# 22 Feb 07 Sunnyside.



## Tim (Nov 11, 2005)

Pulled into the carpark at around 6am, various yak carrying vehicles were apparent, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

While I unloaded the yak I saw some lights off to the left about 500m out which looked suspiciously like mango beacons.

I Pedalled the Big Banana out a couple of hundred metres intending to get out and meet up with some of the fellas when in the dim light I noticed a rocky outcrop under the yak.

Why not thinks I. Tossed in a SP, and BANG, BANG, BANG, hit after hit after hit on the old pumpkinseed, I reackon in the time I was there the line wasn't in the water more than 30 seconds without a pinkie on it.

That was the story of the next hour and a half, I must have been grinning like a maniac, must have had over 30 pinkies visit the Big Banana, kept three up to 35ish cm for dinner.

I looked at the sky, realised I had no watch to tell me when it was quitting time (had to work) Pedalled back to the beach and saw in the distance what looked like a shaved yeti on a log, as it got closer the image resolved itself into HobieVic with a nice haul of bigger pinkies, followed by and a fishless but grinning evarn.

After loading the yak back on the wagon, met up with Y-Knot finally, we were both now running very late for work :mrgreen:

Apparently there was a Woody and a Poddy out on the blue somewhere too, but I had to scoot.

Awesome morning on the water, does it get any better?


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## FishinDan (Jul 3, 2006)

Top way to spend the morning mate! Good work on the pinkies


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## Y-Knot (Sep 26, 2006)

Heya Tim...feels like moments ago i shook ya hand and you were off - with my ciggie lighter in ya pocket, of which you returned...cheers mate.

Running late i was...with the fishing bloody great,before i knew it it was 8.10 and 8.30 before i got on the road.needless to say i turned up very late and got a verbal warning regarding my lacks attitude to my postion in the company :shock:  :twisted:....

It was a rippa morning to be out.got on the water about 4.50am and paddled straight out dropping anchor about where i had my last good run. didnt have any action for about 1/2 hour then a small pinkie to 20cms took a pillie bait followed by entourage of small pinkies up to 30cm chomping the pumpkinseed minnows like they were a hot crumpet smeared in jam and layered in cream (well thats what i was thinking about at the time)...
Out of the darkness came a "hoi" and up peddled Hobie, silent as a beaver and if he hadnt called out he woulda scared the bejuzus outta me gliding along the flattish water i could just make out his silohette(spelling). i could hear voices on the water and see a few lights heading out so i knew the boys had made it out this morning,and then as a bit more light hit the water i could see Poddy and a few other Yaks moving about with lures in tow.

The fishing wasnt as mad as last week but it was consistent and managed to boat 2 beauties at about 40-45cm plus another 3/4 at 30cms not to mention the 20 odd smaller pinkies from 15-25cm...

Poddy came over to say G'day and i hooked up to my 2nd big pinkie as he was taking a couple of photos and so got a shot of me with my 2 big bangers   

It was about now i relized the time and quickly shut shop - tossed out a lure for the paddle back and within a few paddles lure gets taken and a bit of line starts peeling off. Dragged up a nice snook af about 60-80cm before he twisted and bit through my line right by the side of the yak taking my new Storm Lure ... i was shattered and i think Poddy heard my Anguish as i bawled at the lose of my new favorite lure.

fantastic morning and great to meet up with fellow Yakfishers ...

guess now i'd better done some work.... :wink:


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## evarn (Jul 10, 2006)

Morning guys... i just landed about 25 minutes ago.

First off, thanks to HobieVic for the lift to Sunnyside. i don't think i slept all night and was awake when the alarm went off. We got to the water around 5:30 and my first "dark" launch went off alright.

Scott guided me to the likely area, and I sounded around for a bit, then saw a yakker on the horizon (turns out it was Y-Knot) and pointed him out to Scott, who duly glided into the darkness like a crocodile slipping into the water.

I soon got into a nice bunch of pinkies, most though were undersize. They all put up a hell of a fight though. And by the time I thought to go catch up with Scott and the others, all the big fish were taken!!! Woody mentioned something about toadies too...

On the way back, I gave a quick hello to Poddy, then met up with Scott and Tim on the beach to watch them clean their catch... :evil:

I waved them goodbye and proceeded to make my way home, along the water , past the pier and to fishy's. The action was good, until the dolphins showed up between sunnyside and the pier. By the time I got to the pier, I could see Woody driving back home and a whole bunch of stinkboaters.

Didn't get anything again til I rounded Schnapper Point... And in the end I got countless pinkies (biggest would be 28cm) and about 15 flathead, 4 of which would've hit 29cm.

All in all, it was a great session and I'm thinking now that the paddle to sunnyside could well be worth it.

Cheers,

Ivan


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

Great report guys, I really miss my PPB pinkies  They seem to have fired up again after being on the quiet side for too long. Well done on your 45cm fish Tony, they pull hard at that size 

LOL at your comment about the hot crumpet :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## woody (Aug 15, 2006)

OK guys - I might have caught the smallest fish (15cm pinkie & 25 cm flattie) but at least I caught the heaviest - see pic of "stone fish" with cunjevoy and small mussels attached - weighed in at 1.5kg. It put up a hell of a struggle and do you think its played havock with my line! I'm going to have to chuck out heaps.

Still - was a great morning - funny to see all the bait fish jumping clear of the water trying to escape the penguins and dolphins laetr on when the ripple died right down.

David


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## Kevin (Aug 29, 2005)

Tim said


> Awesome morning on the water, does it get any better?


If ya could exchange going into work with hot sex with a stunningly beautiful woman maybe ya day could have improved, but it sounds none the less that an excellent morning was had by all.

I look forward to the weekend when I hope to duplicate your efforts from this morning. Hey since I won't have to go into work then maybe I can make it the perfect day (refer above fantasy).

Poddy I look forward to your report on how you went with the trolled lures compared to the SPs that everyone else was feeding the fish. Also look forward to seeing your photos of Tony's thumpers.


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Great read guys. Awesome to hear there are so many snapper in the bay.

Which plastics do you favour? Pumpkinseed 3" power minnow seems to get mentioned a bit. What else? And are you casting and retrieving or drifting?


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## ScottLovig (Aug 7, 2006)

Great to see everyone this morning guys. I didnt get a touch untill we got a little light and then was busy all morning. The 3" Berkley Power Minnows in Bloodworm scale were deadly as usual.

Kept 3 fish one going 40cm and sent 20+ back home to their mothers.

Cheers

Scott


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## evarn (Jul 10, 2006)

I was getting the pinkies on the 3" pumpkinseed and the 2" pumpkinseed guls mostly.. but the green pumpkinseed and the 3" smelt worked too

I mix it up with the retrieves, but usually just drift. When I drift i use a slow lift and then slack off, but if the hits are too soft, i jerk the rod around bit more to try and provoke a hit.. when i say jerk, i mean more of a shake.


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## evarn (Jul 10, 2006)

gee scott, that fish looks a bit small... u sure it's legal?

whoever took the photo shoulda zoomed in a bit more for effect!!


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## ScottLovig (Aug 7, 2006)

Don't forget I'm 5 foot wide and could choke a horse in those hands.

Cheers

Scott


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## Y-Knot (Sep 26, 2006)

lol..great catch Woody, like to see you gut that 1

now i understand the reference to Hobies as 'Silent Assasins, they are deadly quiet those Yaks...

was using Pmk/seed Peril with great results... after a while i tried using a gulp crab(molt?) but got no action. Also put on a worm (camo) in the hopes of getting a flaphead to go with pinkies but no action there either.
gotta try some of those BLOODWORM SCALE hobie has spoken about.

I too noticed after posting a picture of my fish that sometimes they look embarrasingly small when they were a really of a good size. That has then made me realize that those pictures of bloody big fish from some yakkers up north are probably a hell of a lot bigger in real life...


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## evarn (Jul 10, 2006)

> Don't forget I'm 5 foot wide and could choke a horse in those hands.


Choke a horse? Is that what young people call it nowadays?!?!


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## ScottLovig (Aug 7, 2006)

Phar Lap


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## PoddyMullet (Aug 29, 2005)

Top morning gents, pleasure to meet Dave and Ivan and catch up with Tony and Scott. Sorry I missed ya Tim, but no worries stick it down to next time. A coupla pinkie keepers to 38cm for me, and a flattie of 31cm. No one really missed much once the morning window closed, except for the dolphins. Kevin usually the flat sea makes it tough for me...but there was still something about for the dragged Hb's today. Couldn't crack a 40 cm model, but will be hiring a fish fluffer for my next Sunnyside pics...that may help bring em up to size :shock: :shock: 

The everkeen Y-Not with some of his dinner (by the way I did hear ya rucus with the lost lure...couldn't blame ya though Tony...and I've still got ya prize in me car :wink: ) I cropped out his tired, pus swollen, red, hideously moth eaten, rigourmortis stunned face... :wink:


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## Y-Knot (Sep 26, 2006)

holy s#@t poddy... what happened to my head. I look like ive swallowed a puffa fish and my face is filling with pus.
Thats a very tired looking tony, and i think i musta been holding my breath cos i appear to be turning very bloomin red


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## FishinDan (Jul 3, 2006)

...Y-Knot ... said:


> I look like ive swallowed a puffa fish and my face is filling with pus.


This isn't linked to the "I poo'd in my kayak" post is it??? :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Y-Knot (Sep 26, 2006)

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: THANKS PODDY ... YOUR A GOOD MAN.


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## Tim (Nov 11, 2005)

Peril said:


> Great read guys. Awesome to hear there are so many snapper in the bay.
> 
> Which plastics do you favour? Pumpkinseed 3" power minnow seems to get mentioned a bit.
> 
> What else? And are you casting and retrieving or drifting?


I had great success neither drifting nor retrieving, the buggers hit while the SP was sinking.

I don't think I pulled up a lure without a pinky on it.


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## Kevin (Aug 29, 2005)

I'm confused at to which side you head out of the beach here to catch the reef. I thought that I read someone say that it was to the left, however I recall the now missing buoy was out to the right?


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## ScottLovig (Aug 7, 2006)

Hi Kevin

Go right

Cheers

Scott


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## Daveyak (Oct 6, 2005)

Great stuff you blokes!




...Y-Knot ... said:


> Running late i was...with the fishing bloody great,before i knew it it was 8.10 and 8.30 before i got on the road.needless to say i turned up very late and got a verbal warning regarding my lacks attitude to my postion in the company :shock:  :twisted:....


Lax attitude :roll: ??? Don't they realise you left the water while the fish were still biting? That's displaying devotion to the job & company above and beyond.... 8)


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## evarn (Jul 10, 2006)

Shoulda just called in sick from the water, like i did! hehehe


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## Biggera Yakker (Jan 25, 2007)

Sounds like a great morning!!
Well done!!
Fish for dinner - yum!!!


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## Y-Knot (Sep 26, 2006)

finished up with 6 keepers for the day. Biggest came in at 42cm(PB) and 40cm and [email protected]
interesting gutting the fish, as some were chock full of weed and stunk putrid, they leaked out the greenest of green juices that stained the flesh green and took quite an effort to get stain outta flesh??? yet the others (all fish wre caught in same area) had regular gut stuff, not stinky, and all sorts of different innards. found another seahorse in the 40cm fella.
fried fillets in a tampura(?) batter with vegies also in tampura batter.BLOODY DELICIOUS.

DaveyYak - they were my exact thoughts BUT boss dosent quite see it that way i guess :twisted:


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## evarn (Jul 10, 2006)

I've always suspected that there is a local population of pinkies that stays in the bay permanently, and these are the ones that eat weed etc. Hence they have a slightly duller appearance compared to the schools that migrate out to sea

the non-resident pinkies i reckon are brighter and have sharper teeth from eating softer food sources i.e. baithfish etc. as opposed to molluscs and weed

that's what i theorise anyway... i know of some fishos that have similar ideas and i'm certainly not claiming originality


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## PeterJ (Aug 29, 2005)

Yes you are on the money evarn, there are resident snapper up to about 12 kilo that hang about princess pier all year.


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## Milt (Sep 2, 2005)

Well done fellas, it sounds like a great time was had by all, those pinkies are loads of fun on light gear and are the perfect size for a pan fried cookup.

Milt,


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## Y-Knot (Sep 26, 2006)

12 KILO SNAPPER...PRINCESS PIER ... SO WHEN ARE WE GOING.(where is the princess pier anyway?)


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## Milt (Sep 2, 2005)

Port Melbourne.

I'd happily attend an expedition with anyone that knows some more good little marks around there as its alot closer for us northerners "well semi northerners anyway" from what I have heard in the past around about this time of year they run hot in the evening and big pinky schools work there way up the yarra / maribynong? I'd happily eat certain fish around Port melb but certainly not anywhere from the yarra entrance onward :x

Milt,


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