Fishing Trip 2012
Friday June 8th 2012
Well another year has passed and the Queens birthday annual fishing trip has come around once more. I am lucky that my good mate Dave is making his way down from Queensland to join the rabble and hopefully get his name on the trophy. He missed out in 2011 due to a non compliant adjudicator named Frenchy!
Well as the number plate indicates 2 Tykes
YORKSHIRE BORN AND BRED !
Nice little set up now, Dave
has a Queen sized bed and 2
Doona's and a hot water bottle if it is required. The sun is shining and we are off to a cracking start! Yes we have had our first beer.
We chose this location within the campsite due to our usual pitch being flooded. Hopefully we will get everybody in just behind us.
Here little fishy
Well just to prove that we do fish as well as drink here I am awaiting the tell tale sign of a nibble from the elusive salmon. Not the best eating fish by any means but a delight to catch. I always try and adopt a catch and return policy (that way other people may enjoy the thrill that I had ) with my fishing. I wish everybody would adopt the same policy as it may then ensure fish for future generations to enjoy.
Dave playing one of the many salmon that was to grace our large poppers, blue and white seemed to be the flavour of the day
And yet again he is into a salmon! If the rest of the group don't get here soon there will be no more fish left for them to catch!!
Out ya go my little beauty, go deep and long and find me a fish. A great big Gummy shark would be nice!
A lonely site indeed we need rod bending action and its has now slowed right down maybe its time for a wander back to the bus and a Bundy and coke?
Well the whole gang is here and we have just about fit everybody in behind the bus.
Mark and Pete are leading the way with a bottle of fizzy, behind them is the tardis with the worlds largest tarpaulin is in the background.
However just as the last peg was being hammered into the ground, a ranger from the camp site shouted to Mark that he would have to decamp and move away from his chosen location, as he was illegally camped on a fire break, she would need access for the fire brigade if anything went amiss.
His poor face was a picture, I really thought he was going to cry!
After a few expletives he realised that Smurf had set him up and after a few more expletives he saw the funny side of the gag and replaced his smile. Now where is candid camera when you need em?
Yours truly, Mark, John, Pete and Dave.
I remember Dave's wife Kath once told me that Dave should keep his big gob shut! She also thinks that the song You say it best when you say nothing at all was written for him.
Well Kath he's gone and done it again.
Well Kath he's gone and done it again.
Mark had just arrived and while we were pondering the best spot for him to set up the tardis, when someone else arrived shortly afterwards in his pick up, both myself and Dave wondered who had just arrived.
"Who's that?" Dave says to Mark, "Oh that's John" replies Mark.
Aw I hate that @**@ says Dave.
Aw I hate that @**@ says Dave.
Oi replied Mark that's my uncle your talking about.
Couldn't find a hole big enough to swallow you up could ya mate?
Sorrys all round for a while as Dave dug himself deeper into the hole as he tried to explain who he had mistaken John for.
Sorrys all round for a while as Dave dug himself deeper into the hole as he tried to explain who he had mistaken John for.
The whole gang have now arrived and we are in serious fishing mode. the surf is good with not too much weed or side wash.
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I was true to my word with the promise made in 2011 of a curry for all on our next trip.
18 hungry bellies have now been filled and every member of the gang now have tingling lips.
Tomorrow the favour will be returned by Mark and his crew. I wonder what will be on the menu?
Well they are teenagers! Surely you didn't think they would help preparing the feast did you? Damn sure they will eat the bugger though!
Mark in charge of the barbecue, now who says you can't cook chips on a BBQ?
All eagerly awaiting the feast, the meat is nearly ready for carving and the veggies are just about done
Now if only we knew a master carver? oh that's right John's a butcher, so we have a job for him.
Done us proud John the meat was carved wonderfully. Mark and his team served up the best tucker imaginable. Roast pork, roast lamb, onions is their skins, chips and gravy.
This barbecue was rescued from someones nature strip during hard waste removal. Cleaned up and put back into service by Mark. It has served him well for at least three years to my reckoning and has many more years of cooking left on it. The food is always fantastic!
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Only one more thing to do and that's to drink and be merry with a special group of mates.
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Peter and Mark and god only knows what is in the glass?
Dave, Peter and Mark
?, Frenchy, Lee , ?.
?.Darren. Hadleigh.
Philip
Dave (my bro)
Oh and in case we all forget, last year Dave missed out on getting his name on the trophy as he returned the largest fish before it had been witnessed by our judicator Frenchy.
The picture says it all as Dave looks on in amazement at the monster salmon below his feet. Duly witnessed by Frenchy.
Yes Dave you will get your name on that elusive trophy at last!
GO THE TYKES!
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Sadly this will most likely be my last trip to Woodside with the lads.
Andrea and I are hoping to set off in April for the trip of a lifetime. We have no journey plans as yet and will take each day as it comes, we will however enjoy every minute of or adventure just as I have done with the lads at Woodside.
Fishing Trip 2011
Friday June 15th 2011
It has been a yearly event, that a group of lads go fishing to Woodside beach, Victoria during the Queens birthday weekend.
I have now enjoyed my sixth year with the lads and as I have done each year, invited my best mate down from Queensland. Dave (aka Smurf) has unfortunately never been able to attend previously. So I was flabbergasted when in 2011 He agreed to join this ugly bunch of men for a serious fishing trip. Obviously all good intentions about not drinking too much had already gone out of the window when I picked him up from the airport and fishing was put on the back burner as usual!
On our way to sunny Woodside beach with the captain at the wheel and the co-pilot seated next to him. Poor Dave tried to get numerous photographs of the scenery but failed miserably!
Now this is whats known as camping in style. Not every fisherman has this luxury. However we all manage to make ourselves very comfortable.
Dave was quite perturbed when he realised that the Bus was made for 2 and that the 2 it was converted for was Chris and Andrea. Sorry Dave no top to tail for you mate.
Snug as a bug in a rug! Actually Dave's first night was freezing so out came the spare doona from under the bed in the bus. A happy camper once again.
Oh the joy of setting up!
Now I did say earlier that not all fishermen have the luxury of a converted bus to sleep in. However we all manage in our own way and are normally very comfortable.
Good mates Mark and Sam recently bought a trailer tent and although she is a little on the old side, she is still very serviceable and water tight!
Well she is once the worlds largest tarpaulin gets thrown over her. It normally takes about six of us to get her under cover, with a lot of huffing and puffing. Once she is under though? Well she's like the bloody Tardis!
Well she is once the worlds largest tarpaulin gets thrown over her. It normally takes about six of us to get her under cover, with a lot of huffing and puffing. Once she is under though? Well she's like the bloody Tardis!
Perfectly set up, Mark had even brought a full size BBQ and even a full sized kitchen sink!
Frenchy and his gang prepare for what some would consider a mammoth task of setting up all this equipment. However the whole abode (more like an Arabian Bedouin tent) is livable within about 30 minutes. Much to their credit
Another perfect example of camping in style!!
TOLD YA FRENCHY CAMPED IN STYLE.
Lunchtime at the 2 Tykes Corral
Now Dave would say that this curry was to die for and i have to admit it was one of my best.
Obviously the tender loving care that Dave shared on the curry all helped. It was a damn good starter for a main course yet to come!
Relaxing with my mate
More of the amber nectar (well Crown larger, which is OK but not brilliant) had to be consumed (it's the law) which helped to wash down a spicy lunch. this is just what the doctor ordered!
An excellent way to put the world to rights and in some cases, to build bridges.
Dinner time.
An excellent way to put the world to rights and in some cases, to build bridges.
Dinner time.
A late dinner was requested and so the make shift rotisserie with Hickory smoked chicken was started. Meanwhile I prepared a full roast dinner with all the trimmings for my best mate's delight.
Not too shabby for a couple of likely lads from Yorkshire.
Roast chicken, roast potatoes and parsnips, with steamed carrots and broccoli. Yorkshire puddings and lashings of gravy.
Grubs up my shitzen fasten.
All washed down with a nice big glass of Bundy and vanilla coke. I suppose a nice Sav blanc would have been better, but we are men and we were camping!
As you can see all great fishermen and all at the ready with rod in hand! from left to right starting at the back.
Geoff, Frenchy (Chris), Phil, Mark and
Again fishermen at the ready with rod in hand! From left to right Philip (stood up and tasting some rare morsel), seated Hadleigh, Pete and Mark aka as the chillie maestro!
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Now although this was a fishing trip, I have to admit 2011 was not the greatest year for fishing. We had recently had huge storms in Victoria and the sea was wild. Too much drag and too much weed. We all managed to catch fish but they were few and far between. Spawny balls Smurf landed the largest fish (witness my myself) but was not allowed his name on the trophy as he returned the fish unharmed.
As it was not seen by the official judicator Frenchy it did not count. I personally think we need a new ruling on this!
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