Going offshore is not a walk in the park. I have been more exhaused then ever before, unable to sit for days after, completely wrecked while still having 3 hours of paddling to go, and yet to catch a fish out there. Yet I would do lt again in a heartbeat. The obvious reason I would keep going is the fish (tuna), yet on each occasion offshore I've been smiling ear to ear back at shore without a tuna to my name.
So what's so good about offshore kayak fishing?
- The challenge; it can get really tough out there but the feeling of overcoming all that and getting back to shore is amazing. You realize that you are capable of so much more than you previously thought. It inspires you to get out there and push yourself further.
- The scenery; even the open sea, where there is nothing but water and sky for as far as you can see, has a real beauty to it. Then as you head into land that speck half hidden by spray on the horizon slowly grows into a huge lighthouse or rock. These features guide you home but are also gorgeous to stop and look at.
- The wildlife; need I say more... well I will because I just want to tell everyone about it! You never know what you'll see or who might keep you company out there. From seeing bust ups bigger than a footy field, birds lighting up the horizon, dolphin or seals tagging along with you, whales curiously Inspecting you and I could go on and on.

So other than the fish, what makes the offshore ventures worth it for you?

I think that it's the chance of running into new species that keeps my interest...

I'll be the first to admit I don't like, big, lumpy and unfriendly seas - if the swell is more than 1m, I'll stay inshore!

But on the few days I've been able to head of Cape Woolamai when conditions have been kind, it's been
amazing. The colour of the water is so different, the dolphins and albatross are a pleasure to be around.

Cheers,

Mike.

Jordo wrote:Going offshore is not a walk in the park. I have been more exhausted then ever

Gee Jordo a young fella like you shouldn't get exhausted - wait till you get old and feeble like me

Jordo wrote: The challenge; it can get really tough out there --- So other than the fish, what makes the offshore ventures worth it for you?

You are right though it can be tough and quite the challenge but there is a huge amount of satisfaction venturing off shore
Back when I first started kayak fishing very few even ventured out in Westernport but as the sport has grown more and more guys fish all parts of both bays
Distances that yak fishos will now paddle to get to a spot has also changed with many covering many more Kms in a trip

Going off shore is fairly new to Victorian yak fishos having such good inshore fisheries both of the Melbourne bays being so close and on the whole are both good fisheries in there own right - Offshore though opens up new areas and new species for the kayaker and of cause new challenges

mingle wrote: The colour of the water is so different, the dolphins and albatross are a pleasure to be around.

Cheers,

Mike.

Mike you should have seen the water at SWRs on my last day before coming home back on Jan the water coming out of Trial bay was I thought quite blue but as you hit the open water it was the Bluest of Blue and you could see the line where the 2 different colours met but didn't mix

cheaterparts wrote:

Jordo wrote:Going offshore is not a walk in the park. I have been more exhausted then ever

Gee Jordo a young fella like you shouldn't get exhausted - wait till you get old and feeble like me

Haha, I'm definantly not match fit though, need to get a fair few more ks under my belt.

cheaterparts wrote:You are right though it can be tough and quite the challenge but there is a huge amount of satisfaction venturing off shore
Back when I first started kayak fishing very few even ventured out in Westernport but as the sport has grown more and more guys fish all parts of both bays
Distances that yak fishos will now paddle to get to a spot has also changed with many covering many more Kms in a trip

Going off shore is fairly new to Victorian yak fishos having such good inshore fisheries both of the Melbourne bays being so close and on the whole are both good fisheries in there own right - Offshore though opens up new areas and new species for the kayaker and of cause new challenges

Its that scary new feeling of pushing the boundries - thats what i think is so satisfying. Would have been amazing pushing the boundries in westernport before anyone else.

cheaterparts wrote:

mingle wrote: The colour of the water is so different, the dolphins and albatross are a pleasure to be around.

Cheers,

Mike.

Mike you should have seen the water at SWRs on my last day before coming home back on Jan the water coming out of Trial bay was I thought quite blue but as you hit the open water it was the Bluest of Blue and you could see the line where the 2 different colours met but didn't mix

I agree, the colours are amazing. Down at Portland the colour is such a serious dark blue - almost blackish, like looking down into the dark, hard eyes of the ocean. Would be awsome to see the colours up at SWR, sounds beautiful.

Plus the expression on the boaties faces when they get that look of WTF you doing out here.

Just wait till you start catching fish out there.

Getting offshore is truly addictive. It's a beautiful place. There's nothing quite like being out in the open sea with a big gentle swell rolling through, the albatross soaring and the cleanness, colour and depth of the water. Probably the most exciting thing about being offshore though is that the fishing possibilities are nearly limitless. Whether trolling, casting or live baiting for pelagics or fishing on the bottom, the prospect of catching nearly anything and everything is there and the quality of fish encountered is generally far above what you can expect to find inshore. I can genuinely say a day spent fishing offshore locally is worth several inshore and it gets even better when you head north.

laneends wrote:Plus the expression on the boaties faces when they get that look of WTF you doing out here.

I do love seeing that expression on people's faces

shane wrote:Just wait till you start catching fish out there.

Haha, yeah I'll keep putting in the hard yards, the reward is definantly out there, though you know about the rewards better than anyone

Jordo wrote:Going offshore is not a walk in the park. I have been more exhaused then ever before, unable to sit for days after, completely wrecked while still having 3 hours of paddling to go, and yet to catch a fish out there. Yet I would do lt again in a heartbeat. The obvious reason I would keep going is the fish (tuna), yet on each occasion offshore I've been smiling ear to ear back at shore without a tuna to my name.
So what's so good about offshore kayak fishing?
- The challenge; it can get really tough out there but the feeling of overcoming all that and getting back to shore is amazing. You realize that you are capable of so much more than you previously thought. It inspires you to get out there and push yourself further.
- The scenery; even the open sea, where there is nothing but water and sky for as far as you can see, has a real beauty to it. Then as you head into land that speck half hidden by spray on the horizon slowly grows into a huge lighthouse or rock. These features guide you home but are also gorgeous to stop and look at.
- The wildlife; need I say more... well I will because I just want to tell everyone about it! You never know what you'll see or who might keep you company out there. From seeing bust ups bigger than a footy field, birds lighting up the horizon, dolphin or seals tagging along with you, whales curiously Inspecting you and I could go on and on.

So other than the fish, what makes the offshore ventures worth it for you?

Mate I think you nailed it pretty well already. There is definitely a different feeling being out in swell (other than the one in your gut ) There are times where you have to just stop and appreciate how beautiful the west coast really is, I could happily paddle around out there without a fishing rod. I also like that when you are pushing it, your yak is out wide where it was designed to be, doing what it was designed to do - rolling down the back of big swells with a couple of rods out the back! I don't have many offshore fish on the board either Jordo, but have earned a few experience points along the way and taken my kayak much further afield than I would have otherwise.
Also totally agree on the wildlife on the previous trip with Shane I had dolphins, penguins and seals swim alongside me within a few k's of each other and the whale breaching beside my yak is one of the coolest things I've ever seen: you don't get experiences like that at the aquarium!

Guess i'm going to have to start thinking about an EPIRB & flares so I can join you guys, especially as the weather warms up