Getting my Fishing Fitness back!

Three times in one week I've thought 'I used to be able to do this', so its time to be able to do it again! 

Suffering the consequences of my year off fitness training!

For those who didn't know me before this blog, or our amazing 8 month fishing adventure, I used to be a Personal Trainer/Boot Camp instructor.  I say 'used to be' because I'm not feel very PT like at the moment.  After a year off exercise, and 8 months of sitting on the beach doing next to nothing, like really NOTHING!! I've lost all my hard earned muscle and fitness.  And it showed during the weekend of fishing!!

Black Thing before the wind picked up

First wake up call / slap in the face, was when we took Black Thing out on a slightly choppy day.  Last year I wouldn't have hesitated before jumping up the front of the boat, hanging on only to the bow rope, as we smashed through white cap waves to chase a school of fish.  This weekend my legs couldn't hold me!!  I got a bit of a shock when I had to race to the back of the boat in fear of falling over board!

Wake up call number 2 happened when I was playing my Queenfish on 10 pound line, my arms were shaking from excitement straight away, but unsure of how long the fight was going to take I wasn't confident in being able to hold the rod that long.  Fight took almost 5 mins, and of course I did hold on without even a thought of giving up, but I was surprised at how much my arms and shoulders ached afterwards!

Then number 3, the icing on the cake, Sunday out in Little Thing, our tinny, the wind picked up just as we were heading back.  Ten minutes of bouncing out of my seat as we broke through the choppy waves sent my unfit legs to jelly.  Last year I would have been standing up Rodeo Riding those waves!!

Lucky the Trevalley we were catching on Sunday didn't give me too much of a workout,
 but even these little fellas are great fun on 10 pound line!

I've been prolonging the holiday feel for as long as I can, but now it's time to get fit again.  Time to get fishing fit!!!  Bringing on the regular workouts to strengthen legs, core and arms again.  Neither the wind nor any fish is going to get the better of me!!!

I'm off now for an intense interval workout of leg work and skipping!  If anyone is interested in how I go with that, you can check out my FaceBook group: Our Positive Lives.

I've been published!!

Go camping Australia magazine

My Manari Road camping article and photos has been printed, and is now on sale at news-agents. 

I wrote the article before they renamed their magazine to include 'fishing', mate if only i'd known they were going to do that!!  The magazine is bigger, with lots more different sorts of articles than it was this time last year.  I enjoyed the whole thing, think I'll subscribe and even try to write some more articles for them.

I'm feeling a little proud at the moment.  Not just showing off, more like gracefully excepting the recognition!  They liked what I wrote enough to print it!!

School was a very long time ago for me now, I have to remind myself of this sometimes, i'm not 18 anymore.  I need to move on from my childhood memories of being that shy girl who couldn't read or write.  I'm an adult who can read, and reads a lot, who can write, and best of all now enjoys writing. Hence this on going blog, even though the holiday is over the good writing habits formed during our time on the beach shall continue.  I will continue writing, to continually improve, to grow and to learn.

Big Queen Fish in shallow waters = heaps of fun!

Karen with her Queen Fish

 What a wonderful unexpected morning! 
The plan had been to head out on our boat for 3rd day lucky with the Sailfish we had seen over the last couple of days, but the wind picked up, and with both or us already sunburnt, we decided against that.

By 10am we were both itching, well what are we going to do with our last day off together then...lets go for a walk on the flats, we can wear our buffs and not get burnt anymore.

Straight up, soon as we go there, Johnno saw MantaRays and started cast towards them. I'm a polite girlfriend (I am so!!!), I let him do his thing, waiting for them to swim past towards me. 
This is the result, my patients paying off; A Big Queenfish caught on lure, on 10b line, in the shallows of the shore.  
Oh what fun I had!

I was casting at the passing MantaRay, hoping it might have fish around it, when I saw a splash to the side of it.  I was trying to quickly reel in my lure, to recast where the splash had been, when I saw half a dozen big Queenie all charging for my lure.  Full on exciting stuff!

Queen Fish caught on lure from the beach

They didn't hesitate, first Queenie there grabbed it and was hooked.  Thankfully the flats around me where clear for it to run and jump as much as it wanted, I just had to wait it out until it tired, which also gave Johnno time to come over to take photos of me with the beautiful fish.
Arms are still shaking from the rush of it all!

Safely released Queen Fish swims off.

Notice the YouTube clip, the large dark shape in the water beside me as I try to get hold of the Queenie with boger grips?  I didn't notice it at the time, too worried about loosing my beautiful fish right at the last moment before being able to get the prized photo. When I did see it I point it out to Johnno who walks straight up to it to chase it off, not wanting it hanging around my recovering Queenie.

Shark was a Shovel nose ray which swam off as soon as Johnno spooked it.  Queen Fish was given time to recover and then safely released.

How many Melons/Mullet/Sailfish do I have?

I think I've lost my melons, 

but at least I still have Johnno's mullet!

Black Thing gets wet: at last the wind eased enough for us to get out!

After 3 days off work together we are starting to see things, weird wonderful things.  I got to see my first Sail Fish at the side of our boat Black Thing on Thursday.  It was all too exciting, and we so weren't ready.  We weren't even trolling any lure's, didn't have any Sail Fish gear ready.  We saw the birds working a school of bait so made our way over...nek minnit; 5 little sails hanging around us!! Johnno jumped up the front with his fly rod and started casting, I jumped around the boat trying to find some kind of lure that might be of interest to them.  It all happened so fast and was over before we could do anything constructive.  We spent the rest of Thursday setting up out riggers and teasers, while trolling the area, but never got a look at them again that day.

Friday night Drunkardness on the internet.  I've often banned myself from using the internet, specially  FaceBook after a few beers, but you know, you get talking, laughing, next minute you are distracted from your online friends and find an interesting Water Melon picture:

How many melons are there?

I posted this on Positive Fishing FaceBook page and got lots of Friday night giggles from the response's.  I don't have the answer, and I'm glad when I looked it up on other sites that many people have many different answers...but it lead me to another fun thought provoking chat: If you start with four mullet, you cut two in half and use 2 head ends as bait, how many Mullet do you have left?

I'm sharing this in my blog because well, I cut up my bait to make this photo.  Have you ever cut a Mullet in half? For such pretty creatures, they are disgusting when you cut into them!!  Stomach of brown mud, reminded me very much of Derby river banks on the out going tide!  

This beautiful Pelican followed us around while we hunted down the bait.

Saturday: We raised a Sail!!!  We headed straight out to where we had seen the little Sails on Thursday, this time we were ready.  Teasers in the water, out riggers set with extra lure.  They were there, I was beaming when I saw and recognised one straight away, no mistaking them!!  I turned the boat and headed in it's direction.  It came up and followed our lure's for a bit, but wouldn't take them. We kept circling.  I got to witness my first free jumper: Sail Fish jumping clean out of the water.  What a beautiful sight that was!!  But it did feel a little like 'Hello I'm over here, haha, try and catch me'!  We headed in that direction.  Another Sail Fish came up and tugged at my lure.  Clearly not impressed with what I was offering as we never saw that fish or any other again that afternoon.

Sunday:  That's tomorrow, and yes we will be out there again searching, hoping, circling, waiting...third time lucky!!

Black Thing trying to excite Sail Fish!