2023-01-Jan Westernport Solo
Posted: 31 Jan 2023, 13:00
Hi! I have returned to Melbourne after an absence of 20years. I have spent those 20yrs fishing from a peddle yak - whenever I can. Now I am “Back in Yak”! (Cue Acca Dacca riff).
I have had a few yaktrips around Melbourne in the last two months, getting the vibe, trying different waters. Yesterday, I decided to put the yak in for the first time at Westernport. From GoogleEarth I chose Corinella near Pelican Island as it seemed to be an interesting location with some deepish water nearshore. I chose yesterday because the winds were forecast to be just less than 20kph all day (my comfortable fishing wind speed). The BOM forecast was correct.
The launching facilities at Corinella are good, with multiple, nonslip concrete boatramps and plenty of parking. A police patrol car did a circuit, too, which gave me additional peace of mind. I guess I arrived at low tide and the tidal range was way more than I expected. There was about 2 metres of wet jetty pylon exposed. The mud & weed flats look to be extensive and are bordered by deep channels. Looks fishy from the shore!
My learnings?
1. This is an area best explored with a buddy.
2. When the tide is working, the channels beyond Settlement Point and around Pelican Island are not a spot for the feinthearted yakker. The tidal current can be very strong. I have a fair amount of experience in strong tidal currents and it pushed me towards the edge of my comfort zone.
3. I wouldn’t cross the raging current here in the dark.
4. When I was there, the seagrass soup made it almost unfishable for casting or trolling lures. I would think that the seagrass issue is tidal &/or seasonal and that there are lower tide ranges or seasons when seagrass may be less of an issue. Some areas may also have less free floating grass, but didn’t find them. I will need to research this further as I explore other Westernport locations.
5. Careful timing to visit the area around slack tide would probably be better for both current and weed, as long as you don’t overstay your welcome and the tide lets rip!
After three hours without a fish, a large school of garfish broke through the surface like massed synchronised swimmers, just at the bow of the yak. They skittered along the surface twice more as they moved away. I change lures to something that looks like a garfish and kept trolling & casting. On a stretch of water that allowed 10 or 20 metres of a weed-free retrieve, I finally attracted some fishy attention and hooked & landed a good sized Snook. Once I worked out the pattern, I repeated, to add four more Snook to the tally. I released them all, happy to have found fish before I called it a day.
Note: I am reasonably kitted up and experienced in solo salty yakfishing. My Hobie Outback is stable, manouverable & has good torque. I have a backup paddle. I wear a lifejacket, have a manual bilge pump, have a PLB and fly an orange flag for increased visibility. I have good GPS maps on my Fish Finder. This area also has phone reception and my mobile is in a waterproof pouch.
BUT, even with reasonable kit, the area around Pelican Island it is not an area I will return to solo. It could have become interesting… if, for instance, my vessel had become mildly incapacitated while in the tidal currents (eg I had snapped a pedal drive or had cramped up at the wrong time). If something like this happened (yes, I did think about it) my plan was to head with the current through the whitecaps, into Coronet Bay and then make for shore once I found the current had diluted.
I will be interested to read the approach others take to this area!
I have had a few yaktrips around Melbourne in the last two months, getting the vibe, trying different waters. Yesterday, I decided to put the yak in for the first time at Westernport. From GoogleEarth I chose Corinella near Pelican Island as it seemed to be an interesting location with some deepish water nearshore. I chose yesterday because the winds were forecast to be just less than 20kph all day (my comfortable fishing wind speed). The BOM forecast was correct.
The launching facilities at Corinella are good, with multiple, nonslip concrete boatramps and plenty of parking. A police patrol car did a circuit, too, which gave me additional peace of mind. I guess I arrived at low tide and the tidal range was way more than I expected. There was about 2 metres of wet jetty pylon exposed. The mud & weed flats look to be extensive and are bordered by deep channels. Looks fishy from the shore!
My learnings?
1. This is an area best explored with a buddy.
2. When the tide is working, the channels beyond Settlement Point and around Pelican Island are not a spot for the feinthearted yakker. The tidal current can be very strong. I have a fair amount of experience in strong tidal currents and it pushed me towards the edge of my comfort zone.
3. I wouldn’t cross the raging current here in the dark.
4. When I was there, the seagrass soup made it almost unfishable for casting or trolling lures. I would think that the seagrass issue is tidal &/or seasonal and that there are lower tide ranges or seasons when seagrass may be less of an issue. Some areas may also have less free floating grass, but didn’t find them. I will need to research this further as I explore other Westernport locations.
5. Careful timing to visit the area around slack tide would probably be better for both current and weed, as long as you don’t overstay your welcome and the tide lets rip!
After three hours without a fish, a large school of garfish broke through the surface like massed synchronised swimmers, just at the bow of the yak. They skittered along the surface twice more as they moved away. I change lures to something that looks like a garfish and kept trolling & casting. On a stretch of water that allowed 10 or 20 metres of a weed-free retrieve, I finally attracted some fishy attention and hooked & landed a good sized Snook. Once I worked out the pattern, I repeated, to add four more Snook to the tally. I released them all, happy to have found fish before I called it a day.
Note: I am reasonably kitted up and experienced in solo salty yakfishing. My Hobie Outback is stable, manouverable & has good torque. I have a backup paddle. I wear a lifejacket, have a manual bilge pump, have a PLB and fly an orange flag for increased visibility. I have good GPS maps on my Fish Finder. This area also has phone reception and my mobile is in a waterproof pouch.
BUT, even with reasonable kit, the area around Pelican Island it is not an area I will return to solo. It could have become interesting… if, for instance, my vessel had become mildly incapacitated while in the tidal currents (eg I had snapped a pedal drive or had cramped up at the wrong time). If something like this happened (yes, I did think about it) my plan was to head with the current through the whitecaps, into Coronet Bay and then make for shore once I found the current had diluted.
I will be interested to read the approach others take to this area!