queensland Led Squid Light Kayaking

[swmcl]

I bought a squid light from an  Aussie supplier in the hope the kids could use it from a kayak.  Since my  enthusiasm has been dampened for using the kayak in northern waters, could people chime in and let me know what kinds of waters would have squid and kayaks ??

I know the Sydney Harbour would work but I'm not going to go to Sydney for that ! 

I live in Toowoomba and it is freezing this time of year so we want to get warmer on the upcoming holidays and were hoping to go to Rockhampton area.

Would the Clarence work ?  (Iluka and Yamba)

Cheers,

Steve

[kmcrosby78]

I would say you'd get them comfortably from Hervey Bay south at this time of year, probably north of there too at a guess. Plenty around the Brisbane area so therefore Gold and Sunshine Coasts would both be an option also.

[swmcl]

Cheers.  That is good news.

I've seen the IFish episode on squidding in Port Phillip Bay and I've always associated squid to be a southerly species.  For some reason I think they'd all be eaten by the time they got north (if they ever went that far...) !

 

[Drop Bear]

Yep @kmcrosby78's spot on. No need to go up to Rocky they will be anywhere you see reef or weed beds or some structure. They like clearer water though. There are plenty in Moreton Bay too. 

[Luvit]

The squid in Port Phillip Bay are southern  Calimari squid. The ones caught in Moreton Bay are Tiger squid. Can be target from shore so with a kayak no problem. Around Scarborough would be a good start. 

 

[swmcl]

The topic is near at hand now ...  I didn't get away when I wrote back in June but I am leaving tomorrow.  Am thinking somewhere like Kingscliff or Tweed River area?

I got really put off by the stories of sharks so I am tending south of the Gold Coast.

Do squid go into rivers ?  Or are they always in the sea ?

[Junky]

Someone is telling you porkies about the sharks. My guess is it's the bloody media again. 

 

They're not lions or tigers. They won't stalk you and kill you. They're inquisitive yes...but no way are they the man eater the damn media make them out to be. Jaws also ruined it. Again, movies.

You'd have a greater risk of falling out and drowning than being attacked by a shark but if you were to see one...for god sake don't freak out....just go about your buisiness and keep calm. Also, don't leave fish or squid hanging off the side of the yak. That will encourage an enquiry. Common sence really. 

 

Forget about the sharks and go squiding. SEQ has an abundance of squid. Coffee rock, reefs, weed beds, even jetty pylons such as amity are all great squiding spots. Get out there and enjoy life. Don't let the media put the fear in you. 

 

 

Up north however I wouldn't be caught dead in a yak. There are big mud geckos up there that do eat whatever bleeds. Rocky has them in the fitzroy. A 5m model was shot by a farmer a few years back. 

[swmcl]

And there are drop bears on this site too...

[Drop Bear]

23 hours ago, swmcl said:

And there are drop bears on this site too...

They are pretty friendly though

 

[swmcl]

Well ... all my intentions were good.  I had the trailer loaded and my son and I set out for the coast to saltwater test the kayak. 

I didn't get past Haigslea unfortunately.  For a number of years but moreso  in the past 6 months several trips have had to be aborted because of car reasons.  I am having an out-of-body experience with a certain Commodore I purchased.

The news is not all bad though.  This week I hope to have found and corrected an important part of the puzzle.  It is an ex-cop car and basically it had been thrashed.  I didn't know and the seller was a kid in NSW - although I think he was a genuine person.  I think he knew something was up but decided to lay low.

It turns out I think I've been driving the damn thing for about 4 years now with busted engine mounts.  They are covered with a metal shroud so you can't see them and when I got yet another scan done the mechanic said, "bad signals from knock sensors - replace engine mounts".  So I did so.

The car runs quite smoothly now but I'm not out of the woods yet.  Codes are still being thrown and damage to other parts is still being sorted (cat converters).

Maybe one day I'll be able to drive to the coast ...

[Hweebe]

Squid all year round in Moreton bay but thicker in winter when u have better water clarity which the squid love. In the yak you could try around manly boat harbour and the rock walls. Maybe not an option with kids but going at night with high lumen headlamp u can spot them and sight cast

[swmcl]

Righto.  Saltwater test has been effected at the Gold Coast eventually.

Kayak is suitable for younger kids really at this stage.  It sits very low in the water.

Long story but we acquired a 100Ah AGM battery so decided to power the kayak.  We bought a secondhand Watersnake and I built a CAD laser cut structure with the help of a local welder of repute.  I wired up the Watersnake via some 50A Anderson plugs.  The steering was upgraded to have steel cable on the foot pedals also.  42 pound thrust Watersnake.

Needless to say, the battery and Watersnake make the kayak sit very low in the water once I get into it.  I'm about 96kgs.  So I might strap some aluminium tubes underside to give buoyancy.

We didn't even try the fishing rods coz it was a very low ebb of the tide.   All we were doing is grinding the prop onto the gravel.  The local jetskis nearly tipped me over too.

I think the speed might get up around 5 knots ?  The range might be a good number of hours at speed but to this point in time we haven't ventured very far.

The seating will ensure I can't use it at all.  I'll need to be a lot more upright to prevent a very sore back I'm afraid.

Photo !

 

 

 

[Drop Bear]

17 hours ago, swmcl said:

Needless to say, the battery and Watersnake make the kayak sit very low in the water once I get into it.  I'm about 96kgs.  So I might strap some aluminium tubes underside to give buoyancy.

Interesting project. Nice work on the battery box

It scares me a bit that you would put flotation under the water as it will change the buoyancy and might make it more tippy. Also watch you don't put holes in the bottom of the boat as the plastic flexes and breaks water seals.  Also watch that they don't give heaps of drag. 

[swmcl]

Yes to all of that !  I have managed to rig the seat to be less laid back which is a good thing ...

Tippy is a problem for sure.  My first go at it and my son had accidentally crushed an electrical cable under the motor mount and I had intermittent power along with jet ski waves and I thought it might be best to operate with the bungs out ... altogether the worst case scenario !  The bungs allow one to drain water from the deck of a sit-on kayak through the hull in a normal situation.  It might be more buoyant if I jam them into the kayak to prevent water coming up through them.

I reckon 2 x 20 litres of pipe / tube under but near the waterline at the wider parts of the kayak will offer some stability and also some floatation.  40 litres = 40 kgs approx and would compensate for the battery.

If nothing else, it has been a father-son project sorta.  One where the father does everything and the son watches on ...

[Drop Bear]

1 hour ago, swmcl said:

Yes to all of that !  I have managed to rig the seat to be less laid back which is a good thing ...

Tippy is a problem for sure.  My first go at it and my son had accidentally crushed an electrical cable under the motor mount and I had intermittent power along with jet ski waves and I thought it might be best to operate with the bungs out ... altogether the worst case scenario !  The bungs allow one to drain water from the deck of a sit-on kayak through the hull in a normal situation.  It might be more buoyant if I jam them into the kayak to prevent water coming up through them.

I reckon 2 x 20 litres of pipe / tube under but near the waterline at the wider parts of the kayak will offer some stability and also some floatation.  40 litres = 40 kgs approx and would compensate for the battery.

If nothing else, it has been a father-son project sorta.  One where the father does everything and the son watches on ...

Great stuff. I am looking forward to seeing photos of MK11