Short Darwin Harbour Trip

Despite the windy forecast Friday morning started off quite calm

So after playing around with the daughter’s new pony – feeding, poo collecting, brushing, putting on saddle, riding, walking (i.e. boring!!! And a ‘job’ that is going to interfere with fishing most Sundays from now on!) – and the 'calmish' wind conditions - I suggested a boat drive around the harbour for the kids (with a bit of fishing tucked in of course!!) Yes was the answer. so while they washed the horse etc I head home to get boat ready.

Crank battery was flat, so while loading up boat with ice, drink and tackle – gave it enough charge to get it started then family gets home and its off to the water with all and sundry. much less gear when i go by myself and easier!

One of my older daughters from my first marriage has been visiting and since an episode when a toddler when I launched my boat with her in it - alone and she thought I was sending her off alone in boat she hasn’t exactly loved fishing or boating – or water for that matter!

So when she consented to come out on the water with us I was quite excited. The wife and my youngest two were soon covered up for sun and life jackets on, Emily has all the trappings of a fly fisher on - buff, pants, fly fishing shirt – so off we go.

Impeller not working the best at low revs, so have to look into that quite soon before it causes any damage, but off we go.

Not much chop, wind in the right direction, first stop Shell Island near the ore/cattle loading wharf of East Arm. Nothing about. So continued the boat ride for the family back past the new gas plant being built for a look at the progress of the construction.

Next thing I knew the littlest daughter was asleep driving the boat. Yep, one minute she steering the boat with me while sitting in my lap and then she is asleep! 

So who is boring now!

Dropping the wife and youngest two back at the boat ramp freed up older daughter and I for an hour or two of fishing! Yeeeh haahhh!!

Wickham Point was the first spot. Hour after dropping tide should have heated up the sand/gravel bar at back of Wickham Point rocks but nothing about. We used the electric motor to travel west along shoreline towards the liquid gas loading wharf.

A few fish showing, a boil or two – then absolute mayhem amongst the rocks on the western side of the beach area as a pack of Trevally about the size of a family car exploded the water harassing bait against and up onto the rocks. I pulled one 45cm trevally out of the writhing pack of fish. My daughter astounded by the actively highly visible fish right next to the boat - fish oblivious to our presence such was the trevally’s focus on eating so voraciously. Quite a spectacular scene having several hundred fish gulping down baitfish on the surface – huge open mouths and backs out of the water.

The commotion brought in queenfish that could be seen flashing past us to join in the feeding frenzy. My daughter was wearing polaroids so was seeing all the action around the feeding fish as well, follows of multiple fish on the fly she was casting on a spin rod. We saw rays and sharks much to her enjoyment of the outing. Eventual all went quite. Well mostly due to my anchor activities.

My lead blob anchor got caught around some rocks and I made a fair bit of commotion trying to get it loose. I left it there with the ball float to come back at a lower tide in a hour or two to try to get it off the rock it was attached to.

To fill in the time while waiting for tide to drop, we ventured over to Weed Reef. The wind had been dropping all the time we had been on the water so the trip was relatively smooth travelling. My daughter even had a drive - wooohooo!

On arrival at Weed Reef, the dropping tide was putting the gravel bar into play for the predators and baitfish

As the tidal rush went over the gravel bar it created a barrier line for the bait and the predators were slashing away at the bait on the up tidal flow side of the gravel bar where the water was almost glass. With the water also being so clear we could easily see the predators (goldens and bigger queenies) moving about the 4 foot deep flat.  

Daughter, Emily, was very much enjoying casting to surface disturbances and particularly watching the multiple fish slash and charge after the fly she was using.

She hooked up a few and so did I, then it was time to leave. 

The multiple active fishing locations, the exuberance of the aggressively feeding fish - reignited my daughters fishing fire - so awesome! 

Now to get her SWOFFING again like when she was 10 catching carp with roll casts in Lake Liddell near Newcastle

Blob anchor still there at Wickham Point near the beach rocks - even with me jumping in the water to try to dislodge it.

Overall it was a great couple of hours on the water. Well worth the effort

Still a few litres of water in bottom of boat for those couple of hours – so more investigations needed there!

See you on the water.

NT Swoffer