Woodgate/Theodolite Creek - again

[hairymick]

G'day guys,

Robin and I are in a part of our roster cycle where we can actually get to have the same goups of days off together.

As ususal we escaped to our favourate little bolt hole, Woodgate Beach again and rented a cabin on the beach-front. . This is where we go to re-charge the batteries. the place is only about 3/4 of an hour drive from home and is like a step back in time to the 1960s - allmost. Very quiet - no night-life and beautiful water to paddle. - perfect.

Just up the road a couple of miles from the cabin is the Mouth of Theodolite Creek. A small creek, even by our standards, that is not navagatable to stink boats for most of the tide because it drains allmost completely dry on the falling tide. here is the put in at high tide, looking upstream.

We generally paddle up stream about 2 or 3 miles, pull up on the bank, have a cuppa and soak up the solitude. here is a view upstream from one of our lunch stops. (Tide still pretty high)

One of the locals decided to build her home directly above our lunch spot. (a sea eagle)

After lunch, we continued on up stream. A couple more piccies.

 

[hairymick]

After reaching the headwaters, and tossing lures all over the place for no result :shock: it was time to try another tactic - live bait

Robin snuck this piccie of me pumping yabbies, a small crustecean a little like a prawn or shrimp from a sand bank. - deadly on our esteurine fish.

Shortly afterwards, - dinner a brace of small grunter - Javeline Fish

Afternoon tea on a now exposed sand bank.

Paddling home, picking our way through the sand banks and shallow channels.

Back at the put in at low tide. This is a bit like hard w.o.r.k.

Beer O'clock

 

[hairymick]

Back to Woodgate for some piccies of our little paradise.

Coupla friently locals.

Yellow eyed honey eater, or Mickey

Young Eastern Grey Kangaroo - still in winter coat.

Robin taking a piccie of a Wallaroo in the main street of Woodgate.

 

[ObionRiverRat]

Nice pics. All we have in tinn a sea is 4 legged donkeys, i wouldnt mind takin a gander @ one of those 2 legged ones with arms. Y all sure have some crazy animals there.

 

[cctyer]

Mick, Once Again your trip reports are fabulous! I love seeing your favorite places to paddle. Those yabbies sound very much like the ghost shrimp we used to pump the very same way at low tide, and your right they were deadly to the stripers and occasionally a big sturgeon. We would wade out into the surf with a 15' rod and cast it as far as possible then put it in the rod holder and wait for the reel to sing zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. That was lots of fun. Don't live near the coast anymore though!

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! 8)

 

[Zeb]

Nice One Mick,lovely animals and Country.

Thanks for sharing

 

[Kayak Jack]

I'm glad you two are good friends to each other. Your trips are then worthwhile. Fantastic looking country.

I'm glad that when you go up Theodolite (a surveyor's instrument) creek, you can read a tide table. Don't go up there with Chuckie. He'd have the tide bassackwards and you'd be stuck up a creek without a creek.

 

[tx river rat]

Mic
Thats my kind of water beautiful. Like that yak cart Is it bought are built
Some pics if you can.
Ron

 

[catfish]

Hey Mick man those are some nice pics. That sure is bad some of us geezers are working & you out there goofing off. :cry: :wink: Hey mick atleast we get some pics some how keep it up.

I got to ask you Mick & Ct I,ve dug bait , seined ,caught bait ,cut up bait but ive never heard of pumping for some bait. Please share some more info on this . :shock: cat

 

[hairymick]

G'day guys, thanks for all the nice comments. Woodgate is a very special place for us and we feel very lucky to have it so close.

Mic
Thats my kind of water beautiful. Like that yak cart Is it bought are built
Some pics if you can.

Ron, is a bought trolley. All it is, is some 1" aluminium tube, bent to shape with a thinner tube insert to join one side to the other. It is all held in tension by a webbing strap

When not in use, it easily breaks down for storage on board or in a hatch.

Cat,

Our salt water yabbies are very similar, if not identical to your Ghost Shrimp.

Here is a link

http://www.limestonemedia.com/fishing/g ... -pump.html

We use an improved Aussie Pump to get them. Another link

http://www.ausfish.com.au/alvey/11.shtml

A piccie of our yabbies.

 

[WestCoastPaddler]

Mick, we really need to get together for a paddle. 8)

That's a truly awesome place where you live.

 

[oldyaker]

Beautiful! The good life Mick! Good on ya! :wink:

 

[cctyer]

Hey catfish, Mick pretty well coverd it with the links. You just gotta be in salt or brakish waters at low tide. You would have to drive a fare piece from Jessup to get yabbies. They would be great for bass or cats if you could get them alive but mudbugs will do just about the same.

Mick that lighter colored rod and reel in some of the picies looks like an old freind. Do tell what your using there? The reel looks almost like a fly reel? Just curious mate.

 

[bearridge]

Friend Mick,

Ya jest oughta give up yer reglar job 'n become a professional vacationer. Yer already halfway there. :mrgreen:

Very nice pichurs.

regards
bearridge

Gladstone:  You, sir, will either hang from a gibbet or die of a loathsome disease.
Disraeli:  That depends, sir, upon whether I embrace your principles or your mistress.

 

[tx river rat]

Mick
Thanks for the pic I have one more question is there any complaints on the cart are an improvement you would make .
I am fixing to build one and I like the looks of yours.
Ron

 

[hairymick]

G'day Dan,

Mick, we really need to get together for a paddle.

That's a truly awesome place where you live.

Thanks mate, I am trying to organize a trip over your way next year. the trouble is, you guys have sooo many beautiful places that I want to see and paddle, it is allmost impossible to work out where to start.

Of course, if you are ever down this way, you would be very welcome to borrow any of my boats. 8)

G'day Chad,

Mick that lighter colored rod and reel in some of the picies looks like an old freind. Do tell what your using there? The reel looks almost like a fly reel? Just curious mate.

I was wondering if anybody would notice 8)

The reel is an old Alvey 500 A3.

If you go here,

http://www.ausfish.com.au/alvey/2.shtml

and check out the 500 A5 model, the A3 is the forefrunner to it. They are a side cast reel in that the entire reel is turned through 90 degrees to cast.
They are a little heavier than the dainty little eggbeaters or threadlines but utterly indestructable and they don't mind a dipping in salt water. This makes them ideal for fishing from paddlecraft.

You are right though, that little rod and reel are very old friends. I built the rod about 40 years ago and it is still my favourite bit of live bait fishing kit.

A little about the Alvey Reels. Mate, they are iconic to South East Queensland and northern New South Wales fishermen. The link I put up, pretty much sums them up. My dad bought me my first Alvey when I was about 8. I still have it somewhere in the shed and it is as good now as it was way back then. They require next to no maintenance and will last for ever. For casting delicate, unweighted bait like your ghost shrimp, they simbly can't be beat.

Put simply, An Alvey reel, combined with the correct rod WILL out cast, outlast and outperform every other fishing reel on the market. Cabelas stock a few models but the ones they have are a long way from a good list. I could rave on about these reels for ever but it is very hard to put into words, all of the advantages in using such a reel when live bait fishing.

G'day Bear,

Friend Mick,

Ya jest oughta give up yer reglar job 'n become a professional vacationer

workin on it mate, workin on it. 8)

G'day Ron,

mate, this is the best trolley I have used. Wide pneumatic tyres would be an advantage for pulling through soft sand. 8)

 

[cctyer]

Mick, Sorry for not responding sooner but I was trout fishing with my oldest son before he goes back to college.
Mate those reels are facinating and I can't believe I have never put my eyes on one before now. It sounds like you are very passionate about them and you have peaked my curiousity for sure. I did not look up the price yet or how available they are here in the states but I will. That has got to be the way to go like you said for biat that's not weighted or even slightly. How do they perform while fighting fish? I see they have a clicker for detecting fish and casting one looks differnt for sure. Does the line have a tendency to spool off and cause a big mess or does it unspool nicely? What would be a nice size rod for the A5 size reel? Your hand made rod looks like it should, well used and sounds like a solid performer. I want to build a bamboo fly rod someday but I have too many hobbies already according to my better half.


Thanks for sharing Mick, I would gladly give you some help on casting a fly rod if you would give me a lesson with the Alvey reel with your rod!

Good day,

Chad

 

[hairymick]

G'day Chad,

Thanks mate,

You are right, I am passionate about my beloved Alveys. If you scroll through the Alvey website, you will see that they have a lot of different models now (I would argue too many). I think this came about because Charles aAvey - the company founder and reel inventor has now gone and the company is run by his sons. They are attempting to attract a wider customer base.

The side cast concept evolved here because of a need for a robust reel capable of casting very long distances from wind driven, sandy surf beaches that would not be affected by salt water or beach sand. The original side casts were generally of 6-1/2 inches spool diametre with a brass or stainless steel backing plate, mechanicals and axle with a wooden spool. These reels are now valuable collectors items. I have about half a dozen.

From there, the range of 4,5 and 7 inch and those inbetween were develloped for specific needs as did the larger, 7inch and nine inch, non casting, deep sea or snapper reels and from there the 12 and 15 inch deck winches.

For general purpose, inshore boat or yak fishing, the 5 inch or 5-1/2 inch, 500 or 55 series are the pick of the crop. The 550 series have a rediculously wide spool and are way too heavy.

A 500 series reel will hold about 500 yards of 9 pound monofiliament line. These reels are NOT suitable for braid. (more on this later) Some of the models have a very good drag mechanism (these are the "C" series) but I much prefer the oh, so simple, dragless models and rely on reflexes to let go of the reel handles and palm the spool when playing fish.

A 5 inch reel will require a rod length of about 7 to 9 feet with a short butt length of around 8 inches max and a fairly slow, soft taper to maximise casting distanse wih an unweighted ghost shrimp.

The runner or line guide closest to the reel is absolutely critical. It needs to be about a 1-1/2" in diametre and be positioned about half way up the rod from the reel seat. This allows the line to pass freely through it after peeling off the large spool.

There is much debate here in Aus between the older, wiser Alvey men and the new generation of up and coming blokes with their real flash, high tech threadline jobbies.

The truth is that both types are superb reels with their own advantages. I play with the dainty little threadlines often but when I am chasing serious fish or looking to put some meat in the freezer, I will go to the alvey every time. They will not fail under extreme load, thrive on a drink of salt water and being dropped in the water or sand, simply does not bother them.

They are a little heavier and harder to use than an eggbeater but a fly fisherman should have no trouble. Once mastered, they tend to become the go to reel when all else fails. Coupled with the correct rod, and when used correctly, they become and awesome fish catching machine. I can cast an unweighted ghost shrimp up to 30% further on my alvey and fibreglass rod, with 6 pound mono than I can with my carbon-fibre rod and real nice little threadline with 6 pound braid and I don't cast the shrimp off. gotta be happy with that.

there are many other advantages o an alvey but I have run out of time. will post some more thoughts soon.

 

[cctyer]

but I much prefer the oh, so simple, dragless models and rely on reflexes to let go of the reel handles and palm the spool when playing fish.

This my firend is why you are going to be a natural with a fly rod and reel. The spool on a fly reel has a very loose drag for the most part unless you want to tighten it down, you PALM the reel the same way you discribed and you can also let line spool off if you need to let them run. The shock is absorbed by the rods length and flex as well as the line used and leader to tippet taper. No weight is generally used with flies except for the fly itself. The thoery is very much the same.

I can't wait to hear more! :wink:

Chad

 

[hairymick]

G'day Chad,

This my firend is why you are going to be a natural with a fly rod and reel.

Thanks mate. I have to admit to being a little intimidated by fly.

Re braid,

The reason why braid is not suitable on an Alvey is that during line retrieval, it is necessary to guide the line onto the spool using a finger. When playing a fish or even simply winding line in onto the big diameter spool, the braid tends to cut the finger badly.

If the fish is big enough, mono will also have a similar effect. It is a big help to have big hands with long fingers.

Another percieved issue with side cast reel is line twist. Because the reel is turned through 90 degrees to cast so that the line peels off the spool similar to a threadline. With a threadline, the line is wound back on in the opposite direction so it reverses the twist.

With an Alvey, after the cast, the spool is turned back and the line wound on similar to a fly or centrepin reel and the twist remains in the line. This makes using a swivel essential. Also before each trip, I like to walk about 100 yards or so of line off my alvey across the yard and then just wind it back on. If all terminal tackle is removed from the end of the line while doing this, what twist is in the line is easily removed. .

Casting requires similar action to using a threadline. The action specified in the Alvey Website is more geared towards casting very big baits a long distance, using the larger reels and rods around 12 to 14 feet in length. Tailer (bluefish) are a very popular sport fish here and are targeted from the surf beaches by thousands of anglers using this tackle with bait. Around here, anybody not using 6-1/2" alvey on a long rod from the beach for tailer is considered by many to be a mug. Extra-ordinarily long casts can be achieved by those who have mastered the tecknique.

Anybody who has ever had the mis-fortune to use an overhead casting reel from the beach and casting into the wind can attest to what a bitch they are in these conditions. (even the very good reels) never mind the hours spent in stripping the bloody things down and cleaning them after a trip.