During the Summer months Game fishing and Game Fish are at their best on the East Coast of Australia with all the oceanic speedsters available…Blue, Black and Striped Marlin plus Yellowfin Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Spearfish and Wahoo may all be encountered.
DECEMBER – JANUARY :
The offshore waters are warming up and the ocean currents increase in speed and push closer inshore.
The initial run of larger Mahi Mahi slows down and generally the smaller ones start to populate the F.A.D.’s ( Fish Attracting Devices) laid by fisheries. The bigger Mahi Mahi are still around but are generally found out wide while chasing Marlin. As the water warms so the shark numbers increase, Hammer Heads, Tigers and Whalers some moving into the estuaries chasing schools of mackerel and mullet to make life interesting for the Shark fisher people and swimmers.
Around Christmas or Boxing day the small and some not so small Black Marlin start to appear on the inshore reefs and at the mouths of the estuaries. They are fun fish but also dangerous because when hooked they go crazy and they are fast. Many, many anglers have been hurt even speared by these juvenile Blacks. Around the shelf schools of Slimy Mackerel build up at the well known spots, The Car Park, The Bait Station and The Plonk Hole to name a few. Why they congregate these areas is not readily apparent but it is good. Around these schools you will find Striped Marlin, the Blacks and later in the season Blue Marlin.
JANUARY – MARCH :
The Sport and Game fish are near their peak in numbers on the East Coast of New South Wales.
As the season progresses the water towards the end of summer and sometimes through to April and even early May is generally at its warmest. This is when you are most likely to encounter the Blue Marlin and they may be big. Blues over 250 kilo’s are taken regularly but Blues up to and over 350 kilo’s have been caught and lost. Records show that the end of summer and early Autumn is when you will find the biggest of the species. Striped Marlin over 150 kilo’s, Mahi Mahi over 15 kilo’s, Spearfish 30 kilo’s, Wahoo 40kilo’s. The fish may not be in numbers but their size makes up for that. Late in the summer is when you are also likely to run into schools of big Yellowfin of 60 to 80 kilo’s. and it is these that the big Blue Marlin are chasing.
LINKS to…
Ripcharts
CSIRO
Bureau of Meteorology
N.S.W. Bluelink
Other links: