Boat Harbour 14/8/14

So I got out and fished Boat Harbour last week, it was the 16th of August so winter and I got sunburnt! It was great haha! 

What an amazing stretch of coastline. We saw a large seal meander on through up towards the beach and sat back and watched, it was a bit far away to get a clear photo but what a great site.

The spot we picked had a large rockpool on one side that swept out with the waves every few minutes and a lot of white water movement in front. I used the rockpool to hold berley, I threw a few handfuls of bread mix into it which let it release into the open periodically and spread throughout the feeding channel as food washed off the rocks would naturally.

There were several Wrasse and Drummer about, all very healthy and happy to fight.
Though we didn't get one legal sized they were all beautifully coloured and they were all a lot of fun.

We used running sinkers with a green bead on the line as running sinkers will catch less on the rocks and the green bead would hopefully attract more attention from fish. After losing several rigs I chose to use a float (my favourite form of fishing) and it worked pretty well.

This salmon was caught in the afternoon, on bottle squid under a large float out in open water. It put up a great fight and though they get a bad rap as an eating fish I recommend giving them a go.
Bleed them straight away by cutting between the gills down to the spine. I put mine into a rock pool to let it flow easily but sitting it tail up will help the process too. This removes the blood from the flesh leaves a nice white meat instead of a dark red, stronger flavoured one.
I used it to make salmon patties, which I have made several times before and they are always great. There are several recipes online but I may post mine up later.

As the afternoon wore on and I ran out of bait I decided to go bouldering. It's rock climbing but on shorter lengths without harnesses. Most of the cliffs there were only twice my height so it was fun and a great workout but not too big for something I'd never really given a go before.
This photo below was the section I was climbing and I would recommend it to anyone looking to get out and try climbing.

So in the end it was a great day. I got to see all of Port Stephens from Gan Gan Lookout, caught a decent salmon, saw a seal, found some geocaches, went climbing and spent some time with my dad. Couldn't get much better than that.

Cheers,
Andrew

Geocaching

 Ok so I haven't posted much lately but I have definitely been out and about.
I have been doing a bit of fishing but with most of my time off now I have been out geocaching. Please check it out if you haven't already, it is a great way to get out and enjoy this beautiful country of ours.
Geocaching.com/
As a quick run down it is basically an online treasure hunt, where somebody posts co-ordinates of a "cache" and you go find it, fill out the log book and log it online to say you have found it. Some are easy, some are difficult and can be tiny or huge. The community is full of great people, most of them more than happy to help and share this new world with others.
As I write this, I have found 75 geocaches and through doing so have seen many weird and wonderful things and places that I otherwise would have missed out on. I am also using it as a way to get fit, getting out and bushwalking and climbing rocks is definitely beneficial!

These Gymea Lilies were found at the top of Gan Gan Lookout at Nelsons Bay. They are an Australian native plant that you cannot grow or harvest without a license.

This is the view of the river at Morpeth, an old quiet town where I buy all my chilli sauce. The Morpeth Gallery has a great range of chilli sauces and products and is definitely worth checking out if you get a chance.

This is taken at Bar Beach, one of favourite places to enjoy the ocean. The carpark looks over this cliff and beach and down past Redhead also. When I was younger I spent a lot of time at this beach and have fished on these rocks a couple of times as well.

The Ash Island Geocaches make a great day out, there are several on the island throughout the walking trails and access roads. A large portion of Ash Island is now protected, since the government recognised the need to have a natural habitat for the native wildlife in the Hunter River estuary.
There are many volunteers giving their time to keep this area protected and functioning and as a result there are many different forms of wildlife to see.

This is the view from Bolwarra Lookout, it's a great little spot as well. It looks out over the farms and floodplains and also has a sneaky little geocache there.

 The Stockton Bridge was always my favourite part of Newcastle growing up, my sisters and I called it "The Dinosaur Bridge" for obvious reasons and I was quite surprised to see there is a geocache right at the top!

 I also spent a day atop Mount Sugarloaf. There is a great bushwalk through there and a few geocaches, all which I found after locking my keys in my car! Luckily dad was able to come up and me, thanks again! In my car I have most things I would need in a pinch such as rope, straps, chain, water, tools but this situation threw me. I had a spare key at home so at least I didn't have to break a window!

As a great little bonus I have been using geocaching to scout new fishing spots! Many are on the coast and in places most people would not look so I have found a few nice spots since I have started.

So check out the link, watch the video and get into it. If any geocachers out there have any questions or are planning on doing any Hunter Valley geocaches, feel free to contact me through the site. My name is Belowparr69. Also keep an eye out for my geocaches as my first one should be put out soon :)

Cheers,
Andrew