Fishing The Shady Camp Barrage.

Hi there,

This fishing trip started with a few text messages between 5 of the land based guys from the FFF forum, and I was one of them.
A few options were talked about and finally the consensus was that we should go to fish from the Barrage at Shady Camp...
That was Mud idea, not mine...

As soon as I texted that I was going to be part of it, Seano called me and started to go on and on about how the place was dangerous, that it was the place with the biggest numbers of crocodiles over four meters in length in the world and other scary things like that...
It took me a moment to realise, that he was really enjoying telling me all that, and listening to me becoming more and more calm on the other end of the line...
Basically he was having fun, knowing how sensible I can be in regards to the crocodile subject...
And to be honest, already before his phone call, I was wondering why I had said yes, but after hearing all the things that he said...
It is my own sanity that I was starting to question...

Any way I was quite exited, as I was going to fish with my spin reel for the first time since it had been serviced by Justin, and he had told me that my drag was going to be better. I don't know if it was actually stronger than it originally was or if I had been fishing with a worn out drag for long enough to forgot what a good drag is on a spinning reel. But yes it was going to prove being very strong...

So, I tried as good as I could to put all this Crocodile business behind me and on the D-day, Mud picked me up, and we caught up with Sarrge and his son Steve.

Seano and Sheeby, who both were making fun of my "irrational fear" of crocodiles, were unable to come because they had to work on a Sunday evening...
Yeah right! How funny is it that the two who mocked me the most suddenly had a very good excuse not to come...
  
Ok, maybe they really had to work.

So we were in the car all talking of big fish, Shady, fishing lures, techniques and crocodiles.
When finally every body fell in a near meditative state that is a sign of anglers focused on the task to come.
And at this stage I got stirred out of my bubble by a strange noise, which was definitively not mechanical...
Someone was snoring, and snoring big time.
No, I will not give any names, but it wasn't me and after quickly checking, it wasn't  Sarrge either, which was good as he was driving.
Who was it?
Well actually, I do have a rather good video of it, but it would be unfair to show it to the world, as the Master snorer was to shine even more when it would be time to catch some fish.
Thinking about it, it must have been his own way of getting psyched for the action that was waiting for us.

So as we arrived the first thing that I noticed was a large sign, which I had tried to forget all about:

Yes, Beware of the Crocodiles...

But the barrage itself was pretty dry, in contrast of the only other time were I had seen it. Back then it was totally under water.

Water on the fresh side.

And no water on the salt side.

This had a reassuring effect on me.
Once we passed the fence, something caught Sarrge attention and he showed it to me, I don't know why this fish had been hanged in the trees just there?

Croc bait?

And so we started fishing and Sarrge got two small Barra in no times, starting to say that he had the thing well worked out.
We could see a few croc swimming or basking on the banks of the fresh side.
Then a brown dog came running through the bush, started to enter the water till his belly was wet, and looked at us with a slight growl.
I said: Hey guys, look at the dog!
To which Mud responded: no it's a pig...
To which I replied: No it's a dog.
Mud: It's a pig... Ho no your right it's a dog! He should get out of the water smart quick!
Because yes just a few meters from where this dog was standing in the water, we had seen a croc, which we couldn't see any more.
But we could clearly see a big croc that was on the bank for a long time, that had now turned in the direction of the dog, and was looking at him.
Eventually the dog got out of the water and ran back to his owner who was shouting at him.

Two of the many crocs who had a good look at the dog.

Being who I am, even if I had been told that I would get some better results with soft plastic lures, I had put on my line a hard body lure, fitted with just a single hook at the back...
Why making it simple when... .... ...
So I was enjoying casting this lure in the hope to catch a big Barra, when something happen, my line broke and I lost the lure which was nicely swimming under water.
The lure floated back to the surface, and I tough for a while that it was going to float toward me.
But it didn't, the line must have been snagged in a branch or something under water.
And if ever someone would have had the stupid idea of entering the water to pick it up, as after all it was not very far...
We were quickly reminded that this is no swimming waters, when a croc started to swim in direction of the lure, and nudged it with the tip of his snout. Before getting away from it with no more that a passing interest.

The crocodile looking at the fishing lure.

I did offer $5 to the person who would go and get it, but obviously no one needed the money...

Mud got a nice hit and no fish, but just a scale on his hook, so we knew he wasn't lying...

The proof in image.

Just after that he got a rat, and throw it back with disdain.

Like a spoiled kid, never happy.

Then the water started to move in, and the night to fall upon us, the real action was going to start.

Sunset on the Shady Camp barrage.

And then I couldn't see the crocs any more...
It was still twilight when Mud got the first good fish of the evening, a 60cm Barramundi.

A nice land based caught Barramundi.

Caught on a soft plastic of course, not a hard body like I was trying to use... 
So I finally came to my senses and agreed to use a soft plastic...
Well as I was just retrieving a big Squidgy in the Drop Bear colour, and jigging it like a flick bait, when I got a very fast and angry fish going for it. It immediately pulled a bit of line on the bite, like if he had taken it on the move. Stopped, and pulled again. I was exited to test my just serviced reel to its full potential... But I must have had the drag too tight, as the hook bent and the big fish swam away in not enough time to have a real fight. I think that there is an expression that go like: Short and sweet, well it was nearly that, but more of the bitter sweet kind...

I bent the hook back with a plier, and casted roughly in the same direction for a little while when...
Wham I was on again!
And the hook bent again, I must have forgotten to loosen my drag...
Slow learner is the most polite term that came to mind...

Then Mud hooked what must have been an absolutely massive one.
His fish, just stopped the lure in its track, then realised it was hooked started to pull hard and I could see his rod bent to the max and hear the sweet sound of the drag screaming for mercy.
The fish came to the surface and one way or another got ride of the hook.

Latter on the way back in the car we would discuss of the empty feeling you get when you just missed a big fish...

In the darkness now fully descended on us we could hear the splashes of some rather big crocs on both sides of the barrage.
Courageous me, I alway made sure that there was always someone between me and the water. You could basically say that I was fishing over the shoulders of others... Not very brave I know, but hey, I never said that I was not afraid of crocodiles, and they were all around us.

At one stage we were the four of us on one side of the barrage, and three (yes 3) crocodiles were crossing the barrage on the other side.
We could hear their bellies sliding on the concrete floor and see them in the light of our head lamps.
I went very calm, and did not walk closer to have a good picture.
I couldn't get a good one with the lousy flash of my point and shot camera, but too bad, I was not going there.

Then as we were starting to talk about folding the nigh away, Steve hooked a nice 61cm Barramundi that put him on the board and was the best fish landed for the day.

Some chrome in the night.

For a guy who had never caught a Barramundi a few weeks ago, I am sure that he was enjoying his time in Darwin.

It was then time to get back after all it was nearly Monday morning and some of us had to go to work latter on...

It was a great afternoon/evening land based fishing trip. 
Would I fish from the barrage again? 
Not really sure on this one, specially since I heard about a place called Cahill Crossing or something like that (It was late by then) where you can fish standing 4.5 meters above the water. The place sounded like paradise after spending a few hours so close to the water edge.
So maybe Cahill is the next spot to discover on the list, who knows...

Durring the evening, three lures were lost to some crocodile who took them.

Now I have to admit, that once again, I was fishless, while two of my mates were going home with some very good food...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

Two outings in the same day, for no fishes...

Hi there,


Yes you read it right, I was lucky enough to do both in the same day: East Point from the rocks in the morning, and East Point from the sea in the evening...
And what did I had for dinner later in the evening of this glorious day, you may ask?
Chicken soup because I could not get any good fish in two fishing session!


So now you know, no need to hurry to the pics...


In fact I should have known from the start that it was going to be a beautiful day, but without any glory on the fishing front.
First I woke up early, got out of a nice and warm bed, to got in the dark and cold night to one of my favourite land based spot...
And what did I found on my way to it?
A closed door:

Bad fishing omen

So yes when you arrive full of anticipation and found a door that should have been open about an hour ago closed...
Any wise man would read it as a sign from the fishing gods, and quietly return to his beloved, and a warm bed...
I wasn't wise, I was greedy and saw it as a challenge.
So I quietly sat and waited...
Finally a guy came and opened the door, just as I had started to leave, so I though: Great now the action will start!


Well it didn't...


First I arrived there while it was still dark.
And walking on the rocks, I started to see crocodiles every where:
" No there was no dead tree there the last time I was here, this must be a croc! Flash of the torch light on it: Driftwood...
Ho my god this one is surly a croc! Flash of the torch light on it: It just a rock that must have been there for the past 80 000 years..."
And so on, I guess you start to see the picture by now... I was just croc obsessed and could not relax as I had planned too...


And when the first light finally came I started by using a big popper and in the first few cast I saw a very big fish come to it and splash around it and bump it a few time, but it didn't hook. I don't know what it was but was big enough to get my heart racing...
And that was the one and only action I got for my effort for the morning...
Nothing else.


The water was clear, flat, and no wind it should have been a perfect morning.


So I went back home relatively early and spend the rest of the day with my family.


Then in the afternoon my friend Carl called me and asked what I was up to...
This is often a sign that the next question is going to be: "Do you want to go fishing?"
And it was !
So a quick plan was made to hit East Point from his boat in the end of the afternoon early evening.


So this is what we did...
And the idea was that from the boat we would be able to target the school of Tuna, Mackerels or Queenfish that I didn't saw in the morning.
Well, like in the morning, flat and calm sea, very clear water, and not a bird or fish in view... Like a beautiful but deserted sea...

The no fish sunset.

Not to be defeated, we though that we would catch some little reefies and use them as live bait all the while keeping some rod at the ready with chrome slices for when the pelagics would come...
Yes we did got some reefies and used them, but the pelagics never came.


We were entertained by all the little reefies, mostly Parrot Fish and Stripy that kept eating our squid bait, but the big line stayed untouched.
Then, I started to see the tip of my rod with the Parrot Fish at the end (yes I was trying to replicate Double Haul great catch from last year at the same spot, same technic, same bait, that how he got a +14 kilos Spanish Mac...) starting to move. I looked at the float, and I could see it turing in circle, faster and faster...
Then... ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzing the thing went of!
Quick I grabbed it and started what I would describe as a good and very honest fight, with us starting to shout and scream like two exited fisho who finally see with excitment the action for which they came for.
The call was made for a nice but not huge mac, but when the thing was finally under the boat, it made a very fast and powerful run, going in all direction at once!
Ha! 
This might actually be a very nice mac in fact!


Then I got him back to the boat again as we saw the colour of it...
A medium sized shark.
I should have taken a photo of it, as I don't know what specie was this one, it was not a black tip. 
He was kind of brownish, with a white belly and teeth big enough to already grab a finger or two if we weren't carful.
Even if I do enjoy eating a shark once in a while, with shark being more useful in the sea than in my plate, we released it.


And back to the little reefies action it was...
Then it was Carl's reel who started to sing, and this time we said: I bet you that this is another shark!
And... It was...
But as we were debating who was going to get the hook back from this new set of fangs, the shark obligingly spat back the bait and the hook.
Nice job!
So with that Carl didn't even had to rebait his line and just chucked it back in the water.


Five minutes latter, his line started to peel of again!
Another battle and another shark at the boat side...


Now some people would say: "Another stinking shark!"
But not us, in fact it was still some good and fun action.
And was certainly better than nothing.


And just as it came close to the boat, it did just what the last one had done and spitted the bait and hook again.
Talk about luck!


So once again Carl was able to chuck his line back in the drink without re-baiting it...


After another few minutes, his rod that he had just nonchalantly rested on the boat gunwale started to go: click... click... click....
So I told him: Your fishing rod is about to go for a swim...
So he took hold of it and immediately Bam! The pull was very sudden and very violent, and the line was broken before he had the time to do anything.
Yes if he hadn't grabbed it a second before it would definitively have gone for a swim...


So with the darkness descending upon us, we decided to go back home early, without any fish, but still having had a good time and a few good laugh on the water.


So What did I learnt from this two fishless trips in the same day?
Well, that sometime even in perfect conditions the fishes are not biting.


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

Lost...

Hi there,

So the other day, my partner took our little one to the corner shop.
Outside the shop, sit a notice board, where any one can past his or her own notice.
So they look at the notices, and the little one ask what is the one with a picture of a cat?
My partner answer: " this one is saying that someone lost her cat, and that she want some help to find it back".
Then the little one point to one with the photo of a dog: "Mummy, what's this one?"
The answer: "Well, this one is about someone who lost his dog and.."
Before she finished the little one points to a notice about ballet lesson, with the photograph of two ballerina...
"Mummy! Mummy! Look someone lost two ballerina!!!"

Yes she is very sweet, but still need to learn how to read...

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