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Finally Back To Yakkin & Fishin'


arpie

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Hi all

Apologies for being so quiet for so long - after I returned from the Snowies with Kim, my back was really playing up (from an injury 10 years ago! :( ) So I was on Voltaren twice a day & resting up, hoping it would right itself, as I had some yakkin buddies coming to stay with me for the weekend. Luckily, it seemed OK for the Sat, but flared up again on the Sun, so back to the Voltaren again till the middle of last week, when finally, it seems to have fixed up! I now wear an elastic 'back support' when on the yak, just in case, to hold it all together firmly! I hate not being able to get out & fish!! Talk about a bear with a sore foot!!!

A couple of weekends back, Rod & Lorraine from Muswellbrook, stayed with us as they were keen to hit the lake again, after a year's absence. Some other yakking friends were staying in the caravan park at Tuncurry that is right on the lake, a 1 min walk to the water, with heaps of top fishing spots within an easy paddle!

We ventured over to Tuncurry to hit the water with the Tuncurry Mob! It was a little windy & there was a threat of rain, then as we were about to launch, there was a huge wind gust & spits of rain, so we packed our yaks back onto the vehicles & headed over to the caravan park to meet up with the guys on dry land instead of the water!

A few of us had a fish from shore & I had a bream (or small tailor) on for a moment before it dropped the hook - also raised a few splashes on top water lures! It was great catching up with the guys again - after much chat & banter, Rod, Lorraine & I headed home. Lorraine's back was a bit crook too, so we both looked a sight, with back supports on, whinging about the pain!

Up bright & early on Sat morning, we were greeted with a superb day! No wind, bright sun & slightly murky water on a rising tide. We hit the water at about 7.30am. On the water, I had a flattie on with my 2nd cast! It was a bit small, so back it went. Heading up the racks, I had a terrific hit & brought a very nice flattie to the net on my 1lb Fireline Crystal!! I was busy removing the hook from the net & thought the flattie was secure .....WRONG!! He did a Swallow Dive with Twist & managed to jump out of the net whilst both my hands where otherwise engaged with some very pointy hooks! IDIOT!! And this was before I had taken a photo of it!!

I went to one of my favourite spots & saw a hobie at one & I said 'Aha, you've found one of my favourite spots' (thinking it was one of the other guys!) but it was another bloke!!! He was out to catch a feed & just needed 1 more flattie to feed the family, so pretty soon, he was on his way with enough for dinner.

We could see & hear the bream sucking but couldn't get them onto a hook! I had one terrific 'take' on an NW52 but he missed the hooks! Funny how pain goes when the fish show! :1prop:

Rod & Lorraine have a 'double hobie yak' and they seem to have worked it out quite well! At least with the Hobies, the person in the back doesn't get the water of the front person's paddles!!! By now, Rod & Lorraine had joined me in the racks & they were having fun, working well as a team! One would snag up, whilst the other would un snag them! It was only Lorraine's 2nd or 3rd outing in the yak & given that she had virtually never fished before, she did really well!!

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Needless to say, the 'one that got away' was my last decent flattie of the day!!! I caught lots of smaller ones which went back. Rod & Lorraine were now on the water & working their way towards the racks they fished last year with success. Every now & then I would hear a yell "I'm ON!!" Lorraine was into a nice flattie!!

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lorraines fish

We met up with the boys back at camp and were enthralled to hear of their 'Top Water' antics in some fixed racks that were covered with about .5m or less of water! Expensive day! They had lost over $100 of NW Pencils! The bream were large & unstoppable.

We headed for home & had a relatively early night after eating lovely fresh flatties (all caught by Rod & Lorraine!), and the plan was to be on the water by 6.30am this time! Another glorious day greeted us & once again, I was into a keeper flattie within minutes of heading out! This one stayed in the net!! Rod & Lorraine were having a bad start, going back to shore a few times for a hat, then the sunscreen, then the paddle!! ........ whilst I upped the tally to 2 flatties! I was still fishing the 1lb crystal, even in the leases, as the floating leases only have the 1 pole at either end of the floaters, so less chance of being busted off.

Heading back to the area where I lost my flattie yesterday, I hooked onto a really nice flattie - I wonder if it was the same one??

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nice flattie

I now had 3 flatties in my bag & was happy with that, as I know that us 'coastal yakkers' take our 'fresh fish' very much for granted!! Rod usually fishes fresh water for trout & bass & puts them back, so Lorraine was telling me that she usually has to buy frozen fish! My mission for the day, should I be successful, was to catch a few flatties for them to take home, and I did!

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My bag of flatties for the day

All up, a terrific weekend with some terrific folk! Both Lorraine's & my backs were playing up again, so I gave her a handful of Voltaren, advising her to see the doc & get her own supply soon!

Mick (one of the guys the other weekend) was up here again this week with the family for a week's holiday! I think he should move up here, he likes it so much!!! Luckily my back felt much better & I was looking forward to hitting the water again (with back brace on!) :1badmood:

The first day I went out 'with him' I couldn't find him (that'll teach me to leave the phone at home!), so I just fished around the leases & flats of Tuncurry, getting flatties & bream & a whiting! Mick tends to be on the water at about 5.30am, which is a tad early for me ...... I arrive at about 6 - 6.30am!!

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high 20's bream heading home, nice whiting, another small bream

On Tues, we got together again & met up over the flats, with two of his buddies who had arrived from Dubbo way. It was a slow day, with a few small flatties & bream, nothing of real size! Mick reckoned it was his worst day on the water since he got here!

It was Keith's birthday on Wed, so we went to Taree to check out some arty things, leaving me available today, to meet up with Mick again, to fish a creek at Tuncurry! I hadn't fished this creek for a couple of years (last time I'd fished it was not long after it had been netted by the Pros) and I had been very disappointed with the catch (or rather, lack of!)

On Fiday morning, Mick (of course) was regaling me of the old 'You should have been here yesterday' ....... massive flatties, huge fat bream ...... so I was pleased today to get into some flatties on sps/gulp (about 12 all up, with the biggest going home with me for dinner, a nice 54cm) and 2 small bream that fell to pencils near the jetties. So lots of action - I missed I don't know how many bream with the pencil .... or rather, they missed the hooks!! (Altho I did pull the lure away from a couple just as they were starting to slurp!! :wacko: ) The flatties were mainly undersized, so altho I caught 3 that were 'just legal' I only kept the largest one for dinner!

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54cm flattie

It was a really warm day, but at least we didn't have the big winds that frustrated Mick yesterday!

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mick and another small flattie

I had an interesting time of it today - whilst going past the jetties, I was having difficulty getting the desired angle to cast to the bream with the NW pencil, so I trialled 'reversing' the Hobie Pedals! I'd only done it once before (& not for long) so today, I decided to give it a 'real go'! It felt really weird, as the angle that you pedal is totally different & of course, you have to use the rudder in 'reverse' too! the good news was, tho, you tend to go slower & that makes it perfect for trolling, as you are facing the rod that is trolling, so as soon as it gets a hit, you can grab it & work it! Whilst I was casting the pencil to the jetties, I was also trolling a Gulp 3" grub & in the space of 15 mins, must have had about 10 hits/hookups, to land about 5 fish, the biggest being the 54cm flattie on the 1lb braid! Can't wait to try it on the Bass impoundment lake!

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going backwards slowly!

All up, a great day on the water! I was back home for lunch,and good news that the back had survived after 6hrs on the water!

I was just pleased to be out there again after such a long break! :mad3:

Cheerio

Roberta

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I wondered where you had gotten to, Roberta. Sorry to hear about your back woes. :( A sore elbow or wrist is a nuisance, and a bung knee can play havoc with your balance in the boat, but a crook back makes EVERYTHING a damn sight harder. I hope you are over the worst of it now, and it improves from strength to strength.

Looks like you still managed to spend some quality time on the water with the silly string, and land some very nice fish for your troubles! Terrific photos as always. Top water, plastics and yaks ... the report offers something for everyone. :thumbup: I'll give you a bell during the week ;)

Cheers

Ian

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Great to see a report from you Roberta. Sorry to hear about your back. It's incredibly frustrating not being able to do things you normally take for granted...let alone having to deal with the pain.

Sounds like some great time on the water though. Loved the read.

Cheers, Slinky

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Thanks guys - was out again today, but Forster side ..... no hassles with the back (Thank God!... tho I do wear the support now!!)

I was trying for the bream in the shallows on both sps & topwater lures - got heaps of hits on both! Forgot the camera tho! DUH!!

Must have landed 4-5 breambos on gulp 2" shrimp & 4 bream on top water lure (Sammy)! I reckon I had a hookup on my big 42cm one again (same area) but only for a moment .... the hooks pulled! :(

Good practise, eh? Magic out there - the wind was a bit of a pain, but by careful manoeuvering, you can "make the wind your friend'' & get terrific long casts in!!!!

I will be posting my latest 'DIY' soon on extra buoyancy & 'stand up power' for the Hobie SPORT!!!!

Cheerio

Roberta

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great read as always roberta & it good to see your back in action.hope your back gets better soon.once you are back to 100%,those forster fishy's better watch out!!!!!ROBERTA'S BACK IN HER YAK,& OUT TO GET YOU....LOL.

hope to read more of your posts again in the near future.

cheers johnny. :beersmile::thumbup:

Edited by fisher doi
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Thanks for your confidence, Johnny! Gave me a good giggle! :1prop: Walked the bank today & had a couple of terrific bream hits alongside one of the boats! It even had the lure in its mouth for a moment, before it popped out again & no further casts could raise him again! :(

OMG! 12 Days straight of agony - I feel for you Greg! Mine sort of 'meandered' with a 3-5 days, then was OK then crook then OK then crook! Soul destroying, eh! I reckon my 'unconventional trout casting method' was the cause of it, as I was already crook before coming back from the Snow!

Any chemist will have a range of decent 'elastic lower back supports' usually held together by velcro - some with additional ''tightness controls''. They are life-savers!! They can be a bit 'hot' over summer, but I believe that heat actually helps in the recovery of the injury anyway! i wear mine every time now.

hehe I have been known to be out for 8hrs in the yak before this, with no probs! Amazing how time flies when you are having fun & not in pain!

Good luck

Roberta

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