Wayne_Red
25-11-2006, 09:39 PM
Hi guys
Thanks for the comments on brrbears's thread.
Great site, glad to be a new member.
A few stats
jewie weight 19kg. caught on a 8" kanga lure ( made by kanga lures near Wooli) fitted with 2 x 5/0 wmc trebbles. 400 calcutta with 15lb line, doubled 20lb leader, 8' rod. 8' plastic kayak. Caught at Newcastle.
It all started about 8 weeks ago when I started fishing up river for small jew using small hard bodies 8lb line etc before work. I caught one @ 4 kg. A couple of weeks later we had a fair bit of rain that put a fresh down the river.
:'(
I thought there might be a big one at the mouth of the river with the fresh. A couple of days later there was a low tide at 6.00am. So armed with heavier gear i hit the water at 5.00am trolling my lure as i paddled slowly at my chosen spot. On was on my last run heading back towards the car at about 6.30 when the rod doubled over. A few good head shakes and he spun my kayak around and was off with me in tow. I settled into the tow and thought hmm i might be a bit late today. I was steering the kayak by moving the rod on either side of the bow, rod double over and setting a good pace. After about 500 meters he started to slow a bit and just as i started to get a couple of turns on the reel i felt a good head shake then nothing, lure came out, bugger. It was a disappointing paddle back to the car. I went to work and told the boys about "the one that got away".
Next trip was a few days later, hit the water again at 5.00am and started my first run. As Newcastle is a major shipping port, there was a ship on the move with tugs attached heading my way. I thought, i hope i don't hook a fish now. Sure enough, i just finished that thought when the rod doubled over. A few good head shakes and a few good hits from me (to sink the hooks this time) and it was on. He didn't take off like the last fish but it spun the boat around and fought it out there with the ship was getting closer. After about 2 minutes of stiking it to it (as much as you can in a yak) i had it to the surface and nice jewie rolled over a few feet from the boat and headed back to the bottom towing me slowly towards the shipping channel. Another couple of minutes and i had it back to the top again and the fish had me in the shipping chanel, and the ship was real close.
I had the rod in one hand and the paddle in the other trying to paddle out of the chanel with a not happy jew fighting it out 10' under the boat. A minute or two later i was out of the chanel (just) and had the jew on the surface still a bit green as the ship went past. I played it out for another couple on minutes before i could slip my hand in its gills and roll it into the kayak. It was 5.30 and the sun had just hit the water, beautiful.
I had the head at my feet and the tail in my lap, the adrenalin was still pumping and i thought hmm i bet there is another one here. Nahh better not, the kayak was sitting a couple of inches lower in the water now and it was already crowded, so i headed in. fish 1 me 1.
I headed home and put it in the bait freezer and went to work for a 7.00am start, different story to tell this time.
I do have one of those other boats too, the one with motors on them, but fishing before work to me is "free fishing time" where you don't have fit fishing in with wife and children commitments on the weekend.
I have been a number of times since, with no result buy hey, summer has only just began.
My next challenge is a 5 klio plus reddy in a kayak before work. I'll keep you posted
Regards Wayne
Thanks for the comments on brrbears's thread.
Great site, glad to be a new member.
A few stats
jewie weight 19kg. caught on a 8" kanga lure ( made by kanga lures near Wooli) fitted with 2 x 5/0 wmc trebbles. 400 calcutta with 15lb line, doubled 20lb leader, 8' rod. 8' plastic kayak. Caught at Newcastle.
It all started about 8 weeks ago when I started fishing up river for small jew using small hard bodies 8lb line etc before work. I caught one @ 4 kg. A couple of weeks later we had a fair bit of rain that put a fresh down the river.
:'(
I thought there might be a big one at the mouth of the river with the fresh. A couple of days later there was a low tide at 6.00am. So armed with heavier gear i hit the water at 5.00am trolling my lure as i paddled slowly at my chosen spot. On was on my last run heading back towards the car at about 6.30 when the rod doubled over. A few good head shakes and he spun my kayak around and was off with me in tow. I settled into the tow and thought hmm i might be a bit late today. I was steering the kayak by moving the rod on either side of the bow, rod double over and setting a good pace. After about 500 meters he started to slow a bit and just as i started to get a couple of turns on the reel i felt a good head shake then nothing, lure came out, bugger. It was a disappointing paddle back to the car. I went to work and told the boys about "the one that got away".
Next trip was a few days later, hit the water again at 5.00am and started my first run. As Newcastle is a major shipping port, there was a ship on the move with tugs attached heading my way. I thought, i hope i don't hook a fish now. Sure enough, i just finished that thought when the rod doubled over. A few good head shakes and a few good hits from me (to sink the hooks this time) and it was on. He didn't take off like the last fish but it spun the boat around and fought it out there with the ship was getting closer. After about 2 minutes of stiking it to it (as much as you can in a yak) i had it to the surface and nice jewie rolled over a few feet from the boat and headed back to the bottom towing me slowly towards the shipping channel. Another couple of minutes and i had it back to the top again and the fish had me in the shipping chanel, and the ship was real close.
I had the rod in one hand and the paddle in the other trying to paddle out of the chanel with a not happy jew fighting it out 10' under the boat. A minute or two later i was out of the chanel (just) and had the jew on the surface still a bit green as the ship went past. I played it out for another couple on minutes before i could slip my hand in its gills and roll it into the kayak. It was 5.30 and the sun had just hit the water, beautiful.
I had the head at my feet and the tail in my lap, the adrenalin was still pumping and i thought hmm i bet there is another one here. Nahh better not, the kayak was sitting a couple of inches lower in the water now and it was already crowded, so i headed in. fish 1 me 1.
I headed home and put it in the bait freezer and went to work for a 7.00am start, different story to tell this time.
I do have one of those other boats too, the one with motors on them, but fishing before work to me is "free fishing time" where you don't have fit fishing in with wife and children commitments on the weekend.
I have been a number of times since, with no result buy hey, summer has only just began.
My next challenge is a 5 klio plus reddy in a kayak before work. I'll keep you posted
Regards Wayne