Somerset July 2010 - Session week

[NAGG]

Well , the 2010 Somerset Session is done & dusted …… with everyone having a pretty good time by all accounts - the evenings around the 2 fires certainly were a highlight.
For me – the Sessions started the weekend before with a quick overnight dash to see if I could find some fish & craw - The first afternoon proved uneventful with only a 44 & 46cm fish landed though several schools were located opposite pelican point Attachment 60305. The following morning was another thing again - 30 odd decent craw & 64 bass landed over a 3 hour period (9 in 9 drops ) with the vast majority landed on red ice jigsAttachment 60298 …… mostly small fish 30-35 cm with 7 over 40cm - & an encounter with Basszilla which destroyed an ice jig in front of my eyes Attachment 60299 …….. certainly the biggest bass I have seen.
All looked good for the following week .
On arrival (Kirkleigh)…. I found that the best waterfront sites were taken & so I set myself up in the same location …… Daryl arrived & after a bit of a chat set up while I went out for look & to drop my pots - Schools were again located but as per the previous weekend refused to bite of an afternoon.
That evening Daryl & I shared a fire …. A few ales & a bottle of Amarula (renamed - Anthrax by Daryl) ……Attachment 60300 the bush candle was a practice run for Sunday)
The following morning , just like the previous week the bass lit up at 8.30am - Red Nilsmaster ice jigs again did the damage – fished just off the bottom . Then just like the previous week - the afternoon was a waste of effort - Inactive schools.
That evening we were joined by Steve & Foxie ….. plus a few others - we decided to have a cooking pit & a social fire …… this solved a few problems that we had at other gatherings and worked a treat.
Foxie joined me on my boat …… Steve took out the hippies (Roo & Kim ) , Nath & Deano had their wives on their boats , Lee fished Solo , Steve had …. Sorry forgot & Later Simon & his daughter …. Plus Paul & Wendy , Dave – all joined us fishing the pelican point area. Certainly a social way of fishing with most boats well within casting or verbal abuse range - particularly when I located some active fish & marked them with a buoy ……. What happened over the next couple of hours bordered on hysterics as each boat jockeyed for drifting position …… looked like tacking duel during the start of a Sydney to Hobart yacht race. The best thing was that most managed to land fish.
That evening ….. well what could one say - Deano’s missus started some party games around the fire which had most in hysterics - some funny moments. Daves port was again sensational & was the perfect accompaniment to the Toblerone cheesecake that Steve brought along.
Up early ….. to check the pots ( mine were raided by share farmers the previous day & we even had a rope cut ) …. Back for breakfast before heading out for the 8.30 bite …….. The fish were there & at times active – but each day the fishing proved tougher with the amount of fish stung ….. but we still managed some fish on a mixture of ice jigs & blades.
Sunday saw most leave with just a few revellers remaining to enjoy an awesome bush candle in a light rain
Monday morning was collect the pot day & a last minute fish before packing up and leaving
While the fish were there in numbers – fishing remained fairly tough in fickle conditions Attachment 60304…..more fish were landed over the weekend than the previous year - though there was no Monday repeat of last year. Ice jigs were clearly the stand out lure for most though blades accounted for a fair number too. The schools were vast in the Pelican point area (opposite) - with several located and fished.
Socially – it was an awesome weekend and thoroughly enjoyable ……. The Somerset session has that different appeal & one that I wouldn’t miss.
Finally - It was great to share a boat with Foxie ……. Sorry about making you haul those logs


Cheers

Chris

[Obi _ Wan]

Thanks for the report Chris, sounds like a great weekend.

Sorry i missed it, but my son and daughter inlaws little dog was pleased i was on hand to look after it while they were away.

Next year i hope,

Cheers,

John.

[themissus]

As always an enjoyable laid back weekend.

[NAGG]

As always an enjoyable laid back weekend.

there has to be something said for just being able to run the boats up on the bank ----- walk 20 feet & sit down at a camp fire ........ It really is great - Imagine if you could do that at Mondy

Chris

[Big_Ren]

I echo those thoughts Chris, and I can certainly speak for Wendy and say we had an absolute ball.

It was very relaxing being able to have a social fish with my wife, amidst much banter between boats on the water, and then lay the boat up on the bank for the night.

Only downer was those testosterone fuelled P Plater louts and their equally boisterous female companions camped down from us all that decided to do burnouts around the holiday park in an overloaded tray back ute at night before doing screaming fly bys in their jet ski right up to midnight.....no lights obviously and who knows whether they had their life jackets on. And then they partied on at full teenager noise until 5am.......maybe I am just getting old but their antics were clearly dangerous, not funny - to themselves and others.

Aside from their shennanigans, it was a great roll up with great company - and we met some new faces.

Cheers
Paul

[NAGG]

I echo those thoughts Chris, and I can certainly speak for Wendy and say we had an absolute ball.

It was very relaxing being able to have a social fish with my wife, amidst much banter between boats on the water, and then lay the boat up on the bank for the night.

Only downer was those testosterone fuelled P Plater louts and their equally boisterous female companions camped down from us all that decided to do burnouts around the holiday park in an overloaded tray back ute at night before doing screaming fly bys in their jet ski right up to midnight.....no lights obviously and who knows whether they had their life jackets on. And then they partied on at full teenager noise until 5am.......maybe I am just getting old but their antics were clearly dangerous, not funny - to themselves and others.

Aside from their shennanigans, it was a great roll up with great company - and we met some new faces.

Cheers
Paul

Glad to see that you guys had a good time - yeh , those youngsters were a bit over the top ....... could have killed themselves - specially on the jet skies at night while pixxed (apparently they were met by the local constabulary)

Chris

[themissus]

Paul,
there were 4 groups kicked out sunday morning The police were waiting for our jet ski mates at the gates. It must be the full moon same thing happened last year.

[Big_Ren]

Great to see Kimmy, Chris...it would have been us that would have had to go out and rescue them from the lake in the black of night if something dreadful happened to them. Perhaps their access code was blocked by management to ensure a quiet escape from the park was blocked until the law caught up with them....I just did not want to see them kill themselves or someone else.

Anyway, as stated, we had a wonderful time and Wend said it was a pleasure to be able to meet you all finally.

Cheers
Paul

[NAGG]

Much prefer to see them play "bite the box" - with the only the odd chance of a torn hammie or face full of dirt. .......

But yes back to our weekend away ....... It was great to see the partners enjoy themselves (& catch fish ) along with a couple of youngsters that came along

Chris

[warrior]

good goin chris at least everyone got a scale in the boat,its amazing that after all the water in there that the bass still love congregating in the pelican point ,havnt fished there for 3 years but that was one of my main areas with the icejigs, reds or pale greens

[NAGG]

good goin chris at least everyone got a scale in the boat,its amazing that after all the water in there that the bass still love congregating in the pelican point ,havnt fished there for 3 years but that was one of my main areas with the icejigs, reds or pale greens

Wouldn't you just love to know why ?

Chris

[stevelcqld]

You would think they would move around a bit more... and Box Biters name is Grant.. 8 foot tall and can grab a scarp of cardboard of the dirt... go figure..

Also you forgot Yakman.. first time on freshwater and landed a ripper fish within an hour of hitting the water.. then 2 more in the next hour.. did not want to take him back to the camp ground after that.. lol, he said he will camp next year as he really enjoyed it.

Michelle is thinking of some new flavors for the cheesecake next year.. maybe a rum & raisin cheesecake and a mars bar cheesecake.

The ice jigs seem to do the trick.. might have to order some more of the russian ones.. they seem to work a treat..

Will i be back next year..try and stop me!!!

Cheers

steve

[NAGG]

You would think they would move around a bit more... and Box Biters name is Grant.. 8 foot tall and can grab a scarp of cardboard of the dirt... go figure..

Also you forgot Yakman.. first time on freshwater and landed a ripper fish within an hour of hitting the water.. then 2 more in the next hour.. did not want to take him back to the camp ground after that.. lol, he said he will camp next year as he really enjoyed it.

Michelle is thinking of some new flavors for the cheesecake next year.. maybe a rum & raisin cheesecake and a mars bar cheesecake.

The ice jigs seem to do the trick.. might have to order some more of the russian ones.. they seem to work a treat..

Will i be back next year..try and stop me!!!

Cheers

steve

I remembered Grant after I posted the thread
Yep ....... I was in pain just watching him pick that postage stamp up with his teeth & no knees hands on the ground
IJs ...... they worked last year and did again this year - 10:1 for me.

Great to see that you'll be back Steve ...... I know I will

Chris

[darylive]

Rum and raisin cheese cake, MMM.....

and safer than anthrax in ya coffee; although it was good at the time, and I slept well for the first time in a few weeks. Maybe it's the sleep that makes me crook because I was feeling good when I crawled in the swag and didn't notice the cold like others seemed to.

[budgebass]

Hi All

Great post - Somerset is a magic dam.
What was the best technique with ice jigs? Is there any science to an ice jig?

Cheers
Budgebass