Surviving the Hairtail Social

[Juggs]

Im sure a lot of you have spent a few evenings chasing the fish that does not exist called the hairtail

But id say many have not braved the winter chill of July to chase this elusive fish

If people could post their tips for keeping warm and comfortable im sure it will be invaluable information for the coming social

heres my view on the topic

its all about layers of clothing that you can take on and off as needed to stop getting cold and also to stop overheating

i wear

a pair of thermals

woolen socks

tracksuit pants

light spray type rain pants

a old pair of gumboots that are way too big

a collard t shirt

flannelette shirt

stormy sea lined jacket

and a beanie and gloves to top it off

i advise anyone against wearing waders or bib n brace with the boots sealed to the bottom

if you go in your going down and they are impossble to get off due to water pressure, hence the over sized boots

many people drown each year in waders and bib n brace type garments

the main culprit is the fog or mist that rolls in about 1 am and really sends the temps plummeting, ive seen -1 in cowan before and had ice on the seat beside me

so in a smaller boat if you rig a tarp up to keep the dew off it can make a world of difference to how you enjoy the night

my boat is getting fitted up this weekend with a rocket launcher and new led lights ill post a picture when its done

[kyngfish]

I go out every year to chase them and the last couple of times it has been reasonably mild (might have been just good luck) but have been out when it has been -2 or worse.

I would add fingerless gloves, scarf and/or balaclava. I also use odd ugh boots.

If staying over night I would add rum or scotch.

It feels like it may be a cold season this year.

Juggs, id be interested in seeing your rocket launcher photos as I have just bought an old boat and I am in the process of doing it up.

I want to add a rocket launcher to it, live bait tank and hopefully will have enough left over for a fishfinder/GPS combo.

Want to take it up to Cowan this year with my son if it is ready in time.

[Fisherman36]

As well as clothing, make sure you have a good thermos (one that will stay hot overnight). Cuppa soups, and cuppa noodles are good. (oops pressed send by mistake). As for the fog, I've been sitting there and have it roll in at about 10pm, couldn't see the front of the boat, and ended up staying until 7:00am when it cleared enough to be safe. Thickest fog I've ever seen and I wasn't planning on staying overnight but luckily I always go prepared just incase so I had plenty of clothes and food. Still got bloody freezing though even with thermals and all the layers on, so if you're going, be prepared for overnight even if it's not planned.

Edited May 18, 2012 by insomniac92

[Juggs]

Juggs, id be interested in seeing your rocket launcher photos as I have just bought an old boat and I am in the process of doing it up.

I want to add a rocket launcher to it, live bait tank and hopefully will have enough left over for a fishfinder/GPS combo.

Want to take it up to Cowan this year with my son if it is ready in time.

hi mate sent you the photos via pm

the ledlights are amazing its like daylight with it on

[micksfishn]

been there done it all befor we fished the last hairy social in a hornet trophy open to the elements not a good idea best tip for anyone attending get a group together and get a house boat they are WARM so you wont be

Edited May 20, 2012 by lure'n4bream

[pure spirit]

Ugg boots fishing ! Amazing

i've got about a dozen nights out under my belt and ugg boots are the way to go, and a portable camp stove for soup in the evening and coffee in the morning....O yeh and wild turkey !!

Edited May 20, 2012 by pure spirit

[plummo]

And don't forget breaky

[Juggs]

ill be able to light up the whole bay now

these new led lights are bright

who really cares about night vision when you can turn night into day lol

Edited May 21, 2012 by Juggs

[A.dawg]

ill be able to light up the whole bay now

these new led lights are bright

who really cares about night vision when you can turn night into day lol

That is a fully sick rig haha might sus it out at the social planning to buy something similar soon

[Jewhunter]

I must have survived the last Hairtail social because I'm still here.

I do remember being part of the crew on the mother ship, lots of drinks & laughs, not much fishing & not much sleep. I think Donna might have hit me a couple of times as well. ( MUC )

Mind you we were a bit younger then!!

Get along to this social if you haven't been before. It's a cracker!

Cheers,

Grant.

[mrsswordfisherman]

I must have survived the last Hairtail social because I'm still here.

I do remember being part of the crew on the mother ship, lots of drinks & laughs, not much fishing & not much sleep. I think Donna might have hit me a couple of times as well. ( MUC )

Mind you we were a bit younger then!!

Get along to this social if you haven't been before. It's a cracker!

Cheers,

Grant.

Ahhhhhh Grant yes I forgot about MUC muahhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaa and your mate what was his name? Phil? Yes we were younger

We had that bbq and coffee going all night and people were rafting up and jumping onboard for a few drinks and some food. The special recipes that everyone had for the "best" burley were amazing.

People were blowing air horns all night and they could be heard in every bay. Yep I am looking forward to a great few days again.

Come join us! The more the merrier

[mrsswordfisherman]

And don't forget breaky

Excellent, you look VERY organised

[mrsswordfisherman]

Our hairtail events are legendary - we even get mentioned in the SMH Article SMH 2008

Don't fish in the harbour, trawl the Hawkesbury.The big river produces some giant jewfish in the cooler months and top spots such as Juno Point or beside the road and rail bridges are nice and calm. Adjoining Cowan Creek produces enigmatic hairtail on freezing winter nights. Take a look at www.fishraider.com.au, the website of an online angling community that stages an annual hairtail social using a houseboat as a base station.

[Jewhunter]

Ahhhhhh Grant yes I forgot about MUC muahhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaa and your mate what was his name? Phil? Yes we were younger

We had that bbq and coffee going all night and people were rafting up and jumping onboard for a few drinks and some food. The special recipes that everyone had for the "best" burley were amazing.

People were blowing air horns all night and they could be heard in every bay. Yep I am looking forward to a great few days again.

Come join us! The more the merrier

Yes, Matt, AKA Mr Mullet, was a laugh! LOL

I would love to come along. It's a no atm, but I'll see what I can do closer to the date.

Cheers,

Grant.

[sinbad66]

last year this time we headed out for the night [wife said wed be backin an hour it was about 10degrees]

advance thinking told me to take a tarp along and we found that throwing it over the bimini canvas and securing it down turned my little 4.6mt half cabin into a nice one bedroom bedsit

im sure the rum helped and our offgassing but we were surprisingly warm allnite

oh and the offgassing didnt seem to deter the fish

i did forget we had thermos on but i think the rum negated my memory [they were only $20 from rays]

if ya can keep out the breeze its actually beeeutiful!

Edited May 28, 2012 by mtcolah

[fishergirl]

C'mon guys all you need to do is catch the fish before 10 pm then head home for a sleep and be ready for the next evening : )

[fishergirl]

Oh and hey juggs, was that you out at WB a couple of Friday nights ago ? I had been to another spot caught my hairtail and stopped by WB on the way back to the ramp about 9 pm all I could see from cottage point was something lit up light daylight thought it must have been a UFO on the water catching hairtail.....???????

[Juggs]

Oh and hey juggs, was that you out at WB a couple of Friday nights ago ? I had been to another spot caught my hairtail and stopped by WB on the way back to the ramp about 9 pm all I could see from cottage point was something lit up light daylight thought it must have been a UFO on the water catching hairtail.....???????

Probably was i was up there a few fridays ago giving it a run