queensland Moreton Bay turtle - A BIG One

[Biggles]

Well arrived at 8th Avenue Bribie Island this morning with a spring in me step and a smile like a rat with a golden tooth, I had the day off and the weather man said it was going to be calm on the water. As I pulled into the car park I didn't like what I saw, the big low had left a swell behind, nothing that couldn't be overcome but the trip back in would have seen me visit the sand monster without doubt.

More than one way to skin a cat so I headed straight for the car park at Bongaree, you bewdy flat as, I unloaded and with 2 hours until change of tide I thought I would see how this Hobie thing goes, and I set out in the direction of Buckley's Hole.

As I headed off I threw a couple of hard bodies on the troll and I was under way. About 3 mins into the trip and I start to see the remnants of the big wet, weed and lots of it.

Not to be out done I pulled the lures in and set off in the direction of Woody Bay, I knew it would take between 1 & 2 hours to get to Woody Bay, but heh, I'm up for it :grin: , the tide is still against me but I pushed on anyway. Got to Woody Bay about lunch time and you guessed it, bloody weed and lots of it, I couldn't even drift some gulps on the bottom . With the tide now turned I headed back toward the safety of the passage and yep, against the tide :8: . There still wasn't too much breeze at this point so I decided to track out wide on my return journey into the deeper water, I was feeling pretty good but kinda wishing I had a set of Turbo Fins about now. Then it happened :shock: , woooshka I know that noise it's a turlte :love: , I love turtle's. I spun around but couldn't see him anywhere, but what I did see was not good, a crab pot bouy under tow means only one thing in Moreton Bay.

Having rescued a significant number of these buggas in the last few years I knew what I had to do, I secured all the rods and hooks anything else that that had the potential to bite me :gu: , I even put the camera below at this point. I peddled up beside the fast moving bouy grabbed it and hung for dear life, after a couple of minutes I started the process of pulling my new friend to the side of the yak. All was going well until the cranky bugga got a look at me and went balistic, the nose of the Revo speared in and I was nearly thrown clean out :shock: , I held on and everytime he took a run I just payed out more line and then dragged him back. Got the big bugga beside the yak and went to work with the knife, I got most off him before it let go, I sure hope I got enough because I didn't see him after that.

I sat there for a little while to get my barings and have a spell, when I realised holy crap that's Gilligans Island about 200 meters away :shock: , now I do have a decent peddle home, yep against the tide :pain: .

I have to be honest, I think the adrenalin from the turlte rescue was the only thing that kept one peddle in front of the other today, because I'm stuffed. The last 500 meters back were the hardest, and vertually fell out of the yak when I landed. I was on the yak all day except for one little stop south of Buckley's, not sure how far but probably did 15kms, against the tide the whole time.

Regards

Al [img size=448]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/Copy_of_101_1256.JPG

[Biggles]

Another One [img size=448]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/Copy__2__of_101_1258.JPG

[Biggles]

A Long Way Home [img size=448]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/Copy_of_101_1269.JPG

[Mack_attack]

good on you for saving the turtle:)

[STU]

nice rescue mate

[tacklebox]

good one Al! hope the big fella's ok.

[MichaelJ]

good onya biggles for saving it

and how did your hobie go?

[Dec]

Well atleat you saved a turlte. Yesterday I saved a turtle was walking along in the park by the creek and I see somthing walking along the path so I walked up and found a massive long neck turtle so I picked him up and took him back to the creek. Dont know what he thought he was doing he was heading towards houses no water.

[AZZA]

Great work well done if their was a AFO enviroment hero award it would be yours :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

[Biggles]

The Hobie goes good, as much as I liked my Prowler I would not have been able to paddle that far today against the tides. Thanks lads but no praise needed, just doin me bit like everyone else. Have a good one.

Regards

Al

[Terry H]

Al mate, quick tip: if you use the pedals on a beach launch/reentry there, you can sit on the back of a bribie dumper means you wont say gday to the sand monster

We'll have to show you a quick mod you can make to your yak on Monday

[Biggles]

TerryH wrote:

Al mate, quick tip: if you use the pedals on a beach launch/reentry there, you can sit on the back of a bribie dumper means you wont say gday to the sand monster

We'll have to show you a quick mod you can make to your yak on Monday

Cool

Al

[Burko]

well done. by the look of that rope and bouy he was towing it for a while. tried to rescue one a few years ago that nearly pulled the back of a 19' glass boat under, three guys holding the rope and it was all going backwards and down. (think it might have been a sub) big effort for you on a yak.

[Rocket75]

Shame to see the poor bugger all tangled up, good to see you made the effort.

Pity about all the weed.

Thanks for the report.

Rocket

[pcsolutionman]

Al mate, we will have to get you out there and give you some confidence tackling the waves. 15klms and your stuffed lol you will need to get a bit fitter if you want to keep up with me and Terry lol

good onya for the turtle save

Lee

[Biggles]

Burko wrote:

well done. by the look of that rope and bouy he was towing it for a while. tried to rescue one a few years ago that nearly pulled the back of a 19' glass boat under, three guys holding the rope and it was all going backwards and down. (think it might have been a sub) big effort for you on a yak.

The bugga pulled hard that's for sure, we played with each other for well over an hour, he nearly got the better of me a couple fo times. When the nose of the yak gets pulled under it gives you a sense of "you had better be bloody carefull".

Biggles 1 - Turtles 0

Regards

Al

[Cowfish13]

Nice work mate, definately the environmental hero award:cheer:

Especially for sticking at it for over an hour:blink::cheer:

[Biggles]

pcsolutionman wrote:

Al mate, we will have to get you out there and give you some confidence tackling the waves. 15klms and your stuffed lol you will need to get a bit fitter if you want to keep up with me and Terry lol

good onya for the turtle save

Lee

G'day mate,

I just guessed the 15kms, perhaps you could calculate it for me, Bongaree boat ramp to Buckley's hole to Woody Bay, half way back to Buckleys (out wide) and out to Gilligans then back to Bongaree, (all against the tide). Happy to receive any tips in the surf Champion, you need to show me first but.

Talkin to ya

Al

[chubbstar]

Good on ya Al, Job well done. 5 star rateing *****

Jayson

[brisfisher]

on ya mate that was your good deed for the day;)petty bout the weed,should start to clear up soon though...

[Dinodadog]

Well done like your work

[maxi]

good one al.... welldone mate

maxi

[wiseguy]

m8, gud stuff on the turtle saving,

ive seen a few aroung bribe, and the mighty deugons- they r the bump wen ur crusing with ur tinny lol

m8, i hope u never see a running crab pot boy and pull up a disgruntled shark...

make for a gud story though...lol

keep up the gr8 work m8, hope ur next yak out ends up with sum pallatable results!

[Biggles]

The abuse I received from the big fella was all worth it, do it again in a heart beat.

Regards

Al

"Giddeup":woohoo:

[Death Ray]

Well done,

I like turtles.

They taste yummy.

[Biggles]

Death Ray wrote:

Well done,

I like turtles.

They taste yummy.

:ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:

Al