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Ambition report 5th.September’19

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Sydney tuna fishing is fickle at present but not to the North and South. Yellowfin and Albacore are still to the South with some still to the North. However, it was looking promising off Sydney last week before the weather set in.  So I was really keen to get out there  once it settled down.

Last  Sunday was the  day, so off we went. Latest reports indicated

Robs Yellowfin

the Southern Canyons and further South was the place to be and that’s where the ‘zero’ line was within range. On the way we saw lots of Whales out wide travelling South, a reminder to be careful on our return. We  had just crossed into five hundred fathoms when I saw birds working and showers of what we thought were Sauries showering. Over the next couple of hours we saw several bust ups but they were difficult to approach. However I did get close enough to one school to elicit a strike and  hook up. Rob did a good job on the fish and landed a 30 kilo Yellowfin. By the time we put the gear back in the water the area had gone dead, no birds, no baitfish and no tuna, I still don’t know how they can just disappear like that.

Robs Yellowfin

We kept on hunting and covered quite a lot of ocean seeing nothing until about 3:30pm. It started with a few birds appearing then the Sauries  followed by the ‘fin. Unfortunately I couldn’t get near them and it was time to head for home. Incidentally one of my friends who stayed out  had two hookups later in the day .

Out of season Mahi Mahi
Out of season Mahi Mahi

And then the weather did its thing  so I had to wait another few days to get out again to what I thought was   the start of the run.  Unfortunately when we did get out  everything had changed. The water was green and lifeless. Again I headed down to the Southern canyons but radio talk indicated it wasn’t worth it. So I turned East heading for Heatons, had to try something. At around eight hundred fathoms we had a blind strike which most surprisingly turned out to be a Mahi Mahi of about 6kilo’s, strange times. To finish the day we did some cubing until dark and again saw nothing.

Out of season Mahi Mahi
Out of season Mahi Mahi

I learned after returning that a couple of Yellowfin were taken off Broken Bay and  a couple further South of the Southern Canyons.

What the future holds is anyone’s guess but I’ll still be out there looking.

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Ambition report 18th.August’19

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Albacore and Kingfish were the name of the game  off Sydney last week. However  there  were enough encounters with Yellowfin  to keep the hope alive. Unfortunately  since then the weather has intervened  and looks like  doing so for another few days.  So we must wait. Sadly it looks as though the ‘Low’ system that held the Yellowfin up North moved through very quickly but last Wednesday we were still able to reach the Northern edge.

I went out primarily to chase Kingfish but then to go wide and if conditions permitted to have a late afternoon cubing session.

With Wahyu from ‘Global Tackle’ and Lloyd we headed out. We didn’t take any live bait just jigs. A moderate Westerly was blowing but not enough to stop us. When we reached the reef there were a  few boats as well as a ‘Pro’ drop lining .  A quick pass over the area to locate the fish and down went the jigs.

A beautiful Winter Kingfish....
Another nice King…

It was quite interesting to watch. Wahyu was using an electric reel and a ‘knife’ jig and LLoyd  jigging the hard way with a ‘flutte’r jig. Surprisingly, to me at least, the slow worked flutter jig consistently caught the larger fish.

After an hour or so we had caught enough Kings and the wind had dropped so we headed out to do some trolling. We hoped to find those elusive Yellowfin.  The plan was to go out to the thousand fathom line then go South and hopefully reach the ‘Low’ system.

I was just passing Browns when I got a call from the boat ‘El Patrone’ advising me that he’d caught  Yellowfin and Albacore at a position roughly14 miles South East of me. Then another call came in about Yellowfin in the same sort  of area.

I made the decision to pull in the gear and run out . Even knowing how quickly the ‘fin move around and the chances they would still be there in the 45 minutes it would take to get to the area, it was worth the risk.

On the run out I noticed a half degree temperature break with a few birds in area, just not enough to stop us from our goal – a mistake.

We finally reached the spot and the only action was another boat working the area. After setting the gear again we continued on our quest. It became apparent that the fish had moved on and since we were in a radio dead area could not get any further information. We ended up trolling back to the temp. break and to set up a cube trail.

It was a beautiful afternoon and just as the sun was setting Lloyd took a hit and after a good fight landed a 7 kilo Albacore. We took another two strikes after sunset and after very lively fights landed 7 and 8 kilo Striped Tuna. If Stripies grew to the size of Yellowfin we would be in trouble.

So that was the day.

After getting back in radio land I heard of a few more Yellowfin and Albacore being taken.  So now we have to again wait until the weather clears  before we can find out if the fish are still here.

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Ambition report 8th.August’19

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Sydney doldrums is certainly  the best way to describe the Game Fishing off Sydney over the last couple of weeks. That is certainly not to say there haven’t been occasional catches  of Yellowfin, just enough to tempt you out .  However here it has been a hard slog. Especially when you keep hearing about what is going on both North and South of us .

Big Yellowfin  and numbers of them seem to have taken up residence off Jervis Bay. The same can be said of Port Stephens and Norah Heads to the North.

Unfortunately, we poor soles without the mobility of trailer boats have had to cover an awful lot of water just to have a chance at finding the occasional school  of Yellowfin as they pass through.  Furthermore over the last week or so  there has been an increase in these numbers  but it is still hard going. Hopefully after this next bout of weather moves through it will all change…can’t help the optimism.

Bob Curry from his boat  ‘Marquis’ was one of the lucky ones to find some action . They picked up a fortyish kilo Yellowfin on a blind strike.   Apparently after an incident filled fight, which I won’t go into,  somewhere on the Southern canyons they boated the fish. There have been other captures, enough to  tease,   as a result and as I have said you have to cover a lot of water.

Marquis' Yellowfin
Marquis’ Yellowfin

 

 

 

 

 

There have been a few Marlin encountered as often happens at this time of year.  But, most noteworthy and even stranger  are the numbers of Mahi Mahi  showing up. Several of the boats out Shark fishing have seen them schooled under their boats. Sadly  they have proved to be difficult to tempt onto a hook.

Consequently, I for one am waiting for this next bout of weather to pass on to find out what has changed.

The big question is , where are the Bluefin ?

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Ambition report 10th.July’19

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Yellowfin Tuna
Yellowfin Tuna

As we anxiously await the arrival of the Bluefin tuna we are experiencing, or were experiencing a good run of Yellowfin.
Over the last few weeks Yellowfin tuna running between 25 and 70 kilo’s have been caught off Sydney. These fish are ranging over a wide area having been caught from wide and North of the ‘Bait Station’ all the way down the coast. Consequently they take a lot of finding and the changing conditions at sea every day don’t make it any easier. However once located the fun begins… if you’re lucky.

Yellowfin Tuna
Yellowfin Tuna

I was out on Sunday in ideal conditions. As it happened the bite had been early. However as we arrived there was a boat fighting so we set the gear and started searching. Over the next hour or so we saw several bust-ups but they were over so quickly we couldn’t get to them in time. Eventually a school made a mistake and busted only 50 metres ahead of us. With all eyes watching and wishing the fish to bite expectations were high.

First the rigger went off then the flat line and while the guys were

Yellowfin Tuna
Yellowfin Tuna

clearing the other lines the Shot gun took off. A triple with very inexperienced anglers. After the initial confusion the anglers and the tuna settled in with all three circling under the boat – a recipe for disaster. Fortunately Rob and Frank managed to keep the lines from crossing. Sadly we lost one of the fish as it was about to be gaffed when it made a run under the boat and caught the rudder. In retrospect it probably helped making the other two fish easier to land. The guys were ecstatic with two 35 kilo fish to take home. Since there was no further action in the area I started trolling for home which was several hours away.

A short way from Browns I saw a huge school of Sauries take off and much to my surprise as I turned to chase them a school of Mahi Mahi took to the air close behind them. Quite a spectacular sight but not one that I have ever seen in mid-winter.

Yellowfin Tuna
Yellowfin Tuna

 

 

 

 

 

I went out again on Monday but this time left earlier hoping to catch that early bite of the day before. Other boats were already working the area and the news wasn’t good. The water had cooled and I don’t think anyone out there had seen anything.

When we arrived where we did indeed find cooler water and more current. Shortly after we arrived a trailer boat hooked up on a triple not far from us. We and several other boats started working the area but all to no avail. Surprisingly George from Wahoo Charters called up saying he’d just caught a 6 kilo Mahi Mahi. I then moved a bit wider and had a strike on the Shotgun. All I saw was a flash of blue and assumed we had also hooked a Mahi Mahi. Then a bill appeared followed by the rest of a Striped Marlin, unbelievable. Sadly we only had it for a few minutes before we parted ways. The only saving grace for the day was when we landed a good sized Albacore.

I did hear later in the day of a boat out a fair bit wider finding schools of Yellowfin but it was much too far for us to go.

So we still await the arrival of the Bluefin Tuna which seem to be holding up to the South though there are occasional reports of closer fish.

Until then…

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Ambition report 3rd.July’19

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.July Tuna  :

After the less than comfortable conditions last Saturday yesterday was a dream. We’d heard that the ‘fin were still around so off we went. On Saturday  the bite occurred fairly early so I didn’t make my regular stop over at 12 mile or Browns.

Well after an hour and a half running we put the gear in at the 500 fathom line. I  noticed  a temp break and followed it further offshore.

July tune - Yellowfin
July tune – Yellowfin

After another hour of trolling July Tuna were looking like  a no go, and then  with the clients showing signs of boredom we had a massive strike on a rigger and shortly after one of the flat lines took off at a rate of knots. Well boredom quickly turned into mayhem as the crew raced to the rods.

Finally under a semblance of control we settled in to fight what were obviously two big fish. The guys neither of whom had had much experience on this type of gear settled in and with Ron’s guidance and their mates support started to make headway. Unfortunately twenty minutes into the fight we had a tackle failure and lost one of the fish. It then took almost another half hour to bring the second fish to the boat where we gaffed and brought aboard a beautiful Yellowfin of 65 to 70 kilo’s.

July tune - Yellowfin
July tune – Yellowfin

After photo’s and congratulations we put the lures out again. The radio was telling of ‘fin out a little wider so off we went. We hadn’t travelled far and finally had the other boats in sight when again two rods went off. This time they were obviously smaller fish and the guys had them under control when inextricably one of them just dropped off. However the other fish a Yellowfin of around 35 kilo’s was landed.

A little later I saw a school of Sauries take off obviously some unknown predator  wanting to eat. I got close a couple of times but nothing eventuated. As I moved away we had another strike on one of the minnows. At first I thought it was a small fin because I could see a yellow tail. But as it happened and much to my surprise it turned out to be a Mahi Mahi. Not what you expect in the middle of winter.

July Mahi Mahi
July Mahi Mahi

Of interest to me was that there was no sign that there were any fish in the area when we had the strikes. There were no birds no bait and no whales unlike last Saturday when the area was so obviously alive.

Well I guess that’s fishing…

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Ambition report 30th.June’19

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Yellowfin
Yellowfin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With  Yellowfin and Bluefin tuna on the menu  it couldn’t be better for the SGFC Tuna Slam which starts tomorrow. There are Yellowfin out wide and Bluefin on their way.

For an entry fee of $250.00 per boat for the months of July and August you could win thousands by catching Yellowfin and Bluefin tuna as other winners have in the past. Go to the SGFC site for more info or follow the link below.

http://sgfc.com.au/…/uploa…/2019/06/SGFC-2019-Tuna-Slam.pdf…

As you can see from the photo  we found the Yellowfin tuna. It was with the help of good information from Alex Quasabian from ‘The Fishing Station’ and by tracking the Long liners.

Tuna time off Sydney...
Tuna time off Sydney…

Even though we arrived at the area late we managed this one fish and had another two strikes that sadly didn’t connect. I would have liked to stay until dark but the wind was picking up, probably doing 25 knots when we eventually left.

The bite was an early one and while we saw the end of it Markoo skippered by Benn Dullard had left port very early and managed four fish around the 35 kilo mark before we got there.

The area was alive.  There were more than a few Sperm Whales obviously feeding.  Also , Gannets all waiting for the tuna to push the bait to the surface.

So now we wait for the weather which this week looks perfect and the much anticipated arrival of the Bluefin within our range.

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Ambition report 16th.June’19

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We went out yesterday,  winter  fishing,  in ideal conditions. I was aiming to have a shot at Kings then go to the Mountain do a drop or two and go wide to have a late cubing session on the thousand fathom line where there were supposed to be long liners.

 
Winter Striped Marlin
Winter Striped Marlin

As it happened live bait was hard to find but we did manage a few. Arriving at 12 mile the soundings looked good but after several lost rigs and a couple of jackets landed it was time to get out of there.

 
 We put the lures out and we headed off to Browns.   As we neared the

Striped Marlin

shelf I sounded schools of bait and they were fairly high in the water column. Even though it was June and the temperature and water colour weren’t great it was looking increasingly fishy.

 
Just on the edge we had a hit on the shotgun where Brad ‘J’ lives. It took off a bit of line but no hook-up so Howie tried teasing with the lure to no effect then as I made a turn to circle the area the fish hit again we had our hook-up. We’d hooked  a good Striped Marlin of around eighty kilo’s which put up a great show for the novice angler.

Winter Striped Marlin
Winter Striped Marlin
 
We ended up coming back inside Browns and starting a cube trail. Rhys put a jig down and to my surprise hooked up on his first drop. We were all speculating as to what it was. The fish was going pretty well so  I thought it  was an Albacore. Unfortunately  it broke the line  however later on the guys using cubes caught a couple of big Striped tuna so I guess that was what we lost, I think…
 
 
Tight lines,
Ivan
 
 
 
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Ambition report 27th.May’19

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We went out last Wednesday to try and find those mysterious Yellowfin. Reports had been coming in of the Yellowfin ranging along the temperature break South-East of Browns. Along with the‘fin were occasional encounters with Blue and Striped Marlin. One of which we caught last week.

Striped Marlin playing up...
Striped Marlin playing up…
 
We took Joseph Liu out, he primarily wanted to deep drop on Browns and have a go at Kingfish on the way. Unfortunately the current was not favourable at all.
 
The Peak were there had been some action over previous days was completely shut down. To top it off there was no way to fish Browns, in my opinion, with 3.5 knots of current. So, the last option was to go wide, find the temperature break and maybe those mysterious  Yellowfin and Marlin. Well we did just that and we were working the break when Ben who was just ahead of us in his boat ‘Markoo’ called up to say the were hooked up to a Yellowfin which they ultimately landed, it weighed 62.5 kilo’s. So we were in the right area but unfortunately to no avail. Of interest it was apparent the current was easing.

Striped Marlin playing up…
 
I got another chance to chase those elusive Yellowfin on Friday. I took out Tim and Scott who had just arrived from Minnesota after an unexpected delay, so were a little fatigued. The aim again was to go to the temperature break, work it and hopefully find them a fish.
 

We got to the break were it was immediately apparent the current had eased and moved further out. I know a lot of anglers believe in the change of tide but I am a sceptic having caught heaps of Marlin well away from the changes. In this case the change was at 12:38pm. We had a crashing strike at 12:20pm., I’m still a sceptic.

Striped Marlin playing up...
Striped Marlin playing up…
 
When the fish struck I thought I’d seen a bill but the fish never showed itself, maybe it was a ‘fin. Then after nearly half an hour it started to move up to the surface where I got a glimpse, it was a Marlin and when it jumped a big Stripy revealed itself.
 
Either because this fish had conserved its energy by staying deep or because Tim and Scott were jetlagged and had had a VB or two it put up a tough fight and both of them fought it a couple of times. As you will see in the video it didn’t want to give in and was incredibly aggressive even at the end .
 
The current out there has eased further and the fact that there are Long liners working near that break is indicative of Yellowfin in the area. Hopefully when the weather stabilises again we’ll find them, we’ll certainly be looking.
 
 
Tight lines
Ivan
Fishing Reports

Ambition Report 18th.May’19

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After hearing reports of Yelllowfin and  Marlin during the week. We went out with great expectations. I’d also been out on Wednesday with a group of jigging specialist. So a stopover on a couple of the reefs was on the cards too.

Striped Marlin - Sydney...
Striped Marlin – Sydney…

Wednesday produced a wide assortment of fish due to the slow jigging technique these guys used. They caught Kings, Bonito,the ubiquitous Leather Jackets and Flutemouths which I have since found are quite a delicacy. The main ambition, no pun intended, however was to jig at Browns where they d told me they had been quite successful. The trouble was the current running South at 2.5 knots made the jigging all but impossible. I did learn a lot though.
Saturday saw us going over the reefs again but all had changed. There was nowhere near the life that had been there on Wednesday, you could blame the moon if you wanted, so it was off to find the Yellowfin and Marlin

Striped Marlin on the leader...
Striped Marlin on the leader…

.

Needless to say we covered a lot of ground seeing only Dolphins and the occasional Gannet. The radio wasn’t much help either. I heard of a couple of Marlin tagged, the shark fishermen weren’t doing too well either unlike last week.

However we persisted in the unseasonal warm water moving in to the shelf were there were patches of bait. Still nothing and the boys were getting restless. I moved in even closer hoping for some cooler water and that’s when we got the strike. In only 70 fathoms the water was still 23.5 C and this fish took off at speed but not showing itself. It took a long run and I started to think we had a big ‘fin but then it jumped much to the excitement of Blake and his mates and my relief.

After a reasonable fight we had the fish along side where Ron Kovacs released it. To tell the truth I’m not sure if it was a Stripy or a Blue.

http://www.ambitioncharters.com.au

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Ambition report 5th. May’19

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Yellowfin  Marlin and Wahoo were caught yesterday even though it wasn’t the very best of days to go fishing. However we were committed. As so often happens when the ocean is less friendly the bite, especially for Yellowfin can be good.

Yellowfin
Yellowfin

Ours was a story of good and bad luck.

Because of the conditions and with a group of newbies on board it wasn’t long before half of them were sea sick but to their credit they persevered. Their cure came when the first Marlin, a good sized Stripy pounced on the short corner then the rigger and finally the shotgun managing to miss all the hooks. The Marlin  was obviously a myopic because  it scuffed all the leaders a long way up from the lures,

Listening to the radio scheds from the ‘Port Hacking 100’ tournament it was evident there were quite a few Yellowfin around, varying from so called ‘Jelly beans’ up to 40 kilo’s jobs.
We ended up catching a couple of Yellowfin and losing another when the tag line tangled up with the main line. Later on another Marlin hit the shotgun but again missed the hooks.

Yellowfin
Yellowfin

 

 

 

 

 

The results from the week-end tournament indicated the number and range of fish still out there. ‘Carnage’ weighed a Tiger Shark of 470.5 kilos. There were also Mako’s and at least one Whaler and a Hammerhead weighed. ‘Game Changer’ caught a Blue Marlin of 138 kilo’s for junior Makaira Wright. There were several Yellowfin and Striped Marlin tagged.   However, the biggest surprise to me was of a 42kg. Wahoo.

It is turning into a very late season with the warm currents still within range and with the range of warm water species still out there long may it continue.

Tight lines,
Ivan

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