.The payoff is worth it though. There's only a few things left on the shopping list for me at this stage: spare batteries, memory cards, a new radio (my last one died very recently) and of course food. I did pick up a new dry bag today - a Sealline Widemouth duffle bag, which fits nicely into the rear storage well (this will hold my tent, flysheet shade/shelter, sleeping bag, sleeping mat & seat/pillow, 2 stoves, cooking pots & cookware & towel. And yes, I bought a bIack one.
Our launch date of Nov the 1st is approaching fast, but it sounds like the other guys are pretty much geared up at this point as well, so looks like we're good to go. So whether the weather be fine or whether the weather be not, whether the weather be cold or whether the weather be hot, we'll weather the weather, whatever the weather, whether we like it or not. 
Cameras will be rolling throughout most of our trip, so there'll be some excellent examples of some of the gear we've selected for the trip (a lot of which has already been covered in text somewhere in the bowels of this website). We've also been very selective in our choice of cameras in preparation for this trip, with all four of us armed with Sanyo Xacti VPC-WH1 cameras. Carl, Holger and I will also be packing Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1 cameras as well. All of them are waterproof and both are capable of shooting HD footage at 30FPS at 720p, the latter of which also being capable of taking fine stills. Of everything we looked at in the market, we collectively found that these models represented the best in terms of quality & performance as well as suitability to our filming requirements. All of it is mounted with RAM gear.
Why are we so heavily equipped with so many cams? Well, we're expecting to get on to some pretty good fish out there and we want to catch the best action in the best possible ways (video and stills) as much as we can. It has all the makings of being the trip of a lifetime and the plan is to catch all the best action from all the best angles - it's not just the fish either - the area has an awe-inspiring array of wildlife, and close encounters with turtles, humpback whales, dolphins of several species, dugongs and shark are all a possibility, and indeed, highly likely. Paulo might even get a chance to repeat his Marlin mauling efforts from 2008! If the fishing is anything like what I experienced in the area during my previous visits, we're in for a great time. Part of our aim is be able to share the experience through a collection of articles, photos and of course video, most of it eventually appearing online here and some ot it most likely on DVD as well. Unfortunately we won't have a web connection while away so there won't be any live updates, but upon return there will be a plethora of content appearing over a period of weeks afterward. |
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News -
Latest News
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Written by Josh
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Thursday, 01 October 2009 |
Media invited to official launch, Main Beach, Byron bay, Thursday, Oct 1stDave Rastovich and his team of Island Adventurers are setting sail on their epic 36-day Byron - Bondi voyage today, kicking off from main beach Byron Bay. If all goes to plan the team will be coming in to Woody Head on Friday night, where I plan to catch up with them on the water (look for a video interview soon afterwards), and will sail out with them on Saturday morning as well. I was with Dave the other day (performing a last-minute service on the Islands - Maclean Outdoors kitted the team out with their boats) when he learned that the 'Steve Irwin' ship captained by Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd will pass the voyagers somewhere in the vicinity of Yamba on Saturday. A rendezvous at sea has already been arranged and I might just tag along for that as well. It's going to be very interesting to see how the Islands hold up to this 36-day expedition, not to mention the sailors. In preparation for the trip the guys really did push those craft to the limits, riding them through surf and in high winds and seas, in much the same conditions that the boat was never really intended for. It was a deliberate exersize in finding out what the limits really are so the team could then plan the trip knowing what to try and avoid. 'Try' being the operative word - picture perfect conditions are not guaranteed for the entire trip (though they're off to a good start today), and the east coastline of Australia can be a cruel mistress at times. |
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Josh's Blog -
Yakass
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Written by Josh
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Thursday, 01 October 2009 |
I'm sorry sir... a marlin towed me out here!
Although it slipped under the radar and virtually undetected by the state's kayaking community, the South Australian government have slipped in a few new laws that are now raising alarm bells. This page at the SA Dept of Transport website (on marine equipment) now has this new addition:
Note: From 1 September 2009, the following vessels may not be operated in unprotected waters, i.e. beyond two nautical miles offshore, without the approval of the CEO.
* Personal Watercraft (PWC)
* Canoes, kayaks or other similar small human powered vessels (other than rowboats)
Whilst this news only really effects a relatively small portion of the SA kayak fishing community, for sure, it's terribly inconvenient for the more intrepid off shore yak fishoes. I really feel for my crow-eating comrades and can only imagine how I'd feel if the same laws applied in my neck of the woods. If they were, I'd disobey them for certain. If I'm adequately experienced & equipped, why the hell not? I've done it hundreds of times before! Despite the fact that everything I like to catch can often be caught within 2 nautical miles (3.6km) anyway, and most of my fishing is done within that distance, there would be times where I simply couldn't help myself. There'd be other times that I'd cross the line completely unintentionally - that would be terribly easy to do.
Yep... I'm glad I don't live in Sth Australia (despite the fact Coopers Sparkling Ale is my #1 beer). But if I did, at least there'd be the consoling thought that this legislation specifies human-powered vessels, and not wind-powered. So I'm assuming that my Hobie AI trimaran would be kosher for off shore adventuring out wide. Then again... I do wonder exactly what they mean by personal watercraft. Either way I'd be giving it a go and then pleading ignorance if taken to task on it.
I will add, however, that I think these laws are well-intentioned and it is possible that they just might save a life. Admittedly, it sometimes worries me that some beginners endeavouring to go fishing off shore get the impression that they can just head on out there without much in the way of kayaking experience. I'm fishing quite a bit further out than 2 nautical miles in a lot of my clips and no doubt some people watch that footage (having never been kayaking in open ocean before) and think to themselves 'hrmm... that looks easy... I can do that'. But what those clips do not reveal is the amount of time, practice (and even training) that went into my kayaking experience before I even started thinking about heading out in unprotected waters. I think that regardless of how far out someone plans to fish off shore, at the very least they should be comfortable with the experience of kayaking, as well as comfortable with the experience of fishing from a kayak. They should also be suitably equipped and most importantly, if they aren't all that experienced, at the very least they should be out there with someone who is. |
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News -
Latest News
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Written by Josh
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Thursday, 01 October 2009 |
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Issue #23 of the online based Kayak Fishing Magazine is now fit for human consumption. featured in this months edition is a review of the Wilderness Systems Commander 120 kayak, a kayak buyers guide, a guide to making the most of a kayak demonstration and a review of the 'Yakpak 3' collapsable kayak fishing outfit. That's not all either, so put on the kettle and click over to KFM. |
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Trip reports -
Brunswick Heads
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Written by Holger
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Wednesday, 30 September 2009 |
Kayakfishing around the Wardell bridge Modest bream
Monday again, AKA H & J's kayak fishing day! At 07.00 I picked Jay up and we had a short discussion about where to go. I had thought about going out whale watching, but the offshore winds were a bit of a worry. So we referred to plan B, which was trying a new spot - we decided upon Wardell.
At 08.00 we were parked under the bridge, and ready to go. The bridge provides heaps of vertical structure, with several groups of old, unused pylons either side and water up to 18m deep. It looked promising enough, although the out-going tide was raging, and the westerly wind backed the current. We started focusing on casting soft plastics around the pylons and within 5 minutes both of us were rewarded with a solid bream each. I was surprised that a bream took my 145mm flick bait - it is quite a big plastic after all.
 Ze Yakfisher himself!
A short time later it turned quiet and we decided to paddle a short distance upriver where we could see some shallows protected by mangroves. Most attractive of all, it was sheltered. Just as we started to cast around there a pro fishermen came in and dropped his net right next to us. Well, he was more lucky than we were, ending up with a net full of blackfish and mullet, while I couldn't even get so much as a nibble. So back to the bridge we go. Failing to get another hook up within the next hour we soon decided to give up and go home. Not the most successful day, but a spot to remember for another time. I already have a game plan in my head for my next visit to Wardell... more about that soon. |
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