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Back to sea - Nov 2016

10/24/2016
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After almost 2 years of virtual rest for the old girl, now time to get some heat back into the John Deere. After a good shake down with a 3 day circumnavigation around North & South Bruny Islands, she is ready for a serious fishing adventure around to the remote Port Davey, north of the SW Cape. This trip is with avid fisherman friends from Melbourne. John, Harry, Philip, & Manoli. Each year with our sons in Melbourne we spend a weekend making Salami. This year we entered our produce in the Me...

Mon 14^th Nov - Fishing in Tasmania

DAY 1

From Hobart we went around the Eastern coast of Bruny island to Adventure Bay a trip of 38 nm, but found no fish apart from some small flatties.

We decided to go around the bottom of Bruny and across to Recherche Bay for our first night and where we started to catch some Calamari and flathead.

DAY 2

Recherche Bay was a better jumping off location for Malarki 1 (Harry’s boat) to go out to Pedra Branca to fish for Striped Trumpeter, and JP and I took SKIE around to Port Davey. We couldn’t put out our trolling rods on SKIE as Malarki 1 had our lures on their boat.

We arrived on SKIE at our pre determined time of 1600 hrs and the first we heard from Harry, Phil, & Manoli all day was when we both arrived at the entrance to Port Davey. They used a lot of fuel by going fast, and they made our hearts glad when they displayed 3 Stripeys and a collection of other deep bottom fish. That evening we set our 3 pots in 2 locations for the night.

DAY 3

First thing in the morning we had 6 crays, four of which were the legal size. In the afternoon we found another 4, and decided to drop one of the pots outside of Breaksea Island. This pot in the evening pull found 12 crays in the pot of which half were legal size. Harry and Manoli dived for crays which was hard work, and sadly Harry lost his underwater Go Pro.

DAY 4

Again more crays taking our limit up to 25 held, but as we had two boats the catch could be 50 in total. The Malaki brothers took a trip outside of Davey and did a few miles north up the coast but came back empty handed. That night we went to shore to have a barbecue and throw some lobster tails on the barbecue.

DAY 5

We decided as fish (apart from Crays) were hard to catch, that we would head back to the East Coast, but first we had to get a weather forecast for the long trip from a friend in Hobart using my Sat Phone, as we were completely out of any communication range.

We had a great dinner again that night on the beach again with cray tail starters on the BBQ with a ginger, shallot, parsley, garlic & butter sauce (Johnny Rubira eat your heart out) , followed by homemade pork & liver sausages, and New York cut sirloins. We all got pissed.

DAY 6

Today off exploring around to Claytons corner in Bathurst Harbour to take a trip up the Malaleuca Creek to the home of the legendary Deny King and the airstrip that caters for all the hikers, but did not see any movement as it is the wrong time for hiking, however we met one solitary hiker, Jack, a 69 year old gent from Belgium who comes down each year for a month for the solitude. He hikes reads, writes, and takes in the tranquility of one of the most remote and pristine places in the world The boys were very impressed with Malelecua.

Today we pumped the last remaining petrol into Harry’s boat which will give him 240 litres of which he will need 100 lts to get back to a fuel pump on the East Coast in the morning. We are waiting for the wind to back into a northerly quadrant so we have nice shelter crossing the bottom of Tassie.

DAY 7

Nice trip across the bottom of Tassie and anchored in Recherche Bay at the bottom of the East Coast. The boys went out fishing and came home with 2 Flatties and 8 calamari.

DAY 8

Took off from Recherche heading NE to Port Arthur where we spent the night, and again calamari brought on board. Boy these Greeks boys love their Calamari and it makes top bait for Stripies. Harry, Monali, and Philip took their boat to Hobart for more fuel, grog, & provisions. They came up with a brilliant idea to save fuel by putting their boat on the trailer and driving around. Had steak for dinner with smashed potatoes and a salad. Must admit a nice break from the crays.

DAY 9

Took off from Port Arthur after taking on 2400 litres of water, so regular showering is now back on the menu. They say that if everyone stinks you don’t notice it.

Day 10

We decided to drop the pick in Fortesque Bay and go fishing east of the Hippolyte Rocks. Nothing committed suicide on our rods, and nothing in our pots. It appears that the whole East coast has been fished to death. The decision to leave the West coast earlier than expected was predicated on taking a favourable weather window, and we had our mandated cray numbers.

Day 11

Enjoyed the scenery and headed back south to Port Arthur past the majestic Tasman Island rock, to dive the next day for abolone and sea urchins. Harry, Phil, and Manoli to their boat to the local ramp where their car and trailer were, and John and I had a very comfortable trip back on SKIE to Hobart.

SUMMARY

One of the best boating adventures I have ever had and the company was fantastic. Thanks to my mates for making it so successful and bountiful with the catch. Our plan is to do this next year in New Zealand, and the year after in Fiji, so we will see.

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Back to sea - Nov 2016