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| Bowen Isl - Pt Perpendicular | | Print | |
| Saturday, 12 April 2008 | ||||
Revenge on the leatherjackets Sailing to pt Perpendicular I've been frequenting Bowen Island by way of Murrays boat ramp a lot lately and if there is anything I've learned to dislike about it, it's the infestation of small leatherjackets that continually savage my soft plastic lures. The problem has gotten so bad that I now refuse to tie on a plastic lure until I reach the northern end of the island - any time before that is asking for trouble. Not so with hard-body lures, however, because the little blighters can't tear them up. That doesn't stop them trying though and as a result I fouled hooked not one, but at least 10 of them today. All of them were returned... the little guy pictured was the largest of them all.  Leatherjacket infestation Small leatherjackets weren't the only unwanted by-catch of the day. In the same area I also hooked a spikey little cod, which was of course returned also. I was hoping for a tailor or aussie salmon as I trolled my way to Bowen island, but it just wasn't to be. Upon reaching the northern end (kingy territory) I up-sized the lure in hope of hooking up something more impressive than a rat. To this end I traversed the northern end of the island back and forth a few times for no return. The waters were uncomfortably choppy here, so I decided to sail my way over to Pt Perpendicular for a change. Before setting off I up-sized my lure once more (using an 8" Halco deep-diver) - this time in hope of hooking onto a yellowfin tuna.  And the odd cod I'd reached the pt after tacking my way into a northerly wind in what seemed like about an hour. I didn't get a single bite the entire time, which did surprise me. Under the protection of the towering cliff face I decided to stop off and bottom bash a 5" soft plastic squidgy pilchard style flick bait for a while. It was quiet here as well, although I did manage to pull in a smelly pike, which I also put back into the water (not even fit for cat food). I did, however, hook onto something really very big a short while later. I'd like to think it was a kingy, but its more likely that it was a groper, because whatever it was, it was huge. Too big and lackadaisical for a kingy I think. After grabbing the lure it backed it's way under a reef and refused to budge. The harder I pulled, the harder it pulled. Eventually it won the tug of war by snapping the line at the tracer knot - something that hasn't happened to me in a while.  Pike: skunks of the sea As the sun made its way toward the horizon line I decided to sail back towards the island, and then back to the boat ramp. I didn't have to do any tacking this time because a tail wind assisted me the entire way back. I sure picked up a lot of speed on the return journey and had a hell of a lot of fun along the way. Truth be told, that's what today's trip was all about. These trimaran/kayaks are a hell of a lot of fun. Fishing was a secondary consideration next to sailing the Adventure Island, which is why I only took out one rod and just a few lures. But it was nice to prove to myself that they can be used for fishing as well.  Sailing the Adventure Island = fun Unfortunately, not a single fish I caught today was worth holding onto. Time and weather permitting tomorrow, I'll head out into the basin to make up for that. This time, however, I'll be more focused on the fish (tailor will be my target) and as such, will leave the Island behind and take out the Adventure instead.  30kms traversed
   
13-04-2008 07:29 looks like heaps of fun Josh, understand what you are saying about the fishability...but i am generally a 1 rod man anyway..... 13-04-2008 08:23 Yeah, I think it's going to be more comfy with just 1 rod, but with the right rod holders set at the right angles you could get more on board I guess. But yep, personally, I think 1 rod is the go for the Island. Only registered users can write comments. Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 |
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