Kayaking
OLD
Searching for the adventure BRISBANE
Troy Brown
One of the things I really enjoy about kayaking is the diversity. Sometimes, diversity within locations can mean nothing more than turning left, rather than right. While we can endure some long expeditions on these
wind picks up. As fishing seems to anger the weather gods, those low winds seen midweek are frequently replaced by angry gales on the weekend, which was true to form during our recent visit. The two factors combine to make fishing exceedingly difficult, but like any committed fisher, there were only two words that would leave our lips,
the concept that fish strike a lure-based more on the action than being life-like, it is the ugly concoctions I am casting from the yak! Heading out from Mitchell Park, Nirmal and I took a quick look at our surroundings. The tide was running out, exposing the vast sand banks that are a feature of the Broadwater. While the exposed sand
whom clearly had the barest minimum of experience or etiquette, our aim was to find any interesting changes in the waterway. Sitting so low to the water gives you a unique perspective, as you notice things that may otherwise pass you by when moving around on a boat. Subtle differences can mean an aggregation of fish, or at least an increased chance of finding an isolated fish in a feeding mood. We were looking for a major change, such as a large cut-away in the edge of a sand bank, which can create interesting eddies, pressure points or still water in otherwise predictable
The author managed a cricket score of midsized fish. They are loads of fun to catch!
Hook-up! We beached the yak and SUP, with a plan to fan casts across a section of sand, before moving a few metres and repeating. Nirmal only made it to his second cast before his rod loaded up. compact hulls, the lack of speed means that many larger systems become a series of micro-systems, as they simply cannot be fully explored in one session. An easily accessible example of this for South East Queensland anglers, is the Gold Coast Broadwater. Launching from Mitchell Park at Southport brought back memories of my first Hobie bream competition. While it was an enjoyable experience, it certainly wasn’t a confidence booster, as I joined a number of anglers who walked away with an empty live well. It was a humbling experience, as the heavily fished pontoons and boat hulls proved fruitless for me, with only some undersized offerings returned to the waterway. On that occasion, my departure from Mitchell Park followed the same route of many anglers, eschewing the open waters of the Broadwater to chase bream around structure. Recently, my focussed changed, as I wanted to try my hand in the extensive sand flats immediately in front of the launch point. With Nirmal Sumy tagging along on his stand-up board, we set out to chase flathead on one of the busiest bodies of water in Queensland. Sensible anglers would scoff at our mission, as anyone with common sense would argue that the Broadwater has far too much boat traffic, while also becoming very exposed and unpleasant when the 52
DECEMBER 2021
“Challenge accepted!” Adding to my personal level of difficulty, I’ve effectively replaced any brand-name lures in my box with my own homemade prototypes. Like an
immediately in front of the boat ramp was inviting, we turned left to put some distance between ourselves and the exceptionally busy launch area. Dodging the horde of boaters, many of
Nirmal’s 82cm flatty was proof that flatties enjoy light meals. This beast was caught on a 2” paddletail and 6lb line. evil genius at work (perhaps the genius part is a little misguided), I’ve spent hours computer designing, manufacturing masters and moulds to produce my own soft plastic lures. Whether by good management or simple fortune, I’ve managed to make a few designs that catch fish, so the work has certainly been worthwhile. My lures lack the finish of commercial offerings, but as they are for my own private use, I figure that if the fish like them, why should I worry if they’re not pretty? If anything proves
Pike and toadies are the scourge of lure fishing. When these pests are out in droves, you should stop using scent. Quality scents help deliver a slightly better catch rate of desirable fish, but also seem to dramatically increase toad and pike attacks. tidal conditions. We also paid close attention also to the more subtle changes, such as the surface ripple that indicates a current line, a sudden depth change, or perhaps darker sections which meant either an isolated deep hole, or a large weed bank. While Nirmal cycled through an impressive list of lure models on our way to the ultimate destination, I patiently flicked my own 2” paddletail and grub lures around the same areas, amassing a decent tally of fish before we
reached our stopping point. Watching Nirmal still on the dreaded donut, when I was well into double figures, I was amazed at his run of poor luck. In fairness to him, he was doing everything right. He mixed up the lures, tried different speeds, changed his action and made numerous adjustments without reward, while my simple cast and slow retrieve was amassing a solid tally of fish. Size was lacking and there were a few pike in the mix, however I was ecstatic for my own good fortune,
The moment a fish is sliding into your net is always a relief, even with the smaller models.
while also wondering how Nirmal could do everything right, yet still be empty-handed. We often talk about adapting to suit the conditions and it is possibly one of the hardest disciplines to master. Most humans are creatures of habit, so we fall into patterns in the way we fish, as it may have worked well for us on occasion. Fish are also habitual in many respects, but these habits (instinctive and learned) are affected by weather, tide, bait in the system and several other bite triggers. We can overcome some of these with practise and observation, but we cannot change that one wildcard – luck. Sometimes, it just isn’t your day. Nirmal enabled me to underline that point, as his first catch put some perspective on how one catch can change your entire attitude for the day. Having navigated a little further into the Broadwater, we decided to stop at a sand flat that had been divided by the tide, forming a narrow channel. As Nirmal was having a slow day, I suggested he tried one of my creations, as they’d performed well for myself and I was hoping it may improve Nirmal’s day. As the flats were a great place to stretch, we exited our kayaks on the sand, then Nirmal set about fanning his casts from across the creek, in search of his first flathead for the day. On his second cast, his rod loaded up, his drag started screaming and our excitement level jumped tenfold. I became invested in ensuring Nirmal managed to land the fish, coaching him to land his first fish for the day, totally forgetting that he needed no help. I think I was more excited than he was, although his expression on hook-up was priceless.
