Tag: fishing
Roonga Point Campground (Free Camp)
The Tubes – Jervis Bay, New South Wales
Jervis Bay is an oceanic bay with several seaside villages and towns including the township of Jervis Bay. Located on the South Coast of New South Wales it is approximately 3 hour drive south of Sydney. The natural beauty of the area and the abundance wildlife that call it home make it a popular holiday destination and a must visit.
The beautiful white sands and pristine water make it the perfect destination for people that love the water. There are beaches that are perfect for kayaking and paddle boarding and those that are well known for their surf breaks. There are also some excellent dive sites scattered throughout the bay including a a submerged Fairey Firefly a WWII aeroplane .
For us there was a different reason that we made the almost 13 hour trip from Brisbane to Jervis Bay…. The Black Marlin.
For many rock fishos ‘The Tubes’ in Jervis Bay is considered the birth place of land based game fishing in Australia. Land based game fishing takes fishing off the rocks to a whole new level targeting pelagic fish that most people considered as target species on game fishing boats. It is the Jervis Bay headland that protrudes into the Tasman Sea that makes it the perfect spot for land based game fishing. The area is known for pelagic fish like king fish, snapper, tuna and black marlin.
‘The Tubes’ are located on the Beecroft Peninsula the northern headland of Jervis Bay. To access the tubes you need to go through the Department of Defence’s Beecroft Weapons Range, access to the area is restricted by a boom gate you are required to provide identification to obtain access. The area is closed to public visitors, other than authorised campers, from 9 pm till 2 am everyday.
The Beecroft Weapons Range is still in use for live firings by the Australian Navy so may be closed at certain times. This information is available on the Beecroft Weapons Range and Peninsula Facebook page. The area is also marked with red flags and signage during closures.
As tempting as it sounds to head down there and hook yourself a big one the tubes are not for the average fishing rig or casual fisho. For starters you will need some heavy duty gear something that will handle the fish you are targeting, Brendon uses his Shimano Tiagra 50wlrsa or 80wlrsa with 130lb braid, heavy leader and some special hook set ups that we make in arts and craft time. You will also need a kiddie pool to store your large live bait, an aerator to keep them happy, an extendable gaff for when you hook that big one and all the other bits and pieces you normally take.
You will need to carry all your gear and enough food and water for the day along a bush track, down some steep metal stairs and across the rocky ledges to secure a place. The walk takes approximately 30-40 mins and not an easy stroll so you don’t want to be forgetting anything when you head down. Oh and you will also need to get there well before the sunrises to even have a chance of getting a spot.
So is it worth all the effort? If you are a mad fisher and looking for a challenge or to tick a large pelagic off your bucket list, Yes it is. It is one of the best places to go land based game fishing and all the people that return every season is proof of that. Sadly, we were there it was the very start of the marlin season and Brendon wasn’t able to tick a black marlin off the bucket list so we will be going back to Jervis Bay for another longer stay in the marlin season.
Jervis Bay is definitely somewhere that you should have on your list of places to visit. With the natural beauty of the bay and surrounding national parks, quaint seaside towns and villages, markets and great seafood it really has something for everyone.
More information on fishing ‘The Tubes’ visit:
- Beecroft Weapons Range and Peninsula Facebook page
- Fishing the Tubes website by Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW
- DPI Website – Go Fishing Jervis Bay
- DPI Website –Jervis Bay Fishing Hot Spots Map
- DPI Website – Recreational Fishing Fees
What can save a fishing trip, ‘thongs’ or ‘pluggers’?
For our travels we decided to sell our much loved tinny for a smaller one to go on the roof of the Patrol. So in the weeks leading up to our departure we ordered a Clarke Predator 355, we wanted a few customisations and Clarke were more than happy to accommodate. With the delivery date being only days before we were leaving there was no time for delays.
Brendon had designed modifications to our existing roof rack to become our new roof top boat loader but we experienced delays with the fabrication and when received it was not as designed and we didn’t have time to have it rectified in Brisbane before we left on our adventures. We were stuck with a boat loader that was not right and a dilemma, do we now take our modfied roof rack to Sydney and get it re-refabricated down there or do we go with what we had originally really wanted but considered too expensive at the time which was an Almac Boat Loader. The decision was made easy when the quotes to remove the modifications that had been made and remake the loader to Brendon’s specifications was going to cost almost the same as an Almac Boat Loader. Almac Trailers are based in Bundaberg (also known as East Bundaberg Engineering), we would be passing through Bundy on our way north so we made arrangements to get it underway.
The boat loader was now under control but we still did not have a motor. Brendon was tossing up between the 4stroke or 2 stroke Mercury motors, If we went the 4 then the rear outboard mount would have to be modified, and the 4 is a lot heaver, 2 strokes are on the other hand on their way out with some dams already banning them. In the end the 2 stroke won out, largely due to the weight and cost. With only one Mercury dealer in Bundaberg we were lucky to walk in and they had a second hand American style (reverse on the throttle) in fair condition on the showroom floor. Just like that we had a motor for our tinny.
It turned out we were in Bundaberg for two weeks rather than two days, due to issues with our brand new camper meant we were behind schedule. We took some time out to visit 1770, Agnes Waters and Baffle Creek, where we actually had to cut our day short and evacuate due to bushfires. Besides been messed around by the camper manufacturer, it looked like Mother Nature was against us making it to Cape York. There were predictions of a tropical low/cyclone heading towards the Cape which meant roads north could be blocked off. With all the terrible fires that seemed to be breaking out in Queensland we decided to drive inland to avoid them. In a rush to get up to the Cape to make it before the impending cyclone we drove long hours and arrived on the 5th December before any real weather issues began.
Several times we talked about taking the tinny out for her maiden voyage but it wasn’t till two months after we purchased it that we finally were heading out. All packed up for a few hours on Jackey Jackey Creek Cape York Qld there was a little bit of excitement and nerves. We had never used the boat loader with just us and had never tested the motor (other then the obligatory run in the tank at the marine shop in Bundaberg) and now we were in croc country.
We pulled up to the boat ramp and unloaded the tinny for the first time, it definitely wasn’t the smoothest process with being under constant attack by sand flies and mosquitos and the frequent check over your shoulder to make sure nothing was eyeing you off for dinner. With the tinny unloaded, all the gear sorted and the motor attached all that was left was put in the bung and walk it down the ramp into croc water. It was then we realised that the bung that was provided with the tinny was the wrong size.
It had been 2 months since we bought the tinny, 2 months it has been on the roof of the truck waiting to go out, Brendon had been counting every day, although the bung is a minor issue we had to travel, prepare, unload the tinny, put all the gear in it. I could tell Brendon was more then mildly upset by the exact words he yelled out to me that day “The *freaking bung is wrong.”. Personally not being to keen on the current environment I started to put everything back in the truck thinking well we will have to do this some other time.
Brendon was determined there was no way in hell that we weren’t going out in the tinny today. The hole just needs to be plugged up. Off came the new thongs, they were cut up and a piece squished into the hole. Problem solved… being not so keen on the idea of going out water with a piece of thong stopping the tinny from sinking I reminded Brendon about the croc situation but we were going and that was that.
With our thong bung we headed out on the Jackey Jackey for an enjoyable but thoroughly unsuccessful afternoon of fishing. I wasn’t confident with the thong bung but guess I am still here to share the story, we now taken the boat out a few times and have the unloading process running smoother and have a proper bung, but we still keep the bit of plugger stashed in the boat just in case.
So no matter what you call them, thongs, flip flops, jandles or double-pluggers, pretty sure we will be calling them simply, ‘pluggers’ ,from now on.
~Leah
* words may not be exact.