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Rock fishing: when things go bad

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Monday, 21 May 2007

Rock Fishing - prepare for the worst, hope for the best

They're not kidding

I’m often asked about how dangerous or scary kayak fishing can be and I usually respond by saying ‘not very’. Sure, there can be rips, currents, winds and waves to deal with… on the odd occasion, perhaps even sharks. Sooner or later, most coastal kayak anglers will have to face any number of these challenges, usually in combination. The more time one spends on the water, the greater the laws of probability come into play. But for all of the countless hours I’ve spent fishing from a kayak, I‘ve never had an experience anywhere near as scary one that I had while rock fishing.

During August of 2006, I travelled with family and friends to Wilsons Prom for what was supposed to be a leisurely camping weekend at Tidal River. For the most part it was just that, although the relaxing part of it was ruined for me during a particular rock fishing trip that I’ll never forget.

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Plano Flipsider Hybrid Tackle Box

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Thursday, 17 May 2007

Is the Plano Flipsider Hybrid the perfect kayak fishing tackle box?

Plano Flipsider Hybrid

In the quarter century that I’ve been fishing, I’ve tried various methods of carting tackle around. These include carrying a small shoulder bag containing small plastic compartmentalized boxes, wearing vests with numerous cargo pockets stuffed with lures and of course I've used several larger sized tackle boxes. For one reason or another, however, those larger tackle boxes were left behind all too often, eventually delegated the role of organised storage in a cupboard. No matter the style of fishing, I could always find a more efficient way of carrying what I needed.

Things started getting a little trickier when I started kayak fishing several years ago. Not only is appropriate storage a concern, so to is ease of access, functionality and of course, keeping water out is also a high priority. When I first took up the sport I adopted a minimalist approach, using only a few soft plastic lures that easy fit into a pocket sized container. These days, however, I fish in a lot of different places targeting a lot of different species. This dictates a necessity to be prepared at all times, which means carrying a large assortment of tackle and accessories. Up until recently I was yet to find a one-stop solution for doing this.

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Kayak fishing strategies, pt 1: The Minimalist Approach

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Wednesday, 16 May 2007

Kayak Fishing - Sometimes less is more

Kayak fishing, simplified

There's more than one way to skin a cat when it comes to kayak fishing and not only is the minimalist approach the easiest and simplest way to go, sometimes it's also the best. Obviously, being minimalist is the right way to go for kayak fishing beginners. But even for the seasoned veteran, sometimes less is more. Some examples include when precarious surf launches are involved, as well as some instances where the target fish are prolific and easy to catch. There are plenty of valid arguments for being better prepared with a plethora of rods and tackle at your disposal. But going to such lengths isn't always required to catch good fish (and plenty of them).

Perfecting the minimalist approach is dead set simple: just take the tackle and kit you need, nothing more. And in many cases just a few soft plastic lures and several jigheads to match are more than enough. I few extra swivels and tracer line might also be handy. Alternatively, a couple of hard body lures might be all you need - especially if you're only heading out for a few hours.

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Waratah Bay

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Wednesday, 16 May 2007

Waratah Bay, Walkerville

Boat ramp @ Walkerville Sth

Waratah Bay is one of Victoria's most renowned destinations for enthusiastic Whiting fishermen, most of them doing so from power boats. Aussie Salmon, Barracouta, Flathead, Snapper, Yellowtail Kingfish (late Summer) and Squid (Autumn) are also common captures here. Waratah Bay is a prime kayak fishing destination, due to boasting good access and more importantly, relatively good protection from westerly winds from many positions.

Access to Waratah Bay can be had via Walkerville North, Walkerville South, the top end of Waratah Bay, or from the less sheltered Sandy Point. The northern end is better protected from northerly winds, whereas the southern end is better protected from westerlies. There are a few more launching opportunities at the northern end, with only one car park (with limited spaces, so get in early) and launching spot in the south. There is a caravan park and shop at Walkerville North, but not in the southernmost region.

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Black Hawk Deflatable Drybag

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Wednesday, 16 May 2007

Lightweight, drybag with air release valve - ideal for kayak fishing

Light work of a large load

A few months back I was fortunate enough to acquire a handy little kayak fishing accessory that impressed me instantly. The stand out feature of the Black Hawk drybag is the air release valve, which allows you to push all of the air from the drybag as you roll it up. Upon inspection, I noticed that the valve is much the same as you would see on a self-inflating mattress (commonly used for hiking) and thus reasonably good quality. And after about 3 months of heavy use and abuse, it has held up perfectly - as has the entire drybag itself.

At first I wasn't confident that this would be the case and that's largely due to the lightweight properties of the fabric, which is an abrasion resistant rip-stop nylon laminated with polyurethane on the inner side. As fishermen, we all know nylon is strong (they make fishing line out of the stuff for a reason), but it's not as durable as the heavy PVC drybags that are more commonly used. But despite any concern I may have had, I can now testify that the Black Hawk drybag material is tough enough to do it's job nicely. Instead of being a liability, I've found the reduced weight is an added bonus.

The main issue that concerned me about the longevity of this drybag was the seams, which are sealed all the way around it's edges and then reinforced with nylon webbing stitched into the sealed edges. There was no real reason for me to be concerned about this (save for my experiences with inexpensive Chinese-made drybags in the past) and 3 months on, it's all still holding together nicely, showing no signs of failing at all.

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Ricketts Point, Beaumaris

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Wednesday, 09 May 2007

Ricketts Point, Port Phillip Bay

As the sunsets, the snapper rise

Rickett's Point is one of the most popular kayak fishing destinations in Port Phillip Bay, due largely to it's convenient proximity to Melbourne residents, as well as it's reputation as a productive fishery. That reputation has taken a bit of a hit when part of the area was turned into a Marine National Park (MNP) a few years ago. The sanctuary makes up 115 hectares and thankfully this leaves plenty of worthy fishing ground around it's boundaries. Boasting no shortage of fish-holding reef, Ricketts Point is renowned for it's population of resident pinky-sized Snapper and is also known to produce Squid regularly, as well as sporadic cameo appearences from Salmon, Flathead, Snook, Barracouta, Whiting and Garfish.

Ricketts Point is also a very popular day-trip venue for family outings, divers, snorkelers, sail and stinkboats of various description (especially on warm weekends and public holidays) and for this reason, can get a bit crowded on the water. Sufficient lighting for night fishing trips is highly recommended. Facilities are fairly typical for a suburban based location. There are toilets available at the Beaumaris yacht club car park and the famous Ricketts Point Tea House nearby. Available parking areas include the Beaumaris lifesaving club (south of the Tea House) or at the Beaumaris yacht club (north of the Tea House), although parking fees do apply.

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Hobie Sport Fisherman Kayak

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Thursday, 03 May 2007

Small, nimble, perfect for kayak fishing rivers, estuaries, lakes and bays

One rod & SP lure, a Hobie Sport and 10 fish

When I first plunged into the illustrious world of Hobie fishing kayak ownership, I was troubled with a frequently occurring dilemma: the 2006 Hobie Outback or the mini-me 2006 Hobie Sport? At first I decided that the Outback would be the ticket, due largely to its ample size, stability and functionality. Momentarily satisfied with my decision, I presented a credit card, transactions ensured and soon after I was driving towards Portsea with my new Hobie Outback fishing kayak.

Once on the water, however, it soon became apparent that my small, lightweight Nancy-boy frame (65kg) just wasn’t quite enough weight to have it sit at water level properly, making for a stable, yet ‘tippy’ ride. Continually correcting for trajectory diversion caused by this constant tipping made me quickly decide that perhaps the 2006 Outback just wasn’t right for me.

Hobie Sport profile

Fortunately, the local Victorian Hobie dealer was the first to accommodate my concern, suggesting swapping the hull over for the smaller and lighter Hobie Sport. Concerned that it might travel slightly slower due to it’s shortened length, I upgraded it with a set of turbo fins, which increased its potential speed capacity by around 10 - 15%.

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Knots and line: get it right

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Thursday, 03 May 2007

Fishing knots and line: Make the weakest link as strong as hell!

This is how angry you get when you lose a big fish

While watching the recently released movie 300, the point was clearly made that the passionately violent King Leonidas firmly believed that an army was only ever as strong as it's weakest link. I wish this movie had come out many years earlier, because it's a lesson I've had to learn the hard way with fishing over the years.

Perhaps the most commonly occurring screw up that I've made over the years is to tie bad knots - I don't even want to think about how many fish I've lost to lazily or poorly tied fishing knots. Many of them at the edge of the kayak to. It happens a lot less because I pay more attention to the process now, but previously I would often neglect a single knot just slightly (either at the swivel, hook or lure) and pay for it afterwards. So these days I treat every single knot as if it has to be the best knot I've ever tied. Because I typically use a swivel and tracer for most rigs (bait or lure fishing), that means tying at least 3 knots: 2 at the swivel and 1 at the hook. If just one of those knots is poorly tied, there's a good chance it will fail under the weight of a sizable, angry fish.

It's not so much which knot you tie so much as how much attention to detail you put into tying it. That's not to say I think one should slave over tying a knot - quite the opposite. What I'm advocating here is to make a point of ensuring every knot counts. Be vigilant.

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Soft plastics for sustainability

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Tuesday, 01 May 2007

Soft plastics - the unsung hero of sustainable fishing

You might be thinking that the term “soft plastics for sustainability” is an oxymoron if you take the line that plastic is, after all, made out of oil. The truth is, however, a good deal of them are made from biodegradable materials. Look for packets that advertise being 'plastic free' (another oxymoron, I know). And don't be concerned that no plastic means no fish. The Berkley soft plastic range is a fitting case in point. I catch many - most even - of my fish on Berkley placcies.

So yes, a good deal of the soft plastic lures on the market are indeed biodegradable, so I think that issue is a bit less of a concern than I’ve heard raised in the past. Besides, in my experience, retired placcys are less likely to die of unnatural causes (such as getting irretrievably snagged) and far more likely to be manually decommissioned after being savaged by several fish. And that fish are savaging it is always a good sign (providing you have ample spares).

But the relationship between soft plastic lures and sustainability don’t end there. Indeed, one major advantage of these little wonders is that because they typically use a single upward facing hook, most of the time they only lip-hook the fish. Treble lures and flesh baits are far more likely to do more damage to the fish in question. Whilst that’s not so much of a concern if the fish is indeed of size and earmarked for the dinner table, it can cause disaster for undersize and unwanted fish. You don’t need me to tell you that such inadvertent catches have to be returned, either for legal or moral reasons. But where’s the point in doing it if the fish is unlikely to survive anyway? Sadly, that’s often the case for fish gut-hooked with bait, or fish multiple hooked with treble lures. Not so with soft plastics, which are generally always easier to unhook as well.

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The marriage of kayak fishing and soft plastic lures

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Tuesday, 01 May 2007

Why soft plastic lures are a kayak fisherman's best friend

A few of my favourite things

When I was first introduced to soft plastic lures, I laughed at what I perceived to my friend’s foolish and compulsive spending. At the time I figured that not only would this be the first I’d see of them, it would probably also be the last. How wrong I turned out to be.

It wasn’t until a couple of years later that I started going on hiking / fishing trips regularly that my attention was again drawn to these simple little soft plastic lures. Because I was walking so far (up to 25km, usually in fairly challenging environments) with a heavy pack on my back, it was always in my best interests to reduce size and weight wherever possible. Carrying bait was never really an option – especially in the warmer months of the year.

Weighing up my options (literally) I figured that carrying a small packet of plastics and just a few jig heads, I should be good to go for at least a couple of days. All of the other alternatives were either heavier or more awkward, so it just made sense to give them a chance. Under the advice of a friend who was working for The Compleat Angler at the time, I picked up some 2” Finn-S minnow shads, some small jig heads to match and away I went.

The destination was Wilson’s Prom – Refuge Cove to be exact. It was at the rocks close by to Refuge (coming from Sealers Cove) that I decided to stop walking and wet a line. I found a nice safe perch on the edge of a rock, put my pack rod together, tied on a placcy and proceeded to cast.

I fumbled the bail arm, which opened unexpectedly, allowing the line to spool free and the lure to drop into the waters edge below. Imagine my surprise when a mere nano-second later the lure was swiftly gulped by a great big Blue-throat wrasse. The fish must have been hiding under the rock and when that little soft plastic lure plopped in front of him, he simply couldn’t resist. That poor little placcy was gobbled without hesitation. It was a moment I’ll never forget. It was the moment I changed as a fisherman forever.

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Sunnyside Beach, Mornington

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Tuesday, 01 May 2007

Sunnyside Beach, Port Phillip Bay

Sunset @ Sunnyside Beach

It's quite possible that Sunnyside Beach earned it's name as a nudist beach, the details of which I've not been interested enough in to research. I can say, however, that the only nudests I have seen thus far have been male, which is very disappointing - thankfully I usually fish well out of eyeshot. Of the research I have done in this area I can say with conviction that it is generally best fished (especially for Snapper) in the early hours of the morning and that the various patches of reef are typically the most productive areas. Not only do the fish seem to bite better in the wee hours, due to it's precariously close proximity to Frankston, the 'undesirable' factor gets worse as the day progresses, and car break-ins have been known to occur. The toilet block does have empty needle bins (supposedly for junkie's convenience) and that in itself should be seen as a cautionary omen. Having said that, I've never had any problems there and I have fished the area many times.

There are no camping facilities at Sunnyside Beach, although there is ample parking that (at the time of writing) is free. There is also a barbecue facility handy, although shelter from rain is lacking. Aside from kayak fishing (for which this place is ideal (as well as nude bathing) it's also a great place for a swim, snorkel or quiet beer by the beach side. It really is one of the nicer areas on the eastern side of Port Phillip Bay within reasonable driving distance to Melbourne. As far as fishing potential goes, it's also one of the more productive.

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