Darryl
06-12-05, 08:08 PM
Up at o'dark thirty in anticipation of a great day offshore. Forecast looked a bit dodgy but I was looking forwards to Gunboat's first trip out to the traps and the government FAD.
As pre-arranged, met up with Pogo at West Head just after pickaninny dawn for a livey session and it wasn't long before we had a dozen or so of good bait-sized yakkas each. I had along my poor old mate Nifty (the one who doesn't get out much) & he had a ball catching the little blighters. :wink: .
Loaded up, we punched out towards the FAD in company. Its a bloody long way in a small boat, 25km from West Head.
The good news is that the FAD is still there, in exactly the same spot as last season. The bad news - there's no flamin' fish!
Neither were there any at the several traps we checked out on the way there & on the way back. Couldn't even get a bite at a couple of the wide reefs at 70m or so we bottom bashed with jiggs, livies & bait. Hope for the punters sake that the Central Coast Charter boat that was out there did a bit better.
We both trolled a lure spread back to the flathead lolly shop, with the only interest being from a couple of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. Unfortunately, the shop was shut. Well, to tell the truth, it was still open but was infested with Elvis Presley Fish, henceforth known as shoplifters!
Over to Plan D, troll the headlands with downriggers, both Gunboat and the Pogoboat being so equipped.
Started at The Ovens for a nil result for both vessels, thence to Little Head at North Whale when, oh joy of joys, at the top of the tide, Pogo gets a double hook up of kings, one on the 'rigger and 'tother on an sp. Good going solo to land both but each was undersize and released.
Weather gods were kind for a change, swell was more-or-less as predicted as up to 2m but the wind held off and couldn't have been more than 5knots. No real sea thank heavens. Water temp was not encouraging, being only 21deg at 100m and 22 inshore. Lots of that horrible slimey algae about as well down deep.
As pre-arranged, met up with Pogo at West Head just after pickaninny dawn for a livey session and it wasn't long before we had a dozen or so of good bait-sized yakkas each. I had along my poor old mate Nifty (the one who doesn't get out much) & he had a ball catching the little blighters. :wink: .
Loaded up, we punched out towards the FAD in company. Its a bloody long way in a small boat, 25km from West Head.
The good news is that the FAD is still there, in exactly the same spot as last season. The bad news - there's no flamin' fish!
Neither were there any at the several traps we checked out on the way there & on the way back. Couldn't even get a bite at a couple of the wide reefs at 70m or so we bottom bashed with jiggs, livies & bait. Hope for the punters sake that the Central Coast Charter boat that was out there did a bit better.
We both trolled a lure spread back to the flathead lolly shop, with the only interest being from a couple of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. Unfortunately, the shop was shut. Well, to tell the truth, it was still open but was infested with Elvis Presley Fish, henceforth known as shoplifters!
Over to Plan D, troll the headlands with downriggers, both Gunboat and the Pogoboat being so equipped.
Started at The Ovens for a nil result for both vessels, thence to Little Head at North Whale when, oh joy of joys, at the top of the tide, Pogo gets a double hook up of kings, one on the 'rigger and 'tother on an sp. Good going solo to land both but each was undersize and released.
Weather gods were kind for a change, swell was more-or-less as predicted as up to 2m but the wind held off and couldn't have been more than 5knots. No real sea thank heavens. Water temp was not encouraging, being only 21deg at 100m and 22 inshore. Lots of that horrible slimey algae about as well down deep.