This strange mixed season fishing continues with Marlin, Spearfish and Mahi Mahi being caught in the same water as Albacore, Yellowfin and Bluefin for the lucky few. Kingfish are on the reefs as well as some good Snapper and Teraglin for those that know.
My week-end started on Friday which I thought would be a great day, the weather rough enough to keep the multitude off the water and the expectation of Bluefin and the Yellowfin we’d caught the previous week. And what happened – everyone had the same idea, every man and his dog was out there, c’est la vie. We ended up not catching anything but there were some good fish taken. Bob Curry on ‘Marquis’ had a double hook up on 70 + kilo Yellowfin, landing one. I saw a small boat hook a Striped Marlin which they later landed and I think a couple more were encountered as well as some Mahi Mahi of really good size, small Yellowfin turned up at the temp break South-East of Browns and some Bluefin turned up around the Southern Canyons and further South.
Saturday was much the same but with more boats out and again captures of Marlin, Mahi Mahi, small Yellowfin and some larger ones. I think some Bluefin were taken but they were further South. I decided to go out wide and wide of Heatons I found a nice break which I followed for a while and ultimately was rewarded with a triple strike. One was definitely a tuna which we lost, another was a Spearfish which we caught and the other an unknown which dropped the hook on its first run which was a screamer.
Sunday was a repeat of Saturday except the main bite had moved even further South, down around 34’55, and some good fish, both Bluefin and Yellowfin were taken. I didn’t raise anything on the troll but started a cube trail in about 600 fathoms and at times was moving at 3.5 knots to the South. I was marking fish down deep but because of the speed of the drift the baits couldn’t get down to them, however we did manage a couple of Albacore on jigs. What I thought was strange was the number of Mutton birds flying around us and they wouldn’t settle on the water or try to eat our baits, usually they are a painful pest.
So that was the week-end. A strange one indeed I think there were more Marlin taken than any of the more expected fish for this time of year. I am sure there was more that happened and would be happy to hear of any other reports.
In early August the Sydney Game Fishing Club is hosting the annual ‘Geoff Woolley Monster Mako Tournament’ any anglers in an affiliated club are more than welcome to enter. With increasing Gemfish and Blue Eye numbers at Browns it won’t be long before the Mako’s and other sharks move in, probably when the current abates, so not long now…
Tight lines,
Ivan
Well what a weekend we’ve just had, Yellowfin, Bluefin, Albacore and just to confuse the issue Mahi Mahi and Spearfish. You may well ask just what season we are in; it can’t be the middle of winter. The only problem is that you have to be on the spot to catch anything, the bite being short and sweet.
I went out again on Monday but the water had changed out wide with the break having been pushed in by the colder water – we caught nothing and to add to the frustration we had a school of Yellowfin come down our trail, leaping out of the water like torpedoes, and virtually under the boat without touching anything – you have to wonder how two days can be so different. Even the inshore reef fishing was quieter but that was mostly because a couple of pro’s were drop lining.
In even closer to shore on the reefs there are Kings on both Jigs and live bait or fresh squid with some good Snapper, as you would expect after the storms last week, for those in the know.
Started out with a jig at 12 Mile with limited success but managing one nice King of a metre before the jackets moved in. The sea was up a bit despite weather reports to the contrary. However we ventured out to the spot and started cubing. All was quiet except for the occasional upchuck but then as the sun was setting one of the rods went off, it wasn’t a ‘fin but it had us guessing – a Stripy, a shark or maybe even an Albacore – well after a short but solid fight Marty landed a Striped tuna of 8kgs. , thank God they don’t grow to the size of their bigger cousins.
The drift was over 4 knots due to wind and current so I was most surprised when one of the guys hooked up just before sunset, excitement was high and after the first half hour was even higher as we realised this was no small fish and the tackle was having very little effect on it.
Attached are a couple of shots of a Striped Marlin we caught late on Saturday…