Bynoe for not much...........

FROM THE STIG ....check his blog at http://swoffingntwaters.blogspot.com.au/

 ...checked the wind forecast - 5-10 knots till midday and tapering off to dead calm by three pm
Tides weren't looking too bad either - high just before dawn, low of 2m at 11:30am
Should be a good weekend and no troubles getting boat back on trailer due to no tidal water at ramp

However the fishing gurus on the radio said it would be a great day for fishing - surely a precursor to a bad day! (I didn't listen to my pessimistic side!)
Saturday night I caught up with regular deckie - Canadian Pete at the Sand Palms pub
He and his wife brought along their camper trailer for us to stay over night in

We had a great Saturday afternoon chatting and carrying on, then watch a few new fly fishing video clips I had downloaded recently
Then had a great meal (as always) at the Sand Palms pub

There was a bit of hen's night in the motel area that carried on for a while but at least it wasn't rap music they were playing - rather my sort of music = aside from their raucous singing attempts, I quite enjoyed the music selection being played.
Although 80 meters away from our camping spot - they went on for all hours
Thank goodness I had the ear plugs in and I slept all night

Come 6am up and got the boat ready - lets go!
The Deckie forgot his coffee  - sad for him!!
Dawn with the the smoke haze of the dry season made for an awesome sunrise

Wind was up a bit but that was predicted - we kept heading to Bynoe mouth hoping the weather forecasters had got the wind forecast right

We first fished the flat at back of Turtle Island (Turkey Island on some maps) but water clarity was very poor and together with wave action proved spotting a fish before they spotted us - impossible

Not that we saw much - no bow waves, no scattering bait as predators attacked them
round corner into a creek we found some bait but not much else

Peter as usual, kept casting and casting into edges of mangroves where we were hoping for a barra
Peter eventually hooked up and we thought with the first glance of the flash of silver and shape of tail - Barra at last we thought - if a little small, but when finally in the net it was just an Ock Ock or Javelin fish -
While not the wanted barra it was still a new species for Peter

We ventured over to the flats on inside of Turtle island and here large bait were being absolutely hammered by something quite large. huge shoals of bait were spraying and leaping over the surface but we bottomed out on mud getting to them and I had to hop out and push
We were seeing a few slashes and managed a baby Queenie or ten. a few baby Trevs too

But we were wanting and waiting for the calm conditions to venture further out into the mouth of Bynoe Harbour and chase tuna if they were about

But the calm conditions didn't arrive as expected

We fished Simms reef but it was wind blown, rough and seemed empty
Round on the flats side of Simms we did have a cast at three large blue bastards but the flies were wrong, they were cruising and soon departed the flat after our feeble attempts.

With wind not even looking like slowing, we went through the ugly wave chop (slowly) and eventually got to Hutt Point. Here again the small baby Queenie were there on a reef covered with a meter of water - providing a few minutes of fun. The tide was coming in and the fish moved and so did we

I did manage a new species fish for myself - a bat fish

It took the small white clouser on the drop - quite unexpected

The wind still was not dropping significantly as predicted but at least no white caps, so we took a chance and went back the 6km back to Simms Reef

However, again it was empty!!!!

So we ventured back towards the boat ramp via the inside of Indian Island towards Milne Inlet and its boat ramp near the Sand Palms Pub
We did had some moments of excitement on a few rock bars out of wind on west side of Indian Island along the way as the tide pushed over them creating funnel and current points
A slash here and there kept us casting but again for no luck

Final stop for the day was Knife Island and what we call the Bucket on the north east corner
Its a L shaped rock bar that usually always hold fish. but not today.
However the flats leading to the west did hold a million or so baitfish
but not many predators
We caught a few queenies but small again
We saw a few real tiny mackerel few jumping but that was about it

I thought with the wind forecast, and the tides  - plus it being Bynoe would have made for a great fishing day
but it was not the case

Maybe it was the several days of cooler than normal temperatures

Whatever it was - IT SUCKS!!!!!
Several times I mention we would have been better fishing Darwin Harbour as at least we would not have the one and half hour drive home.

Having said that Bynoe is an awesome fishing location =- well most times!
And any day SWOFFING is better than sitting at home

So go tie some flies and get out there!! - flies can't catch anything if  they are not stripped through the water