Frustrating Day Amongst The Oyster Leases.

[mako1]

I hit Woolooware bay on Sunday at about 6am and headed straight to the flats to fish the last of the run out tide.

I started out with pencils and picked up a few undersized bream and a flathead.

The wind then started to pick up so I changed to a popper and I picked up some more small bream.

The tide was almost out so I decided do a drift right between the oyster leases.

As I was drifting I was casting to the gaps between the leases. It was pretty quiet for the first section but as I was reaching the end of the drift a big dark shape slowly rose behind the popper but just as it go to within a few centimetres of the popper it darted away. I quickly cast back into the area and after a few pops of the lure it gets smashed on the surface by a big bream. The strike happened between the racks so I locked up and tried to drag the bream out but it was too strong and it went straight for the wooden pole and it was all over

I continued through the racks and soon found another area that produced some more small bream and another small flathead. I continued working the area of broken leases with poppers.

I had just finished working the popper back to the kayak and I left it in the water about 50cm from the kayak while I had a drink. I then watched in amazement as a bream casually came up and grabbed the popper and then took off. I quickly grabbed the rod and set the hooks and I finally had the first keeper at 27cm for the day. Sorry no pics as the wind was too strong and I was too close to the leases.

I cast straight back to the broken leases and after three pops the lure was smashed off the surface by another big bream. I locked up again and I was actually holding the bream from the leases but the wind was quite strong and it was blowing me towards the leases which created slack line and as I was quickly winding it gave the bream a chance to find a lease pole and the line went slack and another lure was lost to the big lease bream

I went behind the area that was producing well and cast right into the leases.

I was working the lure with a series of pops and halfway through the retrieve I saw another big dark shape come up behind the popper. I paused as much as I could while I tried to keep position in the wind but the bream just waited so I continued the retrieve with the bream following and just as the lure exited the lease area I paused and the bream just smashed the lure.

Again I locked up and this time I had a good start and I actually turned the bream’s head and was working it away from the leases. I still had a tight drag when the fish tried to power back to the leases and the line went slack

I pulled the lure in and found that one point of the rear treble was bent so I must have only just hooked it.

After being cleaned up in the leases I decided to head back to a drop off near the flats.

I drifted a few times but it was too windy so I anchored up and worked the area with a plastic.

After a few casts I was into a good fish. I thought it was a good flathead as there was a lot of weight with a few head shakes so I took it easy as I had 8lb trace on.

I got it close to the kayak and got a glimpse of it. It was big bream and as soon as it saw the kayak it took off on a 20m run and when the run ended there were a few headshakes and the hook pulled

I couldn’t believe it, another good bream lost and it was in an area where I had a good chance of landing it.

On the next cast I had another good hit and I was into a good fish. It was nowhere near as big as the last one but it gave a good fight and it ended up being the largest bream I landed that day.

I caught a couple of small flathead on the plastic so I changed to a small, shallow HB lure.

On the third cast I had a hit right next to the kayak. This fish went crazy and was continuously changing directions before it settled into a normal fight. I got a glimpse and saw it was a good trevally and I soon had it in the net.

I moved around a bit more and caught another two keeper bream before I had enough of the wind and called it a day.

It ended up being a good day even though I couldn’t land any of the big bream but hopefully I’ll be out again next weekend with a heavier outfit and give the big bream another go

[Guest]

I think its time we took the polycraft in there Andrew and teach those blue-nose boys some lessons the HARD WAY

Nice report mate and bad luck on all the smokings

Cheers Stewy

[brendong]

Sounds like an expensive day on the breambo's getting dusted in the racks. It's always frought with danger, but it's also impossible to motor on by a good looking rack set up....congrats on the fish you did pull....just have to get back out there and have another shot at team blue nose....good to see the bay still very receptive to the top water gear....i reckon there's only another month in it though....

[Hodgey]

What a bummer Andrew It's hard enough contending with big bream that are hell-bent on getting back into the leases WITHOUT the wind working against you as well! Another very productive day on the water mate. I reckon you should take Stewy up on the offer and teach those bad boys a lesson!

Cheers

Ian

[jenno64]

Andrew,

You were a brave bastard heading out in that wind and I could imagine that 20knots and old racks aren't an ideal combination! You'll have to go back in there on an 0.1 tide and recover all your lost bling! Let's hope some decent weather comes about this weekend.

[mako1]

I think its time we took the polycraft in there Andrew and teach those blue-nose boys some lessons the HARD WAY

Nice report mate and bad luck on all the smokings

Cheers Stewy

That would be great Stewy. We'll definitely have to make a time to take on the blue-nose bream.

Sounds like an expensive day on the breambo's getting dusted in the racks. It's always frought with danger, but it's also impossible to motor on by a good looking rack set up....congrats on the fish you did pull....just have to get back out there and have another shot at team blue nose....good to see the bay still very receptive to the top water gear....i reckon there's only another month in it though....

The whole area at the back of the bay is just bream heaven. So many good areas to cast at. If I get out this weekend I'll take a heavier outfit and just lock up and try and drag them out.

I think your right about the surface fishing. Soon it will be cooler and the bream will be less receptive to the surface lures.

What a bummer Andrew It's hard enough contending with big bream that are hell-bent on getting back into the leases WITHOUT the wind working against you as well! Another very productive day on the water mate. I reckon you should take Stewy up on the offer and teach those bad boys a lesson!

Cheers

Ian

I think if the wind wasn't as strong I would have landed at least one of them.

[mako1]

Andrew,

You were a brave bastard heading out in that wind and I could imagine that 20knots and old racks aren't an ideal combination! You'll have to go back in there on an 0.1 tide and recover all your lost bling! Let's hope some decent weather comes about this weekend.

It was interesting making my way back to the launch site as the chop was quite large.

It was a good test for the kayak and it handled it really well.

I also did quite well in the leases as I didn't hit one lease pole.

It was quite good going through during low tide as I could see where all of the lease poles are.

This weekend is looking good. Nothing like last Sunday but it's still early in the week for an accurate weather report.

[s9657bd]

Pity about the bust offs, but at least you got a few..

Well done and great report..

[paul.kenny]

Mako well done working the oyster leases in a kayak. We struggled to hold the boat near the leases in Woolooware Bay whilst using the minn kota We saw you in the distance working the southern leases and decided not to venture that far due to getting some good flatties in our location....had we known the bream were on the go we would have moved further south. I must try the leases further south in Woolooware Bay next weekend.

[arpie]

Oh Dear, Andrew - you do have it bad!!! :074: But isn't it fun??? Just when you think you have them under control, they skunk you on the closest bit of structure they can find! Very exciting, tho! Surprised you didn't get more on the pencils!!? You don't have to get so close to the structure to get the hits, so have more chance of getting them to the yak!

The wind can be a real pain, as can the big chop! Take care out there!!!

Cheerio & well done on an exciting day on the water! Don't those trevs GO??? I had one on (40cm+) and was hoping it was a big bream! Not so tho! Shame about the bustoffs - ho hum, another reason to go SHOPPING!!!

Cheerio

Roberta

Edited March 10, 2010 by Roberta

[mako1]

Oh Dear, Andrew - you do have it bad!!! :074: But isn't it fun??? Just when you think you have them under control, they skunk you on the closest bit of structure they can find! Very exciting, tho! Surprised you didn't get more on the pencils!!? You don't have to get so close to the structure to get the hits, so have more chance of getting them to the yak!

The wind can be a real pain, as can the big chop! Take care out there!!!

Cheerio & well done on an exciting day on the water! Don't those trevs GO??? I had one on (40cm+) and was hoping it was a big bream! Not so tho! Shame about the bustoffs - ho hum, another reason to go SHOPPING!!!

Cheerio

Roberta

I'm pretty addicted to the surface fishing at the moment. There's nothing better than having a big bream come up and smash the lure off the surface.

I tried the pencils at first and caught some small fish but the poppers worked much better in the wind.

The trevally are great fun on light line and they go really hard on the flats. I never get sick of catching them

I've already been to the tackle shop and replaced the poppers so I'm ready for the next round this weekend

[arpie]

....I'm pretty addicted to the surface fishing at the moment.... hehe Me too!! What will we do when the temperature drops they go off the chew??? I reckon I'll just keep trying!! VERY TRYING!!

Hmmm when you were using the pencils, were you in really shallow water? Like less than 1m? Closer to .3m?? That is where I am having the most success just now. Or just throw towards the 'beach' part of any estuary bank & slowly walk the dog out ...... should get a hit!

Have you tried a Sammy? They have good weight to them & throw like a bullet! The smaller ones (NW52 size) don't throw nearly as well (and get bitten off by pike up here!)

Cheerio

Roberta

[monch]

Those luckycraft lures are sooo exxy though, nearly $30 a pop. I think i'm gonna stick to the zappas and rovers. At half the price of the sammys and NW pencils, i can afford to lose twice as many.

[Davemmm]

The whole area at the back of the bay is just bream heaven.

You should have seen it when there was actually oysters in it. We used to skulldrag bream off the top of the leases with 30lb line. If they ever get to grow them again the place will be paradise.

Dave

[mako1]

....I'm pretty addicted to the surface fishing at the moment.... hehe Me too!! What will we do when the temperature drops they go off the chew??? I reckon I'll just keep trying!! VERY TRYING!!

Hmmm when you were using the pencils, were you in really shallow water? Like less than 1m? Closer to .3m?? That is where I am having the most success just now. Or just throw towards the 'beach' part of any estuary bank & slowly walk the dog out ...... should get a hit!

Have you tried a Sammy? They have good weight to them & throw like a bullet! The smaller ones (NW52 size) don't throw nearly as well (and get bitten off by pike up here!)

Cheerio

Roberta

I was fishing the edges of rock piles that were in about 60cm of water with the pencils. It was exposed to the wind there so it made it difficult to work the pencils. I found that the poppers were easier to work in the wind as they gripped the water a lot better.

I have a few Sammy and NW52 lures. They are good lures but I have had a lot more success using the Zappa and poppertail and the Stiffy popper and it doesn't hurt as much when I loose them. I find the hook-up rate on the Sammy and NW52 pencils isn't as good as the other lures but I must admit that I use the other lures a lot more due to the fact that they are catching fish at the moment.

You should have seen it when there was actually oysters in it. We used to skulldrag bream off the top of the leases with 30lb line. If they ever get to grow them again the place will be paradise.

Dave

Do they grow oysters there anymore?

Every now and then I see some flat bottom boats working the rear section of the leases

so I thought they were still growing some oysters.