Rob's Hobie holiday - Part 1

My little hobie continues to be a revelation in my fishing and boating lifestyle and what I got up to on a brief holiday, this time around on the south coast of NSW, will give you an idea of why I am so happy with this little craft. On the first morning I woke up at sparrows fluff and was keen to get out on my own and breathe in some fresh sea air while the rest of my family had a sleep in. I launched at a place known as Corrigan’s Beach at Batemans Bay and peddled out around Observation Point. Easterly winds and a soild swell were coming directly into the bay and as a result the water was quite murky. I started out looking for bream around the shallow rocks using a 4 inch long stick bait on a 4 gram jig head. I cast along the inside edge of Observation Point but in the murky water I couldn’t quite see the killer strike zone where the shallow rock ledge meets the snag free sand so I decided to go out around the point and rustle up a few salmon and Tailor instead. I fished from behind the breakers casting back into the wash. I lost a couple of softies to the Tailors sharp teeth but a few nice 1.5 kilo sized specimens made it home for breakfast-tasty and healthy at the same time. As far as tackle is concerned I was using a Rapala Braid Concept 702 SPL rod, a 40 sized Okuma Salina Reel with saltwater gears (ideal in the kayak.) I spooled up with 8 pound Braid, and used 12 pound fluro carbon leader. This sized outfit is ideal when fishing from a Kayak and I use it on everything from bream to Snapper and jews. The next morning I launched at Corrigan’s again and peddled all the way across to Square Head which took me approximately 20 minutes, the idea was to do a little fishing and to burn up a few of excess carbs ingested over the holiday season. My little hobie sport has foot pedals (the Mirage Drive) and the standard paddle. I usually use the foot pedals exclusively because they are more efficient and leave your hands free for fishing but about halfway into the morning I pulled the paddle out to give my upper body a bit of a work out. There is something magical about getting some light exercise while out on the water, and while sometimes I go hard at it this time around I preferred to go easy but spend more total time at it-a perfect combination when re-acquainting your self with a fishing spot.

Again the water was still a bit murky which suits Tailor and I manage to troll up a few Tailor around the 40 cm mark on the beach between Square Head and Maloney’s Beach. The next day the swell had backed off the water had cleared up and it was time to get a little more serious so my Hobie Mate Mike Nicholls and I launched at South Durras and headed out around the nearby headlands and islands. Heaps of species came our way such as wrasse, Red Rock Cod, leather jackets, slimy mackerel, and a lovely 2 kilo Snapper-a real buzz on light tackle when fishing at water level. We used the new 6 inch long silstar slapstix softie on a 7 gram jig head in 5 to 15 meters of water. The slapstix has an extremely firm but flexibly rubbery consistency; possibly the best textured plastic on the market at the moment and I was pretty happy to be testing them out. The lures dense plastic meant that it withstood all the above fish without even having the old pants pulled down; very practical indeed when the fish are on the chew. The brilliant white color did all the damage. The large southern calamari in the area also went berserk over the lure, and one XL specimen wouldn’t leave it alone and then took a liking to the flippers on the Hobie and sat watching them while I tied on a squid jig to catch him. What an amazing experience at close quarters. This squid went straight into the ice filled esky I keep behind my seat and it won me some good brownie points come dinner time back at camp. Next week I will continue looking at the diary of one of my best family holidays to date and along with a brief encounter with a school of Hammerhead Sharks that I’m sure the more experienced anglers and kayakers will be keen to read about.See you on the water.

Rob Paxevanos