Yakabout - Point Vernon, Hervey Bay

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Point Vernon, Hervey Bay

Monday, 10 September 2007

Variety is the spice of kayak fishing

Launch:	- 1:30 PM
Landed:	- 3.15 PM
Tide:	- 2:00 PM, Low
Weather:	- Warm, 25 °C, 5 knot south easterly
Caught:	- Pike, Flathead, Grinner, Wirefence Cod, Wolf Herring
Method:	- Trolling & casting hard-bodied and soft plastic lures

After the previous day's marathon effort (27.5km paddle/pedal trip) I elected for a more leisurely approach today, launching at Point Vernon and trolling along the edges of the reefy coffee rocks that line the banks of The Gables. Today I would have travelled a 10th of the distance, yet managed to catch more fish. It didn't take long for things to fire up when I noticed small baitfish busting the surface in panic. Immediately I started trolling around the edges of the action, hooking up to a small Pike in no time. He was followed by many more, although I was actually hoping for something bigger and tastier lurking beneath. By the time I'd lost count on how many I'd landed, I decided to move away to try and catch something edible.

Wire fence cod

It wasn't long after this that I felt a better bite that felt a lot like a Flathead, but actually turned out to be a Wire fence Cod. I wasn't sure if this guy would be tasty or not, nor was I sure if it was of legal size, so it to was swiftly returned. Ten minutes later I managed to hook onto something with a bit more spirit, a long slender looking fish that continued to leap into the air as I reeled it towards the kayak. Like the cod, I was unable to identify it at first, but at around 55cm I figured that if it was edible, it was also legal. Determined to eat fresh fish for the night I decided to keep this fellow, but later found out that Wolf Herring (which is what I later identified it as) would probably be frowned on by a cat. A Mackeral might find it appealing I hoped, so I've kept him for bait.

Wolf Herring - toothy bastich!

I did manage to catch a few more fish, including a Flathead that was almost as small as the lure he tried to swallow, as well as a couple more Grinners. These were all returned to live and fight another day. Had I stayed out longer there's no telling what the tally would have amounted to, but I was keen to get the Wolf Herring identified and if worthy, on the grill. A rumbling tummy brought the trip to an early demise so not terribly long after it started, the trip was complete.

Damned pesky Pike

For the second day running, every single fish was caught on the Owner Rip'n Minnow hard body lure. The more I use these lures the more I like them, proving their worth on a variety of species. It's only a matter of time before I land something really nice on one of these lures. Hopefully that'll be tomorrow, when I'll be heading out in the morning to catch the high tide at Urangan pier.