Canberra - Lake Burley Griffin 24/6/07

Having caught a sinus infection last week I wasn’t feeling the best but as the weather has been foul over the past few weekends I was keen to get onto a body of water and make up some ground,

After a few conversations mid week about the weather gnashing its teeth down the coast Craig450 and myself decided to hit Lake Burley Griffin on Sunday in hope of resurrecting the Redfin that had been so active over the warmer months, anything we normally catch in this lake should be well and truly shutdown by now so we met up a little later than usual, around 1:30pm when the sun would be high and at its warmest ( 11 degrees, god knows how cold in the shade ).

Following the unloading of the kayaks I spent the first few minutes checking out Craig’s new Revolution but my concentration quickly faded when I stepped into the waters edge to push off into the Lakes expanse, it was bloody cold… No wait, it was very, very cold hovering around 10 degrees in the shallows and 9 degrees when the depth hit the 4m + mark, luckily we were both prepared donning warm winter clothing, jackets and gloves to protect against Canberra’s harsh Winter element, In or on the water it was best to be safe ( Did I mention it was bloody cold?!? ).

As we headed out of Yarralumla Bay we decided to do a quick scout of Redfin land trolling along the edges of the infamous weed bed adjacent to the tip of Black Mountain Peninsula, I tied on a red and silver Viking Talisman which was deployed along with a green and yellow Craftmaster Merlin ( My two favourite English Perch lures ) while Craig trolled a larger Gold Talisman and a Storm Hot ‘n’ Tot.We covered plenty of ground but found no fortune or fame so we made a joint decision to head back via the GPS breadcrumb trail around the Peninsula and head across to Blue Gum Point, while we talked crap I felt a small hit on the Talisman as we hit the perimeter and pulled in a decent Redfin around 28cm, Craig took a couple of photographs before we moved on… Getting close to the smaller Island ( Spinnaker? ) I warned Craig that a weed bed was approaching as he had not brought his sounder, just as I reached round to grab my Heartland / Sol 2500 setup I felt an immediate take.

Not sure if it was the quick erratic dart of the lure before I hit the weed bed or not but another 28cm Redfin took the Viking with gusto, pretty happy with the days effort so far and was looking forward to Craig catching a fish or two ( He soon switched to a Storm Wiggle Wart and Daiwa Provibe to up the ante ), Blue Gum Point loomed in the distance so we instigated a paddling / pedaling technique along the ledge while once again talking crap, I was informed that Craig’s mate Alf had apparently pulled some decent Redfin from this bank and Craig himself had many tales of lost lures and unknown fish.

We fished the drop off for about 10 minutes and turned back towards Yarralumla Bay trolling the edge while trying to avoid the shallows around the 3m mark, hit a weed bed around 2.5m and tried to exit it peacefully when my rod bent in two… Was pretty sure it caught a snag but was pleasantly surprised to feel a struggle from the other end, a few small runs and some big tail beats later I saw the fish below the yak, this was the skinniest looking Yellowbelly I had ever seen! ( Or was it something else? ).

As it hit the surface I was heavily confused and it took me about 10 seconds to pick up my jaw off the kayak’s deck, ‘It’s a Murray Cod mate!‘ I said to Craig while I grabbed my Boga grips, I knew what to do and had been awaiting this day for a long time… Craig moved into position with the Camera and started firing away while encircling my Kayak, little did Craig know that his lure was still trailing behind him and I was quickly spun up in a web of braid, got some more photos and I released the fish perfectly amid a barrage of screams and excitement! ( I had finally done it, the apprentice scores a 55cm Murray Cod! ).

Nothing could top this so we pretty much called it a day, after a quick trip along the Eastern bank of BMP we both met Claire at the launch point at Yarralumla Bay and packed up our gear, helping Craig load his yak on the car I shook his hand and couldn’t thank him enough, if it wasn’t for Craig I would not have left the safety of my lounge room and ultimately not caught this cod ( Or have any digital images mind you, thanks again champ! ).

I am one happy camper folks… WOOOHOOO!

NEW TO KAYAK FISHING? (READ ON)

Introduction :

Having been involved solidly over the past few years in Kayak Fishing I have recently been given a chance to introduce myself to you all online through http://www.kfa.net.au, Outlining my plastic navy and my passion for one of the most pristine and pure sports available to the adventure angler today. Although I wish to educate the minority I will point out the sports rapid progression throughout the last few years with specific leaps and bounds credited to Kayak sales worldwide.

With the cost of fuel these days it’s not hard to see why Kayaks are eclipsing the traditional Canoe as a viable fishing alternative to a small boat with an outboard motor. I must say fishing from a Kayak is a very rewarding experience, I spent many years wandering the banks of local lakes and dams casting various types of lures in search of large schools of Redfin or Yellowbelly, often wondering how I would fare if I was given a mirror image opportunity (From the outside looking in).

It was about five years ago while my partner and I walked the banks of Googong Dam (Just outside of Australia’s national capital, Canberra) in search of these Perch that we noticed a lone figure trolling lures whilst pedaling a sleek looking contraption towards us (Hobie Outback). After returning home later that evening I used the Internet to Google ‘Kayak fishing’ and was pleasantly surprised at the result, the same search today uncovers 129,000 hits from Australia and about 4,240,000 from the world wide web in general.

There are two types of Kayaks that are commonly used to fish from, the S.O.T (Sit on top) and the S.I.K (Sit in Kayak) both available in either Polyethylene or Fiberglass, each offering ample opportunities to get yourself fishing on the water. Depending on what body of H20 you wish to fish there are models, makes and finishes to suit everyone. As I often visit Canberra’s local freshwater lakes and head coastal into the estuaries and offshore I chose to purchase the Polyethylene S.O.T style Kayak (Mainly for its light weight and durability).

After initially investing in a tandem Hobie Outfitter (Mirage Drive) I decided to expand my collection to include a Hobie Quest (Paddle Kayak) for use on solo expeditions. Both of these Kayaks came equipped with an optional extra fishing kit straight off the shelf (Or factory floor if you like) but there was and still is significant room to pimp my rides. Apart from flush mount, recessed and removable rod holders customizing your Kayak is all down to personal preference, some of the most popular after market add-ons are Fish Finders (Sounders/Sonar), GPS (Global Positioning System), additional storage hatches and the humble milk crate (Omitted on a S.I.K).

While a Fish Finder can show you structure, depth and fish lurking below, a GPS not only provides you with the ability to passively receive satellite signals indicating location, speed and current time, it also creates a highly accurate bread crumb trail you can reverse and safely follow home (And transfer to a computer later on). My Kayaks are rigged perfectly for the conditions I place myself in and the confidence I have at certain locations I fish, things can be as calm as you like though but can still turn really nasty at the drop of a dime.

As an example when I fish saltwater and head offshore I wear a type 3 PFD (Personal Flotation Device), carry a UHF handheld radio, don warm but light waterproof clothing and also carry spare fully charged batteries for my floating GPS. I have also installed a removable Scotty marine light which attaches at the rear of the Kayak so whenever I launch early or fish in low light conditions I can be seen before I am heard. Another very important piece of advice is to make sure you have plenty of water onboard for your excursions, a one and a half litre Camelbak Hydration pack attaches neatly behind my seat, but two to four 600ml bottles full of water should be enough (Depending on estimated duration of time when out and about).

Each trip brings additional reassurance and bonus time on the water all whilst allowing me to practice quality safety techniques offshore, but it is just as rewarding applying these inland on my home front. Once I started visiting Lake Burley Griffin more than a few times a month I immediately augmented my fishing ability and started producing results, Canberra’s urban lakes are stocked and contain a wide range of species including Murray Cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii), Golden Perch / Yellowbelly (Macquaria ambigua), English Perch / Redfin (Perca fluviatilis) and the dreaded European Carp (Cyprinus Carpio).

Most are perfect for targeting from a Kayak with a wide range of styles available to try for the concerning Kayak angler. Trolling a deep diving, hard-bodied lure with plenty of action is one of my favourite techniques while casting Spinnerbaits and LCB’s (Lipless Crank Baits) towards and into the tree line substructure has undone many quality fish. The quality of the rods and reels you use improves not only your ability to catch fish but your enjoyment while doing so, I have spent many hours researching the definitive Kayak fishing combo and in doing so have arrived at the conclusion it really is down to what you feel most comfortable using.

I have a propensity to use 6’6” graphite rods built on quality blanks coupled with high-end reels. If you plan to cast lures often while drifting consider upgrading the line on your reels from monofilament (Mono) to a braided/gel-spun line (Braid). There are many benefits of using braid, it is much thinner than mono (More line fitting on your reel), it has a zero stretch policy (Better sensitivity and control) and has less line memory once it leaves the spool. I could go on and on about using leaders with braid, what knots I prefer to tie and my favourite brand and colour I like to use, lets just say using 100% fluorocarbon Leaders with Braided lines is a must, just think of it as the invisible business end of your line.

Conclusion :

Hopefully from just reading this article you can tell I am very passionate about fishing from a Kayak safely and using premium gear at the same time. My friends and I venture out as often as we can enjoying the likeminded company and the gratification each adventure brings, after all its all about enjoying yourself. In the near future I hope to cover things with a more in depth approach, closely associated with my personal experiences like memorable trip reports, target species and associated harrowing events.

Canberra - Lake Burley Griffin 3/6/07

It is late so will keep this short and sweet,

Another freezing morning in the National Capital with the temperature around 0 degrees overnight which made for a slow late start to the day, the colder it gets the more my injuries from teenage life come back to haunt me, they say you can feel it in your bones and my back, knees, wrist and teeth ached from the moment my eyes opened... Had a dream about meeting the others at Googong and catching a monster Murray Cod ( Yes I know Funda, dream a little dream ) but could not drag myself out of bed to hassle Claire for a lift across the border.

Got up and watched some TV and felt slightly depressed when I learned the Socceroos lost 2 - 1 overnight but Claire lifted my spirits mentioning she wanted to visit her sister in a suburb just on the other side of lake Burley Griffin, before she had dried and straightened her hair the car was packed and I was honking the horn and screaming LETS GO!

Launched from Yarralumla Bay around 11am in pristine conditions with the whole lake to myself, headed over opposite the boat ramp dragging an assortment of lures on the way through and past Redfin Land for not much apart from the dreaded weedy monster, chucked on a Chatterbait I purchased on Saturday ( Yes I know Funda, Chatterbaits suck right? ) in search of anything that wanted to play pin the mouth on the lure, interesting action and enjoyable to cast.

Wind picked up around 1pm and water temp was stuck on 13 degrees solid, got a little wet paddling here so turned around and followed one of my previous GPS breadcrumbs from trips gone by back around Black Mountain Peninsula in hope of encountering the English defending the fortress, in 20 minutes drifting at 2.8kph I managed 3 English Perch ranging from the smallest at 29cm to the bigger model around 36cm ( With a 33cm fish in the middle ), all fish were taken on my fave reddie lure... The infamous silver and red striped Viking Talisman.

Tried to head behind the islands were Granpop has done so well before but the wind was getting stronger, rather than risk catching a cold I rang Claire and instructed her to pick me up at the launch point ( Ok so I begged her to come, it was freezing! ), all in all im glad I managed a few fish considering the conditions and think I may still be able to drag some fish ( Kicking and screaming ) from the cold, especially when its competition period time and I cant get to the Coast.