Hey guys,

I'm back. This trip south, to Hamelin was pretty much a last minute decision. Herbs came about with the planning and booking, while Chris settled the logistic, basically Jeff and I just tagged along with the trip. So a big thanks to the two gentlemen for the invite.



Day 1, 1st of May, we set off at 4pm and arrived at Hamelin Caravan Park around 3 hours later. Picked the keys to our room and we’re off to the local pub for dinner. After countless pints of beer and tall tales, we resided back into the caravan, looking forward to some very intense fishing the next day.



Day 2, 2nd of May, we’re greeted with a hazy morning, presuming a forest fire had broken out over the night, which would otherwise had been a beautiful morning; weather was calm and the swells were down. By 10am, all 3 of us excluding Jeff were down at the beach ready to launch our kayaks.



Fishing was hot if you consider WRASSE a catch… every notches, crevices and nicks were screaming with wrasses; big and small in every color. After bagging a gazillion of them, we called it quit (by the way, they’re all caught and released). A few bull herrings and skippies were kept for tea.



Highlight of the day was a huge seal which went round Chris’s yak, giving him a good scare and then passed between Herb and myself, all the while throwing an angry stare at Herb.

Back on land, we’re very surprise to see the commercial fishermen rounding up and netting a huge school of salmon, estimating 5 tons, so late in the season. It was my first time seeing how it’s done, a sight to remember and to judge on how wasteful those beautiful pelagic fishes ending up as pet food or crayfish bait, something which I’ll never understand.



Btw, Jeff found himself a patch firing with sand whitings while bait fishing from the shore. The day ended with a delicious servicing of fry fish graciously cooked by Herb. Also had POD, pasta of the day which got washed down beautifully with plenty more beers at the pub.

Day 3, 3rd of May at 6am, I walked out the public washroom just off the beach, a small school of salmon cruising pass the breakers caught my sign. Happened to be a well prepared, I’ve got the gears with me and in goes the popper. The line tightened after a mere slight pop and I strike. BANG!!! Effortlessly it took me to the back of a reef some 20 meters away which ping me off, all within 30 seconds. There goes my lure. Went back and had breakfast. What a start to a gorgeous morning!!!

Again no dramas, by 9am our kayaks got out in between some sandy patches. Burley up and our kayaks was swarm with fishes. It was a case of baiting up the hook, drop the rig down to the bottom, tap, tap and the BANG..ZZzzz!!!! While Herbs and Chris were bagging in on the horses, over 40 centimeters Skippy, I was getting their smaller counterpart with wrasses in the mix.



Amongst the chaos, Chris shouted over my shoulder that he saw a school of what he reckoned salmons in the hundreds swam under his kayak toward Herbs and me. Poppers were casted in random directions.

Highlight of the day, I saw herbs winding his popper just about boat side when SPOOSH, a salmon went for it. All I can say it was big salmon. Too bad it didn’t stay connected. At the speed the school was moving through, it was pointless to chase and the action died down soon after. Those skippys would have shitted their pants when a school of hungry salmons swam through them. Had a safe surf return not long after. Some spear-fisherman found my lure the salmon took in the morning and was given back to me.. thats random.



Oh… I got my hands on some huge abalones. Those green lips make my roe abalones collection child’s play. It’s time to get my scuba gears ready and to prepare myself to brave the element; the GWS aka Great White Shark.



I’m so tired; guess my age is catching up.

Ps. I’ll do a write out on what I can recollect from my pass abalones harvest when I have the time. Stay tune!!!

Cheers,
Josh Tan