# Qld. Thank you, Pagrus. Noosa



## sunshiner (Feb 22, 2006)

We've been going through a lean patch here on the Sunny Coast this last month or so. Early mornings have been unusually cool (for here) and on the occasions we've got offshore very few fish have featured in the catch. In fact during the whole month of July only a few welcome school macks (up to about 70cm) plus a few average grassies (these caught by the indefatigable pedro) have been put into our kayaks. I personally, despite several attempts, had brought no keepers home during July as of the morning of the 31st.

Yesterday morning offered me a last chance for July and I had the time spare so I grabbed it, deciding at about 11am to launch alone at Doggie Beach and fish the western edge of Sunshine Reef.

Car parking is often an issue at Doggie Beach in the middle of a sunny day and today I had to resort to parking in the side street about 100m west of, and uphill from, the carpark. Never mind, at least unassisted loading and unloading is easier in this area and my body has been telling me that I need the exercise in trundling the extra distance (uphill on the way back).









Unbelievably flat, eh? Wind was NW and the beach faces east. Swell less than one metre.

Easy launch, probably needless to say, and a few minutes later I was paddling east toward one of my marks at what we call Doggie Beach reef, about 1500m out. A couple of stinkies were visible at first in the distance and by the time I reached my mark the breeze had started to increase from the north. The stinkies disappeared toward Laguna Bay soon afterward, a strong sign that the fishing was slow.

Here the depth was 27m and there were a few shows on the sonar so I set my Bunnings drogue, which filled immediately, on the starboard side and started a drift with the breeze toward the south. I had an experimental pillie trailing out the back about 10m down under a bobby cork but my main casting outfit sported a 1/2 ounce jighead with a 100mm SP. I catch most of my snapper and sweetlip on this rig, casting downdrift, over-running the jig as it falls toward the bottom. My first drift went 700m, with depth gradually reducing to 21m, with no action on either outfit before I decided to turn back and do it again as there had been quite a bit of sonar display right near the bottom. The slog back was straight into a strengthening breeze but necessary I thought, and anyway I need the exercise.

On only the second cast of the second drift, and only 150m from the start point the SP was grabbed, the hook held, the rod bent and I let out a whoop. This was obviously a keeper, although not huge.









42cm snapper, very welcome aboard, today. Broke my duck for July and reinforced my belief that my previous fishing techniques still worked.

Next fish, a few minutes later:









The smallest grinner I've seen, I think. The only one I hooked today, but it's interesting that they have been unusually prolific lately.

Anyway, having got no further action (the pillie was still untouched, after some two kilometres of drifting over the reef) by the end of the third drift I decided to head in. By now the breeze from the north was quite stiff and was pushing some waves onto Doggie Beach. It was also low tide and as a result the swell was occasionally breaking on the outer bank about 100m out from the beach, although there were long time gaps between white water events. As I always do at Doggie Beach and in fact at any open ocean beach, I packed everything away below deck, a sound procedure as I've shown many times before.

As I paddled shorewards I was congratulating myself on picking the gap on the outer bank and was heading for Doggie Beach's notorious shorebreak when the wave of the day came through, lurching up seemingly out of nowhere. I heard it roaring behind me as it broke on the outer bank but by then I was in the deeper water and could let it slide under me. I probably should have waited in the deeper water for the second and subsequent waves of the set to slide through but stupidly pressed on only to find myself in very shallow water and the next wave of the set looming and curling behind me. The Doggie Beach shorey! It was all over in an instant. For the first time in ages at Doggie Beach I was rolled when the bow went down and hit the sand and the yak and I parted company.









I had my chest cam running and this a cropped frame from the video. Here the bow is about to hit the sand.

No harm was done of course, as everything was stowed, but the yak did roll right over and was pushed in to the beach upside down. I mention this as a warning to all to never treat the Doggie Beach shorebreak casually. Always assume that you'll be rolled.

Anyway, a good outcome and a nice fish supper for us last night. Maybe August will be better up here at Noosa.

Thanks for reading AKFFers. Tight lines.


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## Nikko (Jul 5, 2014)

Glad you broke your duck


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## SharkNett (Feb 20, 2006)

Just missed out on your own version of Dry July.


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

> as a warning to all to never treat _any_ Beach shorebreak casually.


FFY

Good sunshiner. Thanks for the report.


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Persistence paid off Kev. You were on a fine line....31st! Well done. 

The grinners have been prolific at Scarby also (Jimbo: 6; 7; 6; 8.) Worst he's ever seen. I tried to convince him to eat one, but he refused (stubborn old bastard).


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