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Fishing Reports

Ambition Report 19th.August’24

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Tuna  …

It seems like forever since I last wrote a report. Being overseas and then experiencing a rather unfriendly virus causing me to miss a lot of fishing days not to mention probably the best run of Bluefin Tuna off Sydney in recent years as well as Yellowfin, that didn’t help my reporting either.

Colin's Yellowfin
Colin’s Yellowfin

Well, the Bluefin seem to have moved on, pushed out by the warmer water moving down the coast. However, some good-sized Yellowfin turned up to replace them but at present they seem to have moved on too. The Yellowfin do come and go depending on the currents but from my records they should be coming and going for the next few months. Sadly, by the time most people hear about them it’s too late they are gone.

 Yellowfin off Sydney
Yellowfin off Sydney

On a more positive note, I have heard reports of Yellowfin further up the coast and with a bit of luck they will move down and give us another shot at them. Also, with this warmer water there have been more encounters with Striped Marlin, always a treat. Incidentally the last time I was out, a couple of weeks ago chasing those Yellowfin, I saw a heap of Sauries take to the air and to my surprise they were being chased by Mahi Mahi, who would have thought, Mahi Mahi in August .

The Mighty Yellowfin
The Mighty Yellowfin

So, getting away from the Game Fishing, Kingies are showing up on some of the offshore as well as the regular inshore reefs.

The last time I was out, Browns Mountain looked like the ‘Car Park‘  at Port Stephens  with all the bottom bashers looking for Gemfish and Blue Eye.

Interestingly it has become apparent that with all the boats out there chasing the Bluefin and Yellowfin how few now the boating regulations, most notably about giving way, not to mention just plain courtesy.

Anyway, we’re here to fish,

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Fishing Reports

Ambition Report 17th.May’24

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May hoping for Marlin, Mahi Mahi and Yellowfin but conditions change and Mahi Mahi came to the party.

 

There are two types of day out at sea, the good days and the not so good days. Well, Friday was one of those not so good days. Though the weather was perfect and the sea as flat as a pancake and the clients, Richard, his son and father more than keen the fishing was less than perfect.

Richard's Mahi Mahi
Richard’s Mahi Mahi

The guys were keen to catch a Marlin or a Yellowfin. Though getting late in the season for a Marlin still a possibility and with the Yellowfin due to turn up at any stage there was a degree of expectation.

Richard’s Mahi Mahi

The water has cooled down considerably in the last week or so, the best I found was 22.7C in eight hundred fathoms. There were some interesting current lines but hardly any bait or bird activity and the current was going South at a rate of knots.

Nonetheless we continued out. I decided to put out a light line to see what else might be around, and we ended up catching the occasional Skipjack and Mackerel tuna as well as a just legal Mahi Mahi in the middle of nowhere, keeping the clients busy and motivated.

Then, out of the blue the ‘Shotgun’ took a hit and a beautiful Mahi Mahi burst out. It was a nice fish around the fifteen kilo mark, sadly the video doesn’t do it any justice.

Richard…

Richard took the rod and gave it all he could. Sadly, when we had the fish close by, excitement at the sight of the fish all lit up got the better of him and didn’t maintain the pressure consequently the fish threw the hooks; disappointment all round. But that’s fishing.

We neither saw nor heard of any other action and it was time to head back. A friend of mine had been out the previous day and seen Pilot Whales and lots of Sauries in a thousand fathoms but we didn’t see anything like it. I suppose that that action has moved further South with the current.

Hopefully it is not the end of the Marlin season yet and those enigmatic Yellowfin will turn up soon.

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Fishing Reports

Ambition Report 28th.April’24

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Last weekend, coinciding with The Port Hacking 100 Tournament was an interesting if not frustrating couple of days to go fishing but it did have its highlights however the fishing was disappointing when compared to the last few weeks with Striped Marlin.

Saturday
The Saturday was very quiet, a few Striped Marlin tagged and as many lost, Stripies being what they are. Undoubtably the most outstanding catch of the tournament was by a junior, Hunter Davies, fishing on ‘Tantrum’, who spent seven hours on a Blue Marlin which later weighed one hundred and seventy four point five kilo’s.
Micky's Marlin...
Micky’s Marlin…
Sunday
Sunday was just as quiet but there were more encounters with big Blue Marlin, fish in the three hundred kilo range. Hopefully a sign of things to come. Sadly, there were no reports of Yellowfin tuna.
The unluckiest boat of the tournament would have had to be Rob Molnar, ‘On Call’. They fished solidly for two days for virtually nothing but then just after the end of fishing hooked and tagged three Striped Marlin.
Micky's Marlin...
Micky’s Marlin…
Saturday
I went out on Saturday taking Thomas Criniti and his family out to celebrate his father’s sixtieth birthday. The weather was pretty average to start with but soon calmed down. It was decided that Micky, Thomas’ sister would be first up.
Micky's Marlin...
Micky’s Marlin…
Sadly, listening to the tournament scheds with seventy two boats almost all calling zero’s didn’t inspire confidence. Then, just after the high tide the sounder beeped marking a couple of fish twenty fathoms down. So I turned back on them. In only a few minutes later there was a fish coming up behind Brad and yet another on Black Betty at the short corner. Black Betty hooked up and young Micky took the rod, the excitement on board was unbelievable. She did a great job on a very stubborn Striped Marlin which was eventually brought to boat and released.
We saw nothing else for the rest of the day but in general it had been a good fun day and happy to have been among the few who caught fish.
If the water stays as warm and the currents play the game hopefully the Blues will show up and maybe even the Yellowfin will make an appearance  too.
Tight lines,
Ivan
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Fishing Reports

Ambition Report 1st.April’24

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March Striped Marlin : These last few weeks have produced some of the best Marlin fishing off Sydney for a long time – bring on the March Striped Marlin…

The Marlin bite here off Sydney continues as it has over the last few weeks with lots of reports coming in, yesterday included. Most boats out there are finding fish and more than a few experiencing multiples strikes. Most of the Marlin are Stripies but there is the occasional Blue as well as larger Mahi Mahi among them.
George's Marlin
George’s Marlin
Striped Marlin
We generally associate Striped Marlin with the shelf area, between eighty and one hundred and fifty fathoms where the bait congregates. However, this latest run has found the Stripies in numbers out to and over the thousand fathom line. There have been sightings of Yellowfin but they remain aloof though a few have been taken. I took George and his son Chase out today they saying it was their one-time chance to catch a Marlin. So, if it was going to happen today was the day.
George's Marlin
George’s Marlin
George and Chase
I put the lures in at eighty fathoms and trolled out towards Browns where there had been lots of action. At around four hundred fathoms we raised our first fish, a Striped Marlin which played with a couple of lures and did what Stripies do. We tried teasing it but no go. Expectation was now high, the guys had now seen their first Marlin and all eyes were glued to the lures.
Chase's Marlin
Chase’s Marlin
The second strike was a screamer but it only lasted a few seconds, the line snapping for no apparent reason and I sadly I lost one of my Brads. My only conclusion being that the line had tangled on the outrigger clip, one of the many ways to lose a Marlin.
We continued on heading wider without seeing much but hearing that the action was further North, so off we went.
George's Marlin
George’s Marlin
It took a while for the next strike, but when it came it really took off, I thought it was a Blue for sure. A long greyhounding run then sounding. George had the rod and was worked hard but he wanted to give his son a shot so they swapped over. This was a tough fish and Chase did a good job eventually bringing it to the boat where it turned out to be a Stripy a very very good one at that.
The next fish hit us as we crossed the shelf on our way home. George took this one and made quick work of it. It put up quite a spectacular show much to the joy of George and Chase whose ambition, no pun intended, had been satisfied.
Tight lines,
Ivan
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Fishing Reports

Ambition Report 28th.March’24

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I Took Sean and his brother Kevin from Ohio out last Monday with high hopes of finding the March Marlin and Yellowfin that we’d seen over the previous weeks.

Recently we’ve had a really good run of March Marlin with both Blues and Stripes being found in good numbers. The Bait Station as well as the shelf area holding heaps of bait, attracting the Stripes. Out wider Blues caused havoc amongst the many sightings of Yellowfin even though few of either have been caught.

Sean's Blue Marlin
Sean’s Blue Marlin
Monday…

Once reaching the shelf I trolled out seeing very little bait and bird activity, in fact it wasn’t until we were in four hundred fathoms that we saw anything. Meantime Huss on ‘Finfinder’ called up saying they had Yellowfin busting up in five hundred fathoms. That was motivation enough and it wasn’t long afterward that one of the rods took off. Ron and the guys were yelling Yellowfin but all I could see was a really good Mahi Mahi running and jumping away from us. What I hadn’t seen was a bust up of sixty kilo plus Yellowfin beside us.

Kevin's Mahi Mahi
Kevin’s Mahi Mahi

Finally, the hooked Mahi Mahi got the crew’s attention and after a good fight Sean landed a 1.4 metre Bull, one of the best I’ve seen in a very long time. As we headed out we saw more and more birds and scattered bait, expectation was high. We were soon rewarded with a heavy strike on the rigger and the ‘Blue Illusion’ was taken and racing off with a nice Blue of around 130 kilo’s attached. The fish put on a great display which sadly cannot be fully appreciated from the video below. After releasing the Marlin I continued out hoping for Yellowfin.

Sean's Marlin
Sean’s Marlin

The further out we went the more birds we found, all working over a wide area. Occasional the birds would come together and the Yellowfin would bust up drawing us and the birds towards them. It was incredibly difficult to reach these bust ups in time to present the lures to the fish they were so short lived, only a few fish being apparent. It seemed as though there were only a few small schools of Yellowfin moving very quickly chasing small schools of bait. However, I did manage to get close to one of the bust ups while the fish were still up. We had swirls behind the lures but no hook ups, exceedingly frustrating. However, while chasing the Yellowfin we did pick up another big Mahi Mahi.

Sean's Marlin
Sean’s Marlin
Wednesday…

I went out again on Wednesday with Mat and some of his friends from San Francisco. We went out hoping the Marlin, Yellowfin and Mahi Mahi were still around but this time in a better biting mood.

It was a lot rougher this day so I headed for the Bait Station to give us a more comfortable ride out. There was as expected plenty of bait but after working the area for some time with no action moved further offshore. As I trolled out it became apparent everything had changed, no birds, no bait, no nothing. I trolled out to five hundred fathoms then turned South toward where we were on Monday. As I made the turn Ron yelled out Yellowfin. I turned around just in time to see a big ‘fin out of the water trying to eat Brad but alas it missed. Everyone was awake now and with great expectations.I worked the area for a while with no result then continued South.  Well, we were just about done for the day when ‘Lumo’ took off with yet again another big Mahi Mahi.

Compared to Monday the ocean was dead, everywhere was dead, the bait was gone and the birds were not to be found. I could think of a myriad excuse for our lack of success and why it was so i.e. full moon, water colour, wrong tides, too sunny etc. The facts of the matter is that here off Sydney especially there is nothing to hold bait other than Browns, the Bait Station and the Southern Canyons. We are at the mercy of the vagaries of the East Australia Current and its unpredictable spin-offs creating an ever-changing fishery.  So there is reason to be optimistic tomorrow will be different and maybe even better.

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Fishing Reports

Ambition report 11th.March’24

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Autumn Fishing has always been the best time of year for Game Fishing out of Sydney. Generally speaking, Autumn Fishing is when we encounter the larger fish of the species rather than numbers. Although having said that this Autumn has been exceptional, so far.
Big Blue
Big Blue
Over the last couple of weeks both Blue and Striped Marlin as well as Mahi Mahi have shown up in numbers off Sydney. The Mahi Mahi as is usual are found around the various F.A.D’s with live bait producing the bigger fish, being the first boat at the spot helps as they can become spooky when there is too much boat traffic.
As for the Marlin, they could be anywhere. Usually however, if you find the bait you’ll find the Marlin, but not always. Sometimes you’ll find the bait before the Marlin, as a friend of mine, Steve Baker (Fly By Night) did. He found heaps of bait well North of the ‘Bait Station’, worked it for several hours for no result. The next day Rob Molnar in his boat ‘On Call’ had a blinder of a day raising fourteen Marlin in that same area.
December Mahi Mahi
December Mahi Mahi
On the day Steve found the bait North of the ‘Bait Station’ I was out with Jamie McKay on ‘Ground Swell’ fishing an area a couple of miles South of them where there was scattered bait. We had a great day too. We’d already bagged out on Mahi Mahi and ended up raising eight Marlin of which we tagged three, all Blues ranging from 130 kg. to 180 kg. We should have had two more but for a broken hook and another mishap which I will not go into, if you want more info just ask Jamie.
From what I heard on the radio almost everyone fishing for Marlin over the last week or so have caught or raised Marlin with many being pack attacked by Stripies. Around the shelf area where the bait tends to stack up is where most of the action for them has been.
Browns…
But out around Browns both North and South out to four hundred fathoms there have been Stripies and Blues with the occasional sighting of Yellowfin tuna. Frustratingly Stripies are habitually finicky when it comes to lures and tough to hook so ‘Bait and Switch’, live baiting as well as skipping baits is the most effective method to hook them though teasing them on lures works too.
What to me is most interesting is the water temperature. We were reading 28.5 degrees which I confirmed with other boats. In the past we’d consider 27 degrees too hot and look for cooler water. Yet here we are with a great bite and much hotter water. I suppose one answer is that our on-board gauges have a limited range over which they are accurate. Another potential answer is these above high temperatures are only a surface layer of maybe only a metre or two in depth leaving the bait below in a more comfortable zone.
Well whatever is happening the fishing is great and if it keeps up the S.G.F.C’s annual Peter Goadby Memorial Tournament on the 13th. and 14th. April will be awesome. It is at this tournament where we have regularly weighed Blue Marlin over two hundred kilo’s with several over three hundred kilo’s also Yellowfin tuna over seventy kilo. For those that chase sharks big Tigers are a regular at the weigh station.
So, the Marlin are there and if you don’t go …
Tight lines,
Ivan
Fishing Reports

Ambition Report 15th.January’24

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January Striped Marlin

January Striped Marlin, it is the beginning of the season and January Striped Marlin are on the menu.

It was good to get out on Saturday since the predicted weather for Sunday didn’t look good. Sadly though the reports throughout the week were not encouraging. There was the occasional Marlin if you were lucky as well as some really big Mahi Mahi but again they weren’t prolific.

Craig's Striped Marlin
Craig’s Striped Marlin
Hot Water Marlin

Reports coming in from Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour indicate the Black Marlin are on their way, Peter tells me they are the two year olds not the general run of the new season fish. Incidentally the water temperature down to Port Stephens is verging on 28 degrees; that is tropical water. What will happen if it gets here is anyone’s guess.

Craig's Striped Marlin
Craig’s Striped Marlin

At Port Stephens they have been catching Striped Marlin even in that, what can only be described as hot water so all is not lost. I suppose it is possible that this hot water is layered over cooler water where the fish are more comfortable.

Anyway, going out on Saturday the water at the Heads was a very nice 23.5 degrees and out on the edge 25.5 degrees. Still hot by normal standards but there was heaps of bait and the Marlin were quite active with several taken throughout the day as well as a few very big Mahi Mahi. I did hear of a Blue Marlin and with the water temp being what it is I would have expected more, hopefully they’re yet to come.

Craig's Striped Marlin
Craig’s Striped Marlin

We raised three Stripes and tagged two with one not hooking up. Incidentally none of our fish played with the lures they were all blind strikes probably accounting for the better hookup rate.

I think the next few week are going to be very interesting especially if that 28 degree water reaches us down here. I can’t wait to hear the reports.

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Fishing Reports

Ambition report 15th.December’23

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Cuyler's Marlin
Cuyler’s Marlin

I was keen to get out today after being out last Monday when we raised a Striped Marlin but sadly missing the hook up. However I was

surprised today to see how conditions had changed. On Monday the inshore water temperature was around the 23 C which is unusual enough for this time of year but offshore at 300 fathoms I read 25.2 C a temperature more normally found in February and March. Even allowing for error in my temperature guage the STC’s were showing 24.7 C, so it couldn’t have been too far out.

Cuyler's Marlin
Cuyler’s Marlin

Today the inshore waters were a more normal 21.7 degrees but dirty green probably from the rainwater runoff. However offshore, past the shelf, it was still over 24 degrees and a beautiful blue. The colour which induces confidence even if it is unseasonably warm.

We trolled towards Browns where we raised the Marlin on Monday when in roughly the same area the rigger with ‘Pakula Lumo’ took off at a rate of knots. Surprisingly even though both Ron and I were watching the lures neither of us saw the hookup. The Marlin jumped once and just raced off on one huge run leaving poor Cuyler (I hope I got his name right) an awful lot of line to get back.

Cuyler's Marlin
Cuyler’s Marlin

He did eventually get the Marlin which to the boat and released it. Then while Ron was resetting the gear the rigger with ‘Pakula Lumo’ went off again sadly this time it didn’t hook up.

We had another strike later in the day on ‘Brad’ by what I thought was either a Wahoo or a Spearfish but again no hookup. It was only because of the water temperature that I even considered a Wahoo a fish not often seen around Sydney these days.

What this unseasonal warm ( hot ) water might mean to the Sydney fishery is going to be anyone’s guess.

Will it continue to warm up?, seems most likely.
Will it bring more tropical species down here? , hopefully but whether this is good thing or bad thing is another question.
Will is push our Striped Marlin fishery South?, I hope not.

I am sure there are many other questions and likelyhoods but whatever the end result it will be interesting.

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Fishing Reports

Ambition report 26th.November’23

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Joe’s Marlin

I took Joe and his wife, from Florida, out last Friday on what turned out to be beautiful day at sea. The sea calm and the rain cleared as we headed out. So off we went out looking for Joe’s Marlin.

Joe's Marlin
Joe’s Marlin

Joe had experience having caught Sailfish and Mahi Mahi in his home waters in the Carribean. However he hadn’t caught a Marlin and that was his ambition, no pun intended.

So we headed out and after hearing of Mahi Mahi around the FAD’s did a couple of circuits around the Sydney FAD with no result so headed out over the twelve mile to the shelf.

Joe's Marlin
Joe’s Marlin

Just past the twelve the current picked up and the temperature started to climb and the water turning that beautiful blue and 22.5 C.

I started to mark bait around the shelf and out to around 140 fathoms but it was very patch and obviously not being harassed. On approaching Browns I saw another boat and it looked like they were fighting a fish which was confirmed when I saw a Marlin jumping. Turns out it was a boat called ‘HotRod’. Later on they told me that they had a 2.5 metre Blue Marlin on board which had sadly died during the fight.

Joe's Marlin
Joe’s Marlin
Action

Spirits were now high and expectation great. Further out as I was watching the Mutton birds migrating South I could see that some patches were circling and indeed working an area. I concentrated on them for a while and though it was obvious they were on something I couldn’t make out what it was and nothing was marking on the sounder. Subsequently as I move further North I saw several more patches of birds working the same way. I have in the past seen similar behaviour when the Mutton birds were chase Flying fish in that hey scare the fish into taking flight then pounce on them.

Then Ron screamed out Marlin! and there behind the short corner was a Striped Marlin coming up behind ‘Evil’ mouth open and ready to eat. Ron dropped the lure back but no hook up. The Marlin came back onto the lure, Ron teased it a little then dropped it back and this time hooked up and the fish took off.

It was a very stubborn fish and I actually thought it might be a Blue which stayed deep and made Joe really work for it. However, he did eventually get the fish up and we released a good ninety to a hundred kilo Striped Marlin.

It was getting late by then so I turned for home anticipating my next trip out into the blue.

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Fishing Reports

Ambition Report 30th.October’23

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Striped Marlin…

At last something to write about – October Marlin. Though over the last couple of weeks a few Striped Marlin have shown up October Marlin start the run, the last couple of times I’ve been out have been a misery of bad weather with cold and green water. Though there was plenty of bait around there was little if any bird activity… the water just seemed dead.

Mark's Marlin
Mark’s Marlin

Yesterday was a whole different kettle of fish, no pun intended. I headed out towards Browns put the gear in at the Twelve Mile, trolling out from there. The water wasn’t a great colour but at least it wasn’t that dirty green and the temperature was increasing with the current coming in from the East and the bait was building up.

Mark's Marlin
Mark’s Marlin

I was several miles North of Browns when I saw a heap of birds working, they weren’t going South with their migrating mates. It took a fair while to catch up to them since out there the current was going North and with the Northerly wind it made for a less than comfortable ride. I did catch up eventually and found they were chasing a school of Striped Tuna one of which took old ‘Brad’.

Yellowfin Tuna…

I decided then to go downwind to Browns to ease the pain for one of the guys who was not feeling very well. As it so happened after only a few minutes we had a double strike on the riggers with ‘Lumo’ and ‘Illusion’ hooked up on Yellowfin. The fish were around twenty to twenty-five kilo’s. We got one in but sadly lost the other at the boat when it took a last desperate run.

On the radio I heard there were a couple of boats around the ‘Bait Station’ and that they were working over large schools of bait. I stayed out in the deep water hoping to find the Yellowfin again. As I went North the temperature increased and the current swung more to the East. I didn’t find the ‘fin again but around mid-day a solid strike on ‘Lumo’ resulted in a good-sized Striped Marlin charging in at the boat. We actually thought it was coming aboard when it slammed into the starboard corner forcing Mark to duck for cover. It was a very active fish and Ace who had been very sick all day had to hand the rod over to Mark who brought it to boat.

I kept trolling North to give us a better run home and on the way marked incredible amounts of bait, the sounder virtually blacking out. Then again from eighty five to sixty fathom found birds and dolphins rounding the bait up.

With all the bait out there and with that warm Southerly current pushing down it can’t possibly be too long before the scene comes alive. Optimistic! maybe, too optimistic! probably but you never never know.

I also had confirmation from Rob the owner of ‘On Call’ that they had caught a good-sized Mahi Mahi and saw a couple of Striped Marlin wide of the shelf on Sunday too.  This reminds me that over the years large Mahi Mahi have become a common capture during November. To me indicating the warm edge is not far away.

Tight Lines,
Ivan

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