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Friday, 28 September 2007 |
What do you think?
Going by the results of the last poll, where I asked if you guys would rather vote for Rudd, Howard or go fishing instead, it would appear the majority of us (myself included) would rather just wet a line. Either way, things look grim for John 'Core Promise' Howard, who didn't get as many thumbs up as Kev.
I have a new question to pose: it has recently been suggested to me (with no basis in logic in my opinion) that it would be impossible to catch a large pelagic fish from my Hobie kayak. I beg to differ, and have this little (modified) poem in response:
Remember, remember, the 5th of November,
Gun powder, treason and plot,
I see no reason why pelagics in season,
Can be caught from my Hobie not!
So my question is: How long will it take for me to prove that large pelagics are catchable from a Hobie kayak?
- A week?
- A month?
- 3 months?
- 6 months?
- Never!
Cast your vote in the latest poll.  Comments (3) | E-mail | Read more...
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Thursday, 27 September 2007 |
On second thoughts... Since writing the article on the Miragedrive I've heard numerous critisisms of my points (mostly from guys who have never used one, of course) and in hind sight, one of those raised points has some merit and I realise now that I should have been clearer in saying what I did. I mentioned that rear mounted rods were linkely to have water splashed up onto them from the paddle. The response was that in choppy waters, more water is going to bounce up from the bow (on most kayaks) than will ever be flicked up by the paddle. In relatively choppy waters, this is true, on pretty much any kind of kayak I believe. And in such circumstances, few rod holders - if any - will keep foward mounted reels clear of it. Indeed, a rear mounted rod may well suffer from less splash in the chop and had I thought about it, I would have said so. So, I'm going to edit the article to reflect that, adding the disclamier that it's only a relative point in calmer waters when water isn't splashing up from the bow. You know... the kind of waters most kayak fishermen are more comfortable paddling in.
In any case, just like all good fishing kayaks, Hobie have rear rod holders molded in by default. It's good to have options, no? Comments (2) | E-mail | Read more... |
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Wednesday, 19 September 2007 |
Starlo & Bushy's latest plastic fantastics Squidgies pro range worms - these can't fail, surely
While giving a presentation on how to catch more fish with soft plastic lures at Fraser Coast Rod and Reel tackle store the other night, pro anger Scott Mitchell mentioned that Starlo & Bushy have been hard at work developing a new range of Squidgie soft plastic lures. Today I managed to find the very first of their latest innovations (I'm sure this is just the start of a bunch of new Squidgie concepts) and although I wasn't able to afford to buy everything in the new range - despite how much I wanted to - I simply couldn't go past these new worms. The lighter colored ones are called a Blood Worm and the darker ones a Red Rum worm. At $10.99 they are a bit more expensive than their earlier soft plastic offerings, although they now come in a packet of 8 pieces and also include a little satchel of what they call 'S-Factor' Attack Trigger scent juice, which is obviously designed to make them smell and taste more like the real thing. I've been using various kinds of worm placcies from a couple of other manufacturors, but I reckon these will outfish them, especially on Bream and Flathead. That little grub tail on the end will do a lot of damage me thinks - especially on the drop. I can't wait to get out and give them a shot, which will be tomorrow morning, regardless of the weather. Click this link for more information on the full new line up of Pro Range Squidgies. Be first to comment this article | E-mail | Read more... |
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Tuesday, 18 September 2007 |
Your Fish-y Photo's Wanted!Fishing gear protection product specialists, Profishional, are currently running a fishy photo competition, which is running until the end of September. I know that a lot of my kayak fishing comrades are rather handy with the camera so I thought it worth mentioning here. There's a few worthy prizes on offer so if you've got a killer snap, go forth and send it in. Shamelessly leeched from the official competition page, here's the lowdown:
Send us your Fishing Photos for our Gallery at our Home Page. And be in the draw to win up to $100.- worth of ProFishional Products.
First Price: ProFishional Products of your choice worth $100.00
Second Price: ProFishional Products of your choice worth $75.00
Third Price: ProFishional Products of your choice worth $50.00
(Note: Shipping cost not Included)
You may send as many photos as you like, this will increase your chance to win.
You can send it via email or snail-mail.
Drawing date will be the 30th of September 2007
The winners will be notified by email.
By sending your photos to us, you agree to get them exposed on our web site. Be first to comment this article | E-mail | Read more... |
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Monday, 17 September 2007 |
A bit too blowy for kayak fishing the prime spots
The past few days have been a bit blowy here at Hervey Bay, with northerly winds reaching 20 knots at times. This has forced me to seek out sheltered areas, which has been pretty easy to do. Unfortunately, this has made most of the fish shut down somewhat and it's made my last couple of trips relatively uneventful. The first one was a quick paddle around the Mary River Heads (beautiful spot) and I soon found that the estuary was a little murky, producing only a couple of small Flathead. I did paddle out into the bay itself, but with an oncoming north easterly hitting up against an outgoing tide the water was just too choppy to fish comfortably.
 This Pike fell for a Berkley sand worm soft plastic
Yesterday I launched from the Great Sandy Straight Marina, which I found to be an excellent spot to dip a kayak, due largely to the various boat ramps on offer. Protected by a large breakwall the water here was really very calm but I decided to paddle out into the bay anyway. Waters were rougher here of course, although I found refuge by paddling around to the southern side. I made my way to Pulgul creek from here, trolling a coupe of hard-body lures along the way. Unfortunately my timing wasn't great and with the tide going out I found the creek mouth a bit too shallow for further exploration. I did pick up a couple of Pike along the way back, but nothing to write home about. Neither trip inspired me to cobble together a full report, although the recon should prove valuable for my final Hervey Bay destination report.Be first to comment this article | E-mail | Read more... |
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Wednesday, 12 September 2007 |
Online resource for kayak fishermen across the globeAny kayak fishermen worth their salt will be bookmarking the newly launched Kayak Fishing Magazine website. This fully online (and completely free) monthly publication has just gone live, offering an insight into up and coming tournaments, kayak fishing related products and a bunch of other useful and interesting information. Included in the first issue is a look at the Hobie I-series kayaks, Ram rod holders, the Ocean Kayak Prowler 15 Trident, confessions of a kayak dealer (a great read - especially for anyone breaking into the sport), an interview with Andy Zimmerman of Heritage Kayaks, Native Watercraft and Liquid Logic Kayaks and quite a bit more. The editors have done a sterling job considering this is only the first issue and quite clearly it will grow rapidly. Be a part of that growth and sign up today. Be first to comment this article | E-mail | Read more... |
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Wednesday, 12 September 2007 |
Nifty little Aussie invention AWJAM fly hook threader
He then ran a length of line into the groove, which passed through the eye of the hook as it came out the other end. Instantly I realized what it was - a hook threading device. A really nifty one at that. Alan Wragg, as he later revealed himself to be, is the very same guy who invented the product, which has been selling very well amongst fly fishermen in the USA. It hasn't yet hit mainstream in Australia (even though it was invented and is made here), although Compleat Angler have started selling them (for $12.95). Ironically, they are sold for twice as much in yankee-land. Alan was kind enough to give me this particular sample. Be first to comment this article | E-mail | Read more... |
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Friday, 07 September 2007 |
Too murky, even for the locals
 A couple more inches and this would have gone under It's been some 3 weeks since the resident dolphins have made an appearance at Tin Can Bay, obviously due to the current state of the water, which has been turned to proverbial mud ever since the great QLD floods of 2007. I figure it goes without saying that if even the dolphins (who usually get hand-fed here on a daily basis) aren't willing to stick around, the fish wouldn't really want to either. According to the local tackle shop even the mud crabs have headed out to sea... and given their name sake, one would think they'd be right at home here at the moment. They're not though and nor is much else it seems - the local tackle shop owner looked totally dejected over the situation and I took that as an omen: it's time to go.
That's a real shame because it's pretty simple to see that any other time the fishing would be excellent here, especially for Bream and Whiting affectionardoes. And not just because of that either - I like it here and if the conditions were different, I'd definately hang around for a while. The people of Tin Can Bay seems to be living proof that people really are a product of their environment. Nice place, nice people (unlike *cough* Gympie *cough*). Everyone seems to have a smile for you here, more than happy to engage in conversation and answer all of your stupid questions.
There's loads of accomodation options here although the drenching has made pitching a tent pretty much impossible. Not quite ready to leave today, this influenced me to look around to find the best value for money roof over my head for a night. I seem to have found it at the Tin Can Bay Motel, which is hidden from the main road, but within a relaxed walking distance to the beaches of Tin Can Inlet. The price here is pretty reasonable and actually a bit cheaper than the cabins I inspected at other caravan parks. The managers (Aaron and Kelly Rice) are a fine example of the friendly nature of the people here, which makes for a pleasant place to stay. If you ever head into Tin Can Bay and need a place to stay, be sure to take a look. Be first to comment this article | E-mail | Read more... |
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Friday, 07 September 2007 |
Servicing the Miragedrive
With all this wind and rain proving to be a real show stopped as far as the kayak fishing is concerned, I've had a fair bit of time up my sleeve... more than I'd normally want. I've been staying productive though, pulling apart my reels and giving them a good clean, sharpening hooks, practicing new knots, experimenting with various manual settings on my camera, doing some 3D graphic design work (building deathmatch arenas for Quake 3) and even finding time to write a short story. One task I have been putting off is to service my Hobie Miragedrive. I figure that after all the punishment I've put it through over time, I really should dismantle it, inspect all parts and give it a thorough servicing.
There's two reasons I've been procrastinating on this one - partly because I haven't really needed to until recently, but more so because it just looked like it would be a rather challenging task. Two things surprised me when I actually got around to doing it. One being that I was impressed with how well each of it's components have held up. The other being how easy it was to pull apart and put back together again.
I was expecting to find a bit of inadvertant rust here and there, but surprisingly there was very little at all (only surface rust on a couple of grub screws). I did note, however, that a few of them did need to be tightened into place again. Putting it back together was a simpler exercise than I anticipated, with everything fitting back into place with ease. As I did so I took care to ensure all screws and nuts were suitably secured, as well as ensuring that both chains and cable were at the right tension, which is firm, but not overly tight. After doing the deed it felt as good as new and despite the overhanging clouds, inspired me to get out into the water ASAP. So as soon as the job was done I packed the car and took off to the boat ramp at Snapper creek near the coast guard at Tin Can Bay and took to the water... er, I mean mud.
I'm really glad I took the time to do that and I think I'll do so with much more frequency from now on. Prevention is better than cure, after all.Be first to comment this article | E-mail | Read more... |
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Wednesday, 05 September 2007 |
Kayak fishing reel in developmentI neglected to take a photo of it but I can tell you that renowned Aussie based reel manufacturor, Alvey, have a purpose designed reel intended for kayak fishing in the works. As far as I'm aware there is only one sample in existence right now and Bill 'Billybob' Watson has it in his hot little hands right now. Indeed, it's design is based on some feedback that he offered to them some time ago. At a distance it looks much like the other Alvey reels on offer, with only minor tweaks. The sample model actually holds a km of fishing line and although I can't recall the weight rating (it was 5AM in the morning when Bill told me) I found that to be pretty impressive. Obviously the stand out feature of Alvey reels - and what is likely to make them attractive as a kayak fishing option - is that they are relatively bullet proof and highly corrosion resistant. I'm not sure if I'd switch from the vanilla threadline reel design, but I can understand why those who are performing regular surf launches would want to. For me the most impressive thing of all is that they have started toying wth the idea of developing a reel intended for kayak fishing. It demonstrates to me that the industry is starting to take notice of our illustrious beloved sport. Be first to comment this article | E-mail | Read more... |
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Wednesday, 05 September 2007 |
With MirageDrives even! While surfing around KayakFishingStuff.com today I discovered that Hobie have introduced 2 more kayaks to their range and not just any old kayaks either. They might not be the first inflatable kayaks in the world, but I'm willing to bet they are the first pedal-powered kayaks. No doubt some people would scoff at this but I'm really quite interested to see them in the flesh. My kayak fishing career started off with inflatables, although I have to admit they weren't in this class.
There are single and double models on offer (called the Mirage i12S and i14T respectively), although I don't think they've been introduced to the Aussie market yet. When they do finally get here I think I'll do some nagging to see if I can manage to get out and have a test ride.
Be first to comment this article | E-mail | Read more... |
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Wednesday, 05 September 2007 |
QLD - beautiful one day, pissing down the next Rainy day at Tin Can Bay I really did manage to time my presence here in Southern Queensland rather poorly because the usual 'perfect next day' just doesn't seem to be happening. I've been hanging around the Noosa area just kind of filling time and waiting for the water to clear up so that I could take advantage of the aftermath. And right when I figured that would be likely to happen, the winds have picked up and the rain is falling again. It's not as drastic as the earier deluge, but the wind alone is enough to keep me off the water. I was hoping beyond all hope that the weather reports would be wrong and that the winds wouldn't be blowing hard with rain and drizzle this morning, but they were. Words from the old 80's Supertramp song 'It's raining again' were going through my mind as I observed it. Those of you who remember that song would know it as a sad ballad but to be honest, I'm not letting it get me down. Whilst it's made the fishing hard, the rain has put many smiles on faces around here (because it sure needs it) so moods are high.
While planning for this trip I told myself I'd circuit the coastline twice and this is exactly one of the reasons why. I just knew that I'd land in some places at the most inadvertant of times and this is a perfect example. There are loads of great fishing spots in southern QLD, but I've been held back on checking a lot of them out because of the weather. I'll have to return to these parts on the 2nd pass to really sink my teeth into it. The upside to the downtime is that I've had plenty of time to talk to the local experts and find out what I need to know to make sure that when I do return, I know where to go and what to do. This is also gives me the chance to be able to write up destination reports with some conviction, without genuine first hand experience. Upon returning to areas that I was unable to explore previously, I'll be updating the relative reports with more personal exeriences.
This afternoon I'll be compiling my report on the Noosa area and thats not something I'd be able to do if not for the help of some key personalities. Kudos to Fishing Noosa's Bill 'Billybob' Watson for going right out of his way to make me feel welcome and fill me in with a lot of what I need to know about the area. Not only did he show me the ropes first hand, he also took the time to explain a lot of the other opportunities around the traps. I also have to say a big thank you to two of the local tackle shops, both of which were pretty helpful in offering me some insight. Davo's Bait & Tackle and Barrajacks Tackleworld, many thanks to both of you. Both stores have a great range, sharp prices and knowledgabe staff - you can't ask for much more from a fishing shop. Mal from Sunstate Hobie (Queensland's resident Hobie distributor) also deserves a plug here, who gave me a bit of a rundown on where I should be able to find some nice Bass (he is perfectly positioned across the road from Lake McDonald in Cooroy, which is well known for said fish). He's been extremely busy with the Brisbane boat show, both in preparation and the ensuing aftermath, so I'm doubling back to catch up with him again on Friday. Not only am I hoping to get a bit more of his time to learn more about the most productive Bass spots, but also to pick up a Thule Gear pod for my roof racks, which will really make life a lot easier on me. Comments (1) | E-mail | Read more... |
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