Trout

The Barge

Creek Jack

Sunset

Trout Closeup

I've just returned from a short fishing camping trip out off onslow.

Unfortunatly the trip was cut short due to the unpredictale cyclone of the coast at the time. That is the second time in 3 years that myself an frizza have had to leave the islands due to cyclones and in the future wont be camping out that way this time of year.
We managed a half days fishing in the creeks with a couple of nice muddies for tea, fish caught were mangrove jacks a couple of estury cod. Small trevally also a surprise for the creek was about a 4inch stone fish. We camped up for the night, being happy to be out fishing we got on it with small sharks hooked and released from shore late into the night. The following morning the ocean was like a mirror, so camp was pulled and we were off at a blisttering speed of about 8 knots, yes the boat was once again loaded to the gunnels making progress pretty slow but eventually we new we would get out to spot X.

On arrival all the gear was chucked onto a little sandy beach and there was not a breath of wind unless ya farted so with sweat pouring out of us we drove the boat no more than 100 metres out from camp for a swim in about 3ft of crystal clear water. Once our core temp had dropped a bit the portable gas cooker was lit and on went some snaggas for lunch. Thats about when we tossed out a line each into a bit of rough ground on the edge of the sandbar we were swimming in .2 minutes later i decided to don my fishwrecked shirt for the first time, no sooner had i got the shirt over me head and bang line was peeling from my reel, not a bad fish either!!

First bait first cast first time with my fishwrecked shirt and bang a 61 cm coral trout was in the boat caught in no more than 4 ft of water. I was hooting - so out went my second bait and bang on again, YESSSS another coral trout 50cm, in 2 casts i had my bag limit of trout. I tell ya this place would make ya eyes water and about half an hour later with the snaggas eaten we looked at each other an both said lets go have a look at another little gem of a spot we have named jack rock. 15 minutes later we parked the boat doned our reef walkers and we were standing on JACK ROCK. I had my didji camera rolling and frizza sent out the first cast ,well more of a half hearted flick realy, 3 or 4 winds of the reel and out came a pac of hungry jacks swarming for the red and white lure, the biggest of the pack crunched it right at our feet, with frizza locking the spool with his hand to stop the fish diving under the rock ledge. The 48cm jack was lifted onto jack rock and we were hooting like a couple kids in a lollie shop.

I will be sending a disc down to adam of this first cast capture the quality is pretty crap but might make the list of short vids. [i hope]. With a couple of smaller fish landed they went off the boil and so did we. We went straight back to to the camp to set up tents to orgainise the gennie and engel, gather some fire wood and cook dinner. It had been one hectic day of pulling one camp and setting up another. With not as many beers under me belt like the night before i was buggered and a quick phone call to my wife to see what the cyclone was up to and i was off to bed. [cyclone floyd 900 odd kms of the coast ]

Next morning frizza rung his bride and we got the news that the cyclone had moved about 50 kms from the night before COOL. The water was like glass and we were of again out to another spot about 45 mins on the plain from camp. With only 100mil of run in the tide over 6 hours the water was still and crystal clear only problem was the cloud cover. Crusing in about 5 to 8 meters of water you could on any other day see the coral bommies and ledges as clear as a bell but today all you could see was your own reflection on the water so it was a bit hit and miss. Still a couple of good trout, a big spanglie an jack found there way into the esky. Another move was on the cards, cruising along and finding it a bit hard to gain our bearings due to the low cloud it was almost imposable to destinquish the water from the sky. At one point it was like there was no horizon.

We stopped amongst weed drifts floating on the surface, no more than 20 ft from the boat half a dozen XXX large trevaily were mouthing the weed. I tossed a lure at em and bang one peeled of and grabbed it. I didn't strike this fish was BIG and my little lure rig was small so i chickened and the fish just spat the lure out. Dont get me wrong im sure if i had of striked i would of pulled up tight and probably chased the beast around for half an hour or so and even landed it but i chickened. Frizza couldnt believe it and tossed in a lure of his own got a hook up for about ten seconds then nothing, no more strikes. Thats when we noticed what they were eating; little 3 inch squid or maybee cuttle fish hideing in the weed drifts and plenty of em to.
We anchored up and hooked a few more fish and lost a few more riggs to the reef sharks. It was time to haul arse back to camp and hopfully phone reception.

5 oclock and weve got a few bars of reception on the mobile. CRAP the cyclones moved over 3 hundred kms in ten hours. Still 600 hundred kms away but if it keeps going at that speed it will be all over us when we wake up in the morning. Its a frantic race to pack camp and we are out of there, an hour and a half later cold and wet we pull the boat onto the trailer book into the caravan park and race down the pub to get a counter meal.
I have to say the onslow pub counter meals are top rate, next day supporting a pearler of a hangover we are homewood bound. Back to tomprice.

The trip was short and hectic but still a great time was had and the pics ive taken are shite so hopfully frizza will post up a couple on reading this and maybee the short vid might make the grade as well.

cheers mitch
p.s the cyclone shiveled to nothing with in the next 2 days but always better to be safe than dead !!!!!!!!