Sea Worthy

Here is Richard’s gang  who finally had a week of good weather - a slow start to the fishing week but it ended with some great catches.

[Show as slideshow]

 Garry and his crew from Brisbane & Boat Haven caught some great fish.

[Show as slideshow]

The Gloucester Gang with many new and old faces joined us for their yearly visit to the Swains Reef. The Mackeral were sure biting this week!

[Show as slideshow]

Kev’s Crew from Walcha managed some great catches.

[Show as slideshow]

Scott Lewis’ Fishing Buddies from Brisbane join us aboard Kanimbla for a great week of fishing!

Here comes Ray and his crew from Gunnedah!

[Show as slideshow]

KANIMBLA CHARTERS TRIP – 11 TO 18 APRIL, 2009

STEVE HO’S GROUP

The Saturday afternoon of the departure day saw a large proportion of the group gather at the Sailing Club for lunch. No prizes for guessing that the main subject of discussion was the weather forecast. The veterans amongst us knew, of course, that the fatalistic approach is the only practical one - “what will be, will be’ – and so it was as we set out on yet another hopefully fishy adventure.

We arrived on the western edge of Swain Reefs, north of the “green zone”, on Sunday morning, to be greeted by a grey rainy day and winds from 20 to 30 knots from the east. The conditions were challenging to say the least but the hardier of us went forth in the dinghies to do battle. The trouble was, nobody had told the fish we were coming. We fished the depths between 15 and 40 metres because the recent ravages of cyclone Hamish had cleared the shallow lagoons of fish. The catch for Sunday would best be described as meagre.

The forecast had said that conditions would ease by Tuesday but that meant we still had Monday to contend with. Luckily, the wind eased slightly and more dinghies went out for both sessions. Khang L. and Rohan T. were persistent with their trolling and produced some small Spanish mackerel on Monday morning. They told stories of losing bigger mackerel. Meanwhile, the reef fish were still elusive so only a small number were brought in. Reef fish catches improved slightly on Monday afternoon augmented by a 15 kg Spanish mackerel from George C. and a small yellowfin tuna from Steve H. We watched with interest as Rohan T. fought a large fish which turned out to be a GT of about 35kgs. It was successfully released.

Tuesday and Wednesday proved to be the best days of the trip weatherwise. The reef fish returns improved considerably. Notably, the numbers of coral trout easily exceeded  the red throat emperor (sweetlip) and the average size was impressive. On previous trips, it’s been the other way around.

By Thursday, when the wind returned at 15 to 20 knots, another pattern was being being revealed. More Spanish mackerel were being caught on baits near the bottom than by any other means. Usually regarded as an incidental catch when caught this way, it happened often enough to make you wonder. Paul K. and his dinghy crew managed to fill a tub with reef fish on this day.

There was also a small number of cobia caught later in the week some of which reached 15 kgs. Other captures of interest include about half a dozen “Chinaman fish”, one of which easily exceeded 15kgs. This particular fish put up a terrific fight in 20 metres of water and took all of fifteen minutes to subdue. All were released unharmed. Congratulations to all those novices who made their first “big fish” captures on this trip.

The last session of the trip was south of the “Green Zone” and contributed greatly to the overall catch. We fished from Kanimbla and the catch featured more Spanish mackerel from the bottom as well as many quality reef fish.

Another feature of this trip was the abundance of large squid which were rapidly caught (6 in 6 minutes)  by World Champion and Master Squidder, Rassie B. He received the “Fish of the Trip” trophy for his efforts and will long be remembered for his contribution to the magnificent platters of calamari nibblies produced by the Kanimbla’s chef extraordinaire, Steve. Among Steve’s other great efforts were a great yellowfin tuna entrée and hand made chocolates on Wednesday evening.

Our thanks go to the Skipper Bruce, deckies Giles and Christy and Chef Steve for another memorable trip. The trip home was a magic carpet ride.

Steve Ho

21 April, 2009 

After the Cyclone: Fishing a new Seascape

TSMV Kanimbla 4 to 11 April 2009

We arrived at Gladstone Marina to be greeted by grey skies, scudding showers and that warm tropical humidity that occurs in Queensland.  Three weeks before, Cyclone Hamish had swept down the Barrier Reef and vented its full fury on the Swain Reefs. The strongest recorded gust had been 295 km/h before the recording instrument broke. It was the most powerful cyclone to hit the area for many years, and professional fishermen were asking for government subsidies for compensation!! If you wish to obtain further information on Hamish it can be found on the Queensland BoM site.

We left the Marina at 1700 hours with the crew being Bruce, Steve, Giles, and an attractive recent addition; Christie. The trip out was quite smooth and a good sleep was easy to have.

Sunday 5 April saw us catch a number of trout and a few spangled emperors in the shallows of an unnamed reef with a few caught in the deeper water. The afternoon saw conditions reducing to no wind by 1700 hours and quite a few coral trout caught in the deeper water [25 to 40 metres], with Peter Doyle catching an excellent 18 kg blue spot trout. This was one of the best caught off Kanimbla and unfortunately it could not be revived despite ongoing efforts at resuscitation. Steve the chef caught a 15 kg Spanish mackerel off Kanimbla. Reg caught a few good trout and Pud, Cyril and Brian got a nice number of sweetlips. It is noted that various fishermen were photographed with Peter’s trout and it can only be speculated as to how many stories about the fish I caught will be told at certain points around Australia. Faux pas of the day went to Kevin Nott who attached his reel to Brian’s rod and did not identify the error till we searched all the rod tubes and checked all rods before his brother pointed it out his mistake to him. That night we fished off Kanimbla and caught sweetlip. New comers; Berne and Nick Coady started to realise just how powerful reef fish are - as they lost a few battles.

On Monday we had an easterly of 5 knots and before we left Kanimbla, TJ’s baitcaster was spooled of 300 metres of 10 kg line – probably a spanish mackerel. All dories were manned and found that excellent trout [2 kg to 3 kg] were in the 25 metre to 40 metre region on the outside of the reef. It was one of the best days for trout that Kanimbla had experienced, and all were in prime condition. There was no swell and little chop that made this day the highlight of our trip. The afternoon was not as productive, however the conditions remained fantastic. Fish of the day went to Brian Baker for a 5 kg green job fish.

On Tuesday morning the wind remained at 10 knots and we maintained a good quantity and quality of fish.  Bruce caught a number of sweetlip just before Kanimbla moved to Big Sandy Reef – in anticipation of a change in weather. That afternoon the catch in the shallows was poor – opposite to our experience of plenty of fish in June last year when we got in excess of 200 packs per day for 3 days.  Wind strength grew to 15 kts by nightfall. Appetisers consisted of Prawn and Coriander Vietnamese Rolls, and Coral trout Wings – so scrumchious!!! The main course was coral trout and it was noted that no one had brought their bathroom scales – very strange!!! Fish of the Day went to Pud Pullen for a 3.5 kg coral trout. That night Pud, Cyril and Jeff submitted themselves to Steve’s barberous skills and ended up with bald heads. Also we caught a few squid and Dave Frederick was well and truly inked by one of them [see photos].

Wednesday saw further deterioration of the weather with over 20 kts from the SE. It was choppy in the shallows at high tide. sweetlip and spangled emperor were caught in the shallows. That afternoon some of us took it easy on Kanimbla as showers were falling. TJ and Len, as well as Bruce and Reg caught just under half a tub at the entrance to the reef and in the shallows respectively. They also received some fairly heavy showers of rain. Fish of the Day went to Bruce for a 3 kg spangled emperor.

Thursday saw 25 kts of SE wind with white tops and rain everywhere; hence only 2 dories went out in the morning. Few fish were caught and TJ and Len took a wave over their bow and ended up with a little quick bailing. That afternoon saw the rain easing and all dories headed out on the low tide – much calmer.  A variety of sweetlip and trout were caught. That night we elected to leave for home after breakfast on the Friday morning. Fish of the day went to Trevor Nott for a 2.5 kg coral trout.

The trip home was quite acceptable with a sea on the port side. We arrived home at 11 pm and had a good sleep before driving or flying home the following day.

Fish of the Trip went to Peter Doyle for his magnificent 18 kg blue spot coral trout.

Total fish were 454 packs plus 32 whole trout.

The captain and crew were thanked for their usual fantastic efforts.

Bruce Robson

12 April 2009.

Cyclone Hamish dashed the hopes of John’s Group from Forbes/Parkes of travelling to the Swains Reefs. Their cohorts - Laurie’s crew from Parkes made the trip and braved the not ideal conditions. Despite the weather they still managed a few good fish and good companionship.

[Show as slideshow]

Locals - CQ business Conference participants had a fun filled week. Whilst the fishing was a little quiet, company and comedy made the week a sucess. Here’s George’s version of events!

The Kanimbla assault on Herald Prong 2

March 2009

The title suggests a science fiction story and rightly so as it does have some limited science but certainly has its share of fiction.

The highlights of these annual trips include a story telling ritual every night where the attendees embellish the daily events with the sole intention of embarrassing their colleagues. It is a time to enjoy one another’s company and practice their story and joke telling skills.

All true fishermen are theorists. They have a theory to explain everything; why fish bite or don’t bite, why some rigs are better than others, why some bait is better but they always agree on one theory, ‘Why fishermen need to drink’.

First night as we head out it is hard to contain the excitement, anticipation and expectation as the weather forecast could not have been much better.

First day out at Herald Prong 2 reef and with the magic weather we decided to give the weather side of the reef a try, targeting red emperor and larger fish. Sadly the plan did not work and by the afternoon all the dinghies were up on the reef. It is fair to say the fish were a little elusive.

Sunday is a learning day; a day for some to learn how to catch these fish and others to re-learn. With most fishing only occasionally during any year it can take some time to become accustomed to this type of fishing.

Monday was a better day where we landed 140 fish. The challenge is to do this consistently each day. Chris Cameron’s call of a shark and then a cod which ultimately presented itself at the boat with a shell and four flippers was mentioned in the nightly stories.

Each trip has its nightly activities and this group has its nightly “Gump award” where the daily stuff ups are relived and allocated points towards the annual Gump trophy. Each night the Gump leader is awarded the somewhat coveted and somewhat despised yellow jersey and he is referred to as ‘custard guts’. The first night winner, John Klose started favourite by only having caught fish in one of the first four sessions but Norm quickly swamped him by Wednesday.

Daily stuff ups such as breaking a pull cord or throttle cable on an outboard or diving over the side to unhook an anchor rope and breaking rods all earn considerable points.  

The night stories contain numerous quotable quotes and stories worth remembering and the following is a small example. In the dinghy Norm was relieving himself and accidentally let a little dribble into his beer (as you can do). Norm responded saying there was nothing wrong with it as he had already drunk it once and was only recycling. Besides the tail of his shirt had gotten in the way and he had filtered it as well.

The weather god had been kind to us with winds mostly 10 to 15 knots and at times on rare occasions reaching 17 to 20. Unfortunately the fish had been reluctant to join in and we had limited numbers in the freezer. Though some nice trout and sweet lip had found solace in the freezer, there had been an absence of notable fish. I think we all would have preferred this situation, a trip with good weather and quiet fishing than the other way round. But it is nice to have both good weather and good fishing.

The Kanimbla hospitality was appreciated by the whole team, most of which had never been on this boat before. Compared to previous trips on other vessels, there was a step change in meal quality, dinghies, general service around the boat and fish quality management. The skipper Bruce and his crew Steve, Kristie, James and Giles are all very capable and accommodating.

The food was “to die for” and when the fishing was slow, many found they were thinking ‘what wonderful delight will Steve cook next’.

My new attendees, Bill, Joel and Norm were enjoying the holiday and fished well. Norm had an excellent Tuesday morning and his boat filled their bin with mainly large sweet lip. Bill had an afternoon when he out-fished his dinghy brothers (one passion-fruit trout to nil). Joel, Ian and I probably had one of the most enjoyable sessions of our trip and together caught a sizeable catch (20 to 30 fish).

Joel learnt the hard way about ‘catering’ for the dories. For a session with Graham and Norm, Joel was responsible for the esky and accordingly packed 4 beers, one each plus one extra because he had heard that Norm was a big drinker. This resulted in a tragic situation that deserved Gump points.

There were enjoyable fishing sessions off the Kanimbla; the most notable being the traditional Chardonnay Tuesday. Every trip has its tradition and this one is well catered for. A few fish including a couple of party crashing cobia joined chardonnay team.

A change of venue Wednesday yielded no better fishing at Herald Prong 1 and not for the want of trying. It had less gutters and seemingly less fish.

Once again the anchor rope has caught under the dinghy and for the second time Bill has had to go over the side to release it. He quickly wondered why he had volunteered as he realized he was not wearing undies. Norm’s comment was that he was safe; the fish were not biting.

Bill crossed out my name on my work shirt he was wearing. He wrote his name on the shirt with marking pen and claimed he was now fishing better plus he was sick of everyone calling him George. Someone has since gotten to his shirt and added the letters SY. His new name Sybill implied a warranted connection to Faulty Towers.

While others around him had taken a tumble or two, Merv (77 years old) had kept his feet and had fully engaged in this tough going fishing. I hope I am as agile as he is when I am his age. Norm took the biggest step of the trip when he stepped from the back deck to the lowered duck board, a fall of 4 feet. Luckily the few abrasions to his shins were dulled by alcohol.

By Wednesday we had only 380 fish and the skipper has decided to move on Thursday to Lower Sandy. All dinghies were once again on the water and some produced good catches in the morning session.

To provide some action for Graham and Kiwi, the deckie left the bung out of their dory. They didn’t have much more action than that. Ian fished in 5 meters of water on top of the reef and battled the tidlers.

Thursday night is the night of the Gump presentation and it was deservedly won by Doug. The celebration ended late for many. During the night the dinghy roster (allocations set by the dory master) was rearranged. Those allocated to dinghy 4, (Doug’s dinghy, complete with so many of Doug’s space consuming toys) decided on a reallocation. The dory master discovered the treachery about 3am in the morning and promptly allocated about 10 people to dinghy 4. The confusion in the morning was soon worked out.

The fanatical Kiwi and Peter had put prizes on for the largest fish, largest trout and largest sweet-lip for the last morning’s fishing. The ‘trophy hunters’ in my boat, (Bill and Norm) managed to win them all, 9kg Spanish, 3.4 kg trout and 2.7 kg sweet-lip.

The trip once again had its characters. One Allan provided the final draft of his book for some to read while the other Allan contributed some excellent jokes. Taking the dinghy to the exposed side of the reef is just what Graham had to do; make a challenge of everything. Bruce just goes quietly about his business as does Frosty, though Frosty’s business is more focused on frivolity than fishing. There is a threat that you could be allocated to Dick’s dinghy and if that is not bad enough Ed (the talking horse) will be the other crew member (in his modified overalls). Norm is always doing something unusual, found one day that he was wearing two pair of underpants and figured he had forgotten to take them off the previous day. Talk about theories, big Don has one for every occasion.

We seemed to use more sinkers and hooks than expected and I believe it was due to the tough fishing. Moving the bait slightly to encourage a bite inevitably ends in a snag. Talk about theories.

The Kanimbla’s assistance towards dividing the fish was appreciated. All labeled and separated into a bin for each person made everything so quick.

The fishing highlights included Graham who caught his usual red emperor (I think he has a school of tame ones out there), Chris who caught the biggest trout (7kgs), Bill the only mackerel, three passion-fruit trout were caught, a number of cod, bludger trevally and china-man fish caught and Joel who kicked the chefs squid line and rig over the side,

With 20 men on board there is considerable testosterone even if they are mostly over 50. Besides the jovial verbal sparing and satirical humour, Indian arm wrestles seemed to be the challenge.

BCF (Boating Camping Fishing) will welcome home their prized customer gadget man, Joel knowing he will add to his collection of goodies.

When Graham checked his bag of fillets he found two bags of 6 pilchards each. What the heck, we know a man the caliber of Graham could turn them into 12 trout. He is still looking for the culprit.

With all trips there is considerable preparation and Doug and Dick have done very well as there is nothing they hadn’t thought of.

If laughter is the best medicine, we have had 10 years worth and shouldn’t be sick for years.

[Show as slideshow]