Feb Fever.
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Feb Fever.
So I realised I never wrote a report.
I was lucky enough to find myself with enough time and a willing CarlG to make an epic February trip up to 1770/Agnes Waters with a stop in Coffs Harbour on the way home.
23 hours each way, a total of 5000kms over 19 days, saw us with about 4 really good days of fishing. The wind and swell basically fisted us out of most of the bite windows.
"The Catwalk" at 1770 is up there with 'The Tubes' as in the very top echelon of rock ledges on the east coast, and infact in the country. Most photos don't do justice to the size or scale of the place, and the effort people go to to get to, and effectively fish from this kind of thing.
View to the Catwalk from the headland.
A really awkward, tide sensitive spot in the walk in makes it extremely difficult to get too unless you time it properly. But, it's a stunning, stunning spot to fish, jutting out into the EAC and almost every pelagic imaginable swims past at some point.
First day of spinning, about an hour after we got started, my Samson slim minnow had an explosion of water around it about 2m out from the ledge, and the forked tail of what i thought was a GT slashed through the water and went straight down.
Being about 3m up with significant swell smashing at our feet, and dodging the bommie immediately in front, after we identified it as a big Queenie, Carl hit some fancy gaff work and we landed out first fish of the trip. 117cm and just on 8kg.
F...this is easy, we thought to ourselves, oh little did we know.
Over the next two weeks, we got absolutely weather fisted and shark molested to the point where I think Carl might need counselling.
We landed a total of 2 more school mackeral, a bunch of little fish in the estuary, and nothing else. I got nearspooled to what we think was a Queenie turned shark on the inside, and Carl got sharked hard on what was a very very nice spanish mack.
The place is stunning, but between the weird swell the locals were accounting to La Nina, the heavy crosswind that seems to go whichever direction was the worst for us no matter where we fished, the sharks, and the eventually frustration, we barely landed anything decent. So instead have a heap of photos.
Biiiiig flatty.
Same fish if I used a daiwa and had hair product in.
As always, I got to share some Jiu Jitsu while we were up there, dropping into the Hervey Bay Shark Cage and C4 in Coffs.
And stopped in Coffs Harbour for a few days on the way home. Same deal, heavy winds, 3+ metres of swell and brutal rainstorms saw us confined to limited sessions on the little breakwall, as all the ledges were inaccessible for all but a fraction. Had a spanish jump in front of us a couple of times, and hooked a BIG king out of a school that instantly broke me off on my light setup. Amazing place though.
Coffs is an incredible place and I can see myself living there one day. 1770 / Agnes waters is a beautiful area, but probably a little bit too isolated / small to be able to make a good living. The Catwalk is a spectacular ledge and on it's day one of the best fishing platforms in the country, but i'm not sure i'd ever go back there.
A great trip with great company, smashed by things out of our control.
Till next time kids.
I was lucky enough to find myself with enough time and a willing CarlG to make an epic February trip up to 1770/Agnes Waters with a stop in Coffs Harbour on the way home.
23 hours each way, a total of 5000kms over 19 days, saw us with about 4 really good days of fishing. The wind and swell basically fisted us out of most of the bite windows.
"The Catwalk" at 1770 is up there with 'The Tubes' as in the very top echelon of rock ledges on the east coast, and infact in the country. Most photos don't do justice to the size or scale of the place, and the effort people go to to get to, and effectively fish from this kind of thing.
View to the Catwalk from the headland.
A really awkward, tide sensitive spot in the walk in makes it extremely difficult to get too unless you time it properly. But, it's a stunning, stunning spot to fish, jutting out into the EAC and almost every pelagic imaginable swims past at some point.
First day of spinning, about an hour after we got started, my Samson slim minnow had an explosion of water around it about 2m out from the ledge, and the forked tail of what i thought was a GT slashed through the water and went straight down.
Being about 3m up with significant swell smashing at our feet, and dodging the bommie immediately in front, after we identified it as a big Queenie, Carl hit some fancy gaff work and we landed out first fish of the trip. 117cm and just on 8kg.
F...this is easy, we thought to ourselves, oh little did we know.
Over the next two weeks, we got absolutely weather fisted and shark molested to the point where I think Carl might need counselling.
We landed a total of 2 more school mackeral, a bunch of little fish in the estuary, and nothing else. I got nearspooled to what we think was a Queenie turned shark on the inside, and Carl got sharked hard on what was a very very nice spanish mack.
The place is stunning, but between the weird swell the locals were accounting to La Nina, the heavy crosswind that seems to go whichever direction was the worst for us no matter where we fished, the sharks, and the eventually frustration, we barely landed anything decent. So instead have a heap of photos.
Biiiiig flatty.
Same fish if I used a daiwa and had hair product in.
As always, I got to share some Jiu Jitsu while we were up there, dropping into the Hervey Bay Shark Cage and C4 in Coffs.
And stopped in Coffs Harbour for a few days on the way home. Same deal, heavy winds, 3+ metres of swell and brutal rainstorms saw us confined to limited sessions on the little breakwall, as all the ledges were inaccessible for all but a fraction. Had a spanish jump in front of us a couple of times, and hooked a BIG king out of a school that instantly broke me off on my light setup. Amazing place though.
Coffs is an incredible place and I can see myself living there one day. 1770 / Agnes waters is a beautiful area, but probably a little bit too isolated / small to be able to make a good living. The Catwalk is a spectacular ledge and on it's day one of the best fishing platforms in the country, but i'm not sure i'd ever go back there.
A great trip with great company, smashed by things out of our control.
Till next time kids.
Chasing LBG and sharing a love for the Martial Arts, everywhere, all the time.
LBG Season 2023/4 :
Kingfish : 91
Longtail : 1
LBG Season 2023/4 :
Kingfish : 91
Longtail : 1
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Re: Feb Fever.
Great report Dougie
You and Carl sure got to enjoy some great scenery and that Queenie is epic nice Daiwa flatty too.
Where abouts in Vic fo you regularly train fot BJJ?
You and Carl sure got to enjoy some great scenery and that Queenie is epic nice Daiwa flatty too.
Where abouts in Vic fo you regularly train fot BJJ?
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- davek
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Re: Feb Fever.
Massive post Doug, well done to both of you, cheers davo
It's an exhilarating feeling catching a fish
But it's an even better feeling releasing them
But it's an even better feeling releasing them
- Sebb
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Re: Feb Fever.
Dayumn you're a fit and strong as person. Good on you and great report.
Always wanted to do LBG since I was in my 20s. Now I can barely breath after 5km hike. Lol. Let alone doing what you do.
How heavy is your backpack, rod reel etc? Surely you bring water and food too. Gotta be heavy to carry around, hike up and down the rocks.
Always wanted to do LBG since I was in my 20s. Now I can barely breath after 5km hike. Lol. Let alone doing what you do.
How heavy is your backpack, rod reel etc? Surely you bring water and food too. Gotta be heavy to carry around, hike up and down the rocks.
------------------------------
A fish is a fish
No fish is worth a life, stay safe
A fish is a fish
No fish is worth a life, stay safe
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Re: Feb Fever.
Thank you!
I train and teach at Absolute MMA on Exhibition St in the CBD, and privately out of my home in Glen Waverley.
In VIC, and parts of NSW, long walks are just a part of life. The walk into the Catwalk is about 15 minutes and relatively gentle with only one really sketchy bit, and the fishing at coffs was taking place within 20 metres of the car. Infact, at Coffs I acutally went and got a couple of bacon and egg sanga's and a coffee at the cafe next to the carpark while CarlG kept fishing.Sebb wrote: ↑Tue Mar 16, 2021 9:49 pmDayumn you're a fit and strong as person. Good on you and great report.
Always wanted to do LBG since I was in my 20s. Now I can barely breath after 5km hike. Lol. Let alone doing what you do.
How heavy is your backpack, rod reel etc? Surely you bring water and food too. Gotta be heavy to carry around, hike up and down the rocks.
In VIC except for portland breakwall, and on the south coast ledges at JB the walk is significantly longer and requires far more careful preparation and planning.
Chasing LBG and sharing a love for the Martial Arts, everywhere, all the time.
LBG Season 2023/4 :
Kingfish : 91
Longtail : 1
LBG Season 2023/4 :
Kingfish : 91
Longtail : 1
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Re: Feb Fever.
Thanks Dougie, great report and grouse photos
Cam would have caught more, is that why he wasn't there ??
Seriously well done
Cheers Gra
Cam would have caught more, is that why he wasn't there ??
Seriously well done
Cheers Gra
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Re: Feb Fever.
Cam is experiencing having his first real job and not being able to blow off fishing for a month at a time.
Chasing LBG and sharing a love for the Martial Arts, everywhere, all the time.
LBG Season 2023/4 :
Kingfish : 91
Longtail : 1
LBG Season 2023/4 :
Kingfish : 91
Longtail : 1
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Re: Feb Fever.
Nice work lads. 1770 is def on my list to do at some stage or the other.
Did shorty Actually land anything, or was he just happy to be fisted by the sharks?
Did shorty Actually land anything, or was he just happy to be fisted by the sharks?