When I first heard about Jason Andrews and Rodney Quinton and what they were doing, I was filled with excitement and dread. The question was, do we have two budding modern adventurers or do we have a pair of cowboys just laughing?
After tracking down and talking to the guys and watching their DVDs, I found my answer.
I was excited by the rawness and truthfulness of what they were doing, what you see is exactly what happened: no camera crew, no production company, and no script. I offered to write a series of reviews for them, detailing their adventures, so here we go.
Part One
Jase and Rodo, based in Noosa, Queensland, towed their boat through central Queensland, into the Northern Territory and finally into Western Australia to reach those special parts of Australia that surprisingly few people get to see.
The 4X4 and trailer were already showing signs of an inland adventure, but the truth was that until the 4X4 was safely left and the boat launched, then the real fishing adventure would begin.
Counting the miles along the Tablelands Highway and then the Carpentaria/Savannah Highway, they finally reached King Ash Bay on the Macarthur River. After a good night’s sleep and a final gear check, the boys would launch the boat in King Ash Bay and then head for the Sir Edward Pellew group of islands.
The morning sun was rising; the temperature was a balmy 32oC (89F) and the breeze was barely enough to cause a ripple in the sea. Being the end of September, spring in the southern hemisphere, the humidity was only 76%, a far cry from the 95+% of ‘The Wet Seasons’.
The first stop was the mouth of the river at a place known locally as Sharky’s Point. They caught some good Barramundi there. The fishing was ideal with calm waters, a light breeze that helped keep cool, lots of fish in the bite, and no mosquitoes! (mozzie is Australian slang for mosquito) As enjoyable as the fishing was, now was not the time to stock up on fresh fish.
Next stop was David Island, sandwiched between the much larger North Island and Vanderlin Island to the south. David Island is extremely small and belongs to the Yanyuwa aboriginal people. The island is essentially a rocky outcrop with a small sandy beach on one side and is just a speck in the ocean, but as they were told the fishing was excellent they had to give it a try.
The run from King Ash Bay up the Macarthur River to David Island was around 32Nm and as the water evaporated the 150hp shortened the distance.
Once on David’s Island, Jase and Rodo were shaking out their favorite hard-bodied minnows, taking out cod, jacks, queenfish, small sharks, and the occasional Mangrove Jack, though there weren’t many Barra around. What they really needed was fresh bait, so they found a stretch of sand on the North Island and Jase cast the bait net while Rodo kept an eye out for crocodiles.
Crocodiles to watch out for in this part of Australia are the Estuarine Saltwater Crocodile, as opposed to Johnson’s Freshwater Crocodile. Saltwater crocodiles are more than willing to swim from the mainland to any of the outer islands, and the North Island is no different!
With a good supply of live bait, the boys headed to a shoal located 30Nm from the Sir Edward Pellew island group and there they found themselves caught up in non-stop fishing action, catching everything from Chinese to large Trevallies, sharks and red emperor.
The probe glowed with massive schools of Tea Leaf Trevally in the 6 to 8 kg range. They were guaranteed one fish per drop! It was hot; in fact, it was 105 degrees Fahrenheit and the Trevallys were just as hot.
By late afternoon, the mosquitoes were thickening due to lack of wind, so the boys found their way back to North Island to set up camp consisting only of a campfire and its swags. (a swag is a thin mattress and a sleeping bag all rolled into one) For dinner they ate the Trevally they had and the oysters they found on the rocks, as well as the Damper Jase made in the camp oven.
The next morning, they scoured the island for possibilities for their next visit before heading back to King Ash Bay.
In the next article, the boys head to the Western Australian border and run into trouble on the now dry Pentecost River, breaking a shaft!