Steep Point Report 2013 It was twelve months in the planning and only took a week to expire! But the 2013 Steep Point fishing trip has now been and gone. Five of us this time with only one boat, so it was necessary for one or two to stay on the beach each day. One boat in this remote location is not my ideal scenario so for next year, we have identified a second boat and got a commitment! Friday 7th June Planning is finished and work is done. A after a trip to the Biltong shop in Plaza Arcade to buy ½ a kilo of beef jerky and Dan and I head for my place. The plan is for Andy to pick us up in the morning, hook up the boat and head to Shane’s for the final pack. Dan and I get the boat packed and have a few reds and hit sack. Saturday 8th June Andy arrives early. We hook up the boat, kiss the wife goodbye (I do anyway – Dan and Andy miss out on that), and head for Shane’s. When we arrive Shane and Gary are busy packing the trailer… How the #$*& will it all fit? Its Shane’s first time to the Point, and he gets a ribbing from his wife and kids, “Dad never catches any fish!”, they tells us. “No worries! He’ll catch a fish this week!”, we say. And we’re off. Murchison River crossing is our destination, but not before stopping at every tackle store en route to try an appease my desire to put single hooks on all my lures! All to no avail, I’ll have to do with trebles. Get to Murchison and a packed camp ground with enough time to build a fire, have a bite to eat and some fellowship and cigars before hitting the sack ready for an early start to the Point! http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/p8n3.jpg Sunday 9th June Up before dawn, pack up and away. Great sunrise through a heavy fog. Breakfast of Champions (bacon and egg sandwich and coffee) at Overlander, fuel up and away we go. Andy and me towards Denham with the boat, Shane, Gary and Dan with the trailer towards Shelter Bay. Andy and I arrive at Shelter Bay about two hours after the others and find the camp all set up. Bonus! A bit of beach fishing and Shane, despite the mockers being put on him by his family, lands the first decent fish of the week, a long tom! Fillet steak, snaggers and salad for dinner and of course, fellowship! http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/593/jenx.jpg/ http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/845/zqp2.jpg/ Monday 10th June Gary, who is suffering from the flu, and Shane choose to stay on the beach. Dan, Andy and I head out trolling along Dirk Hartog, before bottom bashing for a while and heading in. There was a fair bit of excitement when we had a triple hook up. Dan and I hit instantaneously and Andy on his retrieve. I landed mine singlehandedly and straight into the esky. I then gaffed and landed Dan’s, and again into the esky. While all this was happening, patient Andy was just keeping his fish close to the boat waiting for someone to gaff it. As Dan reached over with the gaff, it spat the hooks and lived to fight another day! Tally for the day is 2 Spaniards, and a Mangrove Jack (this being a first on my boat). We released 3 pink snapper, a couple of Baldchin and a few Charlie Court cod. We also released something we didn’t recognised, but after referring to the fishing guides, decided it was probably a brown stripe snapper. In the evening, more fellowship and a nice Japanese curry made by Dan. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/266/0j9b.jpg/ Tuesday 11th June I slow day on the water, only one Spanish mackerel landed and a Baldchin and an unknown type of cod released. Conducted an experiment when dumping the carcasses out in the bay…. Stopped the boat, turned off the motor, didn’t throw anything over the side. But three big bronzies showed up within 12 seconds, looking for a feed. Later in the week I got some amateur underwater video of them. Attached the camera to the boat hook and stuck it over the side… http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/845/mzie.jpg/ Wednesday 12th June Myself, Dan, Andy and Shane head out on the boat. Gary is still suffering the flu and happy to rest up at camp and may be find a rock or two to fish from. Dan lands a little schoolie, that will be dinner later in the week. Then we head out deep, 60 – 70 metres and pick up one sized Baldchin, and a couple smaller that were successfully released. Went back to trolling, Shane seemed keen for the boat to be moving again…. We trolled for a bit longer and Andy landed two Spaniards and Dan landed one. Shane was yet to land a big fish on the boat and was desperate to do so. http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/14/5qic.jpg/ Hmmm, dinner was spaghetti and meat sauce (Andy style!). A few drops of rain started to fall, but lot more was on its way (unbeknown to us). Thursday 13th June I could feel the rain coming in the end of my sway for most of the night, but my towel hung over the end overcame that. At about 6am, I decided it was a bit too much rain and got up to see how things were in our kitchen gazebo. Hmm, is that Dan lying on the ground in the kitchen looking very wet?? Yes, and his tent looks more like a paddling pool! Bonk bong! Waterproofing required for the kitchen and Dan’s tent heads for the bin. A couple of tarps and things are looking better. Just need a dry out! The dawn brings some drier conditions and Andy, Gary, Shane and I head out on the boat. I am determined for Shane to land a big fish, so it is agreed that if my rod if hit first, he will take it. And that is what happened. Shane lands his first Spaniard and then another on his rod! Two in a day, he is a happy camper! Now it’s time for some bottom bashing. Starting near Monkey Rock, we start a series of drifts across the drop off. Eventually we hit the spot where the coral trout are (all undersized and released). But we keep one pinkie, a sweet lip and another mangrove jack. We release half a dozen baldies, four coral trout, some Charlie Courts, black snapper and a couplke of pinkies. It’s time to finish off with some trolling. Off goes Shane’s reel, screaming. He says to Gary, “you take this one”. The fish almost spools him. A couple of jumps, and a few sideways runs…. Hmm this is not a Spaniard, could it be a sailfish of some kind. Some more big runs… And when we get it to the side, it is a really good sized wahoo, about 1.4 metres! Gary has the fish of the week. A nice fish curry for dinner and a game of ‘dice’. The rain starts again… and the neighbours fire up their karaoke machine??? We struggle to bring the bare essentials, they bring a karaoke machine!!! http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/836/qsnf.jpg/ Friday 14th June Weather is shit, so we decide to pack up and come home a day early. All good for me and Andy, we are leaving by boat. And we do. Only to find out later the road was closed and Dan Shane and Gary spent another night at Shelter Bay… would have been ok, had Andy and I not taken ALL of the fishing rods with us…. Next year? Planning has already started.