Caloundra Yakking Snappers - 31.08.10

[nezevic99]

After a fitful night’s sleep, the bleeping of the alarm drifted into my consciousness and I rolled out of bed at 3am. The plan was to take the boat out to fish the deep and it was already packed and waiting to go. Breakfast was thrown down and we were on the road. 20 minutes later we pulled up to get fuel and found the disc brakes jammed on the trailer and smoke billowing out of the wheel rims. After a quick pow-wow it was decided that it was unsafe to trailer the boat the further 40mins to the ramp on the highway and the trip was aborted. By now it was 4am and Dad was grumpy about not being able to take the pride and joy. Back home, unpack and lick the wounds… But with the weather forecast the way it was there was no way I was letting it stop me.

So I waved goodbye to a very forlorn Dad and shot home to pack the yak onto the car. I arrived up on the ramp at Kings Beach just before the sun awoke from its slumber and slipped the kayak into the new day. I paddled out to rig up, turned the sounder on only to find it wasn’t working. Bugger! Never mind, I’ll navigate by the GPS as I still had the track from last trip saved. I set two lines and started trolling out to the Fairway Marker. After an uneventful trip out playing dodgems with the shipping I started drifting near the marker flicking softies to no avail. A bloke in a tinny popped over for a chat and told me he’d been getting bonito on the troll. Sounds good to me I thought and switched back to stooging around. The current line from the bar was fairly prominent and looked interesting so I set a beeline for it and started to follow it south. Within no time the Rapala magnum 15 was kicking and a little bonito was sitting in my lap. Feeling pleased as punch I set the lines again and kept going. The rapala went again this time a slightly bigger model. However due to some clumsiness and a kick of the tail I practiced C&R on this one. Not to worry I thought, there’ll be plenty more. Half an hour later I’d not had another strike so I turned and started heading north to a mark I’d put in last time I was out. As I started to cross the current line into the dirty water I was on again. Again on the rapala. This time a nice 36cm squire graced my lap. No clumsiness this time! I couldn’t help myself. A quick text to Dad to let him know what he was missing out on. Tidy up and off again. Hang on the rapala has been snaffled again. Another little bonito in the bag.

I arrived over near the mark I’d put in to find another two guys in Hobies enjoying the superb day yesterday was to be on the water. A quick hello and I kept moving to let them have their space. In with the lures and back out with the plastics. I set the drogue so I drifted rear first and started flicking a shad on 6lb. Second cast I was hopping the shad along the bottom and it was crash tackled. A few lively runs and a lovely grassy sweetlip of 40cm is sitting in my lap. This is the best fun I’ve had in ages… Hop, hop, hop smash. This went on for at least an hour. I caught a fish tank full of small cod, grassies, pike and whiptail. In amongst it I added another 39cm grassy to the bag. I got hit by what could only have been a small mackerel, the line making a zipping noise through the water as it took off after seeing the yak before the hook pulled.

By now it was nearly 12pm and time I started heading for home. So in with the plastics and out with the lures again. I started wombling my way back to the ramp with a quick detour past the productive current line. I was just turning to pass back through it when (you guessed it) the rapala got monstered. Definitely a better fish this time but still had me stumped as to what it was. Colour, colour, is it? Yep, You Bloody Beauty! A 57cm snapper that has absolutely scoffed the lure is slipped between my legs. I’m thinking this Rapala will be a constant in my arsenal now. I slipped back onto the ramp one very happy camper. I couldn’t help but stir the old boy up again… Fish fillets win favours so the dutiful son delivered. unfortunately there are no on-water photos, i forgot the camera.

[004dam]

Nice going! I am even more keen to pick up a yak now. Do you often headout on your own? Nice snapper there we caught a similar size model of coolum reef Saturday. I did a job this morning at kings it was bloody flat as!

[B-MACK]

What a plan B! Awesome day, and you've gotta be stoked finishing on a trolled up snapper.

[nezevic99]

Was a fantastic morning! I've only recently bought the yak and this was my second trip out. First trip i got a 40cm snap on an rmg scorpion.

[B-MACK]

Thats awesome! I guess thats one of the great advantages of yaking you get a chance to troll over some of that shallow ground that is quiet productive but that most would drive straight over in a boat. Have you lost any lures in your two trips? I could imagine their would be a few nasty jacks, big cod, jew, spangles and kingies on that ground around kings/shellys, brays and beyond!

Also if your keen enough to get out to the fairway marker spanish season next Feb March will be mental from a kyak.

[nezevic99]

No lost gear as yet. I was trolling in about 13m of water. Got a sounder on the yak so it's easy to stay in water deep enough for them not to hook up on the bottom. The area gets a bit of a punishing from small tinnies but it's definately got fish on it though.

I can't wait for mackerel season...

[Just_chips]

Try trolling some of the predatek vipers and spoonbills. The snaps will get stuck in to these also. They are aussie made and don't hurt the hip pocket quite as much. I reckon you get more hits trolling the bottom third of the water column so don't be afraid to troll the shallower sections, just match the lure diving depth to the water your fishing and get a tackle back.

Kev

[FishHunter]

The easiest way to retrieve snagged lures when trolling is to turn around paddle back past the lure when the line comes tight it unsnags the lure 90% of the time.

[rabbi]

Hi Jon.
RMG scorpion?? U get snaps on them
What sort of yak did you get mate.
We should have a yak out one day.
I reckon the stealth factor is an advantage with a yak as outboard noise does put down some species. Im goin out off the northern rivers yakking when the sea settles and mack season kicks in.
Cheers, steve