Yakabout - Burrum Heads river mouth and beyond #3

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Burrum Heads river mouth and beyond #3

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Sunday, 23 September 2007

No Tuna, but a nice Golden Trevally

Golden Trevally, 52cm, 2.3kg

Launch:	- 6:45 AM
Landed:	- 10.15 AM
Tide:	- 5:44 AM, high
Weather:	- Warm, 26 °C, 10 - n15 knot south easterly
Caught:	- Golden Trevally, mystery fish
Method:	- Flicking and trolling soft plastic & hard body lures

Even though the previous day's trip was so unproductive, I decided to retrace my steps and have another bash. One of the things I neglected to mention in the previous trip report is that I did spy some bait-fish being rounded up somewhere close to the middle point of the Burrum heads. I wasn't sure what the culprits were. Could have been Tailor perhaps, maybe Tuna. Either way it got me curious, so off I went to try and find out. I was more confident of catching fish today because not only was the water somewhat choppy with winds blowing reasonably hard for that time of the morning, a thunderstorm and light rains from the night before helped ensure that water clarity wasn't so crystal.

I began by trolling out along the beacons where I'd hooked up to something tough a few days earlier. No dice by the 3rd beacon, however, so I turned towards the north side and made my way to the opposite side of the heads. Wind was blowing hard by now and there was no need for me to paddle - the wind alone manage to get an action out of an 11cm hard-body lure. I did pedal along in a few spurts though, but at first it amounted to zero. It was when I was just 100 meters from the northern shoreline that I peered back behind me and there it was - a panicked school of bait fish leaping out of the water in fear of their lives. Dammit... now I had to head back into the wind.

The bait ball was moving around and I struggled to keep up with it. Keep up with it I did, however, and when I saw th surface explosion the third time around I saw exactly what I was looking for. Tuna... the yellowfin flavour! The heart started pumping as I accelerated towards the action, hoping that my lures (one Squidgie soft plastic pillie flick bait, the other being the red/white trollcraft hard body lure) would be enough to entice the predatory pelagics. Whenever I got near to the action I flicked the pilchard softy into the mix, but no good ever came of it. Soon after I decided to start trolling straight through the action, but that didn't amount to much either. Twenty minutes later I lost sight of the action and eventually had to give it up.

So I continued on towards the shoreline, continuing to troll both lures. I'd traveled about 100 meters along side it when I decided to check the hard-body for weeds. Just in case there was one of those elusive Tuna hanging about, I reeled it in hard. 15 meters from the kayak I felt a tug. Then another. Followed by the heart-racing zzzzzzzzzz of a screaming reel. Yeehar!

As I typically do in such circumstances, I turned the kayak around while line peeled away and then slowly pedaled towards the fish, lifting and winding as I went. A minute later the fish was underneath me but when I saw the broad flash of silver I knew it wasn't a Tuna (actually, the strength of it's fight gave that away earlier). It was, however, a decent sized Trevally of some kind, soon after revealed as a Golden Trevally. When it was underneath the kayak it was really very hesitant to come up, although by now most of it's fight was gone. I was pretty pleased with this capture and no doubt will serve me well as both dinner and breakfast.

Me, my revo and my catch of the day: photo taken by 'are-we-there-yet'

I continued on trolling about 50 meters from the shoreline, back towards the township of Burrum, hopeful of another strike. I did catch another fish but it wouldn't be fair to say it struck. It was more like it sort of sucked it's way onto the hook (the same lure) and as fate would have it, I was unable to identify this one. At a guess I'd say it was part of the toadfish family (whatever latin name they have) and looked about as edible as 2 week old KFC. A quick photo later and it was returned to where it came from.

What is this ugly specimen?

Upon returning to land I spotted a Perception Swing kayak at one of the beachside tents and upon investigation I discovered that it's owner was none other than AKFF member, 'are-we-there-yet'. So I stopped in for a quick chat and a look over his kayak, which he's rigged out superbly. I was particularly fond of his rod holder, which he'd uncovered on ebay. Hopefully I'll see him out on the water in the morning. I did, of course, tell him where I'd seen those Tuna, as well as where I'd hooked the Trevally. Even if I do sleep in again (he was out much earlier thn me today) somehow I reckon I'll find him right where I pointed to.