# Who does it the toughest and who's got it made?



## ThisWayUp (Jul 16, 2008)

Gday All,

I was just looking through some other posts and looking at all the adverse conditions yakkers have to put up with and overcome in order to get a feed of fish.

Stuff like rain, cold, lightning, distance to fishing grounds, over-crowded fishing grounds, crappy launch sites and the like. :shock:

Then I was wondering, why, with all the things working in my favor, did it take me so long to get a yak and get out on the water?

What I want to know is, are you the most hard-done-by yak fisherman in Australia or abroad and why? :? 

And on the flip-side, for those that have got it easy.....this is a place to gloat! 

This is my front yard. You can see the boats but there's also three islands out there that don't show up in the photo.










This is a school of tuna hassling bait fish, taken from my back yard.










The shore fishing, 30m from my front door, is good fun at night.










The fishing off the stinkboat hasn't been too bad......










There's 8 tidal creek systems within easy striking distance.

And they're chockers full of these guys!










Add to that, we're currently sitting around the 25 degree mark during the day but getting down to 12 at night.

On the down side we do hit 45 degrees plus for weeks at a time over summer and we do get the odd cyclone :shock:

Anyway, enough about me and the blessed life I lead 

Who has it good and who has it bad?


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## Shorty (May 11, 2008)

Well i think you might have it the best living 30 metres from the water.  I wish i could live there.

Its a 10 minute drive to the Snapper launching place for me , even longer depending on the traffic so i guess i am doing it tough 8)


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## homemade (Jan 24, 2008)

I've got about 5 years to go... then I'm going to retire to a nice little spot down south 8) 
on the water with one pub, one shop and a population of about 60 people :shock: 
THEN I"LL HAVE IT MADE :lol: :lol:


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

In summer, absolutely not. In winter, perhaps.

I reckon given my proximity to the beach (walk the yak down) in summertime I (and other SA yakkers) have it pretty damn good. Especially on the table fish front. I could set off in the morning, decide whether I wanted, squid, snook or whiting and I always left them biting. The only thing we miss out on are the tackle testing pelagics, so we substitute with sharks instead.

This winter was supposed to see me face monster schools of salmon and huge whiting as far as the eye can see. All I've faced so far are injuries and electrical storms :shock:. Last spring we had a few big schools of sambos come through so I'm still hopeful but so far I've been doing it really tough.


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## fishydude (Dec 30, 2007)

We South Australians are a bit hard done by in the cold water in winter, have to paddle an awful long way off shore to get poor mans game fish or drive a long way to do the same stakes. But we're all well endowed and incredibly good looking :shock: ...lol. Won't hear me complaining unless it's the weather or me loaning my car out...lol. With global warming and the rising sea levels I am planning on being on the water front myself in my retirement years. :lol: All it has to do is get over the first hump and I've got waterfrontage...YAY for global warming? My local pizza shop's on high ground as well so I'll be set. :twisted: ;-) 
Cheers
Mike


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## zipper (Feb 27, 2008)

i recon i have it made, i am 200 meters away from the beach and the only thing i have to cross to get to the launch is a bike track . also 50 meters out from the launch spot is a reef that i spear fish, it constantly produces most of the southern bread and butter species. snapper, bream, whiting, flathead and all in good dinner size. that is in melbourne ;-) 
top: a flattie off the reef, second: end of my street, third: view from the end of the street, fourth: the launch

































for most of summer i live down in jan juc (between torquay and bells beach). i chuck the yak on the car and within 5 minuets i am at fishermans beach, which constantly produces 50+ cm KGW's and good snapper and silver trevs and salmon and more. also if i want to i can store the yak at the surf lifesaving club and literaly be on the beach as soon as i take the yak out of the club house.
life is great..  :lol: :lol:   :twisted:

cheers


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## Crazy_Horse (Nov 3, 2006)

I reckon I'm the most hard done by... I have a wife with the handbrake perpetually on....


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

200m to creek for bream to barra....


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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.

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## ausbass (Feb 15, 2007)

i reckon i am too:
i have a saftey concious mother
the hsc
no P's!
and a two man canoe (at the moment)
to contend with!


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## Cuda (Sep 18, 2006)

Hey This way up, when's the best time of year to fish around Onslow? I was up there around Easter a few years back and there were a few Queenies around and the Jacks would be resident all year in the creeks. How about around Christmas / New Year? Are the mackies about then?


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## Big D (Apr 28, 2007)

I'd like to nominate myself for having done it the toughest (so far) on this thread. I live 15 minutes from the preferred boat ramp at Seacliff (gonna work on beach access to make it a little closer), I've lived fishing all my life and waited until I was 35 to get a yak, I've had it 2 months and only done 2 trips, caught zip fish, and bought it in the middle of winter so opportunities have been limited -the first was a try out, the second in the Torrens where there is only carp - I bought it during renovations, SWMBO has got a list of jobs from here to kingdom come. Boy I feel deprived.  Well guess I'd better get off my fat donkey and get out this week with n/w winds 3-8 knots expected Wed and Thurs :lol:

Big D

p.s. there is some good fortune going my way - apparently the Quest I bought from L3GACY comes with heaps of good mojo - I didn't believe it at first until I opened the hatch, stuck my nose in and took a big whiff - and the best bit is it doesn't seem to have gone away even after applying liberal amounts of bi carb of soda, air freshener etc. Yeah ;-)


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## ThisWayUp (Jul 16, 2008)

Cuda said:


> Hey This way up, when's the best time of year to fish around Onslow? I was up there around Easter a few years back and there were a few Queenies around and the Jacks would be resident all year in the creeks. How about around Christmas / New Year? Are the mackies about then?


The mackies are here all year round but definitely thicken up and are more common closer to shore when the water is warmer. Only hassle is at that time of year you're looking at 40 degrees plus all day, every day, so heat stroke is a real possibility.

I was in Gero before here but was more interested in the kitesurfing than the fishing when I was there. You'd get a few mackies down there over summer wouldn't you?

If you're ever keen for a road trip let me know and we'll get stuck into a few macks and maybe go looking for some barra


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## Cuda (Sep 18, 2006)

[/quote]The mackies are here all year round but definitely thicken up and are more common closer to shore when the water is warmer. Only hassle is at that time of year you're looking at 40 degrees plus all day, every day, so heat stroke is a real possibility.

I was in Gero before here but was more interested in the kitesurfing than the fishing when I was there. You'd get a few mackies down there over summer wouldn't you?

If you're ever keen for a road trip let me know and we'll get stuck into a few macks and maybe go looking for some barra [/quote]

Yeah , we do get mackeral down here around March / April / May, but I have lucked out with them so far 

Will let you know if I am able to do a road trip up there - the missus definitely likes Onslow and we have wanted to go back for some time. We don't mind the hot weather either


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## mantabay (Mar 1, 2008)

*74 Islands !*


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

mantabay said:


> *74 Islands !*


that's 74 islands...in tropical paradise...sitting on the GBR.....yeah we got it tough up here... :twisted: ;-)


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## Breambo (Apr 19, 2006)

Heres the view from my bedroom window, I have to trolley about 150m to the beach but its easy to check conditions :lol:


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Breambo said:


> Heres the view from my bedroom window, I have to trolley about 150m to the beach but its easy to check conditions :lol:


Swell's dropped - Shame its so fu#*en cold, it's beginning to look like snapper water again :lol:


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## blaggon (Jan 14, 2008)

view from my verandah, first time in a week the oceans being civilized, 300m trolley to the beach


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

Bit of Both here.


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

You guys who can see the water only think you have it made, in reality you are just being tormented by the ocean so close you could almost touch it ;-) yet you can't get there until the missus's list of chores is done :twisted: :twisted: its just there tormenting and frustrating you.

Me on the other hand, I am just as close but can't see it so my temptation can be avoided until my chores are done and the yaks loaded :twisted: 8) :lol: :lol: :lol:

Oh yeah and what about poor poor Red,  I can see him already sitting on the beach concerned look on his face, the frustration show. Left for snapper, right for bream, maybe round the corner for some macks, or should I paddle up the creek for some mangrove jacks, I can't decide theres too many choices :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Ok really i'm just jealous ;-)

Cheers Dave


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

It takes me 20-30 minutes to get to my favorite launch
























Beautiful scenery, small surf, warm water, mild weather, year-round fishing, big tasty fish......well worth the drive. I guess I've got it made.


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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.

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## fishydude (Dec 30, 2007)

You are obviously far more self disciplined than me Red....lol. If i went for a lunchtime quickie dinner would be cold before I got home.
Cheers
Mike


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## colzinho (Aug 6, 2007)

Yup, tough. 50m walk to launch spot and 20 mins paddle to box head.


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## Sparkie (Jul 8, 2008)

I would have it the toughest out of all you ladies/blokes.
I live as the crow flies 720m from the boat ramp at the Burnett river and 12.11k from the boat ramp at Burnett Heads so I can go out to the front in the open water.
I live in the worlds best climate and most of winter the ocean is very calm and protected by Fraser island. Water temp seldom gets below 15C in winter with the temp around 25c? at a guess in summer(probably a bit warmer). 
For the most part we have every species worth catching from the humble bream and flattie through to Big Spanish mackeral and other huge species. Coral trout and various sweetlip are also within my grasp. Mud crabs are up for grabs etc,etc.
I have even seen whales at play from the shore.

http://www.badarai.asn.au/index.htm
Now for the scuba divers amongst us. We have what is possibly the best artificial reef in and around Australia. In only 18m of water it has such prolific fish life it is just amazing. On a good day you will get to see Wobegon sharks,coral trout and a Groper we named VW as he is about 7 feet long and shaped like a VW  also there are groups of cods around 4'+ who usually hang out in and around the wrecks. All this is about 4 Km of shore from an easy launch at Elliot heads. Not to mention some awesome wrecks to explore and with minimal current it is an easy dive. Along the shore we have some good rock outcroppings which are a good dive as well. 
Why is it than that I am the worst off of you all?

 *Because I DON'T OWN A KAYAK*    

But that will change


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## Wattie (Apr 30, 2007)

I live in Esperance...............well what else can I say ;-)


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## Blaen (Jul 4, 2006)

I live in the coldest state (on average).

Quite possibly the windiest one especially when the Antarctic winds are blowing.

Believe it or not also on average the driest state, according to BOM averages over the past 40 years.

Every snake in the State is deadly.

A place isolated from the mainland in the way of technology and access to the big tackle stores etc. (my favorite toy stores).

My favorite fishing waters are well known for it resident 15 foot Great White.

But,

I live 300 m from my favorite fishing waters.

In winter most stink boaters are holed up in front of their TV's watching football, so the waters are all mine :twisted:

Inland we have over 2000 lakes all teaming with Trout, Atlantic Salmon and Redfin (despite my dislike of Redfin)

Around the shorelines we have a huge range of species.

Out to sea for those brave enough we have the biggest Tuna in Australia, one day I will get out there ;-)

The people are friendly and it's a great place to bring up kids.

Am I hard done by or do I have it the best?

Well all I can say is I wouldn't give this place up for anything, I did once, realised my mistake and came back.


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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.

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QlpoOTFBWSZTWdR8LfsAABDfgAAQUGWACpAQUAov7/4gIABqGqYnqZGIaMQNAZCKephHqHqDQAyPKDEjiTFPjT3UE5THHSLYkosENBhe6wudhlvILTAwXPoQjNKCCD17aqwG2QFTenpgwgExwGtxu8QmF8D2ymiDDtYhATQPWPxdyRThQkNR8Lfs


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## DougOut (Dec 31, 2006)

well I reckon, I've got it made  
  *I live in Australia*


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## Blaen (Jul 4, 2006)

redphoenix said:


> Blaen said:
> 
> 
> > and Redfin (despite my dislike of Redfin)
> ...


Philosophically Red, I know both they and Trout are introduced to Tassie, I just dislike catching Redfin over Trout.


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