Crazy kayak trip number 6

[Black CC]

I recently got back from a 6th crazy kayak trip. This was the 3rd time in the fresh water rivers of the Kimberley and we've done 3 in the salt water, all in the North West. With the on again off again lock down situation in Perth, I decided the best way to get to Broome was to avoid Perth, so I ended up flying from Sydney to Alice Springs and then through Darwin, Kununurra and on to Broome. Then a 4 hour drive and 90 minutes in a chopper, which dropped us next to the river. After an hour of set up we were on our way for an eight day adventure down the river.

The Sooty Grunter were pretty easy to catch on the first few days but no sign of any Barramundi. The freshwater crocs were surprising aggressive with one of them attacking one of the kayaks that put a decent hole in it and that took some patching up. As we got further downstream the rapids became more challenging but we also started catching plenty of Barramundi. They were all in the 70cm to 90 cm range, so a decent challenge off a blow up kayak.

I ended up with a pretty badly infected finger that needed some urgent treatment and meant my wedding ring had to be cut off. We do carry a full medical kit and one of the guys is a vet, so he managed to patch me up so I was able to continue.

Our exit from the river went very smoothly with a heavy reliance on the latest technology. We sent a text via satellite phone to the helicopter company with our GPS coordinates and a request to pick us up at 6.30am the next morning. The one word response to our text was "confirmed". Then at exactly 6.30am the following morning the 2 helicopters came over the hill and picked us up. With the 5 of us now in our mid 50s, the physical challenges of kayaking 110km down a raging river while dodging crocs and eating only what we catch is not the most relaxing holiday but we are already planning on doing it again next year.

[nutsaboutfishing]

Great report.

What happened to your finger??

[Rebel]

Great adventure and terrific story. Super photos.

[Black CC]

1 hour ago, nutsaboutfishing said:

Great report.

What happened to your finger??

I didn't do enough training so my hands were too soft, even with gloves. One of the blisters on my hand got infected from what we think was filleting a fish. Each of us have agreed jobs and one of my jobs is processing the fish for dinner each evening and the infection developed overnight after filleting the first Barra. It ended up in pretty bad shape as per the attached photo. Almost fully recovered now.

[Yowie]

Sounds like a good time to be had by all, with some nice fish to top it off.

[masterfisho7]

Sounds like you had a blast love the photos 

[mrsswordfisherman]

3 hours ago, Black CC said:

I didn't do enough training so my hands were too soft, even with gloves. One of the blisters on my hand got infected from what we think was filleting a fish. Each of us have agreed jobs and one of my jobs is processing the fish for dinner each evening and the infection developed overnight after filleting the first Barra. It ended up in pretty bad shape as per the attached photo. Almost fully recovered now.

You were very lucky that you did not lose that finger. I can’t believe your wedding ring was that tight either! 

[Blackfish]

Great report and photos there Black CC, thanks for sharing.

That finger AAiiieeeeee, that looks really bad.

[kingie chaser]

Looks like an epic trip but even the smallest thing can have bug ramifications.

 

I had an infected finger a couple of years ago & instead of having it properly assessed on a second occasion & spending more hours in emergency I said I need to go to work & was walking out when the response was "well you could lose that finger, hand, arm or end up with septicemia" the decision is yours.

 

I stayed & ended up spending 3 days in hospital on IV AB's every 8 hours. 

 

As @mrsswordfisherman said, you were very lucky!

[Pickles]

A great trip - bet you’ll be taking FirstAid kit (antibiotics) next trip. Watch those Crocs mate, I’ve been up there and they are bold and scared of very little. Thanks for sharing.

[Jp2]

Wow, ouch. What an adventure of a lifetime. 

[Black CC]

2 hours ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

You were very lucky that you did not lose that finger. I can’t believe your wedding ring was that tight either! 

Donna,

Firstly I want you to know I'm a big fan. I've been a fishraider member for a long time and I take more than I give to this site and see you as the opposite to that.

The risk of losing the finger was actually pretty low. We knew there was a possible infection the night before and at 5am the next morning I had my first round of antibiotics and anti inflammation drugs. I was able to grip the paddle and kayak again by noon that day. We have 3 risk management meetings before we go and we can emergency chopper out at very little notice, so there is a lot of planning and discussion before we go. Our group is very well resourced and we do a huge amount of preparation. This type of trip, to probably the most remote part of Australia, needs very careful planning. It also needs the approval of several aboriginal tribes and land owners so is not a simple undertaking.

Cheers,

Tony   

[Black CC]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

A great trip - bet you’ll be taking FirstAid kit (antibiotics) next trip. Watch those Crocs mate, I’ve been up there and they are bold and scared of very little. Thanks for sharing.

Pickles,

I had the best treatment from the vet, very much antibiotics and pain relief early on. The scary thing for me is the fact the vet has put stiches in me 6 times over 27 years of fishing trips together. When I got back from the 2018 kayak trip, where I had 7 stiches in my hand from a Barra filleting error, the doctor in North Sydney that removed the stiches remarketed that they were unusual. I explained they were administered by a vet with dog stiches and she had a good laugh. Over the years the vet has administered antivenom for spider bites, loads of stiches to lots of the guys and some help for many other ailments to all those who go on the adventures. We couldn't go without him.

Cheers,

Tony 

[Black CC]

1 hour ago, kingie chaser said:

Looks like an epic trip but even the smallest thing can have bug ramifications.

 

I had an infected finger a couple of years ago & instead of having it properly assessed on a second occasion & spending more hours in emergency I said I need to go to work & was walking out when the response was "well you could lose that finger, hand, arm or end up with septicemia" the decision is yours.

 

I stayed & ended up spending 3 days in hospital on IV AB's every 8 hours. 

 

As @mrsswordfisherman said, you were very lucky!

Kingie Chaser,

As I said in my other responses, it was probably less about luck and more about planning and preparation. I'm not saying we couldn't have a disaster but I think we are very well aware of how remote we are and therefore we are incredibly careful to be self sustainable.

Cheers,

Tony

[kingie chaser]

39 minutes ago, Black CC said:

Kingie Chaser,

As I said in my other responses, it was probably less about luck and more about planning and preparation. I'm not saying we couldn't have a disaster but I think we are very well aware of how remote we are and therefore we are incredibly careful to be self sustainable.

Cheers,

Tony

That's means bugger all in reality.

Plan as much as you like but 

Sounds like your Vet did great work on your Ass.......I mean finger 

 

[Remote River Man]

Looks like you had fun. I know the region quite well. I believe I'm the first person to ever conduct a major solo packraft expedition in the Kimberley (gliding down the King Edward in May 2010, from memory).... 

and I've explored a lot of other beautiful areas there as well (look up The River With No Name, from 2013 - that was an awesome trip too). It's unforgiving country, and physically demanding, and I can tell you from experience that living on sooty grunter, water lily bulbs and hibiscus flowers isn't the worst thing in the world... but it does get old in a hurry. 

Male freshwater crocs can get quite territorial, especially where water levels are low and/or they're in breeding mode. Wouldn't want those needle teeth in my flesh, that's for sure. But I've swum with them in many a Kimberley creek plenty of times, no problems. Usually they're just curious. I think the best plan is to not look like a bite-sized fish. 

 

[nutsaboutfishing]

19 hours ago, Black CC said:

I didn't do enough training so my hands were too soft, even with gloves. One of the blisters on my hand got infected from what we think was filleting a fish. Each of us have agreed jobs and one of my jobs is processing the fish for dinner each evening and the infection developed overnight after filleting the first Barra. It ended up in pretty bad shape as per the attached photo. Almost fully recovered now.

I see you said your mate's a vet, suppose your lucky he didn't decide to put you down!!

[Rebel]

@Remote River ManGreat video. You must have a lot of stories and adventures in that part of the world. I am sure the Raiders would like to see them and read about them.

There is nothing like exploring this great country Australia.

Cheers.

[Remote River Man]

Yeah, Rebel, it's definitely my favourite part of Australia - a true gem of a place, especially in the hard-to-reach spots. Here's a more recent journey from 2013. I've never filleted a single fish in the Kimberley, in all the many years I've been traipsing/paddling around the place. Everything from sooty grunter and estuary cod to queenfish and barra gets cooked whole in the coals (or buried in an Aboriginal-style 'ground oven', sealed up tight to keep the moisture in) - no cleaning, no scaling. Then the flesh is easily pulled away from the spine and devoured when it's ready.  

 

[Rebel]

Great Video and Adventute. Love the hand line.

Keep them coming.

Cheers.

[mrsswordfisherman]

On 6/14/2021 at 8:02 PM, Black CC said:

Donna,

Firstly I want you to know I'm a big fan. I've been a fishraider member for a long time and I take more than I give to this site and see you as the opposite to that.

The risk of losing the finger was actually pretty low. We knew there was a possible infection the night before and at 5am the next morning I had my first round of antibiotics and anti inflammation drugs. I was able to grip the paddle and kayak again by noon that day. We have 3 risk management meetings before we go and we can emergency chopper out at very little notice, so there is a lot of planning and discussion before we go. Our group is very well resourced and we do a huge amount of preparation. This type of trip, to probably the most remote part of Australia, needs very careful planning. It also needs the approval of several aboriginal tribes and land owners so is not a simple undertaking.

Cheers,

Tony   

Tony thanks for the response. I know your background is in risk management and appreciate your very sensible approach to trip preparation. 

My background is in healthcare and healthcare management. My comment was purely drawing on my medical expertise. I have organised many, many rings to be removed from fingers. I am sure you are aware they can have a tourniquet effect and cause serious damage. Add to that an infection that is raging around the body and situation becomes urgent. Good job your vet looks after things out there. 

So back to your adventure!

We did a lap in 2019 and enjoyed lots of places in the NT and beyond, certainly not as remote as your expeditions. Your report is astounding! Swordie worries that our tinny isn't deep enough to be safe from crocs and I will show him your kayak  

Keep up these reports  

[Black CC]

21 hours ago, Remote River Man said:

Yeah, Rebel, it's definitely my favourite part of Australia - a true gem of a place, especially in the hard-to-reach spots. Here's a more recent journey from 2013. I've never filleted a single fish in the Kimberley, in all the many years I've been traipsing/paddling around the place. Everything from sooty grunter and estuary cod to queenfish and barra gets cooked whole in the coals (or buried in an Aboriginal-style 'ground oven', sealed up tight to keep the moisture in) - no cleaning, no scaling. Then the flesh is easily pulled away from the spine and devoured when it's ready.  

 

Kevin,

They are amazing videos. You are much more game than us. Going solo is quite incredible and going so close to the salt water is not something we have been prepared to do. While we can't be certain there are no Salties, we are pretty confident that we are far enough from the coast that they are not around.

We will have a go at cooking the fish whole next time. I loved your handline. We are all fishing fanatics so our fishing gear is a bit sophisticated. Our trip record for a Barra is 103cm. It would be interesting to see you catch that on your handline.

Cheers,

Tony   

[Black CC]

11 minutes ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

Tony thanks for the response. I know your background is in risk management and appreciate your very sensible approach to trip preparation. 

My background is in healthcare and healthcare management. My comment was purely drawing on my medical expertise. I have organised many, many rings to be removed from fingers. I am sure you are aware they can have a tourniquet effect and cause serious damage. Add to that an infection that is raging around the body and situation becomes urgent. Good job your vet looks after things out there. 

So back to your adventure!

We did a lap in 2019 and enjoyed lots of places in the NT and beyond, certainly not as remote as your expeditions. Your report is astounding! Swordie worries that our tinny isn't deep enough to be safe from crocs and I will show him your kayak  

Keep up these reports  

Donna,

The locals all fish out of tinnies between Fitzroy Crossing and Derby and no one has ever been taken, so I think the risk is pretty low. The Barra fishing in that part of the river during the run-off is supposed to be amazing. We have never been further downstream than Geikie Gorge in the kayaks and we have never seen a Salty or any indication that they have been in the area.

Cheers,

Tony   

[Remote River Man]

Black CC - 

From my understanding, saltie sightings as far up as Geikie Gorge are quite rare (it's got to be a pretty serious wet season), and the Parks Dept. immediately relocates them if they find them (bad for tourism). Occasionally you'll get the odd sawfish up that far too, but not often. I suspect sawfish are rarer these days because their front end gets caught in old, abandoned fishing nets quite easily - just a theory though.

One year, the Fitzroy was so flooded, there were whole dead cows and uprooted trees floating down the thing. Big wet seasons can be hairy.

I wouldn't be caught dead (or, rather, would probably end up that way) in a kayak or canoe in Kimberley salt water (I've survived the ocassional tinny trip, though). After coming across a 16-foot croc that had pulled a fully grown steer into the water in the Ord River, l definitely stick to larger boats (and never lean over the side to pull up a fish). When bushwalking up there in saltie country, I always toss my billy can (attached to a long length of para cord) in the water to get fresh drinking water. Much safer than kneeling at the bank :). Ivanhoe Crossing near Kununurra and Cahill's Crossing between Kakadu and Arnhem Land are both notorious spots where crocs have nabbed a few fishing folk over the years.

The biggest thing I've caught on a handline up that way was an 11-foot hammerhead, which eventually snapped my 30-lb. test mono, much to my relief. This was up in the King George Falls inlet, a beautiful place. I did have a large barra on once that would have been close to a metre, but lost it quickly. There are some absolute monster catfish up there too, and the biggest Indo-Pacific stingrays I've ever seen. Keeps you on your toes....