Here We Go Again - Chapter 23 - Mackay to Mackay

Mackay to Mackay because we are moving to a van park, the other side of town late this afternoon to catch up with the others. Because we have booked and paid for the site, it seems like a silly waste of money, although staying right where we are would not be too hard an ask.

Nash is a bundle of energy first thing in the morning. Darryl picks him up around 6.30 to allow Kendall to get ready for and leave for work. He is not coming fishing. Apparently he is going to learn the intricacies of bookkeeping with Lorelle to allow us to hit the secret spot.

It rained last night. 30mm, which is a lot for this time of the year. At times the lightning and thunder reduced the dogs to the shed. They are out now and “protecting” the property

The grey day is noted by Darryl, talking how fishing is better pre storm weather as the fish feel the difference in barometric pressure and come on the chew knowing they may not get a feed for a while. He is a great student of fish and fishing. There are lots of teachers here in this area and he listens and takes careful note.

We await his expertise “reading” of the conditions today, but we are working for the very low base of yesterday.

Robyn is joining us for a session of reading on the beach. Nash is going to his great grandmother’s for a while, until Lorelle completes work, at which time she will pick him up and return home. This leaves two fishers and a reader to head back to the beach.

Its just after low tide now and the creek system Darryl spoke of yesterday is very evident. I wonder how any fish are going to fit into such a shallow creek but Darryl is confident. We load up for the walk to the beach after drenching ourselves in fly spray as the mosquitoes here are savage, almost able to carry you away, such are their numbers. I have ensured Robyn is dressed in one of my (oversize for her) fishing shirts. This gives her added protection from  the mozzies as well as protection from the sun.

The walk from the spot of Robyn reading to the waters edge is some 200 metres or more. We pump some fresh nippers before heading out to the creek. The water has already started to rise and we may not get as long as we initially thought. Darryl notes the low tide was quite high, almost a metre higher than he would like. This will mean the water level may rise to unfishable very quickly.

In position and on his first cast Darryl immediately gets bites and sure enough he is engaged with a cheeky bream. Too small to keep, it is released and he quickly rebaits and returns to line to the water. Again almost immediately he is working on hooking a biting fish. His success is mirrored in the bending rod. This time a larger fish – a dart – a trevally cousin  but again not going home with us.

He loads up again and almost immediately he is into a fight with another fish. Its bigger this time, much bigger. The fight ebbs and flows until I can see the fish. Its a grunter and must be at least 600mm in length, a great fish. He gets it into the shallows adjacent to him and his leader snaps at the knot and the fish is gone.

Bugger, he is head to mutter. Well it was something like that.

I am still yet to get a bite. Although I am using the same bait, I did not reduce the weight I was using yesterday and this I feel must be the reason.

All of a sudden there is a commotion on the water just adjacent to Darryl. He yells “big Barra” as a swirl of a massive tail breaks the water just in front of him. Given the size of the fin he is uncertain and then suggests it might be a shark. It breaks the water again, swirling the water between us.

Then in the shallow water not a little more than a metre in front of me, I see the face of a monster. Its a Barramundi of epic proportions. It must be over 2 metres in length. Its mouth now no more than a meter in front of me is more than 600mm wide. Just before this I had changed baits from the fresh yabbies pumped at the beach to a full pilchard in attempts to get a bite. I quickly pull the line in and direct it in front of the barra with no result.

Just the time when you don’t have a camera. 

The fish went on its merry way. A little later I got some massive strikes but did not hook anything until just before we leave because of the rising tide I hook a stingray. I am thankful it self releases well before I have to deal with it.

Shallow water fishing for monsters of the deep. Amazing what you can achieve when you know what you are doing. Its impossible to keep fishing the creek now as the tide has risen so much, getting close enough to propel a bait into it is impossible. I reluctantly head back to Robyn’s position. I get the cast net out to get in some practice. There are bait fish jumping everywhere it seems.

A few attempts, nothing of note caught except for one white bait, which if it had its wits about it could have easily avoided capture through the net.. I release it anyway and we head home. Darryl has given the bream to another fisherman.

Nash and Lorelle await our arrival, well Lorelle does, Nash has gone down for his midday snooze. A quick lunch and Darryl is soon puring our Z’s on the lounge chair in sympathy. We might head off, set up at the night’s lodgings and make our way back to Nash’s house to say hello to Kendall. Cant let a chance to meet up with family go by can we.

Their place is near the centre of Mackay. Nash is getting towards the end of his tether by the time we get there, but he is able to show us his Mulberry tree and even for a 2 year old is able to tell us we cannot pick any just yet as he picked all the ripe ones (and ate them) yesterday.

Darryl and I had plans to meet up early in the morning for a quick fish on the bottom of the tide before we head off to Airlie Beach, but after the trip from their place to the other side of town, the logistics were never going to work and we put that one on hold. When next we visit we will be on our own with no time limits and will be able to manipulate timings around whatever we want to do and perhaps get the boat into the water and set up where we stood, until we couldn’t and fish the tide, the way it should be fished.

Its been another long day. Lots of exercise walking through knee to waste deep water and over sand and mud. Sleep I suggest will come easily tonight.