# NSW: SWR - Hate It!



## MrX (Feb 7, 2008)

Back in 1886, prison labourers constructed a breakwater to make Trial Bay an easy deep ocean launch for kayakers between Sydney and Brisbane. During World War I, the gaol became an internment camp for kayak fishermen of German descent.

Today, the picturesque historic ruin stands as a testament to those who lived and died here, with a sheltered boat ramp and shady wash-down area for visitors to clean up after a long session on the water.

Cruised up the Sydney/SWR freeway for a hit'n'run weekend, with a forecast of windless glassy seas and sunshine. Left the stealth at home - no surf to contend with at Arakoon. Didn't even check the swell forecasts.

Slept in the car, and launched with Rod (rnmars1) pre-dawn Saturday. Couldn't understand why there was surge at the north facing boat ramp, tucked inside the bay behind the breakwall and headland. Stuffed everything on to the deck, for the usual flat-water launch.

50m out, still in the bay behind the wall, I noticed a line of white coming at me from the distance. Fark - looks like those Thailand tsunami videos. By the time it hit me, it was head high whitewater, and solid. Not the best for a hobie hippo. Knocked the wind out me, and snapped the RAM mount holding my sounder, but I stayed upright. Refreshing way to start the day.

The sounder survived the dunking, and stayed connected to its cables. Managed to clamp it on to another mount, and get into the fishing.

The ocean was a washing machine in close - powerful long-period cyclone swell. But not a breath of wind, and glassy. Weird.

Liveys were hard to get in close, so headed out to the 40m reef with a bonito.

It was taken, and snipped off by a toothy critter soon after arriving, so re-rigged with wire, but needed bait.

Eventually jigged up a couple of slimeys. Had a deadey the surface and livey weighted with a breakaway, and kept jigging deep for spares. Then the deadey was hit, hard, at high speed.

Assumed mackerel, so patience grasshopper, let it run while I wound my bait jig from the bottom - 40m down. By the time I had my jig up, the reel was still screaming. Thought I must have forgotten to set the drag, but couldn't get the rod out of the holder - drag was still set at "longy king". Patience.

So, wound in the livey, removed the breakaway sinker, for nice clean deck, no other lines out.

Then extracted the rod - reel still screaming. 5,000 salina II was down to less than a quarter spool of 30lb braid, more than 300m of line out, and no sign of slowing. Looked around for a passing boat, but nothing in sight - just Rodney bobbing around. WTF?

Almost at the backing, so increased the drag. The salina's specs are 22kg, and even though they are Chinese kg's, it packs a smooth punch. Didn't even slow the fish, so kept upping it. Until "ping", with backing in sight.

Wound in well over 300m of slack line - the swivel was still there, but the 28lb wire had snapped between the swivel and the top hook. Bugger. What kind of fish does that? I've caught heaps of sharks up here, but they have been slow and heavy. This thing was like hooking a power boat.

Upped to 40lb wire. Hooked up again, but this was more sharkey - slow and heavy. Towed me around at its leisure for 10 minutes before my leader parted.

Returned to launch after 7 hours on the water, three strikes, out, nothing to show for it. Love this place. Hate this place :twisted:

Sunday's forecast was 25kn northerlies, but woke up at the hotel to calm. Not a breath.

Back down to the ramp, and found this:










Looks perfect, right? Look again. That white stuff in the distance is barrels and whitwater from the end of the breakwall, right across the bay. No way out there for us.

This is the view out to sea. Leave that to Sprocket and Big Kev.










No wonder the prisoners never finished the job.

Drove home down the freeway. How good is that Kempsey bypass?


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## spottymac (Aug 29, 2005)

Better luck next time Mr X I am sure you will be back,


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

More surf practice required Tom. Contact Sprocket. ;-)


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## Sprocket (Nov 19, 2008)

AAARGH, no more waves for a while please...


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

All you guys with your IPhones, and you can't even read the swell forecast. Tut,tut.  That cyclone was intense, and generated big swells over a weekright down the east coast. The swells travel thousands of kilometres - there's nothing in the way except silly goat yakkers.

(I too am guilty - I went over to Cape Moreton with a mate without checking swell. Same situation, light winds but the banks were monumental breakers to 3 metres. We were shit scared).


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## paulb (Nov 12, 2006)

crazy conditions to launch through - but at least once you out past the breakwall, it's deep water. Maybe you hooked an very large tuna?


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## avayak (May 23, 2007)

Entertaining tale Tom. As my son would say "Owned by a BOSS!"


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## MrX (Feb 7, 2008)

Jon wrote:


> "Hoos your daddy..."


It was a 'teenage wasteland' in close. Rod looked like a deaf dumb and blind kid bouncing around like a 'pinball wizard' trying to catch livies.

Could have been a tuna, or a big mack, but 'I won't get fooled again'.....


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## tonieventer (Jul 27, 2009)

Ahh... yes reminds me of last year April. Similar conditions and did an awkward swim with the hobie when trying to get back to the ramp.Would have been interesting to see what speedster you hooked up to


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

MrX said:


> Jon wrote:
> 
> 
> > "Hoos your daddy..."
> ...


Rough.
Thanks for the report. This jumped into my head, for some reason.
Don't get stuck in the middle...





saltis the Joker, hoos the clowns?
Rhubarb is the drummer, apparently.


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## RhubarbTheYeti (Oct 28, 2013)

Zed said:


> Rhubarb is the drummer, apparently.


Any number of musos from the 60's and 70's have hair like me - bloody copycats


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I wasn't aware of the history, those prisoners had some foresight!


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

That's SWR.
I have been there when we had to paddle about a k into the bay to get around the end of that swell but presuming the swell was the same as Sydney, forget it.
The way to measure your success at SWR is by how many fish you lost, not landed, sounds like a good trip Tom


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