Kayaking: Adventure search

BRISBANE Troy Brown

One of the things I really enjoy about kayaking is the diversity. Sometimes, diversity within locations can mean nothing more than turning left, rather than right. While we can endure some long expeditions on these

Hook-up! We beached the yak and SUP, with a plan to fan casts across a section of sand, before moving a few metres and repeating. Nirmal only made it to his second cast before his rod loaded up.

compact hulls, the lack of speed means that many larger systems become a series of micro-systems, as they simply cannot be fully explored in one session. An easily accessible example of this for South East Queensland anglers, is the Gold Coast Broadwater.

Launching from Mitchell Park at Southport brought back memories of my first Hobie bream competition. While it was an enjoyable experience, it certainly wasn’t a confidence booster, as I joined a number of anglers who walked away with an empty live well. It was a humbling experience, as the heavily fished pontoons and boat hulls proved fruitless for me, with only some undersized offerings returned to the waterway. On that occasion, my departure from Mitchell Park followed the same route of many anglers, eschewing the open waters of the Broadwater to chase bream around structure. Recently, my focussed changed, as I wanted to try my hand in the extensive sand flats immediately in front of the launch point. With Nirmal Sumy tagging along on his stand-up board, we set out to chase flathead on one of the busiest bodies of water in Queensland.

Sensible anglers would scoff at our mission, as anyone with common sense would argue that the Broadwater has far too much boat traffic, while also becoming very exposed and unpleasant when the wind picks up. As fishing seems to anger the weather gods, those low winds seen midweek are frequently replaced by angry gales on the weekend, which was true to form during our recent visit. The two factors combine to make fishing exceedingly difficult, but like any committed fisher, there were only two words that would leave our lips,

“Challenge accepted!”

Adding to my personal level of difficulty, I’ve effectively replaced any brand-name lures in my box with my own homemade prototypes. Like an

evil genius at work (perhaps the genius part is a little misguided), I’ve spent hours computer designing, manufacturing masters and moulds to produce my own soft plastic lures. Whether by good management or simple fortune, I’ve managed to make a few designs that catch fish, so the work has certainly been worthwhile. My lures lack the finish of commercial offerings, but as they are for my own private use, I figure that if the fish like them, why should I worry if they’re not pretty? If anything proves the concept that fish strike a lure-based more on the action than being life-like, it is the ugly concoctions I am casting from the yak!

Heading out from Mitchell Park, Nirmal and I took a quick look at our surroundings. The tide was running out, exposing the vast sand banks that are a feature of the Broadwater. While the exposed sand

immediately in front of the boat ramp was inviting, we turned left to put some distance between ourselves and the exceptionally busy launch area. Dodging the horde of boaters, many of whom clearly had the barest minimum of experience or etiquette, our aim was to find any interesting changes in the waterway. Sitting so low to the water gives you a unique perspective, as you notice things that may otherwise pass you by when moving around on a boat. Subtle differences can mean an aggregation of fish, or at least an increased chance of finding an isolated fish in a feeding mood.

We were looking for a major change, such as a large cut-away in the edge of a sand bank, which can create interesting eddies, pressure points or still water in otherwise predictable

tidal conditions. We also paid close attention also to the more subtle changes, such as the surface ripple that indicates a current line, a sudden depth change, or perhaps darker sections which meant either an isolated deep hole, or a large weed bank. While Nirmal cycled through an impressive list of lure models on our way to the ultimate destination, I patiently flicked my own 2” paddletail and grub lures around the same areas, amassing a decent tally of fish before we reached our stopping point. Watching Nirmal still on the dreaded donut, when I was well into double figures, I was amazed at his run of poor luck. In fairness to him, he was doing everything right. He mixed up the lures, tried different speeds, changed his action and made numerous adjustments without reward, while my simple cast and slow retrieve was amassing a solid tally of fish. Size was lacking and there were a few pike in the mix, however I was ecstatic for my own good fortune, while also wondering how Nirmal could do everything right, yet still be empty-handed.

We often talk about adapting to suit the conditions and it is possibly one of the hardest disciplines to master. Most humans are creatures of habit, so we fall into patterns in the way we fish, as it may have worked well for us on occasion. Fish are also habitual in many respects, but these habits (instinctive and learned) are affected by weather, tide, bait in the system and several other bite triggers. We can overcome some of these with practise and observation, but we cannot change that one wildcard – luck. Sometimes, it just isn’t your day. Nirmal enabled me to underline that point, as his first catch put some perspective on how one catch can change your entire attitude for the day.

Having navigated a little further into the Broadwater, we decided to stop at a sand flat that had been divided by the tide, forming a narrow channel. As Nirmal was having a slow day, I suggested he tried one of my creations, as they’d performed well for myself and I was hoping it may improve Nirmal’s day. As the flats were a great place to stretch, we exited our kayaks on the sand, then Nirmal set about fanning his casts from across the creek, in search of his first flathead for the day. On his second cast, his rod loaded up, his drag started screaming and our excitement level jumped tenfold. I became invested in ensuring Nirmal managed to land the fish, coaching him to land his first fish for the day, totally forgetting that he needed no help. I think I was more excited than he was, although his expression on hook-up was priceless.

The author managed a cricket score of midsized fish. They are loads of fun to catch!

Nirmal’s 82cm flatty was proof that flatties enjoy light meals. This beast was caught on a 2” paddletail and 6lb line.

Pike and toadies are the scourge of lure fishing. When these pests are out in droves, you should stop using scent. Quality scents help deliver a slightly better catch rate of desirable fish, but also seem to dramatically increase toad and pike attacks.

Ultimately, Nirmal landed the flathead, a personal best 82cm tank, which was the fattest flattie I’ve ever seen. It was nearly as round as it was wide, so Nirmal had done a great job landing it on light gear. He did everything right, keeping pressure on the fish while allowing the drag to compensate for light line, while also ensuring the fish kept its head below the water when nearing the shallows. had a long fight, the fish needs a longer recovery. Some quality lip grips make this easier, with the plastic locking style being a better choice to reduce damage to the fish’ soft mouth. I hate seeing fish hung from metal lip grips and the plastic models are nearly always a better choice. Gently swim your catch in the shallow water, moving it back and forth until the fish starts to asked if I’d had enough for the day. It was a great way to end the day, so I agreed and we pedalled back to the launch point. Anything I’d caught was forgotten, as that one fish dominated the day and all of the smaller catches were over-shadowed by Nirmal’s change of fortune. It proves that it only takes one thing to keep us coming back. Some days, it’s a PB, others it’s that one fish we

• Weather: While the area is surrounded by shoreline, wind plays a huge part in comfort and safety, as it is an open and heavily trafficked waterway. If you’re not experienced or don’t have a stable kayak, pick your days carefully. Even in a quality yak, conditions can be difficult and catching fish near impossible.

• Anchoring: If you fish one of the many cut-aways or mini-creeks that appear on low tide, it’s helpful to be able to hold position while you fan-cast over an area.

I use a Power Pole, which is the ultimate method to anchor in shallow water, but an anchor with an anchor trolley system will do the job nicely.

• Use your legs: In the shallows, it can be difficult to find a position to chase fish without spooking them. In this situation, beach your yak on the sand and walk to a better position.

• Surface fishing is amazing fun: Until I started testing my home-made surface soft plastic, I’d never really attempted chasing flathead on the surface.

Watching the same fish hit my plastic multiple times was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever seen. Sadly, I didn’t have a hook suited to the plastic, so the fish weren’t hooked, but I certainly was! The aggression of the fish was a huge buzz!

• Keep it light: In the Broadwater, apart from some weed coverage you’ve not got any structure to worry about. Use 4-6lb line and leader for ultimate angling enjoyment.

The dreaded flathead ‘head shake’ has cost us all fish, but lowering your rod tip and stopping that topwater explosion seems to result in far less bust-offs. It also helped that we’d dismounted and Nirmal was able to gently coax this beast onto the sand, instead of trying to net the fish on the water. That moment a nice fish is close to your net is heart-in-mouth stuff, with any bust-off of a good fish liable to ruin your day. Light lines and leaders make those last moments even scarier, but if you’ve used your drag and fought the fish carefully, the light line will have lengthened the fight and typically tired the fish into complacency. Well, that’s the theory, but flatties don’t always know when to quit.

Watching the release of a big fish is always satisfying, but don’t rush it. If you’ve feel lively. Once your catch is starting to feel angry and wants to go, it’s time to say goodbye!

Having endured a tough start to the day, Nirmal was keen to end on a high and caught to break a donut streak, irrespective of size or species. Some days, we just need to take our medicine and find pleasure in simply being on the water, which is easy when

you’re relaxing on a kayak with good mates.

I had intentions of talking about techniques I use in the area, the interesting tidal flows and about the gear we use. Nirmal’s fish still gets me excited, with an extra grin due to it being caught on my own lure design. There’s time for tech talk and then there’s the need to celebrate a great win by a mate. Well done, Nirmal, what a great comeback! Kayaking is truly one of the most sociable means of hitting the water and it’s more a community than a sport. If you fish from the shore, or from a boat, grab yourself a yak and discover the passion.

The moment of release. While your mate is giving the fish a chance to revive, it’s your job to ensure the moment is captured!