Jurien Sunday Dhu
Went to Jurien for the long weekend with my family and an old school mate and his troop. Plan was:
- Do some family stuff Saturday afternoon and visit the Stockyard Gully Cave
- Get in a surf Sunday morning and then take my youngest and my mates oldest kids (both just turned 6) out for their first crack at a Dhu. Forescast looked like it was going to be one of those perfect winter days - no wind and a nice sized swell
- Go to Sandy Cape to smash down the sand dunes (my daughters request)
Stockyard Gully Cave was fun and I'd recommend doing this if in the area. The kids love it and I think most adults are a bit surprised that there's somehting like this that no-one really knows about. Kids also love the bouncing around on the track getting in there. Can do it in an AWD if you're considering it. No worries in 4WD.
Sunday we got in a nice surf at a nearby break (no names). Been surfing this wave for about 15 years now. Those who know it will probably recognise it. Tide was a bit full, but still fun. Was about head high on the 2m swell. Visited by a seal in the lineup. Didn't really want the attention from the marine life given we had heard of Ben Gerring's passing in the news that morning. Even more so given I've had 2 prior shark encounters at this spot. Once kicking a shark with my foot (its skin actually grazed the top of my foot) and another time having a chunky fin surface between myself and another guy.
Survived the surf, and then got the 2 boys ready for their first fish out wide. Left Jurien marina about 11am with the 2 boys and my mate pretty excited. Conditions were pretty good and travelled out at 20 knots. Fished a few lumps for an undersize dhuie and some scraps. Next spot fired up. We did 3 drifts for 5 dhuies. Kept 2 which went 8kg and 9kg. Others were returned in good condition using the release weight, helped because the kids were so slow to wind them up.
Didn't want any more dhue's so moved to some ground in the hope of picking up something different, but couldn't get any bites. So we decided to tidy up the boat, give the kids a snack (does anyone else always end up with barbecue shapes mushed into their carpet every trip?) and take some photo's of their catch.
Trip home was in perfect conditions at 21 knots. Saw a couple fo whales which we followed for a while. Back in the marina at 2:30. Got home and heard about the second shark attack on Doreen Collyer. Couldn't believe it! Very sad. The ocean is part of my lifestyle and the increase in attacks are forcing me more than ever to consider my lifestyle.
Monday morning was time to keep my daughter happy by charging head first down the sand dunes at Sandy Cape. If it looks like I'm falling off the baord in the photo's its because I wasn't paying attention whilst I was filming her with the GoPro. Good fun and a sure-fire way to wear the kids out for the trip home.
Cool weekend. Weather gods smiled down on us. Love taking other people up there and giving people the experiences that I love.
Cheers, Clay
meglodon
Posts: 5981
Date Joined: 17/06/10
Great post and pics
Thanks for sharing your weekend away, the surf spot looks real good for surf and tailor at dusk ? the smile on the kids faces says it all about how they feel about the outdoors.
clayd
Posts: 126
Date Joined: 07/12/15
Tailor
I've seen lots of people fishing there, but never seen anyone land anything. When shore based, you're casting into a lagoon, so the whitewaver is probably too far away. If you were in a tinny on the other hand, yep, I'd say you'd have a good chance of snagging a few.
Yes, the smile on the kids faces is what it's about. It was going to be shared in the classroom today for "news". I also taught them how to measure their fish - measure it against your arm. For them, it was from their finger tips to their opposite shoulder. Can't wait to ask in another 10 years time when they're 16 and 6 foot tall how big their fish were. Like any good fishing story, it will have grown a fair bit!
Deleted
Posts: 6265
Date Joined: 26/04/14
great stuff bloke
great stuff bloke
Doc
Posts: 691
Date Joined: 29/05/16
Always good getting the tin
Always good getting the tin lids involved
Paul_86
Posts: 1449
Date Joined: 27/03/09
looks like you had an
looks like you had an awesome long weekend trip mate good stuff! Never heard of that cave before
Timwoody86
Posts: 129
Date Joined: 05/07/14
Awesome trip mate
Good times that will never be forgotten.
shut up and fish
Timwoody86
Posts: 129
Date Joined: 05/07/14
Awesome trip mate
Good times that will never be forgotten.
shut up and fish
Percula
Posts: 273
Date Joined: 23/09/08
Awesome
visited the cave when I was up there last, didn't know it existed and it is very cool!!
Stevo81
Posts: 1278
Date Joined: 16/04/12
Cave def worth a trip, just
Cave def worth a trip, just watch out for the extra large bee hives around the entrance & exit
Waves look fun too
•••••••• Electrical Contractor NOR ••••••••
anypuddle
Posts: 597
Date Joined: 22/01/12
good on you
Looks like a great family trip and some great photos of the boys!. lived here all mylife and didnt know about the caves. Do you need to use candlewax on the bottom of the boards for sandbording? Any skilifts to take my beergut up the dune?
Anywhere anytime
clayd
Posts: 126
Date Joined: 07/12/15
Candlewax
Candlewax definitely helps. Didn't have any this time round though.
Humpback
Posts: 103
Date Joined: 15/01/15
Jurien
Good report mate quality time with the family and nice photos. I think the boys are hooked !!!! only seams like yesterday that was my boys age.
My little boy is now 28 and flying home from melbourne in 2 weeks to go fishing with dad in coral bay im not sure whos more excited me or him.
I hope hes holding quality fish and smiling as much as your lads great work Dad.
opsrey
Posts: 1200
Date Joined: 05/10/07
Nice ares
Good to see the kids in the action. Stuff surfing, you can have it. Stockman caves always excellent, it's bees are a highlight.
Chinbald
Posts: 317
Date Joined: 21/02/09
Great Pics and Report.
We where at Jurien and fished wide in wet and messy conditions Sunday. The afternoon was like a postcard. Only the one Dhu, baldy and black bums. Great effort to get a surf and a brace of Dhus with the young fellas on board. As a side note the currents and drift were so bad in the 70's that fishing was almost impossible. Worst I've fished in the area.
clayd
Posts: 126
Date Joined: 07/12/15
Amazing
Amazing. Almost sounds like we were fishing different places. I'd suggest we weren't too far apart too. We just got a few spots of rain at our first lump, then it cleared. As you said, the afternoon was magic. Current and wind drift weren't a problem for us at all. No sea anchor required and 16oz sinker was all we needed. But yes, the current can get pretty savage up there. On many occassions I'll fish with 2 x 24oz sinkers and still struggle to hold bottom.
Spoke to a few other people and they said it was slow going. We tried to round off the bag for 30mins over some various ground, but couldn't get a sniff. Sounds like one of those days you had to drop it down their throats to get a feed.
Mooseknuckle
Posts: 110
Date Joined: 14/05/13
Nice report Clayd
Well done on the young fella's fish.
I lived where that surf spot is in primary and high school. Did correspondence for yr 11 and 12 so would ride up to the break and surf alone most of the times. It is a really fun wave and I get disappointed now (being 38) with the development and crowds, but it looks you got it relatively empty. The left sometimes has a short, mean barrel.
Fishing up there I find the north tide is a killer. Quite often and often used to pull 7 floats under when I was on the crayboats. Wait for it to back off so we could find the gear.
Hope you get some more waves
Cheers, Moose