Interview: Derek 'Paffoh' Steele

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Interview: Derek 'Paffoh' Steele

Author: josh

Published on Monday, 01 March 2010 18:33

Written by Josh

Derek Steele is well known the Australian kayak fishing scene, largely for his website 'Kayak Fishing Adventures' as well as his long-time presence within the forum communities and now also heavy participation in the ABT Hobie kayak fishing tournament series. He's a certified member of the Aussie Hobie fishing team and a great bloke. I thought we'd take a moment to have a chat with him to help introduce him and his website to the yakass crew.

Q: Tell us about yourself Derek - how old are, where are you from, when did you start fishing and when did you start doing it from a kayak?

Born in December 1976 in little Shoalhaven Heads (Just out of Nowra, NSW), Son of a Naval Officer. Moved from Naval base to Naval base until a transfer led us close to Canberra (HMAS Harman, In the early 1980’s). Hailing from the coast, my Father and Pop were keen boat, LBG and beach fishermen so was bred to scale. I started Kayak Fishing about five years ago when I retired from 13 years of Dj’ing, needless to say I was in desperate need of some fresh air and a good dose of Vitamin D.

I have been fishing on and off again my whole life, from Shoalhaven River/Seven Mile beach, to private Chalet streams in upper Jindabyne, to Moruya break walls/Rivers, to Eucumbene trips overnight. My father (Responsible for many of the above trips) recently retired from Canberra to Pambula on the far south coast of NSW so we still get out together quite a bit. I am not sure he, Claire or the rest of my family understands the attraction of fishing from a yak (Beyond stealth aspects) but they always know when I get into something I take it far beyond a part time personal hobby.

Q: Over the years I've observed some of your reports and seen numerous photos of you holding a wide variety of fish, from carp, to trout to bream and snapper - what's your favourite fish to target, and why?

Living in Canberra I am completely surrounded by freshwater lakes, rivers, streams and dam style impoundments. We are really spoilt for choice in this area so picking what fish to target and when can be quite difficult. Ultimately though if you asked me a year or two ago I would have said Golden Perch (Yellowbelly), but now I would probably say Trout. I had Golden Perch dialled, fishing for them locally on a weekly basis before the announcement of ABT Hobie Bream Tournaments, which were scheduled around prime Golden times.

In the winter months however native fish shut down almost completely which leaves two choices, monster Snapper down the coast or snap frozen Trout in the mountains. While big reds are insane on light tackle nothing beats fishing ultra light for big browns and bows from the kayak (And from the bank). Its extreme kayak fishing at its best (A far cry from sharks and offshore shenanigins Josh), average winter water temperature hovers around 4 degrees and morning starts kick off around -7 degrees out of the water (And thats not accounting for wind chill)... It’s not for the faint hearted!

Q: Last time I checked you were the proud owner of a couple of kayaks - a pedal powered Hobie Outfitter and a paddle-powered Hobie Quest. Having had pelnty of time to compare both propolsion methods, do you have a stand-out favourite for fishing, and why?

Its amazing that one could be better than the other but in certain situations I find each kayak has its own distinct advantage. My 2006 Outfitter was my initial purchase and has served me well, a real packhorse of a kayak and the ‘Ute’ of the family. I purchased a 2006 Quest for solo adventures and a change of pace. At first I missed the ability to pedal forever (Especially in unsettling weather conditions) but a groin injury flared up so a change of constant use was a must in the earlier days. Trolling from a paddle kayak really tends to chop and change my presentation, a drink of water, a pause in stroke all has a positive outcome (Fishing for natives anyway).

I also currently own a Hobie Pro Angler which has been used in every tournament since October last year (Fresh and saltwater) and it definitely holds many advantages. For instance, its manoeuvrability in close quarters to structure for pin point casting in Bream competitions is ideal while its wide shape, stability and pack ability really make it a trolling workhorse. Last weekend I pushed and pedalled for around 8kms (Groin injury well and truly overcome) and covered ground far more accurately than I could paddling and shifting my Quest around (With over 30 kilograms of water behind my seat mind you).

Q: Not so long ago you were the winner of the 'Stealth Serpent 34' electric motor system for Mirage Hobie kayaks. Have you put it to the test yet and if so, whats your impression of it?

I spent about an hour with Tas at his workshop when I picked up the prize and was impressed with not only his workshop, his business but also his passion for kayak fishing. It’s a very sturdy motor and mounting system but unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to use it yet (Again, bloody Bream tournaments). After seeing the size of the battery Tas uses on his Outback I am still (To this day) researching alternative power supply, basically smaller and lighter batteries that can trickle charge on and off the water without compromising safety or weight addition (easier said than done).

It’s tricky but doable and shouldn’t cost me an arm and a leg, best off all it should be ready for prototype power tests before I return to fish Jindabyne. With my new Scotty Downrigger I can start exploring the depths of the alpine lakes and fish the greater part of the day rather than just dawn and dusk. The speeds of the motor will be perfect for trolling Tasmanian Devils and other winged lures from the Pro Angler, accompany that with the depth achievable from a downrigger and hey presto!

Q: What was your inspiration for starting up Kayak Fishing Adventures?

I used to put a hell of a lot of effort into detailing trip reports and one day it occurred to me just how much information I had shared on various websites and forums. Keeping tabs at home on what was where was proving far more difficult than I first fathomed (Beyond a windows folder). Creating a blog was the first step to personal cohesion, I was going fishing way too much and archiving visual and written information worth its weight in online gold was in my best interest. The further I moved forward in kayak fishing circles the more I realised how immersed I had become, it was beyond a passion.

Thats when I realised what myself and our mates do on regular basis is very different to what I read on other peoples sites (Including Yakabout). It was our nice and unimposing niche, without stepping on peoples toes and harmonising an independent view so needed but shared my few and far between. People may have noticed that images I upload are no longer opened at a greater image size, one thing I don’t want to see again (Yes it has happened a few times) are my images (Or any of the teams) used in print without permission. Hence, the strict terms of use and privacy policy.

Q: How much time do you spend on the site and do you feel as if the time spent justifies the rewards?

These days I try and add some information or contribute to the site daily, but dedicated time differs. I own, run and manage a Coffee shop 6am till 5pm weekdays so some days I’m inspired and other days I just need couch rest. My good mates Craig, Jason and Paddy also contribute to the site (It’s as much theirs as it is mine). All I have created is a vessel for each of us to post to post our contribution to the sport and document our addiction. It’s been great for all of us and I really hope to expand on what we offer in the next few months.

The site today had its 20,400th hit so am completely blown away by that, considering all the things working against its page ranking and SEO problems. While KFA ranks quite well, in broader terms, it’s not stumbled upon easily enough. I have a few tricks up my sleeve to improve this but it may be time to take the site to the next level (More features but ultimately more control for admin purposes). In the future I will probably broaden its content and code a new site with a greater CMOS agenda.

Q: For some time you also had the dubious title of being a moderator for AKFF? What can you tell us about that experience and why did you decide to leave it behind?

I have been a member of AKFF for many years and seen the highs and lows, mainly due to the popularity of the sport and the huge increase in membership numbers. The site has grown a million fold and so has the baggage, cue moderator position. At first I loved it, I was the nice one who said little but did lots. Relegated to dubious duties I lived life in the background till I became persecuted due to commercial affiliations. Getting text messages from admin at your work demanding you ‘Declare your affiliations’ should have been the first and final straw, but I am way too nice for that (And probably too greedy). I wanted my cake and eat it too; surely both sides of the coin could coexist?

While the site helped me get to where I am today and I learned a lot from it, I think AKFF peaked out a few years ago. When I first got my Outfitter in 2006 there were only two members on the forum who owned one and membership was in the low 500’s, even back then the ‘Hobie bashing’ was not shunned upon. Certain members of the current mod squad do the forum no favours at all and should have been removed years ago. There is a lot of backstabbing behind the scenes and even current moderators that have some sort of commercial involvement have always bitched and moaned about members with same or similar affiliations to companies they supposedly support.

What has happened is while trying to stay at the forefront of kayak fishing content on the web they created a social ‘Dead end’ that occurs when somebody branches out beyond the ‘AKFF’ standard. It was like many of them believed they were the be all and end all, basically old school mentality with a touch of arrogance to boot. Moderation is extremely hit and miss (At the best of times) but most if not all the mod team have earned their dues enough to hold a position beyond a membership role (I do say most mind you). Many of them are still my close friends but lets just say as soon as I left I was forgotten about a little too easily (And not missed at all), probably due to my common sense statements that caused rifts and confusion and work away from the forum (On my site, KFA).

Q: You've been fairly active in the ABT Hobie kayak fishing tournaments, both in series 1 & 2. What drives you to take part - is it all about chasing the glory, or is it all about the social aspect of it? Or something else entirely?

To me glory doesn’t play much of a part, its more about giving back and contributing to the scene. Everybody who plays a part in shaping Kayak Fishing in Australia deserves a level of support, be that major companies or individual identities. The ABT Hobie tournaments themselves give anglers an opportunity to not only test themselves with a nationally recognised tournament structure but also be involved in a social ladder. Participating improves my angling knowledge and lets me share results alongside good mates, as well as supporting the scene at the same time.

Only a few (Out of the many) people take the tournaments a little too seriously, being too tight lipped on techniques and failing to recognise the connotation of it all. Then you have anglers like myself who are just happy to stand up and be counted, winning or losing just isn’t on the cards. The costs associated with entry fees, accommodation and travel can be planned out evenly enough, last year I flew to both rounds in Queensland (Courtesy of loaner kayaks, thanks Steve). This year with so many tournaments a little closer to home I can save money on airfares and spend more money on lures and tackle.

Q: There's a very active kayak fishing community down in your neck of the woods. Do you think there's a specific reason for such a high uptake in participation of the sport down there?

I can’t really say it’s the fluoride they put in the drinking water (Probably helps though), more like the lifestyle available here (If you choose to seek one). We are surrounded by freshwater and have some amazing lakes on our doorsteps. Many have always said that if Canberra had a beach it would be the most beautifull city in the world, so half the population frequents the coast regularly (Think Batemans Bay). Canbera is a bit of an angling paradise combined with a rat race town, while we don’t have saltwater and pelagics on call locally it can be used as a gateway to some sublime freshwater fishing close by (Most only a stone’s throw away).

Our lakes, dams and impoundments are stocked regularly and in general the waterways are looked after fairly well by the government. We lack the smog and industrial doldrums of other capital cities so air quality and environment all scream outdoor participation. Our city is designed around our lakes and we pass over them to and from work every day, some days they look magical and others downright horrible. I keep some printed photos at work of 1m + Murray Cod caught from a kayak and show them to inquisitive customers, when I mention they were caught out of the main lake (Burley Griffin) their jaw often drops. Put it this way, I don’t think they let the pooch mosey around in the shallows anymore!

Q: Finally, tell us about some of your kayak fishing aspirations. Are there any specific areas of the world you simply have to experience before you die? And are the any specific species you simply must catch before the bucket gets booted?

Yeah there are a few, both questions going hand in hand on more than one occasion. A Bass to Barra trip to Queensland impoundments was on the cards last year but has been put on the backburner indefinitely (Time will tell however). I enjoyed fishing Victoria from my yak and would kill to have the opportunity more often, especially the south western region (Think Bullen Merri, Purrumbete). Visiting solid Cod habitat in western NSW would see me landing (And not losing, again and again) a true 1m Murray Monster and maybe a large Silver Perch or two, if I play my cards right anyway.

If the area is iconic and I have spent years reading about it then I want to visit, kayak fishing is almost secondary if the location is legendary. Places like Windamere Dam in the central west of NSW (Massive Silver and Golden Perch) would be on the list, along with the likes of Western Port and Mornington Peninsulas miracle coastline. Luckily I have spent the last few years exploring a little closer to home and have nutted out and achieved most of my kayak fishing bucket list, however I don’t think the list is getting shorter anytime soon. The more I read on yakass.net the more I am inspired to travel north, beyond the safety of drinkable, fishable water and into the realm of the offshore unknown.