Head-Cam First Try.

Hi there,

Haven't posted in a long time, things with the work situation might change for the better in the next few weeks, so I should then be able to get back into it.

Ok so first a very quick thing about the round 3 of the 2013 Top End Barra Series...
It was not long ago, it was on the famous Daly River, and it was real hard fishing...
74 participants, fishing day and night over a full weekend...
Only twelve Barramundi over the legal size caught over the weekend...
None by me...
But still had a very good time!

Now back to what this post is mostly about, my first try with a video head-cam.
I got one for free, and wanted to try it.
With my luck on the fishing side, seemingly on holidays very very far away at the moment, I decided to  do the testing with a top water lure. In case no fishes were interested in my effort. A popper producing big splashes on the water surface, would give me a few minutes of interesting footage anyway.

So I went to one of the city rock wall early in the morning of a public holiday, and started to flick away and go pop pop pop on the water.
Nothing happened, and I quickly wanted to try a chrome slice, as it is one of my favourite form of fishing.
The chrome slice was pulled out of the bag, and casted away a few hundred times, for nothing.
Then a hard body lure was tried without any better results.

Thinking that I would have to go home soon, I decided to try the popper again, now that the light was a bit better.
But for some reason, I could not get it to pop properly, and started to be sure that it would be a no fish day, with not many interesting footage from my new toy.
Yet, I could see at the end of the rock wall, some mullet getting rather nervous, if not outright stressed, the poor little things.
I could see a change in the water, where the current line break on the end of the rock.
Very flat on one side, and just a tiny little bit choppy on the other side.
This is where I casted my popper, I had often been told that this the kind of places where Queenfish and Trevally could be found.
And I was not lied to, as I got one!

Visioning the film back home showed me that I still have a lot to learn about how to use a video, the film is of pretty poor quality to say the less, I still have to practice, so my films show more water and less sky.
But it is my first one and it made me happy, so here it is:

Darwin Harbour's Queenfish.

All along I din't think that it was a Queenfish, as it didn't mad a single jump.

But I was very happy when I saw that it was one.

The gentleman with a british accent who was fishing next to me, and that I had never meet before, proposed to gaff the fish for me, and did it well, on the first attempt. As I was starting to fillet the bounty, I asked him if he wanted a fillet of it to thank him for his help.

To which he agreed with visible joy. He even asked if he could have the frame of it.

Now I was the happy one, and just finished to cut my fillet and gave him all that was left.

Telling him that he could have it all.

He then asked me if I was going to try for another one, but no, I did not.

I replied that I had enough fish to feed my little family and was happy with that for the day.

Just as I said so, a big splash happened right at our feet, and we could see a few bigger Queenfish cruising the water at speed.

He started to cast a chrome slice toward them, as I left.

I had caught a fish on my first try with my new and first ever video camera, that was going to be the best film in the history of film making!

Well, when I arrived home and looked at it I was slightly disappointed by what I had produced, to be honest. I had a good fish to eat, but obviously needed a lot more practice before making a good film...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

Just A Little Mackerel.

Hi there,

This morning I went fishing on the Cullen Bay rock wall, and I came back with just one little Mackerel.
Yet it was a great morning, as I hadn't really fished the place in a long time.
So my plan was to be there at day break, and I arrived there...
Well, let's just say a bit after day break, when it was already full day light...
The first thing that I saw on arrivals was a big sea turtle quietly swimming around along the rock wall.
Good sign I told myself, if the wildlife is there, I might get some action.
So I started to cast a small popper that I had modified around.
Waiting for the big hit to arrive, hoping for a Queenfish or a Trevally.
But instead after about 15 to 20 minutes of casting, I made a nice long cast, and the popper flew away very far... Much further away than it should have, and that was because my leader had broken and it was free of any line to slow it down...
So there I am, not half an hour into the morning fishing and I lost a little lure that I had put a bit of work in it...
I wasn't too impressed with myself, and started to wonder if that would be one of these days, where everything goes wrong.
So as calm as I could I walked by towards my fishing bag, sat down on the rocks, and started to put a new leader on my line and to wonder what lure I could use after that.
I went for a DUO Beach Walker.
As I was attaching the lure to the end of my line, another fisherman arrived behind me and said hi.
We had a bit of a chat, and it turned out that it was a follower from the FFF forum.
He had arrived in Darwin from Tasmania only 4 month ago, for work, and with a contract nearly at its end, was bound to get back to Tasmania in the next few week.
He was fishing soft plastic and I was fishing hard body.
He also had a baited line in the water a bit on the side, and I also had a fishing rod ready with a metal slug in case of a bust up.

As there was not too much action I walked to the end of the rock wall, and casted from left to right covering as much water as I could.
I started to be more and more confident that this was going to be another day without fish, or that I should go and change my lure.
Ok, a few more cast and I might move away...
And then bang!
I was on, It wasn't pulling very hard and didn't seems very heavy, but it looked to be silvery in colour and I wanted to land it.
Only when it arrived close to the rock did I realised that it was a small Mack, and I started to hope that it would not cut my line.
But it did not and I landed it:

Mack on the DUO Beach Walker.

This wasn't a big fish, but it sure put me in a good mood, and a nice little lunch it was going to be.

I was going to eat some fish today!

Yummy little fish.

After that I didn't land anything else, but twice I saw some fish coming for my lure and turning off just at the last second when they had the nose on the lure.

And that was enough to keep me happy.

I had changed my leader after the first fish, as it seemed to me that the knot was a bit on the light side, and I was still hoping for the big strike.

And I did get a nice strike, from what I believed to be a big Queenfish, it hit hard and gave a nice pull on the line.

But didn't stay connected and I lost this fish in about 2,23 seconds...

Ha!

once I got the lure back, a I wanted to check if my hooks were still sharp.

Yes they were still sticky sharp, but my new leader was half destroyed, it wasn't a nice Queenifsh, but a reasonably good Mackerel that had hit the lure.

There must have been a few around this morning.

In fact we did see 4 bust up of little bait being harassed by predatory fish well under casting distance.

Don't ask, yes I tried to throw my chrome slice in there, and didn't get a single hit.

The other guy had three hits, but didn't connect a single time.

We also saw two other bust up that were a bit too far for me to cast to, but someone with a better technic or better gears would have been able to cast to them.

I also saw a Barramundi that would have been just legal or very slightly above legal, swimming against the rock wall, hugging the rocks as close as he could.

But I was not able to tempt him.

The other guy, (sorry I forgot his name) got a nice hit on a baited line that he had put a bit on the side of where we were casting, and picked it up.

It came tight and it fought heavy and down, so he called it for a stingray.

But as it come closer, it showed itself as a shark, not huge but big enough to give a bit of a work out to anyone.

And big enough to eat...

But just on the rock it chewed the leader and swam away...

Ha!

Then I sarted to be a bit hot and thirsty, I had finished my water bottle and decided to go back home. 

All in all it wasn't a bad morning, saw a lot of fish, got a little one, and meet a member of one of my favourite forum.

I did loose a lure.

But hey, it could be worst.

Have a good day,

Me.

No bait, no food...

Hi there,


Some time ago, I told Double Haul that I would try to get him some small Queenfish that he would be able to use as bait for his Billfishes addiction... 
And yes I own him a few bait for all the garfishes that I dutifully lost while he was trying to teach me how to catch a Sailfish...


Well guess what?
Since then I was totally unable to land a single Queenfish...
Not a small or big one, no, nada, zilch, zero, niete, just a big fat doughnut on the Queenfish front!
Shame job really...


So this morning I told myself, I will go on the rocks, and get him some bait, and a feed for me and my family too!
And I was on my way to the Cullen Bay rock walls.


Yeah right!
Lucky no one was holding his breath or he would be dead by now...


I tried all sort of metal slices, even some funky ones that I had never used before.
Some blade and soft plastic, but to no avail...


So I told myself, the last thing that you haven't tried today is a popper, so my boy it is time to take the popper out of the bag.
And as the target was queenfish, I took a big orange, yellowish one, a Storm Saltwaer Chug Bug, that I got in Singapor.


And...
Something just jumped on it very close to the rocks, made a big splash and pulled on the line.
It even started to jump around, like a queenfish!

Splashing around.

Yes, I got a bit excited.
But it was definitively not a queenfish...
Sad, because it would have been of the good size as a bait, I think.


No, it was just a small Barramundi, not even a legal one, but once again a small fish going for a big lure...
  

Baby Barramundi on popper.

So quick photo and released alive and kicking. 
Because I was told that we are not allowed to use these ones as bait...



So I decided to get back to the chrome slices and used a new one.
I was just reeling it as fast as I could, when I felt a bump on the line.
But no pull...


And when the lure came back to me, look at what was on one of the hooks:

Some fish scales on my hook.

I must have bumped into a fish and gave him a bit of a fright.
Oops, sorry...


And that was it for the morning, still a very good time on the water edge.

Lucky me my beloved ones at home had prepared something to eat.
Maybe they start to know that my talents as a fisherman are a bit unpredictable, and had decided not to rely on it.
To this, I would say, good on them!
And yes I came back home one more time with not bait or food.

But hey, it could be worse.
Have a good day,
Me.

My first ... Milkfish!

Hi there,

With a few unsuccessful trips in a row it was time to get a few fish...
So Sheeby proposed to Sarrge and myself to have a go at the Cullen Bay Milkfish...
We said yes and we did not regret it!

In fact I had read so much about the run of the Milkfish, that I woke up at 3:00 am and could not find any more sleep, too anxious to see what it would be.
Sarrge offered to give me a lift so no pushbike ridding under the rain for me, that was a good start.

As we arrive we were greeted by a double rainbow over the harbour, a nice thing to see in the morning.

Greetings from the fishing spirits.

We walk down the rock, Sheeby is not yet there and Sarrge start to cast a chrome slice, and before I have even rigged my rod, he is on a nice little Queenfish! On his second cast!
The day is definitively starting well, I tell myself.

Sheeby arrives five minutes after us, and jump in the action the Queenfish are all over the place.
I got one too, and quickly bleed it and put it in my bag.

Sarrge got two other that he keept, yes that makes three fish to take home for him.
And then he hooked a fourth one...
But that was cheating, he hooked it on the tail...
And he was small too, so he put it back in the drink, so it grow a bit more for the next time.
He also hooked another one, and that could have been the biggest Queenfish of the day, but it literaly slipped from his hand, once he had taken the lure out of the fish, and went back for a swim...
I am not sure that he was very happy?

Sheeby so far, was good company, but did not catch much...
And sure enough, Sarrge and I, like the two good fishing buddies that we can be, we don't miss an occasion to remind him what the scores are...

But I have to admit, that with time, he was to have his moment, no doubt about that.

Then, we put down the spinning gears, and start to try for these Milkfish, which from what I was told, can give some pretty big run, and have an impressive stamina...
I was not going to be disappointed...

This is when Sheeby started to shine.
He got the first Milkfish of the day, and I think it is fair to say that both Sarrge and I were surprise and impress by what was happening in front of us.
Even if we couldn't help to ask Sheeby if he was making it last so long because he hadn't landed a decent fish yet...

But he definitively came up with the goods, and landed a beautiful fish.

Now the two novice wanted one...
And I hooked!
A mullet...

Sometimes, you really need a lip grip ...

But he still gave a faire fight, and I nearly slipped in the water trying to reel it in...
This time it was their turn to make fun of me...

But hey, I have no shame about it, it came at just over two kilos, and was a nice fish.
Because Sheeby gave me a Mackerel one of the last time that we fished together, I gave him the Mullet...
Fair no?

Actually a few people told me that they were actually very good to eat, and next time I might keep one for me if I can catch another one.

All this time Sarrge was trying to get a Milkfish on a cheap baitcaster that I had lent him...
I was soon to discover that it was a good thing that he did not hook one on it...
And the way I discovered it, was by hooking one myself, on my whiting rod...

Luckily I had changed the line on it the evening before, full of 15lbs braid and 20lbs leader  on a little Sedona 4000.
The thing just kept peeling line first going for the horizon, then for the left side of the wall, where I thought that I had it. But he started again, making a big circle around the point of the rock wall and jumping and taking for the other side.
I was sure that the line would break on a rock and I passed the rod to Sheeby who was standing higher than I so he could lift the rod tip to avoid the line rubbing on the rocks. I climbed as quick as I could and got my rod back, thanks Sheeby!
Then I spent what seemed a very long time trying to turn the fish toward me, but he didn't take any of it...
I even started to joke with the other that maybe they could come to pick me up tomorrow morning...

Ho they can pull ...

Eventually, the fish was close enough to the rocks for Sheeby to grab it by the tail and pass it to me.
Quick pic form his camera, and release of it...

My first ever Milkfish.

My ho my, they can pull...

Then i felt spent...
And started to flick a chrome slice around to relax.

Sheeby got a second one, which seemed like he was never going to stop.
To the extant that I had to ask him :lol:  if he had got his new reel cheaper because it came without any drag?

The fish looked like he was going to swim for a very long time, but finally was subdued, photographed and released.

And Sarrge in all that?
Weel he did had and encouter with a milkfish...
It didn't last long, maybe one or two seconds...
But that was enough to bend his hook, and give him a taste of what it is all about.

So that was our morning, and we all got back home with some fish and some good memories.
Thank Sheeby to show us how to target the milkfish, and Sarrge for the lifte, God life is becoming good!

So I did not came home with 5 big Queenfish, only with a smallish one...

But hey, it could be worse.
Have a good day,
Me.

I came home with a fish, but it wasn't mine...

Hi there,

And before you start to ask any question, no I did not steal it... And I did not go to see the fishmonger on my way home either...
 

No, but I will tell you how it happened.

So this friend and I had decided to go to the Cullen Bay rock wall.
It was a long time since I had hit the spot so was somehow keen to try it again.
After all this is the spot where I landed my biggest Queenfish so far.

The Cullen Bay rock wall.

So with an early tide we had decided to meet there at around 6:00am.
Wich for me on the push bike basically meant getting up at 4:45... Nice...
Any way, it keep me fit (or so I believe) so it was ok, and I even arrived a good ten minutes before him.

So we started to cast some poppers around, then I tried my ceramics lures, then some chrome slice, then a lure without bib to skip it on the surface, then back to the chrome slice then back to another popper...
With him doing more or less the same, and not much action for any of us.

Only some birds diving but close to the sand bar, a bit far to cast, even on a good day, with the wind in our back...
  

My friend even tried to put a line in the water with some bait, and also tried to get a livie, but to no avail...

We were starting to think that we would go home with not even a real good hit when we saw this boat on our left coming and casting lures all around them. This finally caught our attention and we then noticed that some fish were busting the surface close to the boat.
Then they drove their boat straight in the middle of the splashing bait...
We looked at each other and said, they will just scare them away...  Maybe they will even scare them away in our direction!!!
And yes this is actually what's happened, this school of busting fish that were a bit too far to reach came just at casting distance...

Of course, I had a popper on when I need a chrome slice, and my fishing bag was at the other extremity of the little rock wall...
My friend said: Just choose one in my box don't wast time, take the one you want.
I then told him: But I will certainly loose it you know, and he said not to worry about it...
 

I choose a Halco Twisty 40gr.

So eager like two schoolboys we started to cast in the middle of the school.
And the usual happened the school dived down.
 
Then it bursted again even closer!
 
Quick we casted again...
And I was on! 
 
I started to get real happy even if I keep saying: It is not a very big one, it is not a very big one....
Then just at our feet... The line got cut...
  
They were not Queenfish, they were Mackerels...

I had dutifully lost my mate's lure, and my fish, two birds with the same stone as they say...

So this time I run (more like hoping from one rock to the other) to the opposite side of the rock wall and re-rig my rod, with a new leader and a new chrome slice and as I was on my way back, and he was on and landed a nice little Mackerel...
Just to show me how it is done...
  
But by the time that I arrived again to the water edge, the fishes had disappeared...

Then he said do you want my fish, I still have 5 kilos of fish in the fridge so if you don't want it I will throw it back...
What a show-off...
   

I actually said yes, thanks.

After that we just waited, having a little chat, to see if they were coming back, but did not...
So I started to leave and he was going to do the same. As I was climbing up the rocks I heard him calling!
I turn around and see the fish bursting the surface again just in front of him, way under casting distance!
He had already started to pack up, so he quickly put a new lure on the line and tried to get some but this time they went down for good.
They must have done that just to tease him... 

My friend being teased by the fishes...

So this is the story of how I came back home with a fish that I didn't caught.

It was a slow starting morning, but was well worth it, just seeing those fish bursting so close to us and getting one on the line was exciting enough.

So I did not get any fish, and got slightly sun burnt...


But hey, it could be worse.
Have a good day,
Me.