Anyone Fishing?

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Jeff
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

Post by Jeff »

Safe trip Lee!!! Good luck!! Jeff

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BarraMan
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

Post by BarraMan »

The first 500 miles of my 2500 mile fishing odyessy completed today. Sorry, no pics or video as was running late! :D
I'm in Cloncurry, a mining and cattle town to the west of where I live in Townsville - locally known as 'The Curry'.

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A girl I went to school with became a high school teacher and her first posting was to Mount Isa, also a mining town some 80 miles further west.
While there she was living in a unit with other teachers, nurses etc.
One night she was asked if she would like to go to 'The Curry' with them.
She thought, "That sounds nice"!
They got in a car and drove and drove and drove.
She thought, "This Indian restaurant is a long way out of town"! :lol:

A further 560 miles tomorrow - picking up #2 son off a plane in the "Isa"on the way past!

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BarraMan
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

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OK, so my fishing trip was an unmitigated disaster! I don't want to talk about it - and you can't make me! :lol:

1) Hit a kangaroo on the way up there - a wallaroo actually! :help: They are solid muscle - like hitting a wild hog. Took out the left headlight, my two large spot lights and the right hand fog and park lights. So it managed to spread itself right across the front of the Discovery - then disappeared into the bush! Some other cosmetic damage. We have things called bullbars - it took most of the hit. With voluntary excess of $400 and 'collision with animal' excess of $600, I was down $1k before I even got there. Fortunately the vehicle remained drivable!
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2) It blew 25 kts the whole time we were there, making it difficult to travel anywhere out into the gulf.

3) It was too windy for Darcy the Drone to do its thing!

4) There was a cold turn, for the gulf - high 90oF instead of 100+ and water temps of around 80oC instead of 86+ = barra very reluctant to bite.

5) My brand new Minn Kota Ulterra trolling motor played up the whole time - refusing to deploy or stow and occasionally throwing a tantrum and putting itself to bed uncommanded!

6) We travelled 300+nm, threw 100,000 lure casts and boated 2 barra in 4 days! 8O

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7) Then there was a covid scare in an indigenous community 60 miles away from us and the NT brought a mask mandate into play. I got the wind up that we would get locked down and I would be stuck in the Northern Territory so I packed up and bolted for the State border to get back into Queensland (Qld) - some 500 miles away. Just after I crossed the border, Qld slammed the door by declaring the part of the NT where I was a covid hotspot, and making it near impossible to cross the border without doing 14 days mandatory quarantine - even though I am fully vaxed, haven't been anywhere near a covid case, have no symptoms, and would gladly get a test.

4 days driving and 4 days fishing for two barra - both of which were eaten for dinners!

I am now 1000 miles into the 1250 mile drive home!

PS: We are already planning next year's trip! :lol:

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cape man
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

Post by cape man »

Great post! I have had similar experiences with my annual Cape Sable trip. Not as far as yours, but weeks of planning and preparation only to have equipment and weather throw everything they have at you. I too still keep going back.
Crazy about the way they are dealing with Covid.
The world always seems brighter when you've just made something that wasn't there before - Neil Gaiman

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VT_Jeff
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

Post by VT_Jeff »

We like to say that there are "climbing" days and there are "sledding" days. Sounds like you just put a few climbing days behind you, which means you have some sledding days due!

On the trolling motor, mine was acting up for a while and it actually turned out to be the breaker. Once I took that out of line it returned to perfect operation.
There are only two seasons in Vermont: boating season, and boat-building season.

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Jeff
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

Post by Jeff »

Wow Barraman, what a trip!!! Jeff

Fuzz
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

Post by Fuzz »

It is great to see how well you are handling the travails of this trip. All I can say is you sure must love fishing for barra. All of your trips have been quite the adventures.

TomW1
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

Post by TomW1 »

Wow Barraman, what a trip. I guess that is is why it's called fishing and not catching. :lol:

Tom
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BarraMan
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

Post by BarraMan »

Thanks all for the comments and the sympathy! :D
I'm home now and the 'crew' are all home safe and well - that's the most important thing. The rest is just stuff that can be fixed with some $$. Another adventure to add to the great tapestry of life! :lol:
I think I need to admit myself to some sort of rehabilitation/detox, as I spent most of my driving time planning my next two fishing adventures! :help:

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Jaysen
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Re: Anyone Fishing?

Post by Jaysen »

BarraMan wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 9:58 pm I think I need to admit myself to some sort of rehabilitation/detox, as I spent most of my driving time planning my next two fishing adventures! :help:
I don’t see the problem here.

Build crazy boat that you enjoy.
Build crazy boat to case a fish in difficult places.
Build crazy boat and take family and friends on adventures.

If you weren’t planning a few more trips you’d just be crazy.
My already completed 'Lil Bit'. A Martens Goosen V12 set up to sail me to the fishing holes.
Currently working on making a Helms 24 our coastal cruiser.
“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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