Hen & Chicken Bay

[Guest rzep]

Considering that it was my birthday today and I had the day off I thought that I would take my best mate Mitchell fishing once again.

Not really caring if I caught anything or not I headed down to Hen & Chicken Bay to have a bit of a fish. It was low tide and I didn’t realise how low the tide actually gets there as I have only fished it on a high tide.

The aim of the day was to enjoy myself and spend quality time with Mitchell.

I was using lures and Mitchell was using frozen prawns.

When I was down at Watto’s on Saturday I bought a rod holder for the sand and Mitchell was using this today. He would throw out his bait and whack his rod in the holder and play in the sand. On Mitchell’s first bait of the day, whilst he was digging in the sand, I noticed that his rod was bent over so I yell out to him to let him know that he had a fish. He starts winding it in and the entire time he was saying “wind it slow, don’t rush it” which is exactly what I was saying to him when we were down there last week.

He quickly had the bream on the beach and after a quick photo it was quickly placed back in the water.

Mitchell was not with it today, he was more interested in playing than fishing which is what being a kid is all about I suppose. So he didn’t throw and more bait in the water for a while. I continued on with my fishing and I was having no luck at all. I would say this was due to it being low tide.

After a little while Mitchell is back at it again and throws out another bait. Not long after this he yells out to me that he had another fish. He started to pull it in when he somehow tangles his line. I tell him to stop and was lucky that I was able to un-tangle his line without loosing the fish. I handed the rod back to Mitch and he continues to pull in the fish. This one was a small whiting which is a new species for him, and when he saw it he was really excited.

Once I un-hooked it Mitchell put it back in the water and decided to chase it out through the shallow water.

I was having no luck still and Mitchell was getting bored so we put some of the gear back in the car and headed down to the wharf to soak some bait. As I prepared Mitchell's rig he decides to have some lunch so I drop his bait in the water and hold his rod for him while he eats. About a minute later I hook up to a larger bream and bring him in. He measured at 32cm’s and was put straight back in to the dismay of a couple of other fisho’s on the wharf. I didn't bother with a photo as the camera was back in the car.

While on the wharf a couple of guys packed up and left and they pulled up a keepers net that had some huge bream in it and a very healthy Blue Swimmer Crab. I didn’t even know that you could get these here.

Mitchell then decided that he wanted to go to the playground to play so I packed up our gear and called it a day.

In the end it has been a day well spent with my son but a pretty crappy days fishing, although Mitchell was happy with his catch.

The rod holder that Mitchell was using is by far the best thing to have when you take your children fishing as it allows them to do other things also.

Is there a better way to spend your birthday??

I don't think so.

Edited April 23, 2007 by rzep

[Guest MRS WATTO]

SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT DAY OUT WITH MITCHELL PAUL, GREAT REPORT.

GO MITCHELL, OUT FISHED YOUR DAD ONCE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS LOVE MITCHELL'S SHIRT

[big_steve]

well done buddy great day and good to see the little fella out fish u hahaha

and great day

steve

[1975]

No better way to spend a birthday than doing what you love with the little mate.

billy