Tinana Creek - Bass Magic

[hairymick]

G;day guys,

Feeling a bit crook this mornin. I new I shouldn't have hade that last mob of beers and talking brail on the internet last night. Felt like a wonderful thing to do at the time.

Woke up bright and early to clear skies and light wind. We have had our 3 weeks of spring and today promised to be the first scorcher of the new summer. (just what I need in this condition).

It's been a while since I have been fishin and I haven't seen a bass in over a year :shock:. There is a little creek that flows into our Mary River that I have been wanting to explore for years and a good friend gave me the heads up the other day that he and his mate (a canoe fishing guide) have been getting some quality fish there.

After a hearty brekky of coffee and toast and vegemite (breakfast of champions) off I went feeling a little better but my tongue still had hairs and barnicles on it and I think some bloody terrorist had got into my head during the night and was now trying to get out - with a four pound hammer. Bloody hell, I'm too old for this rot. Just NEW I shouldn't have had that last dozen cans. :lol: Got the steely glare from Miz Robin and it was a bloody good plan to get out of the house for the day. :lol:

Arrived at the put in, a little causeway just below a weir just as the sun was starting to clear the trees.

perfect! 8)

Put in was rocky and slippery and would have been difficult in a kayak with a standard cockpit, Laker however, is no such beast and I managed to collapse into it without making too big a fool of myself.

Said g'day to this bloke and his blue heeler dog. (top dog!) he is a local in the area apparently and told me that the bass had been quiet lately.

His parting comment was God, you look like hell mate. - You allright?

yeah - thanks a lot - mate.

Back to the story,

Headed off down stream and into some pretty decent scenery. Why haven't I been here before?

Oh yeah,

The new Fun Police have been working overtime here too.

So, of course, I did what any good Australian would do. ignore the bloody thing. 8)

 

[hairymick]

Paddle about half a mile before I even thought to put a line in the water. Allmost too much trouble. Put one out anyway with a cheap and nasty minnow and just paddled along real slow - hoping nothing would take it.

Got a couple of hundred yards and the rod buckled over and ratchet went beserk. Hmm, feeling a little better after a goodish fight that felt like a solid bass this came to the surface. :shock:

Bloody catfish! :shock: Probly about 2 or 3 pounds. I know our American cousins prize them to eat but I'm not real keen on them and our Australian version is armed with poisenous and serrated spines in their dorsal, pectoral and anal fins. Didn't really want to drag the critter into the boat and run the risk of getting hurt, so with the aid of my communist pliers back into the drink with him.

Over the next half mile or so, one cat after another came to the boat and was released in similar fashion.

Bugger this! I am a bass fisherman and we have standards to maintain ya know. Got the line in and paddled about another mile downstream to be hopefully away from catfish corner.

 

[hairymick]

This creek, works it way through sugar cane and small crop farms. In time of dry weather, they all seem to be irrigating from it and for the few miles of it that I paddled it. All the farms have left a buffer zone of natural bush on the banks. I love that. I didn't see one house or other building from the water today and even the irrigation pumps were discreet. the view from the water probably has not changed for millennia.

Very definately coming back here to ignore that stinking sign in more ways than I had time for today. :lol:

Gonna bring Mz Robin too. She woud love this place.

Coupla wild life shots. 8)

Blue Heron. (in you can't see me mode)

Bearded Dragon

Nice flowering tree. Not sure of the name but probably some sort of melaleuca.

 

[hairymick]

Put a couple of minnows out and before I knew it, got a rat bass, This is better 8)

and in very quick succession, several more better ones came to the boat.

It was the hottest bass bight I have ever experienced and double hook ups ( a fish on each line at the same time) were hapening so regularly, I had to stow one rod.
8)

I bagged out before 0900 and pulled into a grassy bank to take stock, have another strong coffee and get the couple I decided to keep for dinner on ice. All the rest were released relatively unharmed. 8)

 

[Lazyriverguy]

Howdy Mick
Another good lookin stream that seems to be in need of the fish population culded. Looked like you caught a good dinner. And I am glad to see I am not the onlyest person that can see a sign and ignore it. Thanks for the pics
Joe

 

[Wannabe]

Mick,
Hated to hear of your self induced misery. Looks like you made a good day of it anyway. Catfish here will also hurt you, but they are some mighty fine eating. Glad you had fun.
Bob

 

[a Bald Cypress]

m

Not that I would condone such an action in any way BUT, it should not be that difficult to make that sign dissapear.

Then there would be no reason to even think about a fine.

As usual Excellent report and pics.

Now go fix Miz Robin a nice meal .

 

[Kayak Jack]

Nice going, Mick.

Such signs - sorta like ugly billboards along the road - are usually on steel posts. A light rag (old tee shirt, etc.) can be tied around those posts. Sometimes, such light rags attract muriatic acid and hold it against the steel post. This is often deleterious to steel posts, I've heard.

I don't know, just heard.

 

[bearridge]

No landscapes? :? Well, ya had a bad head, so I reckon ya done yer best. :lol:

 

[oldsparkey]

Mick...

If you could not see the sign from the water it did not count , that is for the land dwelling folks. :lol:

I wished I was there in catfish heaven , what a great cookout we could of had. The bass aren't bad and will make a good meal along with a good day on the water. I just wish I was not laughing after the 1st part so hard at your descriptions and misery so if you don't mind , I will go back (Later ) and re-read it. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Chuck.

 

[bearridge]

I skimmed over it cuz of that time we wuz all headed ta Carolina 'n the weather turnt cold....really cold. I caint even read bout Mick hurtin' cuz he drank more'n he oughta. I know ya recall? I put a heap a hurt on my head that mornin'. I wuz deep in the dumps cuz the weather kilt our expedishun. I went down ta the new office real early that mornin'......likely more'n half sober. [I got no idea why.] They had put in a alarm, a really, really loud one.....but the email tellin' me the code got lost like Will Robinson in outer space.

There aint nuthin' much worse than a really bad head, bein' way down in the dumps, bein' in a new office like a barn with the alarm screamin' like Yoko Ono on dope. Then the dang phone rang.....it wuz the cops. I tole 'em it wuz jest me, so dont come a runnin'. I asked 'em how ta make the dang thing stop.....the cop begun ta laugh. Sez I gotta call the alarm boys. I had no idea who they wuz. Ya'll know that joke bout the fella judgin' fer the first time at the hot pepper contest?

Then the alarm boys called. I wuz bout ta pass out. My head wuz bout ta explode. I tole 'em ta turn that dang thing off. They sez "ya gotta cut it off yerownself". I tole 'em if I knew how ta cut it off, I woulda cut it off 'n we wouldnt be yellin' over the phone. Bout that time I used some hard words we dont want the little pards ta read. They sez they caint tell me the code over the phone cuz I mite be a burglarizer. I never heard a no burglarizer that dumb......well, that aint true.

I had ta call somebody......likely a secretary. I dont recall much of the day after that. My hearin' wuz near bout ruint by that time, but it sho seemed like she wuz laughin' when she tole me what buttons ta punch. I dont recall how the rest of my day went, but it had ta git better. I figger I yelled a lot fer a few days.

regards
bearridge

Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.