Paddlefield 1st full episode

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Kingo
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Re: Paddlefield 1st full episode

Post by Kingo »

Mate that was awesome, I've been waiting awhile for this and you've done a great job, was great to see father and son on the yak at the end :up:
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wokka1
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Re: Paddlefield 1st full episode

Post by wokka1 »

Yakass wrote:, I haven't been overly encouraged since returning, and I base that on the total lack of feedback on off-shore fishing from kayakers here. Seems almost everyone is settled on PPB or Western Port, and very few guys actually head off shore into the ocean.
This could become an interesting discussion I reckon. There are guys doing it, some on the forum, probably many who are not. You have probably nailed one aspect in that we are quite "Bay" centric down here. Perhaps it's a hangover from the grass roots of the sport which may or may not have come from a boating background which is dominated by snapper in spring and whiting in summer and most of it done inside the Heads. Add to that most of our population is centered around the northern end of PPB. Also, weather wise, the number of days available beyond the breakers when cold temps and often prevailing SE'ers might not make the gear outlay economical for most.

A few generalisations there i know, and i've only been into the sports for a couple years but there's a couple theories on short notice. When I noticed you had moved down South it did cross my mind that you might find it a bit tame ;)

Vikodin, Cruiser, Mingle are a few guys that get out, apologies to those I can't recall.
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Wokka. (aka...Fruitbat)
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vikodin
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Re: Paddlefield 1st full episode

Post by vikodin »

That is bloody awesome :clap:

Noticed a few of you using Okuma salina's and was wondering how they hold up with the salt water thrashing they must cop.
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Bretty
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Re: Paddlefield 1st full episode

Post by Bretty »

Top vid great job :thumbsup:

I think offshore vic yak fishing is a bit like fishing for Ep's and mulloway, there are people they just hide and you need guys you can trust in any situation as I'm sure your well aware of :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Brett
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Re: Paddlefield 1st full episode

Post by Yakass »

Good points mate. Yes, the Vic scene is very bay-centric and I can understand why most people would feel that way. Geography being one, and perception being the other. PPB is protected by land from all sides, so its not like you can get blown to tasmania (unless too close to the heads). That said, I do think that many people have the wrong perception about how safe the bay is. Washing machine conditions are far more likely to occur in the bay than offshore, and I believe its these conditions that get people into trouble in the bay.

Your point about gear expenses is a good one - it is more expensive to gear up for offshore stuff if you gear up properly (PLBs, etc). Without the right gear, people should not be venturing too far off shore. Fortunately most people grasp this :-)

There is something else I have noticed about the Vic yak fishing scene since returning, though what I'm about to say is through the lens of someone who sells Hobie's for a living. It is a devoutly Outback and Pro Angler scene here. I think this is partly because those boats have been favourites among store owners and staff, resuling in many of these models being out there, and thus, many people recommending them to others. And PA's and Outbacks are NOT much good for ambitious off shore fishing. I notice many customers jaws drop in shock when they ask me which kayak I prefer for fishing, and I reply 'Adventure Island'.

For example, in the Maclean outdoors store in NSW where I have come from, we actually sold many more Revos than outbacks, and about as many Adventures than Outbacks. And we sold way way more Islands than Pro Anglers. Once again, this is partly due to staff influence, but more because of where and how people were planning to use them. Currents are stronger up that way and hydrodynamics becomes more important. Also partly because of where we demo'd the yaks, in waters where you could really see the difference between the OB/PAs vs Adv/Revos in choppy water and especially windy conditions. But its the other way around down this way. Its all about stability, stability, stability down here apparently, which is kind of odd to me, given that stability is the first thing most beginner kayakers stop fretting about once they get started. Its almost as if people think anything but an OB or PA (from hobie's range) isn't stable, to which I beg to differ. I've racked up 6000+km in a Revo, tipped it once, and that happened while surfing waves. I've never tipped the Adventure, and probably done even more milage in that (but have almost flipped the AI, though it took 3 metre swell and stupidity to cause it).
Hobie kayak specialist - SLH - http://www.slhobie.com.au/
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vikodin
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Re: Paddlefield 1st full episode

Post by vikodin »

wokka1 wrote:
Yakass wrote:, I haven't been overly encouraged since returning, and I base that on the total lack of feedback on off-shore fishing from kayakers here. Seems almost everyone is settled on PPB or Western Port, and very few guys actually head off shore into the ocean.
This could become an interesting discussion I reckon. There are guys doing it, some on the forum, probably many who are not. You have probably nailed one aspect in that we are quite "Bay" centric down here. Perhaps it's a hangover from the grass roots of the sport which may or may not have come from a boating background which is dominated by snapper in spring and whiting in summer and most of it done inside the Heads. Add to that most of our population is centered around the northern end of PPB. Also, weather wise, the number of days available beyond the breakers when cold temps and often prevailing SE'ers might not make the gear outlay economical for most.

A few generalisations there i know, and i've only been into the sports for a couple years but there's a couple theories on short notice. When I noticed you had moved down South it did cross my mind that you might find it a bit tame ;)

Vikodin, Cruiser, Mingle are a few guys that get out, apologies to those I can't recall.
There are a few good options down here but nothing like the quality, variety and consistency you would expect further north or West.
One thing I'm surprised in is no one down here really targets threshers as they are in good numbers here and you don't need to go far offshore to get them.
Being one of the fastest fish in the ocean they would be great fun yak based.
The thing is though there are probably as many mako's getting around so makes it a bit interesting what straw you get.

I don't really have the most suitable yak for offshore sessions but get out there a bit, currently 100m from my doorstep are kingies swimming around and i'm finding it really hard to find a day suitable weather wise and with other commitments thrown in it is truly frustrating knowing they are there but i cant give them a decent crack.
Anyway I think what wokka1 said was pretty much on the money.
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Dodger
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Re: Paddlefield 1st full episode

Post by Dodger »

Josh.... that was awesome...well done... I am very impressed, very professional.. :clap: :clap: :clap: . looking forward to the next episode... looked great on the big screen too...
cheers
Barry
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Yellow
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Re: Paddlefield 1st full episode

Post by Yellow »

Great work Josh! Great footage and great editing - certainly whets the appetite for kayak fishing, even if the bay might not offer quite this sort of sport.

Top vid :thumbsup:
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mingle
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Re: Paddlefield 1st full episode

Post by mingle »

Interesting discussion...

I think (since the weather predominantly comes the the SW?) that offshore conditions
tend to be far less favourable down here than along the East coast. I could be wrong.

But the few times I've managed to get offshore, I've had to make sure I had light
offshore winds and low swells. Those conditions seem to be pretty rare...

Even moderate onshore weather (which seems to be 90% of the time) make
things pretty rough and uncomfortable. My mate sometimes heads out in a boat
(6m barcrusher) and even he finds brisk SWs less than enjoyable. Being out
there in a yak is even more of a ordeal and far more dangerous.

Also, there seems to be a far more exciting range of species available in the
warmer waters up the coast. Down here there are a few kingies, makos and
the odd tuna to temp people away from the bays. A far cry from the dazzling
choice up along the NSW and QLD coasts.

Cheers,

Mike.
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Re: Paddlefield 1st full episode

Post by Yakass »

Yeah Mike, thats true to. The species range is very different, so a little less inspiring I agree. And you could be spot on regarding conditions. I'm really just going on what I have observed whenever I've looked at reports, and I've actually been surprised how many days I'm seeing with less than a metre swell.

In any case, I'm determined to make it work off shore (having an AI helps). I reckon I'll be working from WP a fair bit, heading straight out into the big blue. A lot of Wilsons Prom time is in my future to :-)
Hobie kayak specialist - SLH - http://www.slhobie.com.au/
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