Yellowfin tuna and big ones too are off Sydney at present. I haven’t caught one weighing less than 60 kgs. in the last few weeks yet, with a few going over 70 kilo’s. How long this will last, who only knows.
I went out on both Saturday and Sunday and the fishing was quite different on both days. My plan on Saturday was to work my way out to Heatons looking
Mikko’s Yellowfin
for the Tuna. As luck would have it we started to see small groups of ‘fin busting up from 600 fathoms out. The problem was they weren’t staying up long enough for us to get the lures near them. It turned into a rather frustrating day chasing tuna all over the ocean. There were however a few tuna caught late in the day. Throughout the day a few boats ran into Blue an Striped Marlin also, these were found closer inshore around the 500 fathom line.
On Sunday I took Wahyu and his friends from Global Tackle out. It was a different day in that there were more fin showing. The bust ups lasted a lot longertoo so we had plenty of time to get to them. We just had to get there before the other boats. As is common with most schooling fish and especially with Yellowfin, too much boat traffic spooks them and disrupts the bait killing the action.
Mikko
We managed three fin upward of 65kilo’s. The first was a blind strike in 600 fathoms. The next two were on a double strike which is always fun with Yellowfin. The last thing you want is two fish circling under the boat. If this happens the probability is that you’ll lose one if not both fish. We held one fish off while working hard on the other consequently catching both. We did lose another fish when as we were about to gaff it the hooks let go.
Peters Yellowfin
By mid-afternoon lots of boats had found the Yellowfin and were racing around trying to get to the schools before they went down. We were done, the activity was slowing so we headed for home with a very happy and tired crew.
Blue Marlin, Yellowfin Tuna and Striped Marlin are on the bite off Sydney. The Sydney Game Fishing Club got it right for the ‘Peter Goadby Memorial Tournament’ last week-end. Though the weather wasn’t perfect the fishing more than made up for it. Over the last few weeks the fishing off Sydney has been the best in years especially for Blue Marlin and Yellowfin Tuna.
Gregs Yellowfin again
I don’t have the exact numbers of fish caught and tagged but all boats saw action. If you go to the SGFC web site you will find the numbers. Interestingly the action was spread out from the ‘Bait Station’ down past Port Hacking and out over the thousand fathom line. All you had to do was cover the ground, find the bait, work the bait and if luck was on your side you’d find the fish.
On Saturday I was working my way down the thousand fathom line where I found a long liner laying lines. I worked South down his line hoping for a ‘fin . It was looking good with patches of scattered bait fairly near the surface. As I made a turn around some bait the ‘shotgun’ with the ‘Pakula Brad ‘J” let go. A big Blue took off grey hounding, tearing up the ocean. I couldn’t believe such a big fish would take such a small lure.
By the time we had cleared the lines this fish, instead of running straight and sounding must have covered miles going in circles and huge arcs never getting really far from us. It was all I could do to keep the line tight and not allow too much belly. By the time we had the lines in the fish had calmed, slowly swimming away from us down sea and probably stuffed. Backing down wasn’t so comfortable in this sea. I even got wet in the flybridge, the transom regularly under water, poor Ron was drenched even his boots got filled.
Gregs Yellowfin
After what seemed like ages we had the fish along side finally realising just how big it was. When David took the leader it barely moved so no point tagging. Back at the club it weighed 337.5 kilo’s, a potential Australian and N.S.W. record on 24 kg. line a great effort by Ron. Over the day the number of captured and tagged fish included several Blues between 150 and 250 kilo’s and Yellowfin over 70 kilo’s as well as many lost.
Sunday started much the same as Saturday weatherwise. I went to where I had seen the Long liner the day before. Unfortunately neither it nor the lines were there. I instituted plan ‘B’ – since the warmer water had moved in even closer I also moved in. I found a small temperature break and followed it. In the meantime ‘Tantrum’ skippered by Glen Wright had caught a 204.5 kilo Blue on 15 kg. line a maximum pointer, only 133 points separated us. Meanwhile Jamie Ward of ‘Carnage’ was fighting a big Tiger shark on 15 kilo line yet another threat.
Scotts Yellowfin
Suddenly in the middle of nowhere we had a massive strike on the shot gun and the reel again screamed, this time a Yellowfin. To complicate matters while Scott and Mark were clearing the other lines both had hits. Scott’s fish hooked up and fortunately Mark’s didn’t. Now we had a double on large Yellowfin tuna which could be disastrous. Consequently I told Greg to just keep tension on his line but not to bring his fish in and for Scott to go to sunset and go hard.
It worked, Scott after much pain got his fish which later weighed 73.5 kilo’s, to the boat and gaffed in 25 minutes. Now it was Greg’s turn, unfortunately his fish was more stubborn. After more than an hour of pain he finally had colour but it took another twenty minutes before we gaffed it. Another good ‘fin which later weighed 72.5 kilo’s, a nice buffer against Glen.
We continued on our way feeling pretty content that the Yellowfin had given us the lead we needed. Well, you know you shouldn’t count your chickens, Tantrum were onto another good Blue on 60kg. line. We desperately needed another fish with only 30 minutes to end of fishing.
“Fish on the rigger”, Ron yelled as a Marlin hit the long rigger, it broke the band but no hook-up. Tension was now extreme, Glen had landed their fish. We waited and watched I circled the area but to no avail. To add to the tension Jamie had landed a 300 kilo plus Tiger on 15kg. Yet another maximum pointer to contend with.
I can’t tell you the final results because I really don’t know them, you’ll have to come to the Club’s presentation tomorrow night ( 1st. May ).
So that was the tournament, for more results go to the club’s web site.
The Long liners are still working off Sydney so the ‘fin must still be in the area. With the water 24C at the shelf, there is no reason why the Blue Marlin won’t still be here.
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I took Tony and his wife Anne from Mackay out Game Fishing off Sydney on Monday. After my success the previous Saturday I decided to go South again. It was a mistake, it was a beautiful day but still a mistake. The only fish I heard about when we got in were a 200 kilo Blue Marlin from Ed Aspden’s boat ‘Malekula’ and a 60 kilo Yellowfin by Robbie Antunes from his boat ‘Angelica’. I had gone the wrong way. I later heard about a Spearfish taken somewhere off Botany.
Two Beauties 73 and 61 kilos
Ironically the reason for Tony’s visit to Sydney was to fulfil an ambition (no pun intended) to tag all the Billfish species found off Australia in one year. He only needs a Spearfish and a Broadbill to succeed. He’ll probably get the Broady in Tasmania, his next stop, but I don’t like his chances for a Spearfish but you never know.
Yesterday I went North to the area Ed caught his Blue. The water had cooled a little and as I went out developed a greenish tinge. I continued out to what I thought might be a Long Liner some ten miles further. At around 600 fathoms the shotgun went off and we were on. Tony took the rod and after a relatively easy fight of 45 minutes we gaffed a 60.5 kilo Yellowfin. We took photo’s taken and continued out.
Yellowfin tuna 240417
It seemed to get more barren as we continued so at around 800 fathoms I turned back to where we had taken the previous fish. I had no sooner turned when a fish crashed the short corner and screamed off. My first thoughts were a Blue but it quickly became apparent it was another ‘fin. This one wasn’t so easy, poor Tony had to fight for every inch. Most of the fight was at ‘sunset’ and took nearly two hours to bring it to gaff much to a relieved Tony. The Yellowfin later weighed at the club went 72.5 kilo’s.
Notwithstanding the fact that Tony didn’t really want to get involved with another Yellowfin anyway, we had now bagged out. So I headed in to safer waters to maybe find a Striped Marlin or two, which incidentally didn’t happen.
Over the last couple of weeks I have found the Yellowfin over a wide area ranging from as close in as 250 fathoms and out beyond 1,000 fathoms. If the Long liners are still around they must be in good numbers too.
Apart from the Yellowfin there are reports of big Blue Marlin too. The boat ‘Doghouse’ killed two weighing 198 and 202 kilo’s from further South. This has always been the time of year for big Blue Marlin off Sydney.
All this action augers well for the upcoming ‘Peter Goadby Memorial Tournament’ this week-end at the S.G.F.C.
Yellowfin Tuna – after seeing a couple of Longliners coming into port yesterday I thought I’d give the Yellowfin tuna a shot. I planned to head out wide to where the charts were showing a good temperature break then search along it.
As luck would have it I found an area of bird activity and saw a couple of showers of Sauries. I spent some time working the area ultimately raising the ‘fin we caught. Dan fought the fish hard for nearly an hour eventually and to his great relief bringing it to the boat.
I heard reports on the radio of a couple of boats raising Marlin out from Browns so headed off in that direction. On the way I noticed a small boat, a Carribean I think, fighting a fish and there were heaps of birds in the area too.
Magic lure
Dan who has eyes like an eagle spotted a Marlin tailing. I went right past it several times but it kept turning away from me. After working the area for a while we had raised two Striped Marlin that did what they do best by just playing with the lures. Then finally a Blue came in from the side and crashed the Brad ‘J’ behind my teaser, it also did what Blues do best by trying to spool us – it failed !!!
This is all boding well for the ‘Sydney Game Fishing Club’s tournament next week-end
‘The Peter Goadby Memorial’…
Blue and Lumo
So with Blue Marlin, Striped Marlin even a couple of Blacks found through the week-end. Not to mention the Yellowfin and Mahi Mahi all in attendance nor the prizes and trophies. You best come on down…
Whilst there were Marlin, Yellowfin and some big Mahi Mahi caught over the week-end it was pretty slow going considering the number of boats fishing.
A good eating Mahi Mahi…
The water looked great, good temperature the right colour and current lines all over the place. I marked several fish but could not induce them to bite.
There was a reasonably bite inshore South of Botany with quite a few Blacks being taken so that was the place to be. The reefs there held plenty of bait and that’s what you need. Still all in all very late in the season for Black in close…strange season!
Blue Marlin…
The guys bottom fishing Browns have had better luck with ideal conditions during the past week. Small Gemmies, Deep Sea Perch and Blue Eye were all on the menu. As a result of successful prosecutions ,I have heard that Fisheries with the help of the police have and will continue to check on the boats at Browns. Also checking when they return to their home ports. This has to be good news as I am sure we have all seen and know of particular boats openly disregarding the bag limits.
GemFish and Blue Eye
I think once the offshore currents turn around the fishing will improve, also I’m going down to Tasmania for just over a week so that might help too…
Autumn is the time for big Blue Marlin and Yellowfin tuna off Sydney.
The ultimate Game Fish
Though it has been a little quiet offshore the last few days it is not the end of one of the best Game Fishing seasons I have experienced. This year we saw great numbers of Blue Marlin though not the real big ones yet. Over the last two or three years the Blues have been increasing in numbers, if not size, and now is the time when in the past they have been most prevalent and the biggest in size too. Black Marlin were there in reasonable numbers. However unlike previous years there were more taken on the shelf at the ‘Car Park’ than their usual inshore grounds. The ‘Car Park’ fired with all three species of Marlin there in numbers and an unusual number of Whaler sharks.
What we wanted
Good sized Mahi Mahi were prevalent offshore. But there weren’t the usual numbers of smaller fish around the FADs and fish traps. Ironically the smaller ones are there now. You have to be early though as they spook when under pressure.
A beautiful Mahi Mahi…
I regard now, Autumn, as the best time to fish off Sydney. In the past we caught the biggest Marlin, the big Yellowfin tuna turn up in numbers, as we have already seen. We could see more Spearfish and even Wahoo if the currents are kind.
On checking the results of tournaments held at this time of the year you’ll see it is a great time to fish. Also why the ‘Peter Goadby Memorial Tournament’ held by SGFC has always been such a success…
An interesting day out yesterday. After the frustration of having to come home early on Sunday when there was a pretty good bite going on with Blue Marlin and Yellowfin on the menu, I was keen to get amongst the action.As soon as we left the Heads it was plain to see something had changed, the water in close had warmed and around the 12 Mile it started to cool and have a greenish tinge. The conditions didn’t vary much at all even well past Browns.
I stared moving South to where the bite had been on Sunday. Though the water was still only about 22.5 C and with that greenish tinge there was bait and lots of it down between 30 to 50 fathoms. With so much bait evident it was only a matter of time before the predators turned up.
Yellowfin Tuna…
In about a thousand fathoms I saw a Long Liner laying his lines, this had to be a good sign. I followed the line for a fair while but the bait had thinned. Consequently I moved in closer to stay with the bait and hope the predators would find it.
Birds started to appear in increasing numbers and anticipation was palpable. In the distance I could see Mutton birds circling and dipping into the water over a small area. We’d found a bait ball on the surface and as we approached the ‘fin charged through it. I maneuvered Ambition to pass the lures through the bait. As the lure passed two lures took hits but didn’t hook up. Only a second later the rigger with Brad ‘J’ screamed off and we were on.
After nearly an hour we had the fish on board, photo’s were taken and it was time to recuperate. Terry and Nick who’s biggest ‘fin to date was around 30 kilo’s couldn’t believe how hard the bigger ones fight.
So that was the day, unfortunately no Marlin but who can complain about Yellowfin…
The good news is that Marlin are still here, Blues and Stripes mostly and amongst them a run of Sydney Yellowfin Tuna. This run of Tuna was a regular occurrence in the past and was the reason the Sydney Game Fishing Club’s ‘Summer point score’ season was extended from mid-April to May. One can only hope this is the start of another period of Yellowfin prevalence. Also, around the FAD’s and traps there are schools of Mahi Mahi. Though not the real big ones they are the good eating schoolies.
The Bucket list Mahi Mahi…
The run of Marlin that has kept us on our toes and losing lures for the last few weeks has slowed. The bite has moved a little further South with the prevailing currents. Over the week-end Port Hacking held their annual Tournament. About seventy boats competed, the biggest Marlin a Blue weighing 190kg. and the biggest Tuna a 68 kg. Yellowfin.
I don’t think we have seen the end of this run of Sydney Yellowfin tuna and Marlin. It is still just the end of March, the beginning of autumn. If history is anything to go by we’ll have several more weeks of Marlin and hopefully Yellowfin tuna to enjoy. It’s just a matter of perseverance and patience waiting for the next warm current to pulse down from the North.
This is the best time of year for Sydney Marlin fishing in fact all the gamefish. The ocean current are at their warmest and closest to land and as they stream by they bring the baitfish and their predators.
Blue and Lumo…
Over the last few weeks we have witnessed some of the best game fishing I have ever experienced. I have seen years when there were good runs of Black Marlin, good runs of Stripes and less often Blues. This year however has had all three in abundance and to top it off the appearance of the much missed big Yellowfin.
On Saturday I took Jim Nelson and his family out. I couldn’t do a thing right. I went North to the Bait Station where on Friday there was a good bite. After an hour of trolling we had a good hit in 200 fathoms. I knew it was a good fish because it didn’t take off too quickly. However it didn’t take long for it to realise it was hooked and took off at a million miles an hour. Then for some odd reason while I was backing down on it the line broke. When I checked the break it was clean, no abrasions just a nice clean cut. After that it was all downhill. Wherever I went someone had just caught a fish or the ‘fin had just been seen there, I was always one step behind.
On the Leader…
I made up for it on Sunday though with Lee and his two friends Glen and Clem. I went North again and ended up tagging two nice Blue Marlin. Glen caught his first after a hard won battle that left him drained and very sea-sick. Clem caught the second and again a really tough battle in the sea conditions. The weather however was not as bad as predicted. It blew from the North-East up to about 20knots but the North-Westerly never showed up offshore. In fact we only experienced it and the heat when we came back to Port. One of the fringe benefits of the weather report was that the radio was quiet and informative.
In all Sunday was not at all like the Friday and Saturday. There was little bait and hardly any bird activity. This could have been because there were far fewer boats out, obviously covering less water. Could also have been that the good water has moved on, only time will tell.
The Marlin fishing off Sydney is coming into its best period. At this time of year the water off Sydney is at its warmest. We generally catch the biggest of species…the quality specimens. The 200 plus kilo Blue Marlin, Stripes over 120 kilo’s, Wahoo, Mahi Mahi, big Yellowfin which have already made their appearance felt and even Spearfish. This prime time could and has in the past lasted until as late as mid-May.
Brad ‘J’ does it again…
I’ve just returned from Port Stephens spending my last day fishing up there on Saturday. I had taken Livio and some friends out for his brother’s birthday. After the break in the weather the ‘Car Park’ fired up again. Double hook-ups seemed the norm.
I started trolling skip baits a few miles North of the ‘Car Park’ hoping to find my own patch of bait and avoid the crowds. As it happens I did find a patch and we soon raised and caught a good sized Black which gave the birthday boy a good work out. Unfortunately I lost the bait so I worked my way down to the ‘Car Park’. It was crowded and the radio was full of boats calling out for others to move out of the way of their hooked fish ( sometimes not in nice terms ) – it was crazy. Anyway we managed to drop a bait to another Black I’d marked and this time Livio had to do battle.
Boatside…
Sunday was home time with Lee his friend Dave my deck hand Howie. We left Port at 6am. I was going to fish down the thousand fathom line looking for Blues and Yellowfin. I did troll down the line in 26 degrees of totally dead water for an hour or so then decided to move back into 500 fathoms on the other side of the eddy. Here there were occasional groups of birds working and patches of bait but no real action. Then as we approached Norah canyons we ran into thick algal blooms which seemed to go forever.
Finally after several miles we came out of the blooms into clean indigo coloured water just South of the canyons. The water was absolutely full of bait which appeared to be pilchards feeding. We went around them a few times with no result so headed off again.
Howie…
Shortly afterwards I marked a fish. Lee and I turned back to the lures in time to see a big Blue crash the Blue Illusion on the short corner and take off as they do. Dave was on strike and took the rod on what turned out to be a Blue of around 170 kgs.. He’d never caught a Marlin before and had no idea what he was in for. This fish gave him a workout and a half. It didn’t want to give up and stayed just out of range for ages by know we were on sunset and Dave was working hard. Inevitably we tagged the fish and then Dave had to struggle another half hour to get my lure back. No way was it getting away with that one.
We continued on and raised a Striped Marlin of around 70 kilo’s. It hit half the lures we had out before succumbing to the Brad ‘J’ bullet on the shotgun. Lee made quick work of the fish much to Dave’s annoyance.
By the time we had tagged Lee’s fish it was time to pull stumps. We still had forty miles to get home.
As I sit here writing this report I keep getting calls telling me about all the Marlin and even Tuna down here. It appears the water we had at Port Stephens a couple of weeks ago has move down here and brought the fish with it. I need to get out there again…
