# SA - Back to the Pat



## solatree (May 30, 2008)

A cool wet and often windy weekend combined with some family commitments meant limited opportunities to fish. I decided on a quick sunday morning venture to the Patawalonga estury at Glenelg to satisfy my fishing urges. Not often fished by Kayakers, "The Pat" is where, as a youngster, I first caught bream. My younger brother and I would catch the tram down to the bay lugging our heavy wooden tackle box filled with hand made lead sinkers. There's some nice structure down there and often some nice fish.








The northern end is the site of the kayak club, but the southern end, has the structure with the bridge, marina and lock. The King Street bridge is being replaced and sheet pile structure provided the first fish, a little salmon trout that took my bloodworm squidgie as I was trying to untangle the first cast wind knot. The gap between the sheet piles and the new bridge pier looked enticing.








And so it was with a little bream taking my SX40 halfway through.








Decided to head further down towards the lock where marina pontoons provide some good structure. One of these had produced legal fish for me earlier in the year. And again - a legal bream at 29cms








Fishing closer to the pontoons, a good strike and a nice fish was taking line. I pedalled out into clear water to see a bronze coloured fish with my sx40 in its gob and a similar sized mate swimming just behind it. I don't recall seeing a second bream following a hooked bream before. With the bream in my net (and my sunglasses in the water), I was pretty chuffed when I realised that my 38cm ruler was not long enough to measure the fish and I would have to use the AKFF brag mat. I'd caught bigger bream before, but not from the Pat. A photo was taken with the bragmat unrolled on one of the pontoons before the fish was released.








Making my way back past through the bridge and that enticing gap again, picked another couple of salmon trout and smaller bream.








A nice end to a good morning back on the Pat.


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## skorgard (Oct 6, 2007)

Well done Andrew I thought of giving it a go this am but chickened out with the weather but next Saturday looks good.

Paul.

PS was it easy to find a good launch spot or did you just throw the Sport off the racks into the water?


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## solatree (May 30, 2008)

skorgard said:


> Well done Andrew I thought of giving it a go this am but chickened out with the weather but next Saturday looks good.
> Paul.
> PS was it easy to find a good launch spot or did you just throw the Sport off the racks into the water?


Cheers Paul. Launching at the Pat is dead easy. I park on Adelphi Tce just north of King St (where the yellow line ends). Unload Kayak onto the lawn and wheel it down to the little sandy beach area to launch. This beach spot can be a little muddy at low water, not unlike the beaches at West Lakes. Just south of the launch site, there are floating booms surrounding the bridge construction site to contain any spills. To cross these, you have to remove the mirage drive and paddle. There are larger fish than Bream in the Pat - but I'm yet to catch one. Perhaps one summer evening.


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## feelfree09 (May 5, 2009)

solatree said:


> There are larger fish than Bream in the Pat - but I'm yet to catch one. Perhaps one summer evening.


rumour has it that sx48's and daiwa double clutch in 75mm are the go on the "bigger fish"


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## OldDood (Nov 6, 2008)

Hmmmm.....
You did a lot better than one fisherman I know very well.
He travelled about 300km's round trip for one small ***** and was laughed at by numerous numbers of mulloway.  
I have never fished the Pat, has not even entered the radar.
Quite an impressive catch for a Gentleman's fishing spot. :lol:


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## solatree (May 30, 2008)

OldDood said:


> Quite an impressive catch for a Gentleman's fishing spot. :lol:


It also provides plenty of passer-by spectators, much more civilised than the West Lakes type, and mainly in the form of women in leotards walking dogs or leaning over the Marina housing balcony above the 50' Riverias, wearing terry towling bath robes and asking you if you are getting anything. :shock: I'm getting a couple I reply with smile and wave, as any gentleman would. ;-)


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## Samboman (Sep 6, 2010)

Good stuff mate, the Pat can turn it on every now and then......

*****


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## Showbag (Nov 13, 2009)

I reckon that second bream looks like it has been stretched. :twisted: :twisted:


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## solatree (May 30, 2008)

Showbag said:


> I reckon that second bream looks like it has been stretched. :twisted: :twisted:


Yeah - he does look kinda surprised compared to the first one, with poppy out eyes and erect dorsal. Click on the picture for a better view. He's a fat little bugger - should have tried the rolling pin :lol:


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## kanganoe (Apr 30, 2008)

Thats a good fish.Within walking distance of a decent coffee too.


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## sandyfreckle (Feb 17, 2009)

Gday.

Great write up.

I've fished there heaps of times as it's only a 10 minute bike ride from home, but only a few times have I gotten decent catches (legal bream and a single 55cm Mulloway) - all fish were released. Apparently people eat fish from there but i'm not too sure that I'd jump at the opportunity.

I've fished from the kayak on the ocean side of the locks but never in the Pat proper, maybe I might have to.

Cheers.


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## simond (Feb 15, 2008)

[quote="solatree - "bath robes and asking you if you are getting anything". :shock: I'm getting a couple I reply with smile and wave, as any gentleman would. ;-)[/quote]
:lol: :lol:


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## OldDood (Nov 6, 2008)

simond said:


> [quote="solatree - "bath robes and asking you if you are getting anything". :shock: I'm getting a couple I reply with smile and wave, as any gentleman would. ;-)


 :lol: :lol:[/quote]
Andrew told me he was married. :? 
How come he is getting a couple? :roll:


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## Drewboy (Mar 18, 2008)

As a child I spent so much time fishing for mullet in the southern end of the pat.
Used to come home with dozens of the buggers.
Any there these days Andy?
Nice Brimbos, by the way.


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## Big D (Apr 28, 2007)

Great report Andy.

My first yak break came from the pat (my blow up one!) and it was magic. Be good to suss out some of the mullies the we all know are in there but are a bit elusive.


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## solatree (May 30, 2008)

indiedog said:


> solatree said:
> 
> 
> > It also provides plenty of passer-by spectators, much more civilised than the West Lakes type, and mainly in the form of women in leotards walking dogs or leaning over the Marina housing balcony above the 50' Riverias, wearing terry towling bath robes and asking you if you are getting anything. :shock:
> ...


Funnily enough, and truly ruly, I did have a stiffy with me (an AKFF fishing comp prize as it turns out) but I simply forgot to get it out.


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## Samboman (Sep 6, 2010)

Big D said:


> Great report Andy.
> 
> My first yak break came from the pat (my blow up one!) and it was magic. Be good to suss out some of the mullies the we all know are in there but are a bit elusive.


Not as elusive as you might think if you know what they like ;-)

*****


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## OldDood (Nov 6, 2008)

Samboman said:


> Big D said:
> 
> 
> > Great report Andy.
> ...


Rhett you are truly evil. :twisted: 
What do mullys like? :?


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## RobC (Jun 13, 2010)

> Not as elusive as you might think if you know what they like


How about one of these?










;-)


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## Samboman (Sep 6, 2010)

RobC said:


> > Not as elusive as you might think if you know what they like
> 
> 
> How about one of these?
> ...


Na they don't work 

*****


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## RobC (Jun 13, 2010)

OK, being as it's the PAT we're talking about, ;-)

How about one of these then?









Or even one of these.... yummmy.


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