Chalk and Cheese

Yakass Home

Chalk and Cheese

Published on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 20:20

Written by Jay 'Yakfisher' Penfold

alt

Today's fishing started in, of all places, a carpark. Byron Shire has some awesome potholes, a point not missed by the local weekly alternative newspaper, the Byron Shire Echo. Some silly wag had put a sign up next to one of our 40 billion waterfilled potholes that says "No Fishing In Potholes", which they'd published on the back page. So I had a little photo op with the paper, in the carpark next to the cafe I work at. The water was too shallow, too many cars going past and no baitfish around, so I hit the river. Low and incoming tide was pushing some salt up, But it had been wet so I didn't think much would happen. After six minutes on the water a small wild Bass hit my lure, releasing itself yakside before I could get off a shot. I didn't think things would be too promising after that, I was after a feed. It's closed season for Bass, not that I choose to eat them anyway.

So I headed straight for spot X, trolling dead slow when the water depth allowed, pedalled ahead when it was too shallow. As I came up to a train bridge crossing the river, I held the rod, feeling for the bumps as the lure bounced off the gravelly bottom, in case I needed to pull it off a piece of twig or other debris. Then took a nice hard hit that took a little drag and surfaced fast as I piled the hurt on. I was hoping to arrest a brawling jack, as this was the precise location of a previously unsuccesful Jack encounter. 1.2 kg of Giant Trevalley eventually came on board, but not before it had taken me for a trip or two around in circles. I had forgotten to take any sort of catch management so I took my cotton jacket off and dunked it in the briny and threw it over the fish in the footwell. Turned out to be very effective. With dinner sorted I headed for home, weighing it in at my local fish and chip shop, wanting to get the fish in the fridge cleaned, asap. Dinner arrangements were made for my visiting folks. What a glorious feed. whole baked wrapped in Banana leaves adorned with chilli, ginger and lemongrass.

alt

Bass and Trevalley are like chalk and cheese. A tropical and a freshwater species taken in the same kilometer stretch water? Wonders will never cease, but that's life on the Brunswick River sometimes.

Top image courtesy of The Byron Shire Echo