KFA - THE DIARY OF A TOURNAMENT PRE FISH

ABT Hobie Kayak Tournament
Bemm River, Victoria (Round 7):

Having stopped briefly at Bemm River during my Christmas ordeal (Slash holiday) I was a little concerned on the tournaments location. A small and initially bleak town offered little or no tourist respite during what should have been their busiest time of the year (In hindsight, probably a week early). Sussing out the waterways of the Bemm proved pointless, it was howling a gale and housing an unflattering stench. “Can’t always be like this?” I muttered to Claire, realising that not only had we booked accommodation for the tournament but the whole family had chosen to follow me 4 days prior for the long weekend (Six powered sites and one unruly clan). With the sixth round of the tournament series at St Georges Basin on the NSW South Coast held on the Saturday I had a lot of ashphalt to cover to make the first of the Mexican competitions held on the following Tuesday (Australia day).

A large field gathered from near and far, Victorians embraced the round while the usual suspects (Now tournament veterans) travelled from Nothern NSW waters. With fabled big Black Bream on the cards in shallow environments many arrived days earlier to enjoy pre fishing success. With pre fish bans on the Marlo round (VIC State titles) this was many visiting anglers first and only opportunity to test a Gippsland lake system, it was also many kayak angler’s first encounter with a big black. Sharing attributes with their Yellowfin cousins, they are predominantly thicker and larger fish and a voracious to the point of accepting all presentations.

Overcast skies and picture perfect conditions allowed a dominant technique to develop during the prefishing opportunities, all whilst encouraging variation. Slow rolled crankbaits, high sticked shallow runners, flickbaits and Prawn style plastics all worked successfully. Noise and colour replaced any perchance for profile and action. Mottled green SX 48’s, Atomic Hards and custom shallow diving Jackal Chubby’s attracted planty of interest (And good fish) but the Squidgy ‘Pepper Prawn’ and glitter styled dark plastics secured the larger fish. Keeping jigheads as light as possible was a given, considering the majority of the lake was 0.7m – 1m deep.

Tight lines with Jerky, erratic rod lifts equalled strong tussles with XOS specimens. Little fish were lost quickly and certain areas seemed to fish better than others. All expectations were met and solid plans had been forged for comp day. The wind that created havoc before my arrival did manage to muster stronger gusts overnight, though it didn’t affect our time on the water actually fishing each day provided a different problem in the same areas (Weed blown debris). As the fish were still there multiple fouled casts hassled us more than the targets, removing weed from trebles became the norm.


Squidgy Southern Bream Series,
Clyde River, Batemans Bay (Round 1):

Buckets and buckets of rain had fallen over the south coast region weeks prior to the tournament, in some places it was a record fall (A welcome relief anyway). Unfortunately water conditions would rapidly deteriorate, making an area which we had finally mapped out a little slow come game day. With the other members getting down for a pre fish two weeks before the competition a few of us decided to return and see what damage had been done. These are the times for new lures, varying techniques and breaking tournament moulds, not the time for the usual offering.

Sometimes thats easier said than done but it was a little easier due to the discoloured water and sheer amount that had fallen. Red, burgundy, claret, merlot the water was the colour of wine (But suprosingly clear), debris scattered the shore and remained way up on the tree line (Buckets 8ft above high tide mark). The pre fish was timed with the rising tide and while proved successful was the complete opposite of what tournament days tidal chart predicted. I lost a couple of fish early in some shallow creeks (Due to rusting trebles) but it was a good sign, the Bream were still up for top water action in shallow water.

Some of the fishier looking locations (Very similar to the Bemm) held no species of fish, not even a lonely Mullet. I am sure in better conditions this area would be a haven but one sip of the water showed the amount of fresh in the system as opposed to salt. Other small creeks held surface smacking Bream, a Towadi and PX 45's secured smaller fish but none of legal stature. Jason landed a nice 29cm fork length Bream with an aggressive Hopper Popper retrieve along a ledge (The take from this fish was awesome). Using blades in deeper water I struggled to fight the current ripping through hard so proceeded to bombard the rocky ledges with a purple shallow running Atomic Hard instead.

While it wasn’t a fish a cast I managed a bag limit of legal Bream by casting in close, twitching once and rolling back. If the lure wasn’t taken in the first five seconds more often than not it failed to raise a scale. The funny thing was some fish were sighted loitering below or behind the crankbait far from the confines of the ledge. I should have added some scent to the rear of the treble but was content on leaving these fish for a week (Not wanting to sting any prospective targets before comp day. The day was a success but would conditions differ or deteriorate any further?

TREADING WATER IN MARINE PARK MAYHEM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

On Thursday 11 February 2010, Kayak Fishing columnist Dan Bode was angling within the permitted Habitat Protection Zone inside Cape Byron Marine Park (CBMP) when Marine Parks Authority (MPA) Rangers marshalled his vessel and falsely accused him of fishing inside a Sanctuary Zone.

While physically demonstrating lines of sight as zoning references from the MPA dinghy, Mr Bode says the MPA Ranger made it known that in the opinion of those onboard, he was breaking the law. "The two officers presumed my guilt by evidencing invisible lines of sight that could easily have stretched from a backpacker at Wategos to a cannabis plant in Coorabell". Mr Bode believes the accusation forced him to prove his innocence or risk the $500 fine.

"By predetermining my guilt based on a series of arbitrary visual waypoints to back a verbal accusation of zone encroachment, the officers could not feasibly encourage my enjoyment, appreciation and understanding of the marine park... What transpired was a circus of fear and harassment that continued for up to twenty minutes".

As events took an unfathomable turn, Mr Bode was directed by the Fisheries Officer onboard to make his kayak immediately available for inspection. Mr Bode stated, "The Fisheries Officer couldn't tell me how he proposed to inspect my kayak but insisted on an inspection. To make my kayak immediately available, I voluntarily dismounted in the middle of the ocean, pushed my craft towards the Officers on the MPA dinghy and risked my own life in the name of Fisheries compliance. After a couple of seconds in the water, fear set in. I was on my own in lumpy seas with no immediate offer of direction or support coming from either of the Officers". With his kayak now in the custody of the NSW MPA and the liability for his personal safety now in the Authority's jurisdiction, Mr Bode was literally left treading water, more than one kilometre from the closest land mass for a period of up to a minute. "Surely there's enough questions on Duty of Care, OH&S procedures and ethics contained in this incident alone to fully investigate the heavy handed enforcement practices dished out within our NSW Marine Parks", Mr Bode concluded.

After being instructed to reboard his fishing vessel, the kayaker's innocence regarding marine park boundaries continued to be questioned by the MPA Ranger. Mr Bode was so certain about his exact proximity within CBMP that he referenced his fully functioning GPS unit. "When I viewed the onscreen display, I had proof positive that I was fishing legally at all times. My GPS proved that the Rangers visual markers were up to 30 metres wayward of a $500 fine and a certain public prosecution". Mr Bode stated. "At one time, the Advisory Committee approved the placement of marker buoys to be installed every 100 meters along the borders of this Habitat Protection Zone to help park users. I don't know why the MPA placed only one isolated marker buoy but it's currently assisting the MPA to arrive at inaccurate zoning determinations. From my experience I can only suspect they use this marker buoy as an excuse to initiate a compliance check that leads to the harassment of legitimate park users", He said.

Expressing the opinion of many NSW anglers, Mr Bode suggests the co-ordinated and often hard line stance adopted by officers representing NSW Fisheries, MPA and Maritime severely erodes the MPA's reputation as responsible, fair and ethical enforcers of regulation.

With almost twenty MPA directed vessel interactions under his belt in two years and his second MPA encounter in six weeks, Mr Bode questions the regularity of overzealous and inappropriate compliance checking. He then cites the story of two holidaying kayak anglers that reported six separate compliance based interactions with MPA appointed rangers inside CBMP over six consecutive days during the Christmas break. "If these anglers weren't getting fined, what were they getting each day? Harassed! That's what!".

The physical landscape that surrounds many popular fishing spots like those seen in CBMP, provide perfect vantage points for rangers to conduct and coordinate shore and water based surveillance and implement evidence based enforcement functions. Ranger vessels are also equipped with the latest communications equipment and scientific tools to detect accurate zone breaches and professionally enact fisheries offenses. With so much intelligence at their immediate disposal, local anglers are seriously questioning the massive disparity between the small number of infringement notices issued versus the massive number of ranger encounters they experience each year with MPA officials in Marine Parks across the state.

Since the inception of CBMP, the well known fishing columnist has made various attempts to lobby Cape Byron MPA to seek a more balanced marine park for park users. "If our MPA is committed to the continuation of trust among stakeholders, they'd consider the events of 11 February as the benchmark of all wrongdoing." He said.

Mr Bode will lodge formal complaints with all relevant Ministers, the NSW MPA, NSW Fisheries and the NSW Premier.

MY SOUNDER - CHEAP AND NASTY 'AA' BATTERIES

The boys decided another pre fish at the Clyde was on the cards, rain, hail or shine (Well rain anyway, bucket loads of it). By the time I had arrived at Braidwood I realised I hadn’t purchased AA batteries for my Lowrance X67c sounder (Yep, still using the Hobie Fishfinder kit install). No biggie, just stop at the local IGA and buy a bulk packet like I normally do. Im not big on battery quality and have only had leakage or failure once (In my GPS of all places, dang) so a 20 pack of red Eveready batteries for $12 didn’t sound half bad.

Rigging up quickly under the bridge at Nelligen the batteries popped into place and the dry bag was sealed before moving off to find the others. After an hour in sopping wet conditions I noticed the sounder was off, turned it back on and it would turn off immediately. I was here pre fishing so depth information would help but as it was not critical, I was well upstream from the launch spot.

Thinking it was water ingress of some description I unplugged the sounder and fished the remainder of the day without forcing it to try and generate power. Last night I figured I would peep the unit and make sure everything was all ok before Sundays tournament when I noticed the dry bag was well and truly wet on the inside, not a good sign. Again thinking it was a water ingress issue I removed the battery and housing, disconnected the power cable and filled the dry bag with water to check for leaks. While it stayed drip free in did house a black smelly sludge, similar smell to mud from the river.

It had stained the bag with this black substance and my skin was feeling slightly irritated... This was an odd experience. Then it clicked, inspecting the power source for corrosion of conformity I found 2 x AA batteries had split and emptied, melting a small section of the battery housing and spewing its load in the bag. Luckily I have plenty of 8 x AA Digitor battery housings in my garage (Cheap from DSE) from previous sounder wirings so after a little clean up, fresh batteries and a bag wash the unit seems good as new, even if I haven’t powered the unit on.

I have 12 of these AA batteries left, brand new in box but will turf them before the weekend. Having used Rocket, Energizer, Digitor, Eneloop and various rechargeable batteries before I am a little disappointed but only because I put my faith in a quick and cheap solution that could of had negative and disastrous effects on a rather expensive and important part of my kayak fishing kit. Don’t get me wrong, I love the quick and handy setup and know I can get a whole tournament off them without dying halfway through. While there is a cost associated with purchasing its part and parcel with my tournament fishing and much easier running power (Due to convenience) than using anything else.

Protect your gear and beware the cheap and nasty IGA special...

KFA SSBS PREFISH - DIRTY TIMES IN THE CLYDE

A few KFA members fished the Clyde yesterday, in preparation for the SSBS Clyde River round in a couple of weeks. The whole South Coast has been getting a fair drenching over the past few days (inland from Moruya got 200mm in 24 hours ), so it was no surprise that the river was running quite dirty. Meeting Craig in the morning, we slowly fished our way upstream, meeting up with Paddy and Josh..

I personally found the bream fishing very tough, with the dirty water none of my favorite shallow water techniques were giving up good fish, and I was shown up by Craig who put together a great bag of comp-legal bream on his new rod, and using a variety of deep and shallow water techniques. I caught a couple of bream that were nowhere near legal, and managed to catch just about every other species that inhabits the Clyde including flathead, snapper, garfish, Estuary perch, trevally and a honker of a whiting.

Using brightly coloured surface and suspending sub-surface offerings, the bycatch was willing but the bream were elusive, and I will be crossing my fingers for no more rain before the comp! Paddy told tales of an enormously productive snag and a 'secret lure', which I'll most definately be trying to steal ASAP! He then cooked up a massive hotplate of sausages for the annual FANGact Nelligen Jewfish trip, which we were all grateful for after a long day on the kayaks. Looking forward to a great turnout for the SSBS Clyde River round in a couple of weeks.

THE RIGHT AND THE WRONG WAY TO COMMENT

One of the oldest abd standard features on the KFA website is the comment feature located at the bottom of every post. We dont get millions of comments or emails but we get a few every now and then, some good and some bad (Some constructive and some sad). After a reader makes a comment it must be approved by admin and wont go 'Live' until it is, this step alone reduces spam and unwanted material that in no way realtes to kayak fishing or fishing in general. You dont have to be a registered Google user to post comments (Our native support CMOS) but unless you want to do so you will always remain 'Anon'.

This poses no real issue and is harmless to a point, I am always quite happy to approve any 'Anon' comment as long as it relates in a contructive way and provides a form of tangent. If users wish to add their name under their comment (Or username from another website) this can help with relation, such as a passionate south coast local was prepared to do (And I appreciated it, no sarcasm here). However, if you choose to add fuel to a fire and provide links in comments that are in no way directly related to the subject matter they will not be approved (Such is the recent case with a comment from 'Tony').

While I could understand his amazement concerning the topic he was commenting on I felt he actually had no idea on what he was commenting on, the subject related to behind the scenes, not the everyday enviroment he was used to (Anyway, subject is dropped). Any view expressed by a member of KFA or information of any context posted on KFA does not always reflect the nature of the site as a whole, every one person is treated as a singular identity and has the right to express their views. The main reason for bringing the above to light is KFA is always looking for contributions of a positive nature but will curb anything that fails to adhere to our Terms of use or Privacy Policy.

To end on a positive note I reported on a fishing trip on Lake Burley Griffin way back in 2007. Rather than rabbit on about another Redfin caught I adapted the report into poem form (Sourcing a poem 'The Hunter' from an online site). Recently the original author who I adapted my report from (And credited mind you) visited the site and saw my post, leaving a comment and a suprise for all at KFA.

POLYETHYLENE WELDING FOR BEGINNERS

The other day I was packing my future brother in laws (Just a guess, honest) trailer with loads of kayak goodies to take on our annual Australia Day long weekend adventure (Just so happened to be Bemm river this time, coincidence?) when I discovered a new type of pain. My beloved Hobie Quest, that has served me so well for years, was wounded. When we flipped the craft over to load top down I noticed a rather large puncher wound on the rear of the kayak. It was the size of a cricket ball and resembled the impact with two fractures running in differing 90 degrees.

The kayak is four years old and in top condition, only collecting the usual scrapes and bumps throughout its life. What’s changed in its life, surely I would have noticed last time I used it that it had a massive hole in it. Since I got the Pro Angler in late October the Quest has been lieing dormant in its usual position in my garage against the wall (On its side). In early January I had rearranged the garage in hope of fitting my car back inside, I failed but developed a system cable tieing some Aquaracks under the shelf that holds the Outfitter (Three yak tiered on levels).

Looking back at the yaks wound and where it had lay beforehand I realised the amount of additional weight that had been placed on the Quest while working on my car. I also realised the heat of our summer had the garage holding above 40 degrees for hours and weeks on end, that’s also when I noticed the end of one Aquarack had rolled around to produce an obtuse end. It lined up perfectly with the hull split and suddenly it all made sense. It was no warranty claim, no failure of product just my complete lack of attention to the Quests proper storage.



Aquaracks are a good product but mine was installed incorrectly (By myself I might add). I wont put pictures of my garage up for all to see but rest assured its a squeeze in the best of times. The top shelving which holds the Outfitter is supported by triangle style mounts, the Aquaracks were cable tied underneath to these fittings and the Pro Angler lies flat underneath. The problem with this setup (Even though it looks something special) is the top shelves triangle mounts prevent the Quest underneath to sit on the Aquarack the way the designers intended to.

I had compensated in the wrong area, not noticing that the weakest point of the Quests hull would be so exposed with the way the kayak sat. Rather than supported vertically like on a J bar system I sat the kayak like a baby being cradled in its mothers arms for the first time (Awkwardly). Take into account the constant heat and extra weight and hey presto, we have a problem. I wasn’t as pissed off as I normally would be due to finding out about the hole before we had left (If I was by myself I probably would not have noticed, at all) and I was kind of excited about the prospect of trying something new.

The hull needed to be repaired and I studied my options online and considered alternatives. Sure a bumper bar repair man plastic welder by trade thingy dude could have fixed it, maybe even as good as new. But I wanted to try, I had been thinking about it for years but the situation never arose. I almost practiced on a bin once but got distracted by real tasks. What I am talking about is the back to basics polyethylene hull repair that will work but appear messy. The bear bones fix was to employ the use of a soldering iron, hairdryer and some kayak off cuts. Owning only the latter two things needed to commence operation I called the brother in law and limped the kayak round to his man cave.



I got stuck into right away, the kayaks wound could have been a lot worse after all. I heated the hull with a hairdryer from the outside which raised temperatures inside the hull enough to realign the cracks, using cut to shape wood chucks to hold hull alignment inside into position. Before I Used a large hatch off cut I had kept from years ago I firstly created a zig zag stitch seam starting at one end of the crack before retracing my tracks by following the contours of the break right down the middle. I found the stitch helped bind into position but the trace sealed beyond face value (Other words, deeper). Then, just to be sure, I melted and rubbed additional blobs from the hatch in cross hatching patterns; it wasn’t pretty but sure looked watertight. Using a torch I checked the inside and repeated the process, wiping the area with a damp cloth before continuing to stitch.

Nothing more to it really, the result was tested out and the kayak was indeed watertight. Perhaps with less excitement and more planning I could have done a neater job, but neater compared to what? The repair work was carried out on the hull of a four year old Hobie Quest that had been riddled and rasped over boulders and boundaries galore. It’s really not pretty under there so the effect kind of warrants that ‘Used’ look, no problem as it was never being sold and is still my kayak of choice in rivers and local lakes.

The pictures don’t really do the work justice but it’s worth a view all the same...

AN INTERVIEW WITH JOSH 'YAKASS' HOLMES

A simple idea, an advanced approach, a solid outcome and a bright future. These are the words I use to sum up one mans approach to kayak fishing and his involvement in progressing our sport forward. Josh 'Yakass' Holmes is on fire, leading the charge with one of the most significant kayak fishing related websites on the planet. The content and passion portrayed is second to none, from his you tube channel (And 'War on fish' video releases), the past www.yakabout.com.au to the present www.yakass.net they remain staple viewing and gathering tools for many yak anglers worldwide. KFA took up an opportunity to catch up with Josh for a rare interview, discussing some topical questions and managing to find out his valued opinions on the sport he loves so much.


Lets talk about what motivates the man, off the water. Were all witness to your dedication to kayak fishing on the water but what about what makes you tick, off the water and away from a kayak?

A: Actually, when I'm not on the water, I'm usually thinking about the next trip, the next episode of War on Fish, the next article and the next kayak fishing personal milestone. It's pretty safe to say that kayak fishing permeates my life in every way. I try very hard not to think of much else these days, because the other things I'm otherwise forced to think about are not very pleasant. Kayak fishing makes up for that wholesalee. But I do switch off some nights at some hour, usually to watch mixed martial arts (cage fighting), or play a video game every now and then - currently I'm into a bit of Left for Dead 2 (multiplayer zombie slaying mayhem).


I think you’re misunderstood by many, due to your passionate nature toward the sport. Have you a clearer understanding of what you’re trying to represent now as compared to when you first created ‘Yakabout’?

A: Yes, for sure. When I started yakabout I had completely different motives for starting up, yet the end goal wasn't so dissimilar. That started as a journal for my coastal kayak fishing odyssey, which I embarked on to escape the previously mentioned unpleasantness. But even from the start I knew that I'd build it into an online homage for kayak fishing and there was always the underlying theme of promoting the sport. Yakass is far more ambitious really and it's primary purpose is to entertain, educate and inspire. Its secondary purpose is to serve as a platform for other related projects and it's all coming together nicely. I'm a lot more experienced now than what I was back then, so I'm more qualified to speak about more facets of the sport with conviction.


In the situations you find yourself and the waters you frequent we can safely assume you’re pretty tough on your gear. Is there however a massive turnover of products from your personal arsenal we don’t know about?

A: Surprisingly, I don't turn over as much gear as one might think. My Nitro rods, for example, have been with me for years. And although I am tough on my gear, I'm also incredibly vigilant in maintaining it, so that helps me get away with being so rough with it. I've never had a single failure on my mirage drive believe it or not and I've only had 2 of them - one of which has done over 10,000km on the water. A lot of the gear I have upgraded or handed down I have done so not because it fell apart, but because I found something better. I'm a serious gear freak and am always looking for the very best product I can find, from a simple sharpening stone right through to fishing rods, reels and kayaks. I have, however, been through a hell of a lot of lures!

Apart from yourself there are some great Kayak anglers coming out of Melbourne and surrounds (IMO Most notably Scott Lovig and Jason Price). What other areas of Australia are perfect breeding grounds?

A: Port Phillip Bay (my old stomping grounds) is a fabulous kayak fishing destination, because although it's really quite large, it's still enclosed water. No wonder there's some well-practiced guys coming out of there. It's a great place to get started in salt water kayak fishing, but it does get really cold down there - Vic based fishoes are harder than most... especially those that do it in Winter. Loads of really good talent coming out of Sydney and surrounding areas as well. Jervis Bay is another great spot for kayak fisho spawn. It's also really difficult to beat the location I'm based in now (Clarence coast). But really, there are so many quality kayak fishing spots nth of Sydney. I don't think I'd want to live Sth of Sydney ever again though - there's simply more 'glory fish' up this way and I'm all about the tougher fighting fish these days!

Hervey Bay would probably be my pick for the best potential kayak fisho breeding ground in Australia. Loads of options, remarkably calm water a lot of the time and plenty of great fish. Its made for it.





What do you think of Australia’s commercial media commitment towards Kayak Fishing? With all that fucking footage your amassing using your video cameras surely a DVD is coming out soon?

A: Actually, I'm dissapointed with commercial media commitment to kayak fishing in this country. For most of them it's liker fitting square pegs into round holes. In a nutshell, they simply don't understand it. There's plenty of room for a high quality content-rich magazine to come along and steal the show. As for visual media, Rob Pax is doing a fine job introducing kayak fishing to beginners, but there's no other commercial efforts aimed towards intermediate and veteran users. My online kayak fishing show War on Fish was established to help address that and yes, I am not so slowly and surely amassing a plethora of content that will soon be released on DVD. The War on Fish DVD volume 1 is coming, although I can't yet offer an accurate ETA.

I got a tour of the new Hobie factory in Huskisson recently and was completely blown away. Tell us what it was like working in such a prolific and savvy environment and how has it changed your approach toward continuing working in the industry?

A: I learned a lot while working with Hobie, which I did for just over a year and I don't regret that side of it at all. Not only did I get to see what goes on behind the scenes at a manufacturing and wholesaling level, I was fortunate to gain a truly intimate knowledge of the Hobie kayaks and the kayaking/watersports industry as a whole. It wasn't all singing and dancing though - while there plenty of really interesting and enjoyable projects that I was involved with, there was also a hell of a lot of hard work involved to - a lot of it extremely physical (such as unloading containers full of kayaks, stacking them, and then packing trucks with them. I got drawn into more of that kind of work than I would have liked and as time went on I felt as if I could serve the company better in other ways (marketing, web content producing, dealer support, etc), but the opportunities to do so were rarer than I was expecting based upon the initial job description I was given. It was always so busy there - and it's very much an all-hands on deck work environment there, so thats just the way it turned out. All of that physical work also helped turn what was otherwise a sporatic re-occuring injury into a permanent chronic one, and eventually it became too much.


KFA seems to take up a hell of a lot of my time, but like the earlier yakabout it’s a true labour of love. How do you view our little resource here compared to other attempts online and such a monolith like yakass?

A: Because I'm so incredibly busy creating content and managing content at yakass these days I get less time to surf other sites as much as I'd like but I do pop into KFA as often as I can. I think the KFA resource is an excellent one, with some very informative articles, a strong focus on the tournament scene, and also taking up the slack where most other sites neglect (including yakass), such as fresh water fishing for those illustrious trout. I think KFA compliments the other worthy websites tremedously and does well to focus on those areas that the others neglect. I also have a lot of respect for the team you have there and I know you guys know your stuff, so I can trust what I read there aren't just the ramblings of in-experienced 'me-to' community journos. Also no painfully overt biases and awkward elitism 'frowning down on others' that I've detected from a few narrow-visioned sitesthat I see from a few other (what I would call narrow-minded blogs. In a nutshell, KFA has enough inteligence behind it to have a broad approach, without patronising the readers. KFA is here to stay and the approach you guys take has everything to do with it.


I nominated you recently as being one of the craziest men in the kayak fishing scene, worldwide. Humbled I am sure; do you ever consider what you do as dangerous and out of the league of many?

A: Had you asked me that a few weeks ago, I would have downplayed the response, even believing that most kayak fishoes - with the right equipment - could do what I often do. But recent events reminded me that this isn't true. Taking to open water - high seas no less - with a bunch of relative beginngers reminded me of how much they had to learn, and how much my own significant amount of training and experience makes all the difference. As a result of this recent experience I'm now very hesitant to go fishing open water with ill-equipped and poorly experienced yak fishoes. Too much can go wrong for those who don't know what to expect, what can happen, and how to deal with it. They can quickly become a liability, to themselves and others. The whole experience reminded me of how much training and experience I've had that has led up to what I do now, and that before getting too ambitious in open waters, others should be doing the same. I've added a disclaimer to the intro of War on Fish to reflect this.

What’s the future looking like for Josh Holmes and the team at Yakass?

A: For starters, the team at yakass will grow significantly, although as the stakes are raised, I'm probably going to have to very picky about who comes on board. Yakass is a tool for those contributors who wish to use it as such. So far it's provided sponsorhip for a few of those contributors and I'm certain more is to come. Its up to contributors to make of it what they can.

Personally speaking, I can see myself pitching War on Fish kayak fishing show to one or more of the networks in the future (with an aim to introduce sport fishing from a kayak to the masses) and as mentioned earlier, a resulting series of DVDs to go along with it. There are a few other related sideline projects on the ball to (one of which I am working with Holger on, although its way too early to reveal what that is.

Finally, and some point in the future (1 year minimum, 3 years max) I'll be looking to travel the coastline of Australia again, armed with a much better plan, this time with a more capable kayak, a far higher degree of support and with a greater deal of knowledge and experience.

SQUIDGY SOUTHERN BREAM SERIES - ROUND ONE

The first round of the Squidgy Southern Bream Series for 2010 was held today on the Georges river. I started the journey from the South coast last night at about 11:30pm and arrived after a few stops at around 4am. Everyone else started to show up at around 5am, including the mobile coffee dude, so after 2 quick hits of caffeine i was charged and ready to go. It started off overcast, then a quick downpour of rain hit us but passed quickly, but there was very little wind so it was looking good.

The boaters started first, for safety reasons, and we started about 5mins later just after 7am, a lot of yakkers headed for the oyster racks, others went east, some went west and i found myself all alone in some very breamy looking water. I made the decision to start off with surface lures and was hit about 15mins into it by a solid fish which gave me just enough time to feel how heavy he was before throwing the hook, then the same thing happened 10 casts later to another good fish. I was a little frustrated to say the least, but i figured it was a promising start to the day so i remained confident in getting some fish into the livewell.

Time kept on ticking by with hardly any interest in any lure i tried including shallow and deep HB's, SP's, surface lures and blades. I tried the edges of the mangroves, including some suicide casts way down deep into the mangroves, oyster racks, sandflats, drop offs and nothing was going my way. The only thing i was yet to try was fishing under the hulls of the moored boats, so i made my way over then about half way there the wind got up from out of nowhere. I was tempted to go find some shelter somewhere, but since ive never fished or even been to the Georges river before, i wasnt sure how far i would need to go to find some good spots out of the wind so i stuck with my plan to fish the hulls and tied on a heavier blade to get to the bottom.

The first boat i tried gave me my first bream for the day, which went a touch under legal length so i had to return him to the water, but again my confidence picked up with the sight of a bream. I tried 5 or 6 different boats with no result until i tried one boat in particular, first cast and i got a good solid hit but no hookup, so i fired another cast and got hit on the drop and landed my first legal bream for the day which went 26cm to the fork. I stayed with the same boat for at least an hour getting hits on almost every cast, some were just little taps, but there were some good hits in there too so i knew it was just a matter of time before one of them hooked up.

Eventually one did, and i landed a second legal which went 30cm to the fork, so 2 in the tank and im confident in getting the 3rd. I thought it must be close to time up, so a quick check on the time and it was only 11am, still 3hrs to go!!! I stayed with the same boat for the next 20mins then decided to move on since the bite had died off, but in the remaining 3hrs i couldnt get my 3rd fish, but i was happy to at least have something to weigh in. Final results copied from the Basin lure and fly website:

Georges River Kayak

POSITION KAYAK TEAM NAME ANGLER NAME WIEGHT BIG BREAM

1 K19 Carl Dubois 2.175
2 K11 Stewart Dunn 1.77
3 K16 Daniel Holder 1.58
4 K8 Wayne Robinson 1.425
5 K17 Jason meech 1.155
6 K7 Team AKFF 2 Craig Coughlan 0.955
7 K12 Rider Thomas Wood 0.86
8 K13 AKFF Dave Gleeson 0.565
9 K4 Pinniped Brian Rutledge 0.545
10 K6 Brad Reid 0.53
11 K15 Hobiesports Dave Hedge 0.52
12 K18 Sailing Scene Rowan Stanek 0.52
13 K10 Andrew Death 0.505
14 K9 Parko Alan Parkinson 0.485
K1 Rocket Rod Waller 0
K2 Joe Pietrasikiewicz 0
K3 Jason Reid 0
K5 Bamboozle Ken Raley 0
K14 Denis Huon 0
K20 Edmedia Marcel Chaloupka 0

Well done Carl, for your win with a solid bag, and Stewie and Daniel for making up the top 3. It was good to see a few more yakkers for this one too, hopefully we will see a few of you at the Clyde river next month.

ABT/HOBIE BEMM RIVER - KFA PREFISHIN' DAYS

I'd been eagerly anticipating the ABT/Hobie Bemm River Bream comp for quite a while. So it was with much relief to finally get on the road. I left on the Friday as I’d planned to have a few extra days camping, mainly to relax and pre-fish an area I’d never frequented. Fortunately for my Wife, the little person and myself, we’d received an invitation from Paffoh and Claire to join them at their annual family camping trip, so accommodation wasn’t going to pose a problem.

After a very pleasant 3 and half hour journey , we pulled up at the Bemm river Caravan park to see Claire waving her hands in the air and stomping her feet as if she was in some kind of trouble. My initial thoughts were gastric cramps or she just eaten Bhut Jolokia Bruschetta. It was neither; it was purely an insight in to how 3 sisters act when they come together. I was concerned…..very concerned. Concerned of cults and sects, scared of indoctrination into the unknown and scared that I wouldn’t fish the comp. I also knew that I was now in Banjo country, It was unlikely that I could walk away sight unseen......body untouched. Paff was fishing the Basin ABT comp so he wouldn’t be down until the Sunday and I was on my own. To be honest, I wasn't really on my own, there were other males within the cult that were residing in the same commune, and Ollie and Jay made me feel more than welcome, maybe too welcome….(I still had concerns at this stage as Id just found chicken bones and the maggoty carcas of a fruit bat in an old fireplace)

The first night was a doozy, at roughly 0300, the wind started to pick and tickle our toes as it drifted through the campsite. 20 mins later, it was ripping our tendons from the kneecaps. My new marquis (an offering to the cult) was flailing about like a inebriated promotional 40ft man (the ones you find at the front of a caryard on the weekend). The carefully pegged (and guide roped) secured structure was no more. True to their behaviour so far, the cult members were up and about straight away and assisting where needed, very helpful and done with a smile. The fire we had doused 4 hours earlier was now a raging inferno and was only 50 meters and minutes away from upsetting other cults within the park.

Having survived the night and keeping my family safe from the infernal winds, I arose to more of the same, but more of a whisper than a shout. The wind continued to play havoc with my plans for fishing and I didn’t manage to get out all on the Friday, Saturday or Sunday morning. I did mange to have a quick late night jaunt to the pier with Ollie, Jay and the now arrived Nick (with a quick stop to serenade the string plucking pair of Dad and Dave who were making moves on the blue rinse brigade in caravan 16). The plan was to prawn and prawn we did, only real success eluded us that night with a meagre dozen gracing our kiddies pail. As we trudged back past D & D, it didn’t go unnoticed they were still on the strings and looking as if their night would be more fruitful than ours. Hail Viagra!!

Sunday saw the arrival of Paff , armed with grand stories on the success of Squidder, Craig and himself in the St Georges comp. (Not to mention the other yakkers in the comp, props to you all). There was a glint in his eye that of a man who had weighed fish, weighing fish makes your testicles increase size by an average of 68%.




We teed up a small session up the river to see if it looked like holding fish for the comp on Tuesday. Quick recons to find a launching spot lead us to the bridge crossing the river. Beneath it was the greatest population of big Bream that I have ever seen. There were literally hundreds, if not thousands stretching for hundreds of meters up the river. Only a camera would do it justice, an amazing sight.

Being good cult members, no member was left without a yak, Ollie and Jay in the outfitter, Chris in the Quest, Paff in the PA (senior cult member, standing, 68% increases, biggest Yak) and me in the Tub-o-Paddle Kingfisher. (Not yet indoctrinated into the cult, no hobie, I'll have one soon). It was a fairly quiet session with Paff locating a few bream along the stretches and Chris and I both picking up 30cm specimens in amongst the sticks. A nice little session only interrupted by the moronic lowing of the cows, whether or not it was cult initiated, I know not.

Monday morning saw Paff and I head out into the lake area for a knowledge gathering exercise. I’d picked up some 3” Minnows in peppered prawn from a hood-wearing gentleman in Orbost and decide to work with those first. It was a fairly innocuous spot but was producing fish from the minute I first tucked my paddle by my side. To be catching good size bream, 30-35cm, in a structure-less sandy bottomed area, was an absolute joy. Massaging a thumping bream into your yak from 40cm of water after watching him peel line of at warp speed, is an enthralling experience and one that’s hard to replicate in any situation. The shallow water fishing was astounding for both Paff and I, as both of us managed to land good, solid, fat fish regularly during the session.

The afternoon session was no different, fish after fish greeted us as we peppered the water with small hardbodies. Me, a chubby in Ghost ayu, Paff with an SX-48, this was fishing at its most entertaining, maybe too entertaining. As each fish swam away from the yak, there was there was the nagging doubt in the back of our mind that they may not be there on game day. It didn't matter; Victoria was putting on a show.

With our tails up and chests enlarged, we made our way back to the commune and regaled stories of silver slabs of fury, testing our knotted muscles and stretching the taught fibre of our nets due to sheer weight of these saurian type beasts, we even presented scars of our line-burnt fingers to reinforce the tale. Needless to say, we were told to shut up and help with dinner, as we duly did.

That's what you do in the commune...