KISS Fish Curry

Tonights sunset at Barred Creek

 Fish Curry: but not a recipe blog!

Queenie Curry

I can't call this a recipe blog, more like a discovery blog.  We used to make curries from scratch, back in the day when we lived in a house.  Enjoying making our own curry pastes,  Or Johnno would make curries that had to cook all day, or eaten the next day.  We brought a lot of herbs and spices with us on this trip thinking with the extra time we would make lots of long slow curries...NO!  With the extra time we are FISHING!!  Thankfully we have been catching plenty of fish to fill in all that extra time and to make curries with.

One of my main goals for the beginning of this trip was to 'de-stress'.  Don't get me wrong, I wasn't even overly stressed, certainly not having a break-down or anything like that.  I just knew it was time to slow down, get back in sink with the natural timing of nature...I'd like to say getting up at first light, you knew starting the day with the rest of nature... but it's just too cold to get that carried away!

The discovery of Packet Sauce's has been a wonderful enlightenment!  Oh how easy, and Yes I'm going to say it...tasty!  I would never have even looked at packets a few months ago, but now I scan the isles for special tags, anything to save a few more dollars, to keep us fishing for longer!  And so I found Packet Curry Sauce.  Very hesitant the first time I only brought two, just to try them.  Instantly realising why they are so popular  (obviously because there are so many of them), next trip I brought one of each flavour (of the brand on special at the time).

$5 meal for 2 people!

Curry Sauce packet (on special) = $2
Frozen veg mix (half bag used)  = $2.50
Rice...??? home brand $1.40 a bag!
Oil to fry fish = minimal!

Fry fish

Add packet sauce

Add veggies

Finished product as at top of blog = Keeping It Simple Stupid, Camping Curry!  Making life easy!
Then to make it even better; Johnno has been catching little Mackerel off the beach regularly here at Barred creek, so we are now eating Mackerel Curry!

Today's lunch: Mackerel Curry on the beach.

Fixing my Blog

Pelicans in front of our camp

Last night I had a realisation of how much I love writing my Blog.  How proud I am of my 3 months of artistic work.

In my attempt to keep computer and photos organised on our trip, I moved all photos off my computer onto my external hard drive.  By doing this I deleted all photos off my blog: Positive Fishing Letters.

Strangest thing is only moments after I had moved the folder my Blogging buddy messaged me, warning me not to do it, ‘or you will loose all your photos off your blog’!!

Once I realised I had done the same thing, (and had been doing it all along!) I wanted to cry, Like REALLY!!  I started a cold sweat, went wake and light headed, I thought I was going to pass out!  Then I realised how  emotionally attached I am to my little Blog.  My dream for the last few/many many years was to ‘Go on a fishing holiday, and write about it as we went’.  After running my marathon last year, and realising I could do Anything I put my mind to, it was just a matter of organising our trip!  My Blog writing completed the dream.

I love writing my Blog for myself.  Once not so long ago I was not very good at reading or writing, so I’m proud of my accomplishments.  It’s like a little travel journey, and letters home to family at the same time.  But bigger than that, and what I hope to use it for: Sharing this awesome country with everyone, hoping that people get out and see the beautiful places, and use the remote beaches, so we don’t loose them!!!  Johnno and I started travelling the West Coast of WA almost 20 years ago.  It’s sad the number of places we can not go to now that we used to, due to mine work mostly.  Last year we thought we were going to loose Manari road (where we are at the moment), and there is the possibility of loosing the area below Exmouth if station leases are taken back from the government, so they can build bloody big resort there, and stop the normal people camping!!!! Shit NO!!!!
So I encourage everyone, get out there and see this most amazing country!!! Oi Oi Oi!

This morning, while Johnno is fishing, I will be fixing my blog, and making sure I don’t make the same mistake again.  Unfortunately I will not be able to reinstall photos from our ’prep’ stage, before we left Derby, as I did not bring ANY photos with us…just an empty 2T external hard drive, ready to be filled up!

First photo of Barred Creek Sea Eagles: over cast afternoon

They are much bigger than the Eagles at the other end of the road: perhaps this is the Female end?

Sunset at Barred Creek WA 

Full moon rising behind camp as the sun goes down in front of it.  Very special.. 

...Not how I had imagined sharing my first Barred Creek photos, I'd rather be bragging about how amazing it is here, instead of crying off technical problems.  But it's all part of the learning process, and just glad I worked it out now instead of another 6 months time!!!

Now you all better read ALL my blogs!!!

 

10 Things you might not know about Positive Fishing

Karen's Mackerel on lure right in front of our camp site

Johnno with his target fish; first stop of our holiday = Permit on fly!

10 Things about Positive Fishing:

1) I = Karen, ran a Boot-camp & Personal Training business in Derby WA called Positive Steps: Positive Steps on Face Book.  I became known as Positive Karen; Hence how the name Positive Fishing came about!

2) Karen & Johnno have been fishing together (and other more intimate physical activities) for 20 years!

3) Karen taught Johnno how to fillet fish.

4) Johnno taught himself & Karen how to fly fish.

Giant Herring on Wax Wing lure: Manari 

Another target specie: Diamond Trevalley on Fly!

5) Johnno has caught our biggest Barramundi 1:18m  Johnno's Big Barra on YouTube

6) Karen has caught our biggest Trevalley Karen's Big Trevalley in Kiribati

7) Johnno usually out fishes bait & lure fisherman (Yes including me), when Salt Water Fly Fishing.

8) Our favourite camping activity is putting up the camper trailer....NOT!!

9) Younger Karen was not very good at reading or writing, so I'm very proud of my Blog writing, but do apologise for grammer mistakes: I write like I talk.

10)  Although our current camping holiday is focused on land/shore based fishing, we do own two boats, currently in storage.  

Black Thing: Our 6.8m Profish

Little Thing: Our 3.59m tinny.

Queenfish at Manari Reef on Fly

Over 20 minute Tug-of-war, what a beast!!

Blog: Karen v's The Beast

YouTube: Karen playing The Beast

All photos are from our current Free Camp with Dogs, Fishing Holiday.  Want to see more, check out PositiveFishing on FaceBook.

The Beauty of the Flat Rock: Pindan Blues.

Sunset at Flat Rock

Sunrise at Flat Rock

Flat Rock from the air

It’s all about the fishing, it always is…until it gets to hard.  Luckily we have had some amazing days fishing (check it out on YouTube), so when the tide is out too far, or the sea is too rough, when it all gets to hard, I get the camera out.  My other favourite hobby.  We have been camped in one of the most stunning places on earth…dose that sound familiar, like I’ve said it before, about the last couple of place’s we camped at.  Yes they were absolutely amazing as well, Flat Rock is no more stunning then them, simply just as much.  I guess that is why they call it ‘God’s country’ way up here in the middle of no-where.

The daily raptor display has kept me clicking, and I have a million very cool eagle and kite photos.  If the birds aren’t around to keep me busy I turn to the rocks or the ocean, this is after all, Where the Pindan meets the Sea: Pindan Blue.

James Price Point cliffs

Flat Rock is at the end of Manari Road above Broome.  We had no internet service while up there, so I was unable to share photos.  I have MANY MANY photos to sort still, but here's a look at a few of the cliffs and beach from where we camped...

A little movie clip I made while staying at Flat Rock

Positive Babble 3: Windy Days

Windy Day 4: Thursday

Driving to the reef

Check out our YouTube clip of the beach drive

With the decreasing tides we thought we would head up the beach to fish the reef this week.  Smaller tides mean more time on the reef, not having to race the tide back to shore.  Last time we went there Johnno had a great time catching Queen fish on fly, and I caught a Mangrove Jack on popper which we ate for dinner.
YouTube link?
But this week, as the tidal movement has died down, the wind force has picked up! Tuesday when we had packed the car and where ready to go the wind picked up even more than the day before, we pulled the pin again.  Wednesday, we said, lets just go for a drive anyway, have a look around, it might not be that bad out on the reef?  Yah right! We drove down the beach but with the wind blowing sand off the dunes across the beach and into our eyes, we weren’t going for an exploration walk around.  Straight onto the reef we agreed, it’s going to be better out there, less sand at least.  Yah, less sand but still too windy to fish.  Johnno found a place where he could cast, and managed to catch a few small reef fish on fly. That kept him entertained while I followed the Sea Eagles around, filming them on GoPro knowing they would look too small, even though I was so close to them, but just enjoying the moment anyway.  We called it quits, going home saying we would return the next day…today was worse,  even stronger winds!

I have been filling in our hard to fish windy days by sorting photos: I now have 6,407 photo saved onto my external hard drive!  That’s just photos, not video footage!  One can only sit in front of a computer for so long…especially with wind and dust blowing around the tent!  Johnno was off fishing, practising his wind casting around camp.  I made him keep all the little Trevalley that he would normally throw back, so I could feed the dogs, and the Eagles!  I now have another 800 photos to sort and load onto the hard drive!!  You think I’m joking, but NO!!
Here’s a sample of some of today’s shots:

Fishing around the camp turned out okay, we have had fish for dinner (Mackeral or Queen fish) often, and with the added bonus of seeing the dolphins chasing the close to shore schools of bait.  They came so close I almost jumped in with them, but had my canon in hand instead of GoPro.  Pup spotted them and got very excited!  With his sore leg he doesn’t like the rocks or waves much any more, but neither stopped him once he had saw the big dolphins.  If they hadn’t moved around so fast I’m sure he would have been swimming out to them.  As it turned out they swam in close around the rock and along the next beach, so pup and I had fun chasing and yelling at them.

As is the way with weather…when you are fishing with John Marven ;)  The wind eased off in the evening, as the tide was going out again.  With the calmer weather and seas, it was a lovely sunset walk along the beach.  Check out how the cliffs come alive at sunset.

The plan for tomorrow Friday: if it’s not windy head to the reef at low tide, which is now much later in the day anyway.  If it is windy, go in the afternoon and fish the out going…

Positive Babble 2: Strange days

Fog morning, already starting to lift due to our later rise 

We have had days here that are just continual catching fish.  Days when we have driven down to the reef, caught fish and snorkelled.  Then days when we just sit back around camp reading our books, rearranging, cleaning, organising: these days are usual mid day high tides, so we can still flick a lure around from camp.

Last nights Mango Mackerel for dinner, when we decided to sleep in to avoid the cold morning.

Today we did similar things, yet the whole day felt slightly weird.  Yesterday was a cold morning.  Our normal morning routine is to get up and read with a cup of coffee while the sun comes up.  The decision was made last night, that if it was cold in the morning we would stay in bed reading our book until it warms up.  Happens that we slept till almost 6:30am, so it was pretty warm when we got up anyway, but with a beautiful fog.  Maybe it’s the late start on a foggy morning that set the scene for a weird but still wonderful rest of the day.

It’s not that anything weird or even out of the ordinary happened (there is no such thing as an ‘ordinary’ day when living on the beach, every day is different.  The day was just once again different in all ways, but yet we did mostly the same things we do most days. 

After coffee and breakfast, we walked down the beach for a little fish.  There was heaps of bait fish around, but nothing chasing it.  We have had days when there is continual fish chasing the bait, but other days when there was no bait so not many fish.  Johnno spotted a few fish, but they were not interested in his fly or my lure.  He is now thinking they could be Milk Fish and devising a plan to catch them.  We did come home with a few fish notches under our belt, and a Queen fish in the bag for dogs breakfast.

The wind picked up on our way back to camp and by the time we got back there were white caps all around.  Coffee and chocolate biscuits go well with watching a ruff windy sea.  Then I settled in to sort a million eagle photos, so Johnno decided, having read enough lately, to watch a movie on his laptop…something we haven’t done much of in the last 3 months, so making that weird (but strangely wonderful) feeling even more so.

If I was any good at all with descriptive writing of any kind, I would go on to describe our afternoon of fishing in front of camp, playing with the dogs, feeding and photographing the 3-4 different Sea Eagles who came when we called, once we had caught a fish.  Then I’d go on to tell you about the beautiful sunset we watched while building a fire to cook our potatoes for dinner in, while having a cold beer.  But I got distracted sorting the 700+ photos I took today.  So instead of writing about it, here’s some photos to share with you:

Eagle 1 & Eagle 2: These are different birds, I knew this from sighting them both at the same time. At the moment my only way of telling them apart is from 2’s middle white feather, but what happens if they feather falls out and is replaced by a new one…does that even happen?  How are individual eagles normally identified?  Oh so many questions for Goggle when we meet up again!!

Booby catching fish

Positive Babble 1

Johnno watching people getting stuck down the beach

3 weeks un-plugged, I’m missing my blog writing.  Haven’t missed FaceBook, or E-mails, should try and check them due to Exmouth house insurance still getting sorted out, but bluh that’s what real estate agents are for…isn’t it?  I’m not really sure, but I’ll leave it to her anyway.

I have missed writing my blogs.  I’ve made a few YouTube clips ready to post when we are back in service, so I figured, why not write some blogs as well, just post them all when we move camp…if we get serve at our next stop.  We have had some amazing days fishing, entertained by the dogs, and following the Eagles around, all of which have been captured on Go Pro for your viewing pleasure..  But it’s the little things, and every day has a little something different, that I want to also share with you all, before they are lost in time.

Like one morning last week when there were dolphins circling in front of our camp, 2 Sea Eagles where sitting on the rock as if waiting for us to give them breakfast, a crab that had just changed it’s shell, and people where having sex on the beach!  ALL in one morning!
Yes, people were having sex on the beach, right under the cliff where everyone parks, and in plain view of our tent…they must have really liked it here?

Dolphins outside of camp: they camp much closer on days just before we left.

Crab changing its shell

The ‘sex on the beach’ couple being on one of a long run of strange people or happening over the last 3 weeks actually, another reason I’m missing writing my blog.  After 3 weeks here we are so surprised how offen we have this wonderful easy to access, large camp area all to ourselves.  Behind us there is enough room for a family reunion or school camp, there’s half a dozen fire place’s spread out, making me think at some stage it was used for a large gathering.  Up the cliffs are 3 great camp sites over looking the beach and ocean, these are used more regularly by over nighters or campers staying a few nights.  The first week there were 3 camper trailers here, so we thought it was ‘the start of the camping season’ and never expected to have the place to ourselves at all while here.  We have however had the place completely to ourselves plenty, most of the time actually.  Weekends are always busy.  The first weekend over 30 vehicles drove up the beach towards Manari reef, they all came back on Sunday afternoon, using the cliff top stops to pump up tires; dogs had to be on a lead that day.  Last weekend there were 4 camp sites around us, but the funniest one was the first people to set up.  Being first (apart from us) here for the weekend, they had a choice of spots to set up…they set up only 20m’s away form our camp!!!  We were like ‘what the’??  But they were quite enough, and we got to watch him fishing (not catching) without having to move from our seats.

Other characters we have seen (who needs a tv?):

- The speedo and bikini wearers who walked all the way up the beach (6km each way), without a fishing rod or even a camera..what were they doing??  Oh I just remembered the ‘sex on the beach’ couple??

- A photographer stayed for 2 nights, they would have to be the worst two sunsets and cloudy days since we got here.  Poor falla.

- Two men and a dog, who must have walked here!!!  We seen them again the next day up at Manari reef, then again that night back here, still walking!  Crazy!

- There’s a man in a ute who turns up every week, stays a few nights and then is gone again.  I wouldn’t be able to tell you anything about him, he hasn’t been seen away from his ute, just sits there listening to the radio…or the radio is on at the ute just sitting there by itself.

-  The good looking young couple who drunk beer all day and sat on the cliffs watching the sunset.  He was taking photos of her on the rock holding the fishing rod….not fishing, line not even in the water, just bending over holding his rod.  

- But the funnest of them all was one of the camper trailers packed up the hill.  We named her ‘The bag lady’ just because she was always, like always from dawn till dusk’ walking around the beach with a bag in hand.  Obviously looking for goodies, but not finding much as her bag always looked empty.  Anyway, her hubby or who ever will be part of our camping stories for ever, as we laughed out loud, like spitting and dribbling laughter, at his expense, kept laughing about it all day, and still am laughing about it now while writing. 
I was sitting inside, here at my computer so I must have been making a movie or downloading GoPro’s, looking out the window, when I seen Johnno jump up to grab the dogs.  The dogs are much more used to strange people around camp now, but at the start they were in guard dog duty mode, and would bark at and run up to people coming towards camp.  Johnno spotted the man coming towards camp along the beach, so jumped up to hold the dogs, stopping them from running.  He got very close to camp, so the dogs started barking at him.  He was pushing his push bike, assuming it was too hard to ride in the sand?  Johnno calls out to him ’Don’t worry mate, they are friendly, they just don’t like push bikes’.  This is when I looked up, what a push bike on the rocky beach?   The man mumbled something which we didn’t catch, but later thought was most likely ’neither do I’ due to his not being able to ride it.  
Then to try and calm the dogs Johnno turned to talk to the dogs, just talking to them in a calm voice helps to settle them down, stop their barking, it doesn’t really matter what you say; John said ’It’s ok dogs, he’s just taking his bike for a walk’!!!!
OMG I fell off my chair laughing, like really!!  The poor man must have heard us laughing, and pointing, and repeating ’It’s just a man walking his bike, perfectly normal, nothing to bark at’!!

Oh boy, I’m just laughing away to myself again, hahahahaha, It’s ok dogs, it’s just a man walking his bike!!!   And with that I’ll have to finish Positive Babble number one due to laughing too much again!

Downloading photo ready for when we get service again; not a bad view hay!!

Introducing the JPP Raptor Mob!

Eagles of James Price Point:

Leading star: BSE Baby Sea Eagle

OMG I am in absolute heaven!  This is the land of the ocean raptor they are everywhere, or many different breeds!  I remember many years ago when we lived in Broome (back in the per-Derby days, about 10-12 years ago), reading something about Photography and Bird watching tours, which I am sure where held here at James Price Point.  Does anyone know if this is so?  They should be!  The scenery is amazing, why wouldn't you want to learn about photography here?  I am!  But more importunately the eagle, well birds of all type, but we are right on the water, so see the ‘sea’ birds mostly, are everywhere!  I have had many up close and personal moments, especially with the youngest Sea Eagle, who is getting very used to us, and flying VERY close.  Heart pounding stuff.  I was constantly running for my camera.  Now I have so many GREAT photos when they fly over I just sit back and enjoy the moment.  Loving every moment of it here!

Regularly seen here:
Two Brahminy Kite’s, + 1 young.
2 mature Sea Eagles, + 2 young (one older, possibly 2nd year)
2 Osprey Sea Eagles. (not so regular, but have seen together.) + 1 young, took me a while to work out what it was, but am now sure it is a young Osprey.
At least 3 other small kite’s of different type
Kestrel (when driving, not on beach)
Regular brown kites.
Crows
LOTS of Willy Wag-tails!
Oyster Catchers.
Plenty of sea birds: Boobies, ….. Etc
Nice clean Sea Gulls
Herron

I guess I either start a new ‘Positive Twitchers’ Blog, or re-name this one ‘Fishing Twitchers’?  As it is becoming apparent I have a new obsession: Eagles!  Oh, and I’m going to keep sharing my new love with you all.

  I spent all afternoon today following them around, getting Johnno to catch bait fish for me to fed them, and this is not new, I’ve been doing it more and more regularly.  The closer I get to them, the closer I want to be, and I’ve been getting pretty close!  Maybe I’m missing my birdy loves from Aussie (our Corella parrot we gave to friends when we left on holiday), but I think it’s more that I’m so star/feather struck with their beauty and grace.  I’m fascinated with them.
 

Finally have some great up close Brahminy photos

Later… after 3 weeks here:

The eagles are getting very used to us now.  I’ve had some wonderful up close and personal moments.  The BSE (Baby Sea Eagle) come’s straight for us and very close, looking at us and obviously knows where the dogs are all the time.  We are now at the most amazing stage of being able to call them, sometimes even if we can not see them.  The first time it happen we knew it was no coincident.  The regular mature visitor (most likely male from it’s smaller size) had circled us, as they always do now, checking out if we had left out any fish for them.  We hadn’t so he flow off, heading straight out to sea.  He was a few hundred metre off when Johnno whistled to get his attention, then we both started trying to do a Sea Eagle ‘Quack’.  He turned instantly, flying back straight towards us.  We through a fish carcass onto the beach, he swooped, picking it up without hesitation, flying off over the dunes.

Mature Sea Eagle turned when called from a few hundred meters away, starting a long distance dive to pick up fish carcass off the beach.

The dogs still hate all birds, especially the big Sea Eagels, not helped from the Trevalley stealing incident. YouTube link here!
 Running out of what ever shade they are sleeping under when they hear us doing the Eagle Quack, heading straight for the beach where they know I am going to throw the fish bits, or looking over the sand dunes where the Eagles always fly off to…but not usually from??  Dogs haven’t worked that bit out yet!

Johnno holding dogs back so I can get some good photos when the eagles come close.

The very first time I was able to get close to BSE (Baby Sea Eagle), he had caught his own lunch; a rather large, for the size of the bird anyway, Queen fish.  The fish was still flapping around as BSE ripped into it’s innards.  He (BSE) looks so young in those photos now, he has grown and darkened a lot over the last 3 weeks.  I was able to get very close, I actually think he was having trouble flying with his catch.  I sat on a rock as close as I dared, stopping when he looked like he was going to fly off, taking a million photos.  I could hear him crunching into and ripping off lumps of flash, that’s how close I was.  He kept a close eye on me, but was more worried about the other birds who were bomb-barding him, trying to steal his meal.

BSE with his own catch, come to show off to us.

Now that BSE is getting bigger, feeding himself, or perhaps because he is not shy of us and gets the good plenty of good bits we leave out for him, we are watching the unfolding of what I think is him getting driven out of his family turf.  I’ve heard that the mother eagle, once the youngsters are older enough, feeding themselves, do that, drive them off.  Nature is so hard, but I do understand that she would need the food there for herself and next years young.  Seems there is plenty of food here though.  We don’t see much of Mum, assuming the White Belly Sea Eagles we do see regularly are all males, they are all the same size, even BSE.  Then ever now and then we see a larger one, whom we guess must be mum.  Remember I have no knowledge about these things and no internet service to look them up, I’m just making it up as I go along from what I remember, that might be right, or might be completely wrong, either why, ever now and then we see a bigger WB Sea Eagle.

The first ‘could be turf war’ we seen was when BSE picked up a fish carcass off our beach, then second year youngster tried to steal it off him, they chased each other over the sand dunes.  This happened a few days in a row, and I thought it was just a fight for food, since BSE is much gamer than the rest, and will come close to our camp to get any bits, while the rest hang back till we throw them further down the beach.   But then we seen have seen since them, fighting and chasing each other (usually BSE getting chased).  The day I seen the mature one constantly following BSE was when I started to realise what we were witnessing.  Mature would not let BSE settle anywhere, making it hard for him to rest or feed; I guess this is how they are driven off to a new stretch of beach?
Later that day they both return at separate times, and are both still hanging around…maybe they have worked out there is enough food for everyone here; or maybe BSE because he is much bolder than the rest is going to claim this beach as his?  Either way it’s a sad thought when you think too much about it, so I don’t, I just enjoy the beauty of them here with us now.

Mature Sea Eagle ’trying’ to drive Baby Sea Eagle off his beach.

I have millions of photos, lucky Johnno brought me a 2T hard-drive before we left on holiday!  And I could blabber on for hours about these amazing birds, but I’m sure you would all loose interest, so I’ll stop now, but share a couple more of my favourite photos…

Mature Sea Eagle sitting on rock in front of our camp.  Stayed there while I got very close, until the dogs came running out.

AFTER the Mackeral head, came back to say Thanks...surely he didn't want more??

I love the out stretched wings shot, as much as the up close sitting ones.

BSE landing on rock in front of our camp

Johnno got a photo of me getting up close to BSE.

Brahminy having a tug-of-war over bits the big eagles left behind.

LATER: After 4 weeks at Flat Rock:  Well I did state above that I am no expert on Eagles hay, that I just like to look at them!  Keep that in mind! Haha.  Turns out there are TWO Baby Sea Eagles up there!  I was thinking one morning how different BSE was acting, then started to think it was a different bird, so went back to check my photos.  Hard to say, but I was convinced they were two different birds.  The adults all seem to have markings that tell them apart, but the young were harder.  Anyway, next day I see the TWO BSE together!!  Playing/flying together.  Beautiful morning!!!  No photos of that, it was the morning we were driving up to the reef again, I'd put my short lens on 7d to video driving on the beach: Driving on Beach YouTube clip.