Noosa Yakkers News, December 2013

Base pic: Wife and husband team Lisbeth and Soren Vejby, Laguna Bay, 02Jan14.

PUBLISHED 04JAN14

Hi there yakkers

If you haven't yet captured a decent Spaniard from your yak, it looks to me like 2014 may be the year to do it. Take a look at our Trip Reports starting in December 2009 and through to May 2010. It seems to me that what we have now looks a lot like that mackerel intensive season. It remains to be seen whether the spotty macs turn up in numbers as they did then, but we're certainly off to a good start for the Spaniard score. I've always hoped that the spotty mac mayhem we experienced on 05May10 (go read the TR) would return before I kicked the bucket!

Legal Spaniards in 2013/14, caught after launch at Middle Groyne or Doggie Beach
in time sequence of first caught and as at 04Jan14
first capture 2013/14 was on 12Dec13
*1=first ever

sunshiner, 1@78cm, 1@86cm, 1@1.06m
jaro, 1@1.26m
soren, *1@1.06m
stormin, *1@1.14m
lazybugger, 1@1.2m

All except lazybugger's were caught on HB lure; his was on a trolled pillie. All were caught in Laguna Bay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One thing which seems strange to me is the almost complete absence this season of mackerel tuna, which we have recorded in the past as being caught in every month of the year. I know, I know, when they're around in numbers we soon tire of them, but they are a great fighting fish and very accepting of a well-cast slug; where are they this summer?

We've picked up a swag of new members in the last year, had some memorable fishing experiences, and made new friends. I'm hoping that 2014 will be as least as good as 2013 has been.

See you on the water.

Kev (sunshiner)



Hello Yakkers,

Fifteen reported outings in December saw us finish the year at 136 trips, just 3 short of last year.

During the month a wide selection of fish were caught with Jaro, Sunshiner, Stormin' Norman and Soren taking Spaniards and snapper in the bay whilst Eyetag, Redwood and Cybertech cleaned up in the river at night with flathead, hairtail, trevally and mangrove jacks. Lazybugger also chimed in with a thumper GT.

Below is a selection of photos that says it all.


Cybertech with his Monster Flathead, released back into the river as oversized


Redwood's Flathead on the same night


Jaro's Spaniard


Lazybugger's GT


and, a very happy Soren

But my favourite photo of the month is of a future Noosa Yakker as posted below.


Photo contributed by Corie m-t

Well that's about it folks, except for one final comment for 2013.

I have gone back over the records for the year and tried to select the Noosa Yakker who I think has put in the most effort and made a real difference to our group.

Showing us all how persistence pays off, his photo is below.



Congratulations on your first Spaniard Stormin', topping off a great year!

until next year...

TurtleBoy



Happy New Year Yakkers! 2014 is now upon us, bringing with it the chance of fresh fishing adventures, and all new members looking to catch the kayak fishing bug.

2013 was a big year for the Noosa Yakkers. Our new memberships saw us grow to the epic milestone of 100 people on the roster, and we created a Facebook page for members to interact with each other in a less formal environment. We also caught some fish, dodged some whales, and had a few wipeouts in the surf. Who knows what this new year will bring? But half the excitement is finding out, right?

December brought us two new members, taking our total up to 102. Let's see who we have...

Chris Cooper (Cav)
Chris is a 29 year old electrician hailing from Redcliffe. When he's not working for the oil or gas industry, he's paddling about in one of his three kayaks. Chris owns a black Stealth Profisha 525, Stealth 550 Fisha, and an Extreme Bandit.





Jim Holcombe (Prowler1)
Jim is a 62 year old retired engineer who now finds farming taking up his days. Jim calls Eerwah Vale home, and paddles a Prowler Elite 4.5.



I hope you all enjoyed your holiday break, however brief it may have been. I'll see you all on the water!

Cheers!

Matt (Gemini)



Hi Noosa Yakkers

December has been a month of promising conditions with only patchy results.

The patches were fantastic for those in the box seat at the time with the notable captures coming from Scott McIntosh (Lazybugger) and Tim Nixon (Redwood).

In the Stealth Comp on the 7th December Scott had barely started trolling his Slimy Mackerel on a "Palmy Army" pilly rig making it only 100 metres past the shark nets off MG before a Giant Trevally of 101 cm slammed his offering.

Great capture Scott. GTs of this dimension were once commonplace off Noosa as some of the historic photographs show but now they are more prevalent in the tropical areas.



Then in a superb evening session on the river with Cybertech, Redwood (Tim Nixon) was able to cap off a hot bite of flathead, trevally and mangrove jack with a thumper old girl of a flathead at 94 cm (released, of course).



Thanks for the detailed photographs of the dimensions. I wonder if anyone has a photo of the "Palmy Army" rig?

tight lines

Doctor Dog

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The Committee (in callsign order)







From top left, daveyG, doctor dog, eyetag, gemini, jaro, jimbo, pedro, sunshiner, turtleboy.

Noosa Yakkers News, November 2013

Base pic: Tunny in his new ride, Jew Shoal, 08Nov13. Pic by sunshiner.

PUBLISHED 04Dec13

Hi there yakkers

Stealth Summer Comp, Noosa

This Saturday up to 40 yakkers using Stealth fishing kayaks will launch from Middle Groyne in the first event in the first ever Summer Stealth Series. Fishing time is from 04:30 to 10:30 (back on beach), with a weigh-in, prize giving and BBQ afterward. Of course all are welcome but unless you're launching please don't occupy one of the parking spots close to the groyne. Quite a few Noosa Yakkers will be in the lineup and as far as I'm aware this is the first ever proper offshore kayak fishing comp using Noosa as a venue. Although it's a just a little early let's hope the pelagics show up and if they don't other species fill the gap.

Facebook

As you're probably aware, committee member DaveyG has set up a Facebook group for Noosa Yakkers. This Facebook group provides an alternative method of communication among Noosa Yakkers.

To view the (closed) group page you need to be an accepted member of the Facebook group and only Noosa Yakkers will be accepted. If you’re on Facebook you can join the group by going onto the page and asking to join. If you're not on Facebook the above link will give you an opportunity to sign up.

This facility is not intended to replace the existing email system of communication, our blog or our membership system but we figured it could do no harm to establish it, and you never know, it might become useful.

El cheapo drogue


Had to replace my drogue just the other day. It had lasted several years but was beginning to show signs of disintegration so I was off to Bunnings for a newie (on the right, above). Cost me a dollar, but I'm sure it'll be well worth the expense.

See you on the water.

Kev (sunshiner)



Hello Yakkers,

Things are starting to hot up a little with 16 recorded trip reports in November taking us to a current year total of 121, chasing down last year's record of 139 reports to end December.

Whilst snapper and sweetlip were taken on JS, the majority of the action at the bigger end of town was claimed by Redwood, Tunny and Eyetag with catches of mackerel, cobia and mangrove jack.



Gemini reported bass in Lake MacDonald and Cybertech hooked a nice flathead during a late Sunday afternoon thunderstorm.



Eyetag also foul-hooked a two metre bull shark on the eve of the Noosa Tri. That would have got the tri-hearts pumping.



Well that's about it folks, until next month…

TurtleBoy



We did it! The membership numbers have exploded, and we are now 100 Noosa Yakkers strong!

I'm not going to bang on about it too much, but 100 members is a great milestone for the Noosa Yakkers. I hope this achievement brings a great sense of pride to our founding members, who probably didn't think we would grow this large. Well done!

Now the next challenge is to get everyone on the water at the same time for a group photo… ;)

While I'm off to get a celebratory drink, let's take a look at the six new members who pushed us over the line this month.

Paul Wainwright (Pauley)

Paul is a 37 year old Overhead Linesman from Sunshine Beach. Paul has a couple of offshore and river trips under his belt, but says he still has a lot of fishing tricks to learn. Paul paddles a Prowler 4.1, and is known as "Pauley" on AKFF.

Bill Patterson (Billpatt)

Bill is a 35 year old Mining Workshop Manager from Brisbane. Bill currently fishes his local stomping grounds around Wellington Point, but hopes to make it to Noosa as time allows. Bill paddles a Prowler 4.3, and is known as "Billpatt" on AKFF.

Chris Barnes (SparrowFart)

A 41 year old manufacturer of timber stairs, Chris hails from Redland City. He has a few offshore trips up his sleeve already in his Stealth BFS, and is keen to add a few more. Chris goes by the name "cjbfisher" on AKFF.

Greg Warren (Redgreg)

Greg is a 57 year old builder from Buderim. He has been kayaking for 5 years, and paddles a Hobie AI and Stealth Supalite X.

Jarrad Rodgers (JBone)

Jarrad is 27, works in automotive part sales, and lives in Chermside. He currently paddles rivers and estuarys in his Stealth Evo 495.

Jonathan McLachlan (Jono)

32 year old Jonathan lives in Peregian Springs, but is a welding inspector three weeks of every month in the Surat Basin. He currently has only a few months' experience with kayaking, but is very keen to test himself. Jonathan has set a Noosa Yakkers record already by being the only member with a powered kayak, an Ocean Kayak Torque.

Welcome guys, and thanks for pushing us up to the magic 100! What a great way to end the year.

Cheers!

Matt (Gemini)



Hi Noosa Yakkers

November had nearly gone when the first of the pelagics arrived for the summer. Not yet in any significant numbers but this did not stop Dave Tunnington knocking off BJ's school mackerel record with a very creditable fish of 76 cm. Like the previous record fish this was caught at Hall's Reef where it scoffed a trolled pilchard bait.

Well done Dave,


What other records will go the same way before the summer is over?

tight lines

Doctor Dog

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The Committee (in callsign order)







From top left, daveyG, doctor dog, eyetag, gemini, jaro, jimbo, pedro, sunshiner, turtleboy.

Noosa Yakkers News October 2013

Base pic: Tunny's great whale pic, taken with his new camera, Jew Shoal, 06Oct13.

PUBLISHED 04Nov13

Hi there yakkers

How's this for a nice looking lure?




Some of you may get your hands on one to try out soon. Looks like it might be especially attractive to snapper and cobia (aka crab-eater), quite a few of the latter of which have been caught by Noosa Yakkers over the years within one kilometre of Main Beach. We have a few of these lures to hand out this month. More info later, by email, after we sort out details.

Speaking of cobia (aka black kingfish, but no relation to the yellowtail kingfish), it was good to see tunny join the Noosa Yakkers Cobia Club this month (pic in turtleboy's report below). They're a great fish to catch and to eat but at first glance, deep down in the water you may think you've hooked a shark, as their colour and big pectoral fins resemble those of many of the sharks we catch here. The juvenile specimens, under one metre long, usually have a white stripe along their flanks which fades with increasing size. Most of the cobia we've taken have been on hard bodied lures or soft plastics, but I recall eyetag nailing a nice one on a banana prawn out at A-Bay reef one October day about four years ago. On many occasions they have taken trolled hard bodies soon after the kayaker has left Main Beach on the trek to Jew Shoal. Interestingly enough they are also taken in the Noosa River from time to time. Don't forget the size limit is 75cm and possession limit is two.

As far as I can recall, Noosa Yakkers who have taken cobia from their yaks in our waters are: gemini, turtleboy, pedro, eyetag, tunny, jimbo, whalebait, jaro, and I. Hopefully we can add your name to that list this summer. If you should be on this list and I've missed you please let me know.

See you on the water.

Kev (sunshiner)



Hello Yakkers,

With lots of baitfish in the bay and the local fishos predicting a bumper season, I know that everyone is wondering when the pelagics will arrive and we can go offshore fishing!

October has been a relatively quiet month, characterised by high multi-directional wind swings and the associated choppy surface conditions. The local surfing community has also been grumbling about the conditions and looking forward to some nice glassy swell around the Laguna Bay points and on the open beach banks.

The Noosa River continued to play a supporting role producing some good evening and earning morning catches. Overnight, the evergreen Eyetag caught a selection of flathead, jewfish, bigeye trevally and mangrove jack, as pictured below, whilst Cybertech landed a little estuary cod in late September.



Meanwhile in the bay, Jimbo and Redwood tempted sharks with bonito and trailing pilchards.



But the "Fisho of the month" award goes to Tunny with his 103 cm Cobia and 68 cm Tailor landed on the ever useful small bibbed gold Bomber. Well done Tunny!

Tunny's Tailor

and his Cobia.

For Fishing Noosa photos of Tunny and Eyetag click here.

We also had visitors Mike and Freyr from South Africa joining in the fun with Mike catching a hairtail in the river. I am not sure if Freyr got to fish as she seemed busy being chief paddler and photographer.


Mike and his hairtail.

Well that's about it folks, until next month…

TurtleBoy



Happy November yakkers! The end of the year is fast approaching, Christmas paraphernalia is filling the shops, and the baitfish are making their way into the bay. Who will break a record this Summer? Who will capture the next Spaniard of the season? The suspense is near killing me…

In addition to our normal membership applications this month, we also had a special guest member whom we temporarily put on our email list. Mike Setterberg and his girlfriend Freyr from South Africa contacted us through our blog and asked for assistance with fishing the Noosa area while they visited on holidays. Unfortunately the weather didn't play out so well for an offshore trip for Mike, but he did manage a river outing with some of us while he was here. The trip report can be seen here. Mike also has a YouTube channel of his adventures, and I recommend having a squiz.

Memberships this month gave us one new addition, taking our numbers up to 94. I'm starting to wonder if my prediction of the magic 100 might fail me this year!

Let's see who we have…

Bruce Bairstow

Bruce is a 39 year old Project Management consultant who lives in Noosaville. He hopes to improve his fishing and yakking skills with us on the beautiful waters of Laguna Bay. Bruce owns a yellow Hobie Adventure. Welcome aboard Bruce.

Cheers!

Matt (Gemini)



Hi Noosa Yakkers

Just when I thought my record fish report would be brief or nonexistent Tunny sneaks in on the second last day of the month with a crackerjack Tailor at 68 cms caught in the Woods Bay on October 26.



This wonderful capture was made even more special by the camaraderie of Eyetag who lent the gold Bomber lure that did the damage. Read all about it if you haven't done so already here and here.

tight lines

Doctor Dog

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The Committee (in callsign order)







From top left, daveyG, doctor dog, eyetag, gemini, jaro, jimbo, pedro, sunshiner, turtleboy.