madman1
13-07-2006, 07:38 PM
Departed Mooloolaba as mentioned on the Going Fishing section at 0300 to sloppy conditions on the way to the Hards. The swell was short with an undecided chop running over the reefs. Around one and three quarter hours later we arrived to our supposed spot X and began to burley reletively heavy.
Cobes come out of every where with none of them tempted by large squid and fresh pillies. We were waiting for the sunrise bite but it didn't really happen.
After confering with the trusty GPS it appeared the wind and tide had pushed us about 100 mteres away from our spot. We moved, then the fish started coming aboard slowly.
First was a couple of Pearlies, but only one at a time as opposed to multiple hook ups during the night. As I was fiddling with my 6500 Baitrunner it went off like a frog in a sock. Snapper number one for the Madman.
I took a mate from work who rarely gets out in the deep water and considered himself lucky the weather was "novice" friendly! He hooked one pearlie and his first Knobbie. He was wrapped.
The novices rod was then smashed by what Micky G and I thought was a large Ambo. 20 minutes later and one tired novice, the line went PINGGGG! One pissed off novice on board!
After scoring 4 Snaps around the 3 kilo mark and 4 pearlies we decided to drift towards the 80 and 100 metre mark. But with wind against tide and no sea anchor, the lines didn't touch the bottom.
After around an hour we decided to "up lines" and head directly to the 100 metre mark, when the sh!t hit the fan when the motor wouldn't turn over!!! ouch.
With only a single battery set up (which was charged only a week ot so ago) our options were limited. There wasn't a boat in site being a Wednesday and a 27 meg raido isn't going to cut the mustard. We were up sh!t creek without a battery to run the Etec.
It then occured to me that these things can be started without a battery and only one turn of the fly wheel.
How do you pull the bloody thing apart was the next question??
After some stuffing around and pulling out of some plugs we ended up starting it by turning the key and maunally turning the flywheel by hand. #####!!! it started first go!!
Then BUZZZ!! The oil light was shreaking, I had pulled all the connecting wiring out to get to the fly wheel and hadn't replaced them prior to starting the donk, consequently the motor was stopped by the deckie. We then put all the wires back and then had absolutely no power (with what little remained). We were stumped and slowly drifting to New Zealand.
After some searching we found a fuse (of which I have been told there is only one or two on an Etec) had come loose and was threatening to jump into the deep blue and absolutely screw my day up. It was put back into its socket and the starting process started again and so did the motor.
"Lets hit the Banks" I said jokingly and was quickly told to F@#$ Off and head home.
On the way back we managed to PING a couple of likley haunts that will be tested in the near future.
If the motor just decided to go into shut down mode we would have only been left with the option of firing up the EPIRB and wearing the cost if nobody came near by as we didn't have enough food or water to last us to get to NZ.
As of Saturday the boat is being fitted with a dual battery setup and the VHF will follow very shortly after.
Out of curiosity, what would it cost to be towed from the Hards to Mooloolaba when activating the EPIRB???
Until next time.
Cheers
MADMAN!!!
Cobes come out of every where with none of them tempted by large squid and fresh pillies. We were waiting for the sunrise bite but it didn't really happen.
After confering with the trusty GPS it appeared the wind and tide had pushed us about 100 mteres away from our spot. We moved, then the fish started coming aboard slowly.
First was a couple of Pearlies, but only one at a time as opposed to multiple hook ups during the night. As I was fiddling with my 6500 Baitrunner it went off like a frog in a sock. Snapper number one for the Madman.
I took a mate from work who rarely gets out in the deep water and considered himself lucky the weather was "novice" friendly! He hooked one pearlie and his first Knobbie. He was wrapped.
The novices rod was then smashed by what Micky G and I thought was a large Ambo. 20 minutes later and one tired novice, the line went PINGGGG! One pissed off novice on board!
After scoring 4 Snaps around the 3 kilo mark and 4 pearlies we decided to drift towards the 80 and 100 metre mark. But with wind against tide and no sea anchor, the lines didn't touch the bottom.
After around an hour we decided to "up lines" and head directly to the 100 metre mark, when the sh!t hit the fan when the motor wouldn't turn over!!! ouch.
With only a single battery set up (which was charged only a week ot so ago) our options were limited. There wasn't a boat in site being a Wednesday and a 27 meg raido isn't going to cut the mustard. We were up sh!t creek without a battery to run the Etec.
It then occured to me that these things can be started without a battery and only one turn of the fly wheel.
How do you pull the bloody thing apart was the next question??
After some stuffing around and pulling out of some plugs we ended up starting it by turning the key and maunally turning the flywheel by hand. #####!!! it started first go!!
Then BUZZZ!! The oil light was shreaking, I had pulled all the connecting wiring out to get to the fly wheel and hadn't replaced them prior to starting the donk, consequently the motor was stopped by the deckie. We then put all the wires back and then had absolutely no power (with what little remained). We were stumped and slowly drifting to New Zealand.
After some searching we found a fuse (of which I have been told there is only one or two on an Etec) had come loose and was threatening to jump into the deep blue and absolutely screw my day up. It was put back into its socket and the starting process started again and so did the motor.
"Lets hit the Banks" I said jokingly and was quickly told to F@#$ Off and head home.
On the way back we managed to PING a couple of likley haunts that will be tested in the near future.
If the motor just decided to go into shut down mode we would have only been left with the option of firing up the EPIRB and wearing the cost if nobody came near by as we didn't have enough food or water to last us to get to NZ.
As of Saturday the boat is being fitted with a dual battery setup and the VHF will follow very shortly after.
Out of curiosity, what would it cost to be towed from the Hards to Mooloolaba when activating the EPIRB???
Until next time.
Cheers
MADMAN!!!