Anyone Fishing?

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Fuzz
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

Post by Fuzz »

Lee I just had to go over your epic trip again. You did not close it out, how did things go on the trip home? With the trip you have seems like lots of opportunity for more thrills. :help:

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BarraMan
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

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Fuzz wrote: Sat Dec 10, 2022 4:15 pm Lee I just had to go over your epic trip again. You did not close it out, how did things go on the trip home? With the trip you have seems like lots of opportunity for more thrills. :help:
Ha! Yes, my apologies! I have been busy getting the boat back in top working order for our annual Xmas down south with the extended family. I'll do some more today - it only gets worse, and I am still dealing with some PTSD issues as a result! :lol:

Have yet to make up my mind as to whether that was our last trip to the McArthur R. The fishing was great but the trip was brutal! :help

DAY 6 - Fat Fellows Creek

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Early start (up at 04:00 - on the water at 05:00). Run down the McArthur, out into the Gulf and head east to Fat Fellows Ck (sorry, I don't know the origins of the name! :D ), about a 45 nm run.
We fished snags and drains. After the start of the rising tide we moved to the mouth where a couple of drains were full of fish. We left them still on the chew to head home. 26 legal barra boated and released for the day. My Brother had bragging rights with a 750 cm (2') fish!

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A following sea made for an easy trip back to the river mouth.Image
Last edited by BarraMan on Sat Dec 10, 2022 11:42 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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BarraMan
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

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DAY 7 - The Carrington Channel

A late start to fishing today! We have been threatened by storms for the last few days so decided to relocate my Brothers aeroplane from the dirt strip at King Ash Bay to the closest sealed airstrip at nearby Boroloola township some 25 miles away. Having done that we headed down the Carrington Channel to some spots where we have previously caught barra on most of our fishing trips. This is a quick summary ....... we caught NOTHING = didely squat!

The wildlife were having a nice day out though!

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DAY 8 - The Twins

Not marked on the map above but is the spot west of Fat Fellows Ck.

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We boated 17 barra for the day, within 100 yds of the marker. Fish of the trip went to fishing mate Craig with a 2.8' barra.

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DAY 9 - Last day of fishing is a no-brainer = back to The Twins!

The river and the Gulf were like glass this morning, giving us an easy 1hr 5 min run for the 35 nm to The Twins sitting on about 30 kts all the way! 8O

22 barra boated!

126 for the trip! :D :D :D :D :D :D
Last edited by BarraMan on Sun Dec 11, 2022 1:19 am, edited 2 times in total.

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BarraMan
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

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DAY 10 - Pack up and head for home (only 1,250 miles away!)

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Departed King Ash Bay about 12:00 and headed for overnight at the Barkly Homestead Roadhouse some 340 miles away. Shredded 2 x trailer tires along the way, caused by the sh*tty road and the crappy Chinese tires (note the rounded tread)! Changed them for the 2 x spares I carry, but leaving me with no spare trailer tires for the rest of the journey. The following day is Sunday - so no hope of buying some new tires in the small outback towns along the way! :help:

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A few beers, a nice dinner and a good sleep was had by all!


DAY 11 - Barkly Homestead Roadhouse to Mt Isa and on to Hughenden

I dropped the boys off at the Mt Isa airport (280 miles) about midday for their 19:00 flight to Brisbane and continued on my journey east with no spare trailer tires. Overnight at a little town about 250 miles from my home in Townsville. Unfortunately Qantas cancelled the flight from Mt Isa to Brisbane (cancelling flights has become commonplace for Qantas!) and the boys had to o/night in Isa and take the 09:00 flight next morning.

DAY 12 - Hughenden to Townsville

I woke up early and decided to push my luck by continuing without any spare wheels for the boat trailer. I figure I was close enough to home so that if I blew another tire or had a flat I would just whistle up a tow truck under my breakdown assist policy. I got home about midday with no further issues! :) :) :) :)

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BarraMan
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

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In summary - a great fishing trip, if you ignore the repair bill! :doh:

Boat trailer: 3 x wrecked tires; 2 x broken springs (on inspecting the springs on arrival home I discovered another one had a broken leaf). When I replaced that spring I discovered that I had also dropped one brake pad on that wheel, chewed up the other pad and had a bent brake caliper which required replacement. I still can't get my head around how that could have happened. :help:

Boat: Broken trim-tab switch; bent propeller; broken o/board skeg and mangled skeg guard!

I have spent the last couple of weeks repairing everything in preparation for Xmas holiday with family down south!

That may be my last fishing trip to King Ash Bay - not sure that I can afford to travel on the Tableland Hwy again :doh: , although I do have a cabin booked for November 2023! 8O I am, however, considering a new fishing destination in April :lol: to fish the Albert and Leichhardt Rivers out of Burketown on the Gulf of Carpentaria in far north Queensland - only 700 miles from home!

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PS: I towed the boat about 6,000 miles in 2022! 8O :help: :lol:

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cape man
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

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I know you had issues with the first torsion axle, but I'll never go back to springs. I put a new one on my trailer after 6 years of saltwater launching. Actually easier to install than new springs in my opinion. The cheap Chinese tires are an issue for me as well so I carry 2 spares as well as extra hubs with prepacked bearings. I am not even close to your distance for the annual adventure ( 300 miles each way) and running on improved roads, but trailer issues are the worst in my mind.

We are going down in January to the Cape again. For me the question is the effort and trouble getting all our gear and my aging crew set up for a week of camping on a remote beach versus finding a place with a roof and walls. Keep telling myself it will keep me young but the body is starting to argue with that.

Your annual trip to the McArthur is indeed a big task but the images and stories you have documented here are inspirational. I for one hope you go again next November.
The world always seems brighter when you've just made something that wasn't there before - Neil Gaiman

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BarraMan
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

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cape man wrote: Sun Dec 11, 2022 6:35 am I know you had issues with the first torsion axle, but I'll never go back to springs. I put a new one on my trailer after 6 years of saltwater launching. Actually easier to install than new springs in my opinion. The cheap Chinese tires are an issue for me as well so I carry 2 spares as well as extra hubs with prepacked bearings. I am not even close to your distance for the annual adventure ( 300 miles each way) and running on improved roads, but trailer issues are the worst in my mind. We are going down in January to the Cape again. For me the question is the effort and trouble getting all our gear and my aging crew set up for a week of camping on a remote beach versus finding a place with a roof and walls. Keep telling myself it will keep me young but the body is starting to argue with that. Your annual trip to the McArthur is indeed a big task but the images and stories you have documented here are inspirational. I for one hope you go again next November.
Thanks for the encouragement, its greatly appreciated! :D I know that some on here like to hear of our adventures and a look at a different part of the world.

I was feeling pretty beat up by the time I got home from this trip, but I am pretty resilient and mentally robust, so I bounced back quickly! :lol: I expect to be back on the McArthur again next year. We have been talking about it and plan to target BIG fish for at least a couple of days next trip. I don't think we have anything to prove when it comes to catching numbers of barra!

Yes, one trip to the NT destroyed the rubber torsion bar suspension trailer that I originally had the boat on. I don't regret changing to a roller-rocker spring suspension. It has now done 6 trips to the NT, and the broken springs, while a pain in the butt at the time, are really only a minor inconvenience - if you are carrying a spare.

I try to be prepared for most issues on these trips because getting help can be a problem or an impossibility. I carry two spare wheels for the trailer, two spare hubs with bearing fitted, and a spare spring. I am going to carry two spare springs in future - and will most likely never need them! :lol: Seems to be the way!

They tell me that technically I am a senior citizen but I am still quite agile - so I am aging disgracefully! My Brother is 2 yrs older and is considerably less mobile than I am. However, he loves his barra fishing so I feel its something that we should enjoy together while we can. The bars you can see on the boat in some of the pics are mostly there to insure that he stays onboard! :help: The other two in the usual crew are half our age and do most of the work and driving once I pick them up from the airport about half way from my home to King Ash Bay. My son has been chasing barra with me since he was about 10 yrs old (now 36) and mate Craig is a former pro-fisher from down south who just loves barra fishing. His enthusiasm is quite infectious!

We are very fortunate to be able to do what we do. I could fill the boat 10 times over with friends I know who would love to come fishing with us - makes me feel guilty at times!

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BarraMan
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

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POSTSCRIPT: - It could have been worse!

On the way back home from King Ash Bay, we stayed o/night at the Barkly Homestead Roadhouse (BHR). This is an essential fuel stop for us having driven 250 miles since the last available fuel and with 160 miles ahead to the next available fuel.

We were there on Saturday night! In the wee small hours of the following Monday morning, they had a fire in the kitchen which resulted in the whole place being closed, ie no fuel available. We were carrying extra fuel and could have made it to the next roadhouse some 160 miles further east - JUST! Without the extra fuel we would have been STUCK! :help: Not a huge problem for me but the boys would have missed their flight home - even the delayed one!

People complain about the cost of fuel at the BHR, but if it wasn't there you would need to carry fuel for about 450 miles, towing a 2.5T boat and pray that the next fuel stop was fully functional!

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Jaysen
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

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The Full Hookups crew went on a meat run. 120lbs for the freezers. I’m the guy taking the pictures.

Two big boys pulled 50+. The three “little” ones were 28-37.
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Tonight Mrs and I split half a steak. This is the top loin (sashimi), side loin (rare), and belly (lightly fried. Served over rice wine seasoned rice. I think I’m hooked.
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My already completed 'Lil Bit'. A Martens Goosen V12 set up to sail me to the fishing holes.
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“Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens” wrote:Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.
Jaysen wrote: Mon Apr 29, 2019 3:44 pm I tried to say something but God thought I was wrong and filled my mouth with saltwater. I kept my pie hole shut after that.

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cape man
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

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Oh Hell Yes!
The world always seems brighter when you've just made something that wasn't there before - Neil Gaiman

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