Windy day on Darwin Harbour

Well we knew the weather, as in the wind, would be crap!

But both of us were crazy desperate for a SWOFF (a fly fish in saltwater)
Instead of a big long weekend out of Dundee Beach the wind forecast had us fishing day trips in Darwin harbour

But even as we readied the boat at Peter’s at 5:30am – the wind was crap

Launching the boat at 6:20 and the wind was crap

All the wet salt  spray trip to Weed Reef - the wind was crap

I think you get the picture!

Weed Reef was devoid of fish life

However, we kept casting – we kept looking for signs of fish activity

We eventually ended up at the place we have fished many times before at the gravel edge as the water surges off the flats with the outgoing tide

Nothing was showing but in only a few casts Peter was on –

Peter got a few while I got nothing – so I changed to a tiny white clouser

But this usual performer didn’t make the grade

Peter was into several other fish to my one 35cm Brassie trevally

So I upsized my fly

See here the white clouser with mono weed guard I changed to

And then the next fly the much larger blue/grey clouser

the bigger fly was instant success - I got three fish in four casts – go the fly change!

up or down or colour - can't hurt!

But we occasionally were seeing late swirls of fish attacking the flies we were retrieving

So Peter said we should change to a surface fly – both of us kept casting

Then off to my left I spy a larger queenie hitting bait just under the surface - you could see its flash and swirl 

Now the wind is still crap and howling up to Weed Reef from Middle Arm – wind chop was large and intense, not my usual situation for a surface fly as too mush wave noise and too hard to find the fly in all the wind chop

But I give it a go and in three casts get three fish – all good queenies (well compared to ones we had been catching) -  One went 65cm. I went through a hot patch of many fish and Peter also changes to a surface fly

One of my versions of a gurgler - seen here abouts

There is NOTHING better than seeing a fish attacking a surface fly - nothing!

Peter missed a few fish on his surface fly and then after a while it all went quite – except the wind – which was crap! And making the day crap! – Hate the wind!

But both of us kept casting, kept SWOFFING as we knew it would soon turn into a good day

Time now 9am.

We ventured slowly due to wind slop waves to Talc Head

Searched the flats behind it out of the wind and wave – got a bit excited about some slashes in the shallows that amounted to not much – bugger

We then started the cross over of the harbour but those waves were nuts and the wind was … you guessed it _ _ _ _! 

Add to that the ride was rough, bumpy and wet

We search Kaitlyn Beach, Cullen Bay mouth, cruise along the shoreline heading to East point = but zip, nada!

East Point was a bust with nothing showing - but now the wind seems to be getting less.

Despite knowing the ride back would be as rough as - if the wind didn’t lessen – we head off to Lee Point

On arrival some bait danglers are in our favourite spot - how dare they!

So we move a touch inshore from them further along the reef and start casting – nothing again

Round two o’clock – we start to write off the day to bad wind and begin to head back to Dinah Beach boat ramp – but……….

But finally we see some bird action – when close we also see a few slashes

This in the area south of the reef we fish towards the Hospital building in the distance 

Peter on front deck, a meter higher than me, starts to see thick schools of baitfish moving through

They are getting herded up against the shallow reefs by predators and we too join in targeting the predators

Peter sees bait passing boat, next thing he is on – we call it for a tuna given its thickness and length

Peter is pumped to say the least after a day of much wind and only 35-45cm fish for the boat (aside from my couple of larger queenies on the surface fly)

This fish has three great runs into Peter’s backing – he gets the line back and off it goes again

We are thoroughly enjoying ourselves to say the least!

Eventually it comes to hand and we both high fives and give a little (maybe no so little!) “yahoo!” with this 80cm mack

Now we are seeing birds in large groups above many schools of macks, trevs and queenies.

This is more like it 

Peter hits a hot patch and is getting fish after fish. We chase birds, we see nervous water - we cast - we get more fish to tighten our lines – well Peter more than me!

Peter loves his Silicone Surf Candies (see this link for the tying method blog of the fly)

I am using an extended body version of this fly - helps with bite offs with fly tied in at bend of hook which usually works as well as the normal version. But after Peter's many fish I change over to the Standard pattern and am instantly on.

This one particular fly became a sort of lucky charm for Peter. it wasn't bit off by the big mack rather pinned the toothy critter right in the jaw hinge 

He then catches a little yellow tail pike and had to check his leader which had a few nicks in as he didn't want to loose his magic silicone surf candy!

We cruise past on the electric the land based anglers at Lee Pointwho are out of casting distance of the action - so nice to have a boat We are chasing the circling birds whom are over baitfish being hammered by predators as they work along the current lines

To the side of one area of mayhem, Peter sees a small patch of nervous water (bait school tight against the surface  wrippling it) - he puts in a rapid "speccy" cast and instantly hooks up with a hard fighting Golden Trevally that ran rapid circles around him while the boat was on electric anchor.  

It soon also comes to hand - Peter is having an awesome afternoon !
several times he would see surface activity accurately cast near the disturbance and then after a couple of strips of the fly, hook up - textbook!

He still hasn't lost his lucky fly !

Again hooked in just the right spot of the large siphoned rubber lips of the Golden Trevally

 

He did eventually lose his lucky fly but I had given him a box of them for Xmas last year so he was back into fish quickly

We chase birds, slashes and nervous water - and we cast till we could not cast one more time

We caught 30 or more fish in the space of a couple of hours - this after a very hard day in crappy wind and rough water

While we were happy given the conditions earlier in the day to catch a few before 9am - the afternoon with the wind finally under 10 knots - the water came alive and we revelled in its wonder and glory! 
Don't you just love fly fishing in saltwater !! (SWOFFING)

In that final session at Lee Point - we caught fish after fish and you could not have taken the smile off our faces. a great time for the first time back in the SALT for awhile for Peter after being home to Canada for a couple of months

The trip back to ramp was almost pleasant even!

Still I was very tired by the time we had washed the boat and said our good byes

Still had to clean a few fish for daughters and prepare the off cuts for the two cats

But you do what ya gotta do to do what you want to do!

See you on the water

Sunday is a late start on harbour again

Monday might be freshwater - we shall see!

Wind still Crappy!

Here's a crappy video clip on part of the fight with the mack that at the time we thought was a tuna!

my video cam I wear on my hat isn't working so this was taken with my iphone