Here is a couple of pics from a recent shoot I have done for BLA / Ocean Kayak. Awesome day on the water out at 9mile off the Tweed and the guys got some good fish. I think they ended up with GT's, Spangled Emperor, Snapper, Spanish Mackeral, Yellowfin and Mac Tuna.
I have only posed up a few of the pics which have been published already and hopefully there will be some more images published soon
this was my first real insight into offshore Kayak fishing and it looks like heaps of fun! I'll be getting a yak soon and getting out there! The Ocean Kayaks looked like excellent boats and the following day it was pretty rough and they handled the conditions extremely well!
Also just did another shoot out west for their canoes and had some awesome fun getting towed around by some yellowbelly and murray cod. It's just a great way to get outdoors and chill out for a few hours or a day.
Anthony
You’ll be surprised at the options opened up by a yak. They are the ultimate stealth craft. The ability to get really close to feeding schools of fish, inside the bust ups with torpedoes flying everywhere, is amazing. You really start to notice when a petrol driven boat turns up and the fish go off the bite instantly because of the noise. It can be really frustrating at times when an inconsiderate boaty comes flying up at full whack and puts down a school that you’ve just spent 20mins or more chasing under paddle power. The shallow reefs suddenly seem to have more fish on them as they haven’t been put off by the bang and slap. Its not for everyone, and you can be limited in the distance you can travel but it opens up opportunities unrealised in a boat. You really become more attuned to what is going on around you as you are forced to move slower and have time to take in the surroundings.
Yeah that's all good, but they didn't paddle out there did they?
Cheaters.......
Kev
Some nice pics there Anthony. You've got to admire someone who can get out there on a yak and handle fish like that.
nezevec99, thanks for your post. I will remember that and next time I'm around some yak fishers I will be sure to keep a fair distance.
Cheers,
Jim
Hi Kev,Originally Posted by Just_chips
Yeah that's all good, but they didn't paddle out there did they?
Cheaters.......
Kev
It is only 5kms from fingal to 9mile, not exactly a huge distance to paddle. Being that we had less than 12 hours to shoot enough footage for a show it was not logisitacally possible to have time to do the paddling out and back. As well as that just before I got those shots there was a cracker storm which came roaring down the tweed valley and we had to race back in to port. In any case they were still some cracker fish out of a kayak and was awesome to watch them being towed around by fish!
But certainly makes you aware that you should always go with a buddy and let people know exactly where you are going and for how long no matter what sort of vessel you are in!! Who knows what mother nature can throw at you or what hiccups might happen...
In any case these blokes certainly know a lot about there fishing and genuinely love the sport, at the end of the day no one cares if they paddled out and back, they are out there showing others another way of enjoying our great passtime and also doing a lot of work behind the scenes to help to protect our sport from being ruined by the greenies!
Anthony
Not sure what the regs are as this will be covered by NSW waters but if in QLD and fishing 5klm offshore the yakkers would be required to carry an epirb also, so I believe that this is probably well worth mentioning. A 5klm paddle would take about an hour non stop for an average paddler without factoring wind, current etc. So an average to fair degree of paddle fitness would also be required.
Kev
You raise an interesting point, but are Kayaks, canoes, etc actually covered under the legislation? I will be purchasing a epirb before I go offshore in my yak whether it is required or not purely for safety and my own piece of mind as anything can happen out on the wide blue and a epirb is probably the easiest and best peice of safety equipment to have.
I have searched the legislation but can't seem to find a decent definition with regards to what constitutes a boat/ship under the act. However the QLD Recreational Boating and Fishing guide states this (http://www.msq.qld.gov.au/~/media/1d..._2011_2012.pdf page 20):
"Boats requiring registration must carry the regulated safety equipment (refer to the safety equipment table on page 28). Additional safety equipment recommended in the Standard should also be carried to satisfy the general safety obligation. This allows boat owners and operators to choose the equipment best suited for the type of boat and intended voyage.
Boats not requiring registration do not have to carry the regulated safety equipment, but the skipper still has a general safety obligation. When deciding what to take on board, remember your obligation – if you fail to carry a piece of equipment that could have helped to prevent an accident, you could be prosecuted."
A lot of the offshore guys don't carry them as they never stray that far from land. The general consensus seems to be that a plb has a better place on a yak as you keep it on you. If you fall off and the kayak blows away, the epirb strapped to the yak won't be much use. A gps enabled plb has a smaller search area as well. However to satisfy the safety obligation, a vessel operating outside 2nm must carry an epirb. And the legislation is a bit ambiguous.
I carry one. What price do you put on your own safety is the way i look at it.
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