Using up extra brownie points.....

All week I have been working on our 5 acre block at the back of Humptydoo (30 minutes from Darwin) - clearing, gathering fallen timber into piles, removing dead trees etc. Main task was the putting up of 900 meters of star pickets and pig wire. dividing the block into three parts - two for horses and one part for the house and front lawn - love a large lawn of green grass (good for teaching my kids fly casting!)

Talk about hard work - mostly because I have grown soft in my air-conditioned school science lab! As a sheep farmer's son, my long dead father would roll over in his grave at my softness!
I am still sore all over, with old sports injuries inflamed and pain-killers taken.
But lifting a 20 kilo jack hammer to head height 180 times will do that - used the jack hammer to drive in the 180 star pickets in to compacted ground for the fence line. Then again using the jack hammer far easier than the old ram style by hand method.

So the wife was looking kindly, maybe even fondly!, at me each evening for the 'hard work' I have been doing. So there was not even a murmur when I said I was thinking of fishing on Sunday.

Peter and I hit the water Sunday morning around 6:30am. Hightide was at 9:30am and a spring tide, so we needed to be back at ramp by 2 to avoid not enough water at ramp when taking boat out with Low tide under a meter due around 4pm.

Given we like to SWOFF hard at Lee Point a couple of hours after the high tide, the plan was to detoured to Weed Reef and Mandorah before heading to Lee Point.

But the big problem with fishing Sunday was the wind, the forecast on Thursday had me thinking fencing would be better - lots of wind forecast. On Sunday morning a quick look in the iPad and the forecast was better but gusty 10-15 knots by midday - would that be enough time to target the prime dropping tide at Lee Point??

Weed Reef was empty, Mandorah was empty at first glance but then we saw the birds and then the queenfish and small grey mackerel under the birds!

The water was already exiting Darwin Harbour at 8am and as the water pushed over the reef ledges the predators were taking full measure of the baitfish schools.

We hooked up to several fish, the several boats of lure tossers and bait guys caught nothing!
Another win for the SWOFFERS!!!!!!

Every queenfish that attacked the fly (to its downfall!) - used the fast flowing out going tide to make it feel much larger at the end of the taunt fly line. it was a lot of fun. I once got three fish in four casts - see video for a bit of this action.

After chasing these fish around for an hour or so we continued on our journey towards Lee Point. I almost convince Peter to turn back given the ugly swell and wind chop we were pounding into. Peter's boat handles this swell when going into it but travelling with the swell and chop, is a very different and a very wet story at times. (Might be the two 120amp batteries for the 80lb electric up under the front deck - his is thinking of shifting them)

The extra swell and chop between East Point and Nightcliff that pounded us as we traveled out of the harbour stopped by the time we got to Lee Point.

Finally at the reef, the water flow just wasn't there. Which was strange given an hour earlier we experienced much faster tidal flows at Mandorah! We still needed an hour at Lee Point before the conditions were similar to the awesome SWOFFING we have had here over the last few months.

For the next hour it was one eye on the reef looking for baitfish being harassed, and the other eye on the expected and forecast strong wind from the East-North East. As usual Peter kept casting and casting with the occasional follow and a few fish hooked - me just waiting for some action before casting (remember the getting soft concept - got to save my energy for the important moments ).

First sign of action beginning was the quantity of garfish increasing. These slender long fish were zipping about the inside edge of the reef. Then the garfish started to show panic and would jump about as mackerel and queenfish marauded the smaller baitfish amongst them. Occasionally, quite large slashes were happening as larger fish were really attacking the garfish. You just had to cast when this was occurring.

We caught plenty of fish but then the wind came! And came with a passion!
Frustratingly the fish were just starting to go crazy with regular surface bust ups along the edge of the reef - BUGGER!

However, we kept casting but the wind was causing havoc with out casting. One fly into the back of my head, one in Peter's shoulder blade, then one near Peter's nose with the hook point sticking in his buff material just below his nose - a close one! Time to go home!

But you know how it is even if you have caught some good fish, in numbers - you just can' help to try another location on way home. so we ventured across harbour to Mandorah again.

We caught no more fish but did have a shower from the wave wash the boat created as it hit every swell and chop wave there and back. Both of us were absolutely soaking wet as we drove the boat back to the Dinah Beach boat ramp. we just had enough water to get the boat in. A tiring but good day's SWOFFING.

I kept a few queenfish for the kids and myself. Been on a health kick for a week now,
heaps less sugar, no fizz drink (coca cola mostly!), less processed foods and more exercise!
So breadcrumbed fish fingers and finely chopped salad for dinner tonight.

Today was a good warm up for the NT Fly Fishing Social Mob's Sheep Station Stakes on next weekend.

The five fish species drawn from a hat for Saturday's bonus points are  - Mackerel, Mangrove Jack, Cod, Diamond Trevally, and Threadfin Salmon.


First Three should be ok and I feel confident of catching, but the last two will be more challenge. 50/50 on the Threadfin but the diamond trevally will be interesting.

Look for the Sheep Stakes report after next weekend outing.
Tight lines and go tie some flies
The Stig (aka NT Swoffer)

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!

More of the same awesomeness at Lee Point and its Pelagics

Last weekend found Peter and I off Lee Point from early morning, waiting for the reef to impact the flow of water  (usually an hour or so after high tide) to create that lovely ripple on top of the reef that seems to excite the pelagics in the area.

Wind was 5-10knots most of the day. Varying from almost calm water to white caps and then back again. It would have been quite rough in my shallow profile boat but in Peter's 4.8 Formosa  - a lot safer - even though standing on the high front deck was like a roller-coaster ride.

Firstly, we tried clousers like usual but fish quite tentative
After an hour or so we switched to the silicone surf candy I had been tying lately

So excited at the fly, see above, were the mackerel that on the first cast of it while waiting for it to sink a little, it was hit on the drop without any stripping on my part and I came up tight to a good fish
Then one fish after another come to the net, the fly body was quite durable, the tail not so much however even with the barest wisp of goat hair fibres left - the fly was attacked savagely.

Queenfish like the fly too. We were managing three or four macks to one queenfish numbers wise. But the same sized queenfish fought much better.
Other species also thought the fly perfect - stripies, trevally, golden trevally, small blue bones, butter bream, fringe-finned trevally, yellowtail pike, garfish all coming to the net.

Overall, we enjoyed four hours of non-stop tight lines and double hookups (and losing the fifteen candies I had tied on friday before the weekend and resorting to clousers again - Peter used pink/white clousers and I used white/grey clousers). I did try my epoxy surf candies but while catching a few fish, just not quite with the same enthusiasm by the fish as they did for the silicone version.

By 2pm Peter and I were absolutely exhausted from catching fish - seriously!!! Sore arms from fast stripping the flies. Though a lot of fish were caught on slow or stationary flies drifted near the edge of the reef or dumped into a feeding frenzy of pelagics and bait. It wasn't just one spot, as we did move a few times to find that perfect water and feeding fish but no more than 50m here and there depending on tide direction and water depth over the reef - which influenced where the fish were feeding.

It was the best fun anyone could have while dressed - (even though the fishing was the same result as the last two previous trips). Again we hardly saw any other fish being caught by the one or two boats nearby - but then they were not SWOFFING!

We had planned to go after tuna after an hour of fishing Lee Point for a few fish in the esky, But with fish busting up all along the reef, the chasing of sporadic and inconsistent tuna, spread over a vast area of water - just didn't happen
Maybe next time

Which may be a while - as wife has the next two weekends exhaustively timetabled and planned with family stuff (i.e. me looking after the kids while she goes out! That wasn't the arrangement in the marriage vows/contract was it?)
But I do get a whole weekend three weeks from now for the brownie points I will earn - maybe Bynoe or Perons (if tide OK for Perons boat ramp).

Until I tie more flies or use them in the water - tight lines.............

Darwin cup day

A public holiday in Darwin last Monday - time for SWOFFING!!!!

Had 20 grey over white clousers tied for the pelagics
Why tie one when you can tie 20..........
I tie these very rough and untidy - adds to the subtlety of the fly

Peter and I head off early for Dinah Beach ramp, on the water by 6:30am as sun peaking over the horizon - and then to Lee Point again (why not, as fish always there on dropping tide)

Forecast was for strong winds all day so we thought an hour at Lee Point and then onto creeks to try for some Barra and such on mud flats as last of tide dropped out. the low was just after lunch at just a little more than a meter so we would see a lot of structure we hadn't see before or for a while so a great opportunity to explore when the inevitable wind started howling across the harbour

However, the fish were all over the reef at Lee Point.
At first with so much water over the reefs (max spring tides to 7+m high at eight a.m.) the fish were spread out and tentative

But still we caught fish and were the only boat out there, other boats off in the distance but we had the whole of Lee Point close in reefs to ourselves

As the tide dropped the fish started to get more aggressive towards the fly and the bait hugging the reef

By 9am the water had glassed off (see video at end of this blog) and the fly fishing just got better and better. At times a fish a cast.
I needed a few fish for a school subject (dissection and identifying gut contents) and the variety of species proved fortuitous
Large stripies, goldens, GTs, grey macks, small narrow barred macks, queenfish, yellow tail pike, longtom and even one foul hooked garfish - a large one good enough to even fillet.

Till 1pm we had calm seas, mirror calm, and fish action all around us. Then in seconds the wind came up, shifted, and white caps pushed us off the reef

We then headed for the creeks, however with a stopover at Cullen Bay ferry ramp for a pit stop (me) and the most awesome hot chips i have eaten in a while. Which Peter's lovely wife brought to us. We headed back out to the wind towards the creeks and we heard a loud whistle.

Initially we thought it was the plethora of birds of prey (Brown Buzzards) swirling above us and the entrance to Cullen Bay Dock area, but it was Peter's wife again (man! Has she got a whistle) - in that wind, with us almost out of the small bay....

She had forgotten to gives us the prime reason for the stopover in Cullen Bay - the remote for the electric Peter had forgotten this morning. they live on the waterfront at Nightcliff but the water was too far out to get in to Nightcliff wharf, let alone the silted up boat ramp there.

Now off to the creeks....
Fairly slow fishing, tide was already rising - we had missed my favourite time of tide for creeks - the very last of the outgoing tide. Just love casting to the ends of 'snake' drains and the muddy plume that flows from them as they are perfect ambush points for the predators - namely Barra and Threadfin salmon.

For the next few hours we cast and cast but to no avail. We sighted a few disturbances of bait being harassed. But only had one half take from the boil, flash and location a Barra - my Barra nemesis issues continue!

Before we knew it it was 5pm and we had been going since hitting the water 6:30am
Long day. Lee Point proved awesome again! We learnt more about Darwin Harbour creeks - soooo much more to learn .

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

20150705 - Lee Point and glassy baitfish

Started off this last Sunday morning in Peter's boat at Dinah Beach Ramp before the sun was up

The wind that was in our faces was so way off the forecast that someone should sacked. The wind was howling 10-15 knots rather than the 1-5 knot forecast and in the opposite direction! The 30cm chop that pounded the boat ramp as soon as we were in the water – was not encouraging! Given it was supposed to be a lot calmer.

Still we headed out to Lee Point with no stops along the way - getting pretty wet in the wind swept and choppy harbour as we headed out to the front of the harbour and Lee Point. we wove through a large number of naval boats here for exercises in the Timor Sea in the next couple of weeks, even a large black submarine off Talc Head was seen. 

Once we arrived at Lee Point, while the water was very clear, we were still about an hour before the top of the ‘springish’ tide – and absolutely nothing was showing fish wise - and worse there was still lots of wind and a heavy chop coming all the way across from Shoal bay.

We moved around a bit searching the various spots near Lee Point. We hung around the area because we knew even though nothing was showing at the top of the tide as soon as it dropped a bit the baitfish would be funnelled around and over our favourite reef and its Spot 'X'.

It was pretty boring with nothing happening fish wise - so I was being lulled into sleep mode by the chop and wave action waiting for the pelagics to start slashing at the water surface.

At the reef we mostly target, the tidal current goes the opposite way you would expect given the swirl from Shoal bay and the flow in and out of the main harbour. High tide was 8:15am and at around 10am we started seeing action around the area. We chased a few in the area around the reef but quite flighty and inconsistent. So we kept heading back to our Spot X about 500m North-West off the tip of the beach of Lee Point. It’s a semi-circle reef section  that corrals the baitfish to gaps in the reef. Sadly for the bait fish the pelagics gang up on them in front and behind the reef as they slip though – but awesome fun for us. as it tells us where to cast.

Plus the wind had started to back off - so it was feeling quite nice out on the point 

For the next two hours it was if someone had touched a switch changing the attitude of the fish in the immediate area – total mayhem after a hour or two of nothing. Macks to 50-60cm, queenies were small 40-50cm but the odd big one over 60-70cm mixed in. 

\

There were some absolutely huge slashes at times in the distance and once a large number of meter plus macks and queenies were right under the boat in very clear water easily seen harassing the big garfish and yellowtail pike who were also gorging themselves on the prolific numbers of small baitfish. The 20cm size garfish and pike were jumping everywhere to get out of their way.

The pike were also jumping about and flicking out of the water - right at the back of the boat. I was wondering why, when I finally had a closer look I saw a patch of the small baitfish next to the prop of the outboard, seemingly sheltering for safety near it. Thousands and thousands of them were in the area between us and the reef. I even scooped a few up to feed my large tropical fish at school. 

See video here for a clip on the bait hiding at the back of the boat around the motor.

We kept a few macks for the table and a couple of the bigger queenies. Off the side of the reef Peter got a nice 35cm stripie - one of the biggest I have seen since coming up here to Darwin, and we both caught a plethora of other reef species. There was a short period when the golden trevally were about but we only got one of them to hand. It was so brilliant in its yellow hues. I think the flies never got deep enough for them, with the queenies and macks taking most flies we cast

Once Peter was on a hot streak with the macks and as the new Deckie I would net the fish, and as we wanted a few for the table, I would wack its head to calm it down (that is kill it!) and head to back of boat to de-head it, bleed it and clean it. But before I had time to finish he had cast again and was hooked up again. He had three in the net and the one I was cleaning all in four casts. and the poor deckie wasn't getting any fishing in!!! wah wah wah!  poor me!

We used closuers of any type and colour – only size seemed the main criteria – if the fly equal to the size of the bait fish (4-5cm) and you got follows and hits. I mostly was using a grey over white clouser on size 1 hooks with beadchain eyes. We also used a silicone based surf candy I made up 20 of last week - which were if a touch longer than the actual baitfish - were an almost perfect match texture, colouring and size for the glassy baitfish everything was eating. note: I feel the silicone has a different sink rate to an all epoxy surf candy. Adding a different bite and feel in the mouth to the predator fish too.

After over two hours of great SWOFFING with fish after fish, and multiple double hookups - we left the fish biting and slashing at the bait and our flies as sadly I had to be back home for afternoon family stuff and we had a change of shift at the boat ramp between myself and Peter's wife and her daughter - for their family time (a picnic on the low tide sand bar off Cullen Bay). I hope the wind stayed calm for their outing.

Adding to our excitement of our SWOFFING was that it was another time when the fly reigned supreme with Peter and I being to only ones catching fish of any numbers of the 6 or so boats working the area. You just cant match the size and action of the targeted baitfish with metal slices or soft plastics which sink too fast - most of the takes we got where on subtly stripped flies rather than rapidly stripped ones. Casting the flies across the tidal current to drift the across the edges of the reef worked the best. It wasn't just cast long and strip fast - you had to think about it and cast accurately to the actively feeding fish. Longer cast were made almost full line length (wind assisted in my case) but most casts made were only 40-60feet. Even caught a few fish after dehooking a fish and tossing the fly to sink slowly right at back of the boat while washing hands of fish slime, such was the aggressive mood of the predator fish.

So now to clean a few fish I kept and cook them up for dinner.

See you on the water.

NT Swoffer 

Got an email from Jeff Watson - a fellow Darwinite SWOFFER - with this photo asking if this was me and Peter fishing. That's Peter up front and me in back with yellow shirt right on Spot X. Twice now he has been on the beach at Lee Point and seen us getting into the fish. He was land based and targeting sand whiting on the beaches. 

20150614 - Lee Point Trip report - Goldens, Macks and queenies

Spent late Saturday afternoon helping Canadian Pete, putting in a 24 volt battery system and his new toy - an 80lb motorguide GPS guided trolling motor.

What a huge electric thruster. You can even get 36volt version now. I remember buying one of the first models available in Australia - a hand tiller one I had on a canoe to fish Hinze Dam on the Gold Coast – it was a no combustion engine dam. Would have been late 80’s early 90’s

How things have changes. Track memory, anchor points, home points all at the touch of a button

The scary thing was drilling those holes to hold the plate down and getting it right!

 so absolute 

Once that was done – the rest was easy.

Still a few more things to do – wiring on trailer a bit iffy and get another 120amp battery (using one 

of mine at the moment)

So with that done a little sleep and up at 5;30am to get on water at Dinah Beach ramp before the sunrise.

Weather was going to be windy but manageable in Peter’s higher sided, thicker hulled boat when compared with mine.

We head out to Lee Point with a short stop in Caitlyn Bay – just in case some Golden trevally in that same corner on that same stage of the dropping tide – but not today.

Once out to Lee Point several other boats were there but none fly fishing

Around these boats, fish were readily seen busting up bait that was huddled for shelter over a reef that was being exposed by the dropping tide

The other boats were casting lures and baits for no effect except some small yellow tail pike

Second cast I was on to a mackerel, Peter not much later.

We had double hook ups and at least one of us hooked up most of the next two hours.

The other boats – almost nothing. You could hear them talking about how they wished they had taken up fly fishing.

we had a great time, watching the mackerel react to the flies in very clear water. they were just rolling around in amongst the bait. You could even pick the fish you wanted to cast to - awesome  fun!

It was almost embarrassing the fish numbers we were catching (when compared to the other boat working the same area – Golden trevally when you let the fly sink right down to edge of reef, - yellow tail pike, queenies and mackerel depending on the stripping action you put on the fly and location of cast. used clousers in white,  blue over white, and surf candies  blue, charteuse, and all white. I don't think fly type mattered as much as size, stripping action and location cast to.

While Nothing big - heaps and heaps of fun - Queenies to 45cm, mackerel to 50 (but quite solid in the hand not skinny like previous outings), Goldens to 40cm (kept a few of these Goldens for dinner)

We ventured off to find bigger fish. Found some tuna but they were quite sporadic and only in ones and twos. Bust up here, bust up over there – chase them and they wold bust up  where you once were!

No luck with the tuna - quite frustrating to see them and not get them!*(^*^$*^%#^&%#

Spent rest of day visiting our favourite spots around the harbor for not much else – a queenie or two, a Mack. Once Peter got a small Strippie that got muscled by a huge dark shape that stayed connected for a while before breaking the leader and shredding part of the fly line.

So tough day but plenty of fish early on – best part no one but  fly fishers getting in to the fish at Lee Point – GO THE FLY!!!!

When is the next trip???????????  

(four weeks of school holidays coming up  next week so should get more SWOFFING in - I hope as usually something goes wrong with the my boat in the first trip of school holidays and I don't fish for the rest of the holiday break!

Here is a very bad bit of filming of a small golden under the water just before netting and release

Juvenile Goldens are so vibrant in their colours and in their never say die fighting style that makes them  feel far bigger then what eventually get to the net!

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

Sunday report 20150329

Finally got back on the water - after 13 plus weeks

Took out regular deckie, Canadian Pete,
Conditions were great, just enough breeze to ripple the surface and keep us cool
But I think the recent 130mm of water over the last couple of days put fish off
Cause the fishing was HARD!!!!!!

Started off trying to launch at Nightcliffe ramp but bottom half of it had a couple of feet of sand over it making it very very shallow for a long way out - the 2m+ low should have had plenty of water to launch - so we headed to Dinah beach ramp
The trip out to front  of harbour while not glass conditions was smooth

Hardly a fish seen at the first location  Lee Point - so after what seemed a thousand casts we came back into the harbour to check out a few rock bars for some scales or movement

We zoomed over to Mandorah T bar south of the wharf but again no sign of fish
By the time we got to Weed Reef it was almost covered with the rising tide but I have caught fish here in similar conditions tide wise
Still no fish

I heard about a land based angler on Friday seeing schools off swirling fish (goldens?) near the esplanade at the city so we head towards that side of the Harbour

Popping firstly into Kaitlyn Bay where I had previous caught many goldens
There was a couple of anglers and one Swoffer fishing from the shore
As we get there to the very first corner closest to the Naval base - a few fish could be seen swirling but were doing so inconsistently
Blind casting an area after the fish stopped showing on the surface - Peter, hooked one nice golden inside the first corner of the rocks that really took him in the backing fast. he was very impressed by the fighting strength of a golden when compared top the same sized GT.

This medium sized golden fought well above its weight class as it tried several times to wrap him around rocks and could be seen in the shallow water of the rocky area flash side to side - high sticking to rod high into the air minimize the damage to the leader on the rocks and allowed it to eventually swim away from rocks where we eventually netted it in deeper water.
(later a few nicks and abrasions were found on the running line section of the fly line)

Queenies, trevally and goldens - all eventually hit the net but it was still many casts between fish

After another few hundred casts later, we finally went to our last spot of Shelley Island near the shipping wharf and managed to get a double hook up on a momentarily swarming mass of attacking fish that disappeared as quickly as it started - minus the queenie and trevally of our double hook up - both fish intending to make macrame with our flylines as they fought around the boat and back and forth, but that was it not another sign of fish activity.

We hoped our day was only tough due to the recent freshwater deluge that might have changed the salinity of the harbour water
As we are planning another trip Easter Friday.
Always the optimists - are we Swoffers!!!!!
see you on the water

If you can take the heat - great fishing to be had

On the water by 6am

Hot and humid already

A very high cloud mass of a storm is easily seen in the predawn light to the north of the city of Darwin, it has heaps of lightning and rolling thunder. Shouldn’t impact us and our endeavours for a morning’s SWOFFING.

Based on my outing two days ago we are heading straight to Lee Point to fishing the dropping tide.

Hopefully the baitfish will be present and being corralled against the lines of reef, one to three hundred metres offshore of Lee Point by queenfish, trevally, tarpon and macks. We didn't find any tarpon but we are not complaining! (keep reading to see why!)

The water is a little rough - most likely after effects from the series of the nightly coastal storms common this time of year, this morning’s was currently moving offshore to the west.

We get side tracked a few times by working birds on the way to Lee Point- mostly small grey mackerel schools that are very flighty and inconsistent in their movements, and getting anywhere close to the feeding macks, and the birds above them, sees them dispersing faster than we can get there - quite frustrating. Regular deckie, Peter and I call them one of the ‘MMMM’ fish (Maddening Mullet Mackerel and Milkfish) in other words fish that frustrate us when targeting them (usually for no result!).

We catch a virtual aquarium full of species at the various rock bars along the way to Lee Point - but no size - all tiddlers if quite colourful and various. Stripies, baby blue bones, mouth almightys, baby coral trout, and 10 other species I have no idea what they are named. 

On our eventual arrival at Lee Point the wind is dissipating, the water was also calming by the minute, and the birds are working in large flocks in several locations nearby. The unique type of sporadic slashes and splashes on the water’s surface clearly indicate mackerel again. But they are all over the place. Up and down before we can even move to chase at times. Even though and despite being an MMMM fish, we give chase, and we chase, and we get the occasional cast in when they are too busy to notice our approach, and we even get a few macks to hand.

We manage (that is fluke) a few other fish or two. A good queenie, a small giant trevally. I get one good queenie that goes nuts zipping all over the place, then we see the brown smudge of a shark chasing it explaining why it was acting such. I let the drag way off and the queenie alludes the shark but once back into the fight and tight lines again - the shark and this time a mate return. The first shark takes the back half of the 60cm queenie in a cloud of bursting redness. The second shark takes the rest and my fly, my backing streams off rapidly and we are about to give chase when the 20lb leader parts as would be expected with a 3m plus sharp toothed reef shark is connected to you on a mono leader. 

It is now I realize I left my cap that has the head mount for my action cam on the kitchen bench at home – it would have been great to get that action on video! Lucky I brought the railing mounting clip for the cam.

Once a vast pack of 60 -70cm plus queenies hangs under the boat for a while - following flies but not eating them. BUGGER! an awesome sight seeing so many queenies is such crystal clear water.

Questions arise as to fly choice - size colour action, materials - anything to improve the hook up results. We hedge our bets and fish a few different flies. I settle on the 'no see um' mini calf tail clouser baitfish imitation in size #1 and get good hook up rate. But I also used 50mm long surf candies in blue/white, and also in chartreuse/white, for good results too. The queenies seemed very keen on the chartreuse/white surf candy while the trevs liked the tiny white clouser. The macks didn't seemed to care and frustrated our fly experiments by ignoring whatever we cast to them, then a minute later took the same fly with carefree abandon.

We come across a bit of a pressure wave readily seen in the almost calm conditions – most likely caused by the outgoing tide pressing around and over a submerged rocky reef - on the bottom corner of the reef as the tide  flows, fish at constantly busting up the surface attacking the baitfish, along the back and front of the reef more fish are devouring baitfish with abandon. The mackerel are working back and forth and we catch a few, some quite large, as they come within casting range of our anchored boat. Due to lack of wind we can cast in any direction as the fish break the water surface to indicate where to cast to. We catch good queenies to 60cm, trevs to 45cm, and macks to 60-70cm. After a while neither of us have time to count fish caught – it is just cast, strip, “I’m on!", wind in line, net fish, de-hook, toss fish back, cast again – repeat! Over and over. Simply one of the best times we have had on the water up here in Darwin. We would have preferred some larger ones but hey, it was still awesome SWOFFING!

The action for the next 2-3 hours was epic to say the least. Constant double hook ups, rarely was a cast then retrieve done without a follow, several hits or a hook up. We actually were exhausted catching fish and sat down to drink and eat while the fish continued to bust up baitfish schools in every direction from our boat and we were too tired and sore to even put in a cast to the nearest water surface bust up.

Awesome SWOFFING to say the very least. The action was so great we switched over to surface flies for a more visual experience. To have ten to fifteen fish slam your fly in a 30m retrieve was soooo much fun, it should be illegal. Hook ups didn’t even matter. But you never went too many casts using the floating lines and crease flies without a rod getting bent to the handle!

And do you know that we never saw another boat actually fishing and all this only 30mins boat ride from the centre of Darwin city.

Yes it was hot, sweaty and humid but with iced drinks, a few nibbles of food, full and proper sun protection, and resting every now and then to sustain you in such weather conditions - the SWOFFING was out of this world.

On a side note I manage a new PB for a species – this a 68cm Long Tom, schools of them were also into the small baitfish carried along by the fast tidal flow.

The fishing finally slowed to only a few bust ups every few minutes and we thought we would try for a difference experience but with the tide very, very low we had few choices. We visited Weed Reef but I have never ever seen it that exposed and so far from the water. Wickham point too.

For the last hour or so of this outing we hang off the inside gravel bar off Shelly Island waiting for the tide to start to flow in and create a pressure wave. Just like two days ago – like  then it again had small trevs (but this time no queenies - ????) hanging off it readily taking any fly swung across and through the pressure wave.

Peter was had it physically from heat ( and I wasn't far behind) and all the fish we had caught. I had a muscle issue in my casting hand from two days of fighting heaps of fish (so sad isn’t it!).

So, we called it a day and dragged the boat out of the water and headed home – very pleased with ourselves.

I also had permission from the wife to fish the next day (24^th Dec) but I was so fulfilled with my SWOFFING (and physically sore), I stayed home and tied 60 or so more surf candies and 30 tiny white calf tail based clousers.

One bit of bad news, on removing bungs from boat back at home after this outing, almost 60-100 litres of water streams out almost what seemed endlessly from inside the boat. Crap and bugger me!

Seems I have another crack in my hull to be re-welded. That means no boat based SWOFFING for a while.

So the next few blogs will be focusing on boat repair updates and fly tying – might finally do the tying sequences for that Gold Bomber Fly I have promised too many times!

Finally, based on this outing, I suggest despite the hot and humid weather conditions – cover up for the sun, have plenty of fluids (water not beer!) and go catch some fish -  preferably with  flies  you have made yourself!

a boring video on the day's surface action

Darwin Harbour (20141221) with visiting son and his girlfriend

Quite an overcast morning with storm and lighting off to the north

Luckily this storm passed around us much to the relief of my son Bradley and his girlfriend (Casey) visiting from Sydney. Given it was Casey's first  time to Darwin, she was still pretty enough paranoid just about Crocs jumping into the low profile boat I have but I assured her I had not seen any in the harbour for quite a while (funnily I did see a 3.5m one off East Point two days later!).

After a quick ‘look see’ at Shelly Island and Wickham point for naught surface action wise, we popped over to Weed Reef

We got a few smallish giant trevally but nothing consistent. With the wind dying back to almost nothing, we then crossed back over harbour for Katlyn Bay.

                                                                                                             

I was hoping to maybe find the Golden Trevally I have found in the bay previous trips but alas no Goldens this day. When first there, there were  a few medium sized Milkies (70cm or so) hoovering down algae scum off surface in one corner of the bay. However, given my guests were not SWOFFING nuts like myself, I left the harder to catch Milkies alone and instead we chased the small queenies marauding some very small bait at the other end of the bay.

The baitfish being attacked were smaller than I have seen before, only about 3-4mm deep in the body and about 35 to 40mm long. My son was using a small as possible soft plastic but could not match the hatch size wise and still have something with enough weight to cast on the threadline outfit he was using (seems he has forgotten all the fly casting I taught him when I was married to his mum 15 years ago - but then again he was only five at the time!).
So I place a small ball sinker onto his 20lb leader that was tied to his main braid line and tied on a small calf tail based clouser onto his rig. Instant success to say the least. Even his girlfriend (not at all a fisher person on her own account) caught a couple of the small but plentiful skinnies continually bursting the surface with frenzied feeding activity.

Wanting something larger for them to tangle with, we headed towards East Point but nothing seen there so continued on to Lee Point.

As soon as we got to the reefs of Lee Point, a tight pack of about 20 sea birds could be seen working the pressure wave edge created by the dropping tide as it pushed up against the rocky outcrops that parallel the Lee Point headland. We caught some nice 30-40cm GTs and some 50cm queenies while casting to the water under the squawking hovering birds. However, the stiffling hot and humid conditions as well as the fight between wind and tide creating a rocky motion in the boat, got the best of Casey and so I headed back into the harbour dropping her off at Nightcliff Jetty where  my wife picked her up and took her home. The son and I headed the boat towards  the boat ramp at East Arm to meet them at home.

However the tide was way way out 0.5m and the ramp was high and dry. Giving at least an hour before we could even think about hauling the boat out of the water.

Great! More fishing.

We popped back to other side of harbour to Weed Reef again. I haven't been on the harbour at such a low time and we saw reefs and sand bars that I didn't know were even there. At Weed Reef we managed a heap of small trevally – (Giant and Fringed Finned). There were also heaps of really big (and I mean big mother big!) Milkies actively feeding the area. These were not working in waves sucking down algae off the surface but viciously slashing and turning to get at whatever they were eating. They were not interested in the algae flies I have caught them on before, nor the tiny white clousers cast repeatedly in their direction after a boil on the surface used in the hope they were eating the tiny baitfish we had seen earlier in the day at Katlyn Bay. I have had a large Milkie off Lee Point take a large clouser (lost that one as quick as I  hooked it!) while chasing queenies, so they do take flies other than scum  flies.

Frustrating ourselves with these big Milkies eventually saw us heading back to take the boat out but a short stop at Wickham Point gave us some more mini GT action and queenies to delay going to the boat ramp. This occupied us for about an hour. Eventually seeing the time was way after we should have been back, we again started towards the boat ramp at East Point.

However, when zipping past the wharf side of Shelly Island we saw a heap of slashes and bust ups on the surface off the corner of the island this had us stopping for another few casts (or twenty!). Two hours later we eventually headed for the boat ramp, as it took that long for the action to slow down (it wasn't because I was worn out and too old for catching fish as my son suggested!)

The water on this side of the small island near the loading wharf comes from deep water up over the shallow rock bar on this side and goes back down into more deep water. The effect on the water created all sorts of  pressure waves and turbulence – one that must disorientate the baitfish making them easy prey for predatory fish like the GTs and queenies patrolling this stretch of water.
see diagram here abouts for location tips

Cast after cast received hits and takes - giving bent rods and heaps of laughter and smiles from us both enjoying some good father/son bonding. It was great action in the strong flowing incoming tide – for which the hooked fish used well to their advantage to make them seem much bigger than what actually came to hand.

My son and I had an absolute blast casting our flies into the the tip of the disturbed water and letting the flies drift along the face of the pressure wave before starting a staccato type retrieve. Every cast receive some sort of attention. Many, many times we had double hook ups  and raced each other to get the fish in and cast before the other could. We didn't keep score, just enjoyed the constant action and father/son rivalry ---  AND HEAPS OF SLEDGING! over dropped fish or a retrieve that didn't get a take from the frenzied fish.

One fish my son caught a 40cm queenie with a couple of small bites out of its back (quite recently from looking at wound). Which was quite interesting to my son who had to take a picture of it.

So a slowish day to start with but still lots of fun and a few fish from each spot we gave a cast or two - that ended in a great last couple of hours for the trip of non-stop ‘a-cast-a-fish’ action.

Here is a bit of a video clip of the days trip.

             

I will be out again in two days time with my regular fly fishing deckie Canadian Peter Cooke.

Blog report and a bit of video on that outing - up on this blog soon.