# Snapper on the new yak



## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

I got the call yesterday afternoon that my new ski had arrived at Canberra airport so as soon as it was knock off time i made a dash for the capital to collect my new toy.









Got home and unwrapped it and had a good look over it and its features then loaded it back up ready for a session at Depot beach this morning with Luke (Fishwhisperer) and Stuart (Blueyak).
I had to make a quick stop in at the tackle store before i hit the water so i was a bit behind the others, when i arrived they were already out so i unpacked as quick as i could before they caught all the fish.
Met up with the fella's and said a quick hello and got started on the fishing, set up a drift with 2 SP rods and landed my first Snapper for the day.
It was a little slow at first, landed plenty of crap fish including a barracouta and 1 fish that im not certain of, at first i assumed a wrasse of some description but after looking through a few books its quite possible it was a small Groper, ill keep researching that one as im still not sure.
A few solid hits without hookups and a few bust off's from big fish but landing another fish was difficult.
Stuart had been trying the edges of the bommie while Luke and i were drifting over broken reef, with none of us having much luck, especially Luke!!! ill let him tell his part.
We all met up again and decided to try a slightly different area and had instant success, on the first drop i scored a Snapper then 2 more decent ones not long after.
Finished up landing 4 Snapper, kept 2. All of them a similar size, out on the water i estimated 45-48cm but was suprised to see on the brag mat the biggest was 57cm which would have made the smallest about 50cm at a guess.
I had to leave early to drop the Revo off in Nowra to its new owner so i had to leave Stuart and Luke out there, so im very keen to hear how you guys went in the end.
Im very happy with the new ski, decided to land on the beach instead of the usual channel between the rocks so i could see how she goes in the surf, it was only fairly small surf but caught a nice wave all the way into the beach comfortably, im going to take it down to a good surf beach tomorrow for some fun


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## Rstanek (Nov 5, 2007)

Sexy new toy Craig, glad to see it debuted so well!


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Great start Craig. Hope to see many more on the deck


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## CatfishKeith (Apr 17, 2009)

Hey stop stealing my Snapper 8)


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

Awsome snapper and love the new yak mate. I'm looking forward to some great south coast snapper reports now.

Cheers Dave


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## yakattack (Jan 12, 2008)

Thats the way craig, top catch both with the fish and the new yak.

Cheers Micka


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## malhal (Jul 8, 2008)

Nice effort love the Stealth welcome to the club. They are absolutely magic offshore I tuck mine in every night.


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## paffoh (Aug 24, 2006)

Awesome mate, sexy looking thang! (Erm, not you!)...

Good snaps too, interested to see how the others went. You caught a wave in, thats seriously not like you hey (Did you try stowing your gear etc). Cant wait to see it in action man, looks like a supreme machine that will do your confidence the world of good. Dont want an advertorial but can you let us know on the price and the courier (Also, what rack system?).

Nice one boss...


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## rob316 (Oct 2, 2007)

Excellent stuff mate.....glad to see you got the yak/ski.....and as you said - your revo would sell easily......great fish.. ;-)


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## SharkNett (Feb 20, 2006)

Great start for the new toy.


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## PalmyMick (Nov 22, 2007)

what a way to blood the new beast!!!! enjoy mate....


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

A good mojo starter on the new boat Craig


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Big Bloo sends his regards Craig and says welcome brother Stealth, gee you didnt waste time getting into them mate , that ski looks sensational, and i bet it really went like a dream , i have a feeling its maker will be over here late August as i owe him several beers, and he is a man that collects, good onya Craig love it


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## billythebass (Mar 17, 2008)

very nice ski ...and no mercy on the snapper ... ;-)


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## Starver (Aug 18, 2008)

Very hard to top that Graig, new yak and two new fish to go with it well done!


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Nice fishies Craig and Ski. Love the colour.

I guess you'll be in good with the Ski Patrol, not like us wannabes ;-) . Hope the "Stealth Curse" dont get ya.  I think if the ski has been in the country long enough the Voodoo wheres off. ;-) :lol:


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## FishWhisperer (Mar 5, 2009)

I arrived at Depot at 6.10am, after leaving Canberra at about 4am, missed Maccas breaky by 10mins and played dodge the Marsupial most of the morning...I was first to arrive and conditions could not have been better, no breeze no swelll so I decided to get my gear together. I thought to myself that I will take my time loading the yak up cause I am well infront of Stewie and I knew Craig was going to be late. At about 6.25 Stewie rocks up and wheels his Outback straight out the back of his van down to the water....And bet me in the water by about 5mins.....hmmm do I need a van too?????
I finally got in the water and after Paff's recent successes with HB's decided to have a bit of a troll...(20mins later boredom set in) and I was back to doing some SP work.

This time I came with lighter gear, 6lb fireline with 8lb leader and 10lb braid with 15lb leader. First cast on my light gear I got monstered by something snaped the line on applying some drag..Ok this is good, threw the 2nd rig out and bang another hit this time landing a nice 40cm specimen. I could see that Craig had rocked up and had his new toy on the beach soon he zipped past sid g'day and that he was quite pleased with it, 10 mins later I turned around and he was on already...He we go again!!!

For the next few hours my light rig got peppered all by what felt like small trains all of which I lost, one of which nearlly pulled me out of the kayak while talking to Craig (and on winding in) with about 5m to go to till I got the SP to the yak... Bang ZZZZZZ and the whole lot was gone (Craig reckoned as a bit of a joke it was a stray Kingy)

I landed another snapper pushing 40cm later on in the day on my heavier rig so was happy I had dinner organised. But went the whole day without landing the good ones on the light line. I think it was my drag on my reel (cheapy) I don't think it was my knots, I had a few snags and really had some pressure on to get the snag off and they wouldn't break....So i am going to spend some money to get a nice light gear combo. Anyone with any suggestions???? No really????

Anyway, anyone coming on our trip in a few weeks and plans to use SP's stock up. I went through 6 packets (mostly on the light gear) and had to give Craig a packet as well as he ran out (He also caught his big fish on my SP) Does that somehow count as mine??? He thought not.

Craig, you will be happy to know no more snapper after you left. Did crack out the Squidgee rig for a Slimey and Salmon.

Still had a great day but want to upgrade my light gear......Maybe get one next time..

Cheers,

Luke

A few photos of the conditions we had to put up with.......Sorry for the qual of the fish photo's they blurred up when I tried making them longer in Photoshop..... :lol:


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

Great work fellas, what a lovely looking craft Craig, and a few ripper fish to christen her with  and very glad to hear the surf landing went well ;-) :lol: I was hoping to make it for this trip but a mate was down from Sydney for the weekend, who wasn't too keen on yak fishing offshore, so we spent a fun day catching a few trevs and salmon on SPs and light tackle at the mouth of the Moruya River.

Luke, if you can stretch the budget I reckon you should get a 2500 Sol mate, and match it with a 2-5 or 3-6kg rod (the Tierras are about $150 on Motackle), the initial outlay hurts a bit but it would be a 'go to' outfit for most of what we chase locally, in the mountains or down the coast

http://www.motackle.com.au/index.cfm?pr ... duct_id=25

http://www.motackle.com.au/index.cfm?pr ... ct_id=2994


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

Thanks for the comments guys.

Luke, id agree with Jason, the Tierra rods are great value, thats what ive been using as my heavier combo a 8-17lb Tierra rod with the Tierra 2500 reel. Ive had the reel for a bit over 2 years and it still runs perfectly even with the constant saltwater use ive put it through, its had a few dunkings and ended up in the sand when i got rolled at Depot, but a good strip down and clean up and it just keeps going, solid reels


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## FishWhisperer (Mar 5, 2009)

What do you guys recommend for the rod then....I checked out the one Jas said, but do you go for a 2 piece or single??? and what poundage???


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

Luke, if planning to fish light, id go the 6-10lb the GL3 im using as a light combo is rated 4-10lb and its heaps of fun with Snapper.
1 or 2 peice is up to yoy really, i prefer 1peice rods but its entirely personal preference


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## FishWhisperer (Mar 5, 2009)

craig450 said:


> Luke, if planning to fish light, id go the 6-10lb the GL3 im using as a light combo is rated 4-10lb and its heaps of fun with Snapper.
> 1 or 2 peice is up to yoy really, i prefer 1peice rods but its entirely personal preference


What really is the difference, something in the taper or the feel??...I have nearly all 1 piece rods but 2 piece I guess would be easier to store during bad beach launches etc. What are the pros and cons???

All I know is I haveto get a decent reel to start with...You and Jas have sold me on that at least...


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## blueyak (Jan 20, 2009)

Hey Craig nice yak mate.

Luke and myself caught soooo many fish after you left. NOT.

I ended up with 3 snapper and a nannygai that must of been lost.








First fish was on a Damiki yong. I love these lures but I hate that they tear so easily. These lures are one fish wonders. Come on Mr Damiki make the heads more durable.

The rest of my fish came on squidy prawns.

I learnt a lot watching you guys fish. My snapper experience is minimal to say the least.
I found that the more i worked the lure, the more rubbish fish I caught (pike bakers wrass etc etc).

Looking forward to the depot weekend.
Cheers
Stewie.


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

I love the Nannygai Stewie!!! hes a cool little fella  and so damn tasty too.
Pity you guys didnt get into a few more, i saw Luke coming back onto the highway on my way to Nowra so it seems you were out there a fair bit after i left so for the effort its dissapointing to hear you guys didnt get more.


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## mark5fish (Jun 18, 2009)

Nice fish sounds like a great trip on the new yak well done. Can't wait to get down there myself.


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

congrats on the new yak. hows the arms after your first paddle ???


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWUYFkBYAAA9TgAAQYAcQgD/n3qAgAHQamnqRtTBNBoyaEU8p4p6gyaHqPKGIWhJq0uMm4oPMZiWOTjuB1stEahBt8QLZQKCOLX3SfHdm0XECBav2+rHGqFHuQKt54V8oCLEC5EWFUUgcuJTLaS/F3JFOFCQRgWQFgA==


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## kas (May 5, 2009)

Well done Craig, hope my maiden voyage is half as succesfull


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

FishWhisperer said:


> What really is the difference, something in the taper or the feel??...I have nearly all 1 piece rods but 2 piece I guess would be easier to store during bad beach launches etc. What are the pros and cons???


It's not an issue with more modern rods, but older 2pce rods usually had a dirty big metal ferrule right in the middle which sapped some of the sensitivity, and added weight to the rod. The advantage of a better quality rod, whether 1 or 2 piece, will be a lighter, more sensitive tool. Trouble is once you start using better gear you struggle to go back to the old stuff. Another good rod for about $130 are the Pflueger Trions. IMO you want a 2-5kg (4-10lb) or 3-6kg (6-12lb).



blueyak said:


> I ended up with 3 snapper and a nannygai that must of been lost.


Well done on the nanny, they look so cool, they are high on my wish list


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

Davey G said:


> congrats on the new yak. hows the arms after your first paddle ???


Im definately feeling it mate :lol: i didnt realise how bad my paddle fitness is, i was fine out there, i didnt feel like i was tiring or working too hard but the muscles are certainly strained :lol: it wont take long to work it back up though. 8)


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## pescado (May 17, 2007)

Geez, how did i miss this post?! Nice snapper in the new yak mate, you certainly wont be leaving her on the front porch thats for sure


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

pescado said:


> Geez, how did i miss this post?! Nice snapper in the new yak mate, you certainly wont be leaving her on the front porch thats for sure


Ive gotta figure something out mate, theres no room in the garage so it lives inside at the moment, im sure you would know what the Mrs thinks of that. :lol: 
the revo and quest only just fit inside the garage, but with the extra length of this one it sticks out too far so i need to do some re-organising and if im lucky, may even get the little frenzy in there too (which still lives on the front deck)


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

craig450 said:


> if im lucky, may even get the little frenzy in there too (which still lives on the front deck)


You've got your priorities all screwed up mate, the frenzy should take pride of place ;-)


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## snipa (May 21, 2009)

craig450 said:


> pescado said:
> 
> 
> > Geez, how did i miss this post?! Nice snapper in the new yak mate, you certainly wont be leaving her on the front porch thats for sure
> ...


Hi Craig, 
no sense of humour or priority with the womenfolk hey. They also seem to struggle with parking the Harley in the loungeroom.
Managed to keep my new outback in the rompus room for nearly a week before I was able to make enough extra space in the shed.

Well done with the new yak and nice fish

Cheers John


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## blueyak (Jan 20, 2009)

Squidder said:


> craig450 said:
> 
> 
> > if im lucky, may even get the little frenzy in there too (which still lives on the front deck)
> ...


Yeah the frenzy is the pride of your fleet.

We should have a frenzy only forum for all the cool people. :lol: :lol:

My frenzy is sitting on the wall holding up all my hobie gear. It will come out in summer when its time to fish really shallow.


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## craig450 (May 11, 2007)

damn right!! frenzy's are gangster!!
Mine will also return to action in summer, its my bullet proof bass yak


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## fishsmith (Mar 19, 2008)

Well done mate, a nice brace of table size snapper there...


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## breamfish (May 19, 2009)

nice yak and nice fish


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## flicksticker (Sep 24, 2008)

Nice Fish, great way to christen a new toy.

I have just finished deciding on a new light setup for exactly what your talking about, i have got myself a 2500 sol, hard to beat for price with their drag and line capacity and pure awesomeness.
I just bought a daiwa tierra 7' 6-14lb rod however havent fished with it yet, but the pfleauger trion 7' 3-6kg rods with the split grips look awesome aswell for 130, just i couldn't find one anywhere and really want the rod now.


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