How things have changed on the fishing scene over the years

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theodosius
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Re: How things have changed on the fishing scene over the ye

Post by theodosius »

nice progression! The 3.3 would still be very handy though!


cjgp
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Re: How things have changed on the fishing scene over the ye

Post by cjgp »

That’s some interesting stuff blokes. I love hearing other peoples how it used to be, especially when they are so positive and no one is saying in the good old days. Things change and the younger ones have to find different new frontiers really.

Ohkay… not exactly a fishing story and not exactly like I am old, BUT I am getting there so here is one of mine.

In the 70’s my granddad who was an immigrant during the war from the Ukraine, and who spoke limited English but seemed to know everyone in Australia, took me for a trip from Gipsland Vic, to a cattle property he leased near Derby WA. In those days we travelled in a Bedford truck of some description, and I remember sleeping in the tray as we drove along. Just crept under the tarp as he swigged his home made vodka (he was eternally p...ed) and covered another k or two. It was a Bedford so we didn’t go fast.

There always used to be a rifle in the cab of that truck, loaded and ready and if we saw something my granddad thought was edible he would shoot it and chuck it in the truck and that was dinner. Goats were pretty regular and so were a few now protected animals. Like we say, times have changed….

I remember going across the Nullabor and there were sandy bits we got stuck in, and I remember stopping at places like Coral Bay and Exmouth (the bit that is now part of Ningaloo National Park) when the whole road was dirt and sand and there would only be one or two other people camped there. No store, no fresh water, no fuel. We would take this little punt granddad had and row around a small headland towing a spoon, and eat what we caught. At Coral Bay we camped just back from the beach, I think about where the pub is now. We camped pretty close to whoever else was there, because granddad loved to chat, and after about 10 or so days travelling with nothing but a kid and a couple of dogs, he was keen to chat. Keen enough to share his vodka even. I think from Coral Bay to Broome took about 10 or so days as we stopped to camp and fish for a few days at a couple of spots.

I took my kids to that part of the coast about 16 yrs ago, travelling in a van. God it had changed, but you could still row out over the inshore reef and see heaps of corals and catch some great fish towing a lure as we rowed along.

This particular year we went up through Broome to get some supplies, as there was not a lot of stuff in Derby in those days. Not that there was a lot in Broome either I might add. While we were in Broome we met this bloke Malcolm. Tall strong and full of beans he was, and he owned about 100 acres up near Cable Beach. He was travelling to Derby too, towing a caravan, and I think he and granddad had arranged to meet up on the land we leased. It took us about 1 ½ days to get from Broome to the property with our fully loaded truck. There was fuel flour, food, grog, heaps of cr.p.

There were lots of billabongs on the land from memory and a creek ran through the joint. It was more Dampier Peninsula than Derby, but we just used to say the Derby land. There were about 50 locals on the porperty. We only got up there every 2 years, mustered the cattle and trucked them to Derby or Broome to be slaughtered or shipped live to Perth or wherever, I’m not too sure what happened really, I was only a kid. The locals would do most of the work while we were away, and seemed to take the fresh meat they had access to over the previous years as part payment for their services, along with some cash, flour and whatever granddad was giving away while we were there. Seemed to be a pretty mutually beneficial state of affairs.

In the evenings we would go to the creek with some of the other workers, and hook for crabs and chuck baited handlines out. Bait was either live prawns the kids caught in these traps made from twigs or small fish we caught. The traps were real traditional gear. They were like a big loose pile of twigs tied in a bundle and the prawns (or maybe cherabin) would go in over night and the kids would pull the trap up in the morning, and hey presto live bait all round.

Mostly we caught jacks (red bream some of the locals called them. It wasn’t till I saw a photo of a jack when I was about 20 I knew the real name) barra or threadfin salmon. Tones of them at the right time of year. The line we used must have been about 100lb it was that thick and it just kinked up if you didn’t treat it right. I wore a glove and didn’t retrieve per say, just held on and walked backwards trying to drag my fish up to the bank. The end of my line was tied to a tree for unknown reasons. People caught some pretty big sized fish in my mind. The locals were not real keen on the bigger fish, everything was cooked whole so I think they didn’t like getting the raw inside parts maybe? I also think they only took us fishing because I don’t think they wanted my granddad to see how many beasts they killed to supply themselves.

On this trip we were to stay three weeks at the property, and had to do lots of mustering by horse and branding. I don’t really know how many cattle there were, but it was a lot of work. My main task was keeping the fires going and the brands hot, and making sure the workers actually branded every beast that needed it. After about 2 weeks, Malcolm turned up and helped out a bit, but he seemed to be mostly exploring, always hanging around the creek and the water holes. He would get out in granddads punt and spot light at night.

One morning there was the biggest croc I had ever seen, alive, blindfolded and its feet tied up behind its back lying on the ground out the front of the house. Its mouth was tied shut but I could see its teeth were big. Longer than my hand. They looked clean though. I sat on the crocs back and just about crapped myself doing it. Grandpa was laughing and Malcolm looked pretty happy with himself.

Anyway a plan was hatched to get this bugger into the back of Malcolm’s caravan so Malcolm could take it home. Malcolm was madly cutting the back of this Franklin van open from the base and up the sides and a few of the locals were happily helping themselves to the new beds and gas fridge and whatever they could get out from the inside.

The next day the croc was fed into the rear of the van. It was too long to go in fully, so his tail was twisted in and the rear of the van was screwed and wired (by wrapping wire around the van thus making the side door useless) shut. Then the executive decision was made that the crocs feet needed to be let lose. At this point you should all groan like “hmmm this sounds like trouble”.

The decision was that Malcolm and I would get on the roof of the van and Malcolm would lower me down through the sky light, I would untie or cut the ropes and Malcolm would haul me back up. Oh and I had a rope around my waist to facilitate all this. All good in theory. Think about it, someone lifts you by a rope tied around your belly. It either slips off or you end up bent over flailing abut while its cuts off your blood supply and you cant get out of that little skylight.

Lowered I get, and then I am on the back of the croc. I start on my task, which I think I was none too pleased to have won. As I am sitting on the crocs body, all of a sudden I feel it is getting bigger between my legs. It feels like it is growing and I am sort of trapped on top of it. I have a couple of it’s legs freed, so work quicker. I can also hear a slight hissing sound. Next thing I know all hell breaks loose. The croc is flicking around like a drunken fool tasered on Mitchell St. It feels like and sounds like, it and the van have exploded. It’s thrashing and I am stuck on top of it. Next thing I feel a hand grab my hair and I am hauled up off the croc out the skylight (smashing my shoulder as I go) onto the roof of the wildly bucking van. My granddad looked pretty scared and shocked, and I was pretty happy to be out of the little van of terror. I think we all got thrown off the roof by the violent swaying.

It took the croc about 10 mins to calm down again. Then Malcolm calmly hitched the van to our truck and took off to Broome. One of the first crocs for Malcolm Douglas’s’ croc farm was on its way to a new life as an exhibit and I had the privilege of riding it.

We went down to Broome the next day in his land drover and got to see him let the croc out of the by now very beaten van. Malcolm reckoned on the journey the croc would sleep for awhile then cut loose, fall asleep and cut loose. I can only imagine how it looked from behind, van swaying madly for a while then calm. He had cut a hole in the front of the van to cut the snout rope off.

The whole things was probably not one of his better thought out plans I think, putting a croc in a caravan. I forever will wonder why he didn’t just put it on the bed of our truck… Should have told him that so he didn’t have to returned the beat up van to his missus hey…

Dunno that I would let my kids be involved in that malarkey (although I have treated them to some pretty wild stuff in our travels) but may consider letting the grandkids have a go. Although I think that stuff is against the law now.... things have changed now but that’s how it used to be.
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Re: How things have changed on the fishing scene over the ye

Post by olfella »

What a classic story CJGP !!
Why the hell he did that to the van has me buggered..as you said, it should have been on the back of the Bedford !!
Talking about Bedfords, .........now there is your truely unbreakable truck, but slow....ouch. the thought of you travelling from victoria to near Derby in one must hacve taught you more than a lesson about patience.so much for " Are we there yet " coming from the back seat.
There is something about grandfathers and grandsons back in that era. They took on a role that seems to no longer exist, maybe because that lifestyle no longer exists.
My grandfather was as tough as nails and a pioneer sheep grazier out in western NSW ( Cobar). He was one of the first opal miners at Lightening Ridge. He taught me how to set rabbit traps and swing an axe etc.
There are no fishing stories as water , let alone fish barely existed around my region. I caught my first fish up here
Amazingly he would recount how he remembered all the hype about the Wright Brothers first flight. He died in 1974
But sadly mate you are right about one thing, grandads, as all of us, are limited now by the Nanny State sydrome we now all live under.
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Re: How things have changed on the fishing scene over the ye

Post by Dick »

A ripper yarn that one, really enjoyed it :) :)
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Re: How things have changed on the fishing scene over the ye

Post by skinny joel »

one of the sadest days was when MD passed, well before his time
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Re: How things have changed on the fishing scene over the ye

Post by barra mick »

cjcp.....great... magnificent reading that story.

thanks
you have to have crack even if your just pissin in the wind
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Re: How things have changed on the fishing scene over the ye

Post by bugged1989 »

BlueyNT wrote:I was in Jabiru from 1980 -1989 ,

In the same boat as you Oldfella , getting back into fishing as well ,just bought a 4.2 Stacer and a 4 stroke Merc.
Had a no name 12' tinnie and a 15hp Mariner 2 stroke , in fact I still have them and plan to put them to use soon.
The motor I bought from Jack Vealel when he owned Winnellie Marine.

I remember the toe breaking "boat ramp " at the south alligator bridge , basically a pile of rocks dumped down the bank.
You had to carry the boat down and then the motor and all the gear ,couldn't risk trying to launch with a vehicle. I busted my toes and ripped toe nails out countless times.
Some time we would launch on the opposite side of the bridge (the upstream side ) we would balance the boat on the bank ,fit the motor on load all the gear into it and one of us would push the boat and run like hell behind it and jump in just as it hit the water .
The ramp at Munmallary landing was a bit better ,it had steel mesh fixed over it with starpickets driven in to hold it in place.

During the wet when the road to Jim Jim was closed (it was dirt and no bridges over Nourlangie Creek ) ,we would launch at the Sth Alligator bridge and go by boat ,It was an adventure , no signs, no markers or GPS ,lots of tall grass and swamp , it was easy to get lost because the place was like an inland sea , the only land mark was the line of fresh water mangroves and a stand of bamboo at the outlet of yellow waters. I recall one year a bloke and his girlfriend went missing for two or three days coming back from JimJim they missed the turn into the South and went on for miles and ran out of fuel .Eventually found by a search party ,burnt and mossie bitten but still alive and bit worse for wear .
Once we got to Home billabong at Jim Jim we would head for the pub , get the latest goss and fish reports and then head out ,after a couple of beers and a meat pie.

The East alligator was a top spot both upstream and down ,did a few post wet season trips down stream to the Magella Creek /East Alligator junction ,sit on the colour change and get smashed all day by barra. Up stream we would got to the rockhole , and even further up as far as the boat would go , then walk right up into the deep gorges and fish up there ,hard going because of the big log tangles and big rocks

My mate had a 13" Seabird dinghy and a 30hp long shaft Mariner 2 stroke his boat had more freeboard than my tinnie , one time we went to the mouth of the South Alligator and right across to Mini mini and fished there , we never saw another boat the whole four days we were there .No radio , but we had a 20.00 dollar compass from the NT General Store to guide us and an map of the area.
bl..dy long trip , we carried extra fuel in 20 litre oil drums and had 2 x 25litre boat tanks.
When one tank got down near empty we would fill lit with fuel from a oil drum , punch holes in the oil drum and toss it over the side.
We caught a lot of fish ,but only kept a couple each as we were low on space in the boat.

We did some hunting there also ,saw a big mob of Banteng and heaps of pigs. We used bows for the pig hunting to keep the noise down , we didn't want to attract unwanted attention.
Fred Pocock was alive then and we would go down to his place for the weekend , we would take recent newspapers ,fresh bread and vegies and other goodies for him .He was a top bloke , we were always welcomed with a big handshake and a smile , he would give us the mud crabs from his fish traps to take home.

I miss those days , my best mate, fishing and hunting partner left the territory and now lives in Bowen on a yacht ,we still keep in touch by phone.
Last time I went to Yellow Water I was absolutely shocked , bl..dy great bitumen carpark , a bl..dy warf and all . Fancy pub , not like the old tin shed which had a ton of character.
The carpark replaced the lawn like grass where we would camp .
Don't think I will ever bother going back there again .
Lots of other places we fished an explored before stage 2 and 3 of Kakadu came about ,I guess most of them are now locked away by the powers to be .
At least I had the opportunity to enjoy some of the best hunting and fishing Australia had to offer , I'm thankfull of that nad I still have the memories.

I reckon we may have crossed lines at at one time or other ,may have met at Alligator hole I recall meeting two blokes there one day , we sat and yacked for hours ,drank quite a bit of booze as well , one bloke was Paul Newman ,he worked for fisheries I think , a year or so later I read of him drowning at Ashmore Reef , IIRC they found his boat but never found him. Cant remember his mates name was it you?

Cheers
Kev

Jeez BlueyNT,

Mate, when you wrote who you bought the boat and motor off i nearly died, Jack Veal is my grandfather!! Never got to meet him but I am his youngest Son Andrews Child!!
" Peace and Quiet - Loud and Obnoxious more like"
xxxx
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Re: How things have changed on the fishing scene over the ye

Post by xxxx »

Thanks boys, keep them coming,there must be some more yarns to be spun..........I love this site mainly for its entertainment value, plus the extremely educational posts 8) 8) 8)
Aaah, retirement.........the hours are good , but the pay is absolute cr.p.
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Re: How things have changed on the fishing scene over the ye

Post by BlueyNT »

bugged1989 wrote:
BlueyNT wrote:I was in Jabiru from 1980 -1989 ,


Jeez BlueyNT,

Mate, when you wrote who you bought the boat and motor off i nearly died, Jack Veal is my grandfather!! Never got to meet him but I am his youngest Son Andrews Child!!


Pleased to meet you bugged1989

Jack was a great bloke he did me a good deal on my Mariner , it was a 9.9Hp and on special , when I went in to get it he told me he could do a mod on it and make it a 15Hp for another 80.00 dollars , I said "Ok then" . I had to wait a couple of hrs while the mechanic did the mod ( reed valves or some thing ) .
I reckon it was 81 or 82 when I bought it.
Probably the best 700 bucks I've ever spent , that motor still starts easily and runs like a clock .
Both the tinnie and the motor have done some miles over the last 20 odd years .The tinnie cost me $500 new , dont know what brand it is as it has no makers name , just a fully welded hull and the seats are pop rivited into it .
I loaned the boat and motor to the cops in the 1998 Katherine flood so they could get stranded people out of the town . The motor performed flawlessly

I know Jack used to get stuff together for presents just before Christmas and give them to orphans and under privileged families to make thier Christmas a bit brighter. Got to respect the man for his kind heart .

I still go to Winnellie Marine and buy my stuff for my outboards ,in fact I'll be there tomorrow to get a new water pump kit for the old Mariner .

Kev
I'm not young enough to know every thing .
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Re: How things have changed on the fishing scene over the ye

Post by BlueyNT »

Great yarn cjgp , never met Malcolm Douglas but was a big fan of his TV shows ,and was quite sad when I read of his passing.
I reckon he was the inspiration for me to do crazy trips in undersized dinghies .
Blokes like him are far a few between these days .


Kev.
I'm not young enough to know every thing .
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Re: How things have changed on the fishing scene over the ye

Post by olfella »

Well how about that Bluey..........My 3.3 and 15 Mariner was purchased from Jack Veal in 1981 or very early 1982. The boat is a Savage.
The Commonwealth Bank manager sold the package on behalf of the owner, including all safety gear, to a mate and me for $900 in mid '82. The boat/motor had done 5 hours and was being sold because the owner had gone to jail for 5 years.
Me and my mate had a falling out over his girlfriend so I bought him out for $300.
I sold the motor in 1992 for $450 because it had been flogged for hundreds of hours and my wife reckoned it was getting unrealiable and wouldn't come out on long trips on the South or Shady Camp.
The boat has sat behind my house for 2 years unused as I had a very close encounter with a croc. But I refuse to sell it and told my wife I want to be buried in it because it has been the centre of my fantastic recreational life for 30 years. It is so light I could carry it on my back when younger and drag it from bong to bong with ease. The motor was heavy though.

I made the mistake of leaving it pulled up on the bank at the first bong on the way in to Red Lilly as we were camped at Red Lilly itself. The next morning it was gone.
I was devastated and got so upset I actually embarrassed myself in front of my wife. It was 1992 as I had a brand new Yammie 15 on it. Refusing to believe it was stolen I went for a walk along the bong and spotted it across the other side jammed under some Pandanus. Someone had to have pushed it back into the bong as it was well out of the water when I left it.
It was from then on I was wary about leaving my gear unattended
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Re: How things have changed on the fishing scene over the ye

Post by bugged1989 »

Wow guys. Very Kind words about Jack!! My father will be please so many people remember him!! When i hand out my business cards for work i do get asked fairly often and there arent many people around of that calibre these days, but when you find them, get to know them! well worth the Yarns they have to tell you!!

Cheers

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