 |
| NIRVANA |
 |
| MICK'S FREEDOM MACHINE |
G'day All, and welcome to my slice of heaven!
The past two dayz have proven 2B so special they've forged a place in many campfire tales to come.
Two incredible days of fishing with good mates (plus Victor) , perfect conditions, unbelievable catches and amazing scenery.
With both Mick and Myself, leaving Perth behind this week, it waz important we got out for one last fish aboard "REEL AX"!
The weather godz delivered a sensational forecast for us, with both of us choseing Friday as our best option.
Well, to call the conditons perfect would B a gross understatement.
A flat calm ocean, next to no breeze and a late start, gave way 2 one of my best fishing trips in recent memory.
We targeted a few live bait on our whiting patch but unfortunately all we could catch were MONSTER sized whiting.
Big Problem,Lunch!
That was until we decided to leave after just 1 last drop. We both hooked straight into something much feistier than whiting. After a decent battle we both landed double header skipjack trevally. "LIVEBAIT"
So it was up anchor and 25knots 17nm later we arrived at 77, our not so secret spot.
First drop resulted in Holy Crap results with both rods doubling, instantly.
My battle was over half way up, while Mick landed a 22kg mulloway ( jewfish) "for you out of towners". His largest catch so far.
We re-baited and started the process again.
Same result only reverse fortunes with Mick's fight ending while I landed a good sized bronze whaler. Mick had bent his 8/0 hooks!
This continued for the next 2 hours, when we reached our bag limits, plus a few xtra's, and headed back toward Australia with a full icebox.
30 knots and 40 minutes later we entered the inner reef area and found a couple of lucky dinghy fishermen to give our xcess snapper 2.
The grins and thanx made the whole day even more perfect.Then it was back to Mick's place for a few bourbon's while we retired the boat for itz half year rest, afta witch I fillet our catch.
Huge chunks of amazing fresh fish for everyone.
Then home 4 some much needed rest B4 part 2 of my amazing weekend could begin.
Enter Big Ash, Victor and My Tailor spot!
While the Gps gods had us going in different directions, using landmarks and an ever diminishing Alkimos Wreck as a guide we soon located this "special place".
After a few trial cast's it was thyme 2 drop the pick in a huge sand patch and back the boat up to this very special place!I was first to put a score on the board with a memorable fight yielding a very nice Australian Salmon around 4kg. Not our target species but still sensational.
Many kilo plus skipjack kept our reels screaming over then next couple of hours.
Big Ash decided to up the anti with a gear downsize to 6lb.
Several hook-up's and losses later He finally managed to land another nice salmon.
While Victor kept us all amused with stories from The Solomon's and has ever present fish cursing.
I fired up the frypan with fresh skippy fillets keeping us fed during a sensational afternoon.
Ash finally landed a horse of a salmon with high fives all round after an epic 20 minute battle.6lb line in 2 meters of water, a sizeable swell all made 4 a really memorable capture.
The conditions just kept on improving as the tide dropped an the sun began to set. The fish started to come on the bite with nearly every cast resulting in a hook up or close miss.
Around 4.30 I hooked my second salmon "god, I love this place" a brief fight later and I was releasing my next stunning fish.
While Victor's chances were reduced when his reel fell apart (much ribbing followed). We watched huge salmon, stingray's, buff bream, and even a nice blue-bone groper all teasing us with there appearance in our burley trail. Huge Herring kept us busy between the Skippy.
After filling an esky with Skippy, Bream and Herring it was purely catch and release as the sun dipped lower over an extremely peaceful Indian Ocean.
We headed back to the "real" world with another full ice box and some amazing stories 4 our fishing archives.
I'm lucky to have a few real "mates" left and 2B able to share these experiences is something I will never forget!I know I'm leaving Perth with my friendz having freezers full of Quality Fish filletz.
Not a bad undertaking as My main purpose was to actually tile a house.
Mr Mick haz now left Australia behind while I'm leaving Perth in just a few short dayz now.
We've manage to head out fishing more thymez than either Mick or Myself can remember and caught some huge specimens of some of the finest varieties of fish during the past 7 weex.
Now itz thyme to look towards the East and my life aboard The Cat!
 |
| FAREWELL! |
The tiling job was a promise I made to my Mum and Dad B4 I embarked on my new direction in life.
At thyme's all I could see was a massive area that needed my attention but as I began to break the job into smaller more manageable area's the task has become not only do-able but dare I say it "fun".
The challenges presented by uneven floors and complex cuts have kept me busy when fishing was not available due to the weather.
The finished result is gr8, while I see every little mistake and tile thatz not quite right, but overall the job has transformed what was an empty building into a house.
The suxcess is totally a result of the DTA lippage system that arrived after the wet area's were complete. This amazing system allows a novice (me) to lay marble or porcelain tiles with an amazing degree of accuracy.I'm left with a large area to grout and the final area just inside my work access door to tile still.
This will be completed 2day leaving me around 3-4 days spare B4 I jump back across the country and begin helping the guy's in the yard sand down Richard & Kenny's project yacht a small 47ft twin masted beast.
The changes that have occurred here over the past couple of month's have to be seen 2B believed if it was not for the tragedy that has befallen Big Ash's family this trip would be described as perfect, with Gr8 weather playing a huge part. It has how-ever turned into a freezer room over here with nite thyme temps dropping to the bottom of the Celsius gauge.
Itz definitely thyme for me to get back to the warmth of Tropical North Queensland.
As usual with Myself, I would have liked to get more done during my thyme here but this is something I'm slowly coming to terms with. I must learn to embrace my achievements instead of only seeing the negatives in life. I've been told by many a fancy titled Doctor that if I don't "learn to reel-ax" I won't be able to continue much longer.I have slowed my pace of life severely during the past year since my "demonz" arrived but I still have a long journey ahead of me. Sol I take strength from people around and to see Big Ash deal with young Cooper's accident at an extremely difficult thyme 4 his family gave me sense of purpose. (little dolphin again).
My life message has been broadcast to as many that will listen and been received and rebutted by some, while I must accept that some thingz I just cannot change.
I would liked to of closed the chasm of emotionz and understanding that exists between myself and my Dad but I feel we must agree to disagree and this is something that will never change.
Still I can't help but keep trying!
Blood is thicker than water or so they say.
With Big Ash in the re-building phase of his family we took thyme out from our "busy" schedule to demolish this big arse shed at one of Mick's redevelopment sites.
This will be put back together on Ash's new block of land to act as both site shed and future "man cave".
This was a day of unexpected emotion as we basically took apart a guy's "life work".
We reflected on the hard thymes the previous owner must of had both raising his family and working in his shed.
I remembered my Grandfather while Ash reflected on his Pop.To see all the jars of sorted screws, nails and various item that just needed to be kept in order.
And now the shed at least will be reborn and once again see the trials and effortz of a Father to raise his family.
1.30pm on Monday Afternoon Mum and I have just fitted the final tile!
This has been a monumental and at thymez purely "mental" task.
1 1/2 tonnes of tile adhesive, 1300 spacers and countless hours have combined to get the job to this stage.
A little thyme for the adhesive 2 dry then remove the spacers and apply the grout = job done!
more 2 follow
