Bynoe = Bad tides, bad boat electrics and only one Queenfish

The night before was awesome - but no room at the inn (or in this case the Sand Palms Pub and hotel)
Well at least rooms in the cheap dongas - so I set up the mozzie net beside the boat and put the camp bed under it to then sleep under the stars.
WHAT A DISPLAY OF GRANDEUR the nighttime stars are.
I so had high expectations for the next day!!!
And went to sleep dreaming of screaming reels and tight lines rooster tailing across the calm water's surface - Yeeehhaaahhh!!!!

But I told you the tides were bad for flats fishing in my last blog. But I knew this before I drove to Bynoe. I had some stuff to do on Saturday at Dundee and so why go all that way without taking the boat and taking the chance for some fly fishing!

Very much so bad tides as it turned out, with so little movement not many fish seen, those that were seen - flighty and inconsistent. What is the saying = 'no flow; no go' (??)

It must be said that the Barra were there - but right at the back of the mangroves boofing away at their breakfasts
Sadly for me, with the neap low of 2.9 at 4:40am - it meant that while I was on the water at 6:30am, by the time I got out front of Bynoe to Turtle (or Turkey on some maps) Island........
I was already too late for that prime time of casting flies at the edges of the mud flats as the Barra etc waiting to cruise up and onto the flats for a buffet dinner with the rising tide. Instead they were out of the range of my poor casting skills.

On the way to this spot out the front of Bynoe Harbour while zipping along at 5200 revs and 27 knots - unexpectedly the motor died for two seconds throwing me slightly forward and came to life again surging the boat forward again - "that was weird!" but I kept going arrive at my first stop 20 minutes later.
And after mooching along casting distance away from the edge of the mangroves with the electric motor for twenty minutes of fruitlessness casting (no, it was good casting practice - of which I need heaps more of ! My accuracy was atrocious, my loops far too big to put a fly under the tree limbs or into tight spots) - so time to move on to the next spot but as I go to start the motor =====
          NOTHING! zip,  no beeps no nothing - BUGGER!

I start play with the battery switch (multiple times!!!), every wire I could see was touched and twisted. I next set to undoing, scrubbing and cleaning battery terminals (Battery was in the green in its fancy looking eyepiece on top of the battery - so it was OK),
I check every wire joint I could see, worried about the ones I couldn't - after 20 minutes and much profanity and outbursts of frustration - I shove the battery with much intention and determination thinking I might as well throw it overboard - and would you believe it - a few sparks ensue and power is restored. (thinking it might be a crack in a wire that only connects at certain angles but was too scare to touch it while it was working

I abandon my plan for a full days SWOFFING and head back to the Milne Boat Ramp.
However by calculating the incoming tide and wind direction I am sure that if I stop at Knife Island, I can fish for a bit and get a queenie or two before heading to ramp. and if motor doesn't start then the electric, wind and tide would (hopefully) get me back or at least to Crab Claw to bum a ride back to Milne Inlet Boar Ramp to get my ute and trailer.

As I arrive one other boat is close to the mangroves on the north side of Knife Island. I place a cast in behind them at a disturbance of bait near the rock bar on the north east corner and start stripping the fly with a staccato motion. On lifting leader to water haul and cast again, I see the tell tale flash of an average queenie behind my fly and recast immediately - punching out half the fly line. I thought I was too short in distance but I am on after one short strip. YES! Sorry guys pinched your fish! As it turned out the only one keeper for the day for me after such high expectations. I did catch ten or so small 20-30cm trevally from various submerged rocks around Knife Island, but sent them all back to tell mum (or better still big grandpa) to come visit me!

While fighting the 50cm queenie, I hear a familiar voice - "Is that you Richard?"
It was Jeff Watson and his brother in law who spent the night at Crab Claw
Jeff making a habit of this - three times now he has seen me getting into fish - he promised he isn't stalking me (lol). I see it more of a lucky charm (lol).
We have a bit a chat, I pass over a few of my silicone surf candies- Jeff takes a long distance pic of my fish
Don't you love my footy socks! For sun protection and definitely not a fashion statement - thanks for pic Jeff (email got to me before I got home).

 (When looking at this fish - don't for get I am a big guy at 191cm and 110kilo - and most things look small in my hands or so I tell my wife! Trust me it was 50.5cm on the measuring stick (the queenfish not the other 'thing')

And with no real action about, I electric it around the Island a couple of times in search of opportunities. I see small macks busting the surface 200 metres away but they are quite elusive and flighty, a splash or two from other fish (?) but by the time I get there nothing for the several casts I place over the water previously disturbed.

I did hear heaps of boofing at the very back of the mangroves on the south side but by now the water was right to the very, very back of the mangroves. I tried to get in to them but it was too tight for a cast (well my casting) - let alone get the boat in there.So very frustrating to hear all that. I swear they do it on purpose!

So with the fly fishing aspects not looking like improving and boat electrics on the fritz - I start to head home to the boat ramp,
With a artistic and well aimed kick to the battery and a few more ensuing sparks - the main motor has power and off I go to the ramp.

Back at the ramp, another father's day fishing outing is in dire straights for some boaters who got no further than the ramp with no steering.
I have tools and grease but no go on the steering - very sad for them.
I cheer them up by giving them a few silicone surf candies. They were not SWOFFERS, but I tell them how to cast them on light spin gear with a running ball sinker the size of your little finger fingernail on the leader. Fortuitous too, as they had been looking for something to cast to tuna and this fly was perfect (well once their steering is fixed!)

Trip home to Darwin was uneventful (always waiting for a wheel to fall off my poorly maintained boat trailer - so pessimistic lately!).
Just a short stop over at the Sand Palms a minute or two from boat ramp - this to book a donga for the Sheep Station Stakes
    - only five weeks to go!

Always loved the Bynoe Slam comp of the DFR club - catching 7 specified species in a day (got six once in pre-comp practice outing - but as expected the barra nemesis was the missing fish - arrggghh!)

But the Stakes has its awesome mojo too - with 5 fish species chosen out of a hat for each day of comp to catch for bonus points - it makes you really think about your options and SWOFFING
Certainly glad I will be fishing out of my mate Peter's boat (well I think we are) for the Stakes and not my aging beast that needs a kick to get it working (just like me says my wife!!)

I didn't even get to cast the latest fly - the Bynoe P&C
Next time maybe

See you on the water ----  get SWOFFING!

Bynoe for not much...........

Had to head out to a meeting with some people Saturday to Dundee
The wife was coming and she said why not take the boat with us - I have to be only asked once (if that) for two things - sex and SWOFFING
Best thing yet, her mother was going to take her and the kids home, so I could also have some quiet while I fished
So of course I said - "well the boat is already hooked up to the ute!"

I checked the wind forecast - 5-10 knots till midday and tapering off to dead calm by three pm
Tides weren't looking too bad either - high just before dawn, low of 2m at 11:30am
Should be a good weekend and no troubles getting boat back on trailer due to no tidal water at ramp

However the fishing gurus on the radio said it would be a great day for fishing - surely a precursor to a bad day! (I didn't listen to my pessimistic side!)
Saturday night I caught up with regular deckie - Canadian Pete at the Sand Palms pub
He and his wife brought along their camper trailer for us to stay over night in

We had a great Saturday afternoon chatting and carrying on, then watch a few new fly fishing video clips I had downloaded recently
Then had a great meal (as always) at the Sand Palms pub

There was a bit of hen's night in the motel area that carried on for a while but at least it wasn't rap music they were playing - rather my sort of music = aside from their raucous singing attempts, I quite enjoyed the music selection being played.
Although 80 meters away from our camping spot - they went on for all hours
Thank goodness I had the ear plugs in and I slept all night

Come 6am up and got the boat ready - lets go!
The Deckie forgot his coffee  - sad for him!!
Dawn with the the smoke haze of the dry season made for an awesome sunrise

Wind was up a bit but that was predicted - we kept heading to Bynoe mouth hoping the weather forecasters had got the wind forecast right

We first fished the flat at back of Turtle Island (Turkey Island on some maps) but water clarity was very poor and together with wave action proved spotting a fish before they spotted us - impossible

Not that we saw much - no bow waves, no scattering bait as predators attacked them
round corner into a creek we found some bait but not much else

Peter as usual, kept casting and casting into edges of mangroves where we were hoping for a barra
Peter eventually hooked up and we thought with the first glance of the flash of silver and shape of tail - Barra at last we thought - if a little small
But when finally in the net it was just an Ock Ock or Javelin fish -
While not the wanted barra it was still a new species for Peter

We ventured over to the flats on inside of Turtle island and here large bait were being absolutely hammered by something quite large. huge shoals of bait were spraying and leaping over the surface but we bottomed out on mud getting to them and I had to hop out and push

We were seeing a few slashes and managed a baby Queenie or ten. a few baby Trevs too

But we were wanting and waiting for the calm conditions to venture further out into the mouth of Bynoe Harbour and chase tuna if they were about
But the calm conditions didn't arrive as expected

We fished Simms reef but it was wind blown, rough and seemed empty
Round on the flats side of Simms we did have a cast at three large blue bastards but the flies were wrong, they were cruising and soon departed the flat after our feeble attempts.

With wind not even looking like slowing, we went through the ugly wave chop (slowly) and eventually got to Hutt Point. Here again the small baby Queenie were there on a reef covered with a meter of water - providing a few minutes of fun. The tide was coming in and the fish moved and so did we

I did manage a new species fish for myself - a bat fish

It took the small white clouser on the drop - quite unexpected

The wind still was not dropping significantly as predicted but at least no white caps, so we took a chance and went back the 6km back to Simms Reef

However, again it was empty!!!!

So we ventured back towards the boat ramp via the inside of Indian Island towards Milne Inlet and its boat ramp near the Sand Palms Pub
We did had some moments of excitement on a few rock bars out of wind on west side of Indian Island along the way as the tide pushed over them creating funnel and current points
A slash here and there kept us casting but again for no luck

Final stop for the day was Knife Island and what we call the Bucket on the north east corner
Its a L shaped rock bar that usually always hold fish. but not today.
However the flats leading to the west did hold a million or so baitfish
but not many predators
We caught a few queenies but small again
We saw a few real tiny mackerel few jumping but that was about it

I thought with the wind forecast, and the tides  - plus it being Bynoe would have made for a great fishing day
but it was not the case
Maybe it was the several days of cooler than normal temperatures

Whatever it was - IT SUCKS!!!!!
Several times I mention we would have been better fishing Darwin Harbour as at least we would not have the one and half hour drive home.
Having said that Bynoe is an awesome fishing location =- well most times!
And any day SWOFFING is better than sitting at home

So go tie some flies and get out there!! - flies can't catch anything if  they are not stripped through the water