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Fishing Reports

Ambition report 24th. December’17

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The Marlin and Mahi Mahi are coming…

It finally looks as though the currents out wide are stabilising and bringing the Marlin to us. The hope is that the fish will move in closer now, certainly more are being encountered.

I went out with Tom and his workmates on a two boat Charter with Wahoo last Wednesday chasing Marlin.

The first stop though was to have a shot at the Kings. This turned out to be a bad move. We first tried off North Head where in spite of the calm wind conditions the swell bouncing off the cliffs was making it very uncomfortable. Consequently several of the guys were feeling a bit seedy but after giving the 12 Mile a shot most had had enough.

Kingfish fishing
A 12 Mile King…

Anyway, Wahoo ended up going back with the sick ones and I continued out after catching a couple of good Kings. Conditions were perfect away from the bounce back and the sea was dead flat. This was the calm before the storm.

Out over the shelf the current was still Southerly. However, the temperature was varying up and down by as much as half a degree over a hundred metres. We persisted and went out over Browns to the thousand fathom line not seeing anything, no bait, not even a bird. At about 1:00pm. the first breaths of the Southerly started to puff so I started trolling home.

By the time we got back to Browns it was still doing only fifteen to eighteen knots. The boys were unconcerned, enjoying the occasional brew. These conditions didn’t last long however and it was soon gusting to twenty five knots. I heard over the radio that it was doing thirty knots off Cronulla so the gear was pulled in and we ran for home.

On Saturday after hearing that the boat ‘Cintra’ from Tasmania had raised six Marlin the day before I went out with renewed confidence. I was doing something I haven’t done for a long, long time. I was working the deck for Mike Clarkson on his boat ‘Reef Magic’.

We put the gear in at the ’12 Mile’ and headed out towards ‘Browns’. Conditions had certainly changed since Wednesday. The temperature was up and not wavering and there was heaps of bait. There were even birds moving around, it was very fishy to say the least. Later, over the radio we heard Bob Curry had raised a Striped Marlin in 250 fathoms and another boat had tagged one inside ‘Browns’.

Fishing Trips
Marlin…

After working the bait for several hours with no result we left and headed North. We had just crossed the shelf when we had a triple strike and mayhem prevailed but luckily not for long. In short time two of the Marlin jumped off and we ended up catching Striped Marlin of around 70 kgs.

The client, Iano from Italy, was happy with a great Christmas present having succeeded in his first attempt at striped Marlin fishing. We were happy and it was time to go home.

Tight lines and a merry Christmas to all – may the fish be with you,
Ivan

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Fishing Reports

Ambition report 4th. December’17

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No game fish  report today due to the weather.

Blue Marlin...
A great Blue Marlin – the ultimate game fish

If it hasn’t been raining and windy it has just been too windy to get out there.

It does look promising though as the water continues to warm and the currents move in. It looks especially good up around Port Stephens at present.

Just a reminder, I will be available at Port Stephens from the 15th. January until 13th. March 2018  so if you’re keen to catch a  Marlin  in particularly call or email me.

Ambition Game hunting for game fish...
Ambition Game hunting game fish…

Unusually I have a couple of vacant spots on the 28th. December for a Game Fishing charter. Anyone interested in joining give me a call or email.

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Ambition report 27th. November’17

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All gamefish are sensitive to water temperatures and their movements governed but the ocean currents.

Blue Marlin tagged
Tagged

On studying the SST’s you can see that the warm water North of us, on and wide of the shelf is flowing South then out to sea just South of Port Stephens. Conversely the water off Sydney over the shelf is flowing inshore from the South and East and then turning South. It is clear that the fish, probably the Blues, in the warmer water North of us aren’t going to be seen off Sydney until there is a change in the currents.

However, the Northern water inside and along the shelf is flowing South parallel to the coast. This is the water that brings the run of Blacks inshore and further out near the shelf the Striped Marlin.  Usually the Blacks show up off Sydney mid to late December but in the last week or so the inshore waters have warmed significantly. Yesterday I noticed a lot of bait just out of the Heads. Lots of Mutton birds were working the area as though waiting for something to push the bait up. This could be an indication that the Blacks are here there has been the occasional report of small Marlin inshore.

Those fishing wide off Sydney haven’t been having much luck but it seems the Kings are another story. The run of Kings outside last week was remarkable with more than a few going over the magic metre mark. Unfortunately that was last week since then the Southerly current has increased. I have been told it was running at 3 to 3.5 knots and when you add the effect of 15 to 20 knots of North Easterly you’d be close to flying.

Black Marlin fishing
A Black on the leader…

In the harbour the Kingsfish mixed with Tailor, Bonito and Salmon are still rampaging around chasing schools of baitfish. You can find the schools anywhere from the Heads down the harbour to the Lane Cove river. Find the birds and you’ll find the fish. Frustratingly you will often find the fish under the Harbour Bridge in the 15 knot zone where you are not allowed to stop and fish.

I am looking forward to my annual stay at Port Stephens. I’ll be there and available for Charter and the occasional social day for SGFC members from mid- January until mid-March. If you want to catch Marlin or any of the pelagic species which are so much more common up there give me a call.

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Fishing Reports

Ambition report 20th. November’ 17

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I couldn’t make it out fishing on the week-end due to the weather on Saturday and ‘ brownie ‘ point gathering on Sunday.

From what I’ve heard there doesn’t appear to be much happening out there.  I did however get a phone call mid-morning telling me about a Marlin, possibly a Black, free jumping about 5 miles out… I can’t tell you how good that made me feel. Apparently there were some Dollies taken and a couple of really nice Yellowfin from somewhere South of Sydney. If anyone knows anymore or can clarify I’d be happy to hear about it.

The SST’s  don’t look very exciting either but I don’t know how much they can be relied upon at the best of times because of their lack of resolution. You really have to get out there and see for yourself. The way it appears the current is  pushing from the North around Sydney but the temperature within the current varies widely indicating there are breaks in the main current which are always worth a look.

Inshore there are Kings but it requires some hard work and lots of looking to find them. I heard of one that Mike Clarkson of ‘Reef Magic’ caught going 1.2 metres, so they are there.

The harbour is alive with schools of pelagics, Kings, Bonito, Tailor and Salmon. They are not big fish but are still a lot of fun on light gear. You will need very small lures to catch them because they are feeding on very small baitfish.

To me the wide grounds are where I want to be. None of the charts have the resolution to show the spin-off currents and minor eddies that often hold the fish we want. It changes from day to day out ther. By the time the average fisho hears about the bite it’s generally too late…

Tight lines,
Ivan

 

Fishing Reports

Ambition report 13th. November’17

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The offshore fishing for Billfish was not really exciting last week with few fish being encountered.  However I did hear of a Lake Macquarie boat losing a good sized Blue Marlin  around the Norah Canyons.

Blue Marlin fishing sydney
A Blue at the boat…

Off Sydney the water looked good and there was plenty of bait, especially inside the shelf.  I did find however that beyond about 300 fathoms and moving South the water went green and cooled a little.  All this indicating how fickle the currents still are and also very typical of November. Usually by mid-December the currents have stabalised and that’s also when the Blacks should start to turn up. In the mean time it is a day to day proposition. You put in the time you’ll find the fish.

Billfish fishing sydney
Marlin…

Of great interest, to me at least, was when on Sunday Pat Shaw and his father Mark found a dead Whale floating South of Browns. Pat, my regular deck hand, constantly told me how much he’d like to find one. He also told me about  the number and size of sharks and oddly Kingfish hanging around the Whale.  Strangely he couldn’t get them to take his baits because of the amount of burley in the water.  I only hope he got photo’s of the action.

The harbour at present is alive with pelagics mostly Tailor but  Salmon  and Bonito also, and there are good Kingfish amongst them too. Kingfish are also active inshore around the Heads and you can  catch them trolling live baits on down riggers or lead lines.  I don’t know about the offshore reefs but they could be worth a look.

So that’s it for this week…

Tight lines,
Ivan

 

Fishing Reports

Ambition report 6th. November’17

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After the weather we experienced last week-end it was surprising that anyone went out Marlin Fishing. Those who went saw a few Marlin. Captures and Tags were another matter entirely.

On Saturday a few boats went out and Ed Ingram from ‘ Hold Up’ told of finding an area off Broken Bay where he raised two Striped Marlin but missed both. In the same area there were numbers of Albatrosses. Every so often they would come together and when Ed moved into the area the sounder came alive with big fish down deep. Ed speculated they might be Yellowfin.

yellowfin tuna fishing sydney
Yellowfin on deck…

Sunday’s early morning bad weather kept most at home but at least a couple went out. Jeff Manson from ‘Spindrift’ managed a Spearfish and another Botany Bay boat caught a 50 kilo Yellowfin. The Yellowfin capture may have confirmed what Ed had seen the day before, time will tell. Off Wollongong a Striped Marlin of 159 kilo’s was weighed that is one hell of a Striped Marlin.

marlin fishing sydney
A nice Black doing it thing…

Kingies seem to be around on the inshore reefs with the occasional good one amongst the rats. Perseverance and good bait are essential. Hopefully the warming water has pushed the ‘Coutas and maybe even the ‘Jackets out too.

Kingfish fishing sydney harbour
A 12 Mile King…

In summary though it is still early days the water is warming. Marlin fishing as well as that for the other warm water gamefish is getting better and better each day as the currents, fickle though they are, move inshore.

On another matter,..I have just cleaned up a fuel tank that I had never previously used. I filled the tank and then checked the clarity of the fuel not surprisingly it was terrible. It took a while but I finally found a ‘Fuel Polisher’ in Australia who would come out and clean the tank, a relatively small tank. I was so impressed with the job they did I had to mention them. The company is called ‘FSA – Fuel Screening Australia’ and are based at Tuggerah.

On yet another matter…I have just finalised my annual Port Stephens stay. I’ll be available up there from  13th.January 2018 until 13th. March 2018 – see you there.

Tight lines,
Ivan

 

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Ambition report 30th. October’ 17

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Well the trophy for the first Marlin of  the season for the Sydney Game Fishing Club has been taken out. Coincidently the first Marlin for the Broken Bay Club was also taken out. Artie Saren caught Sydney’s first a  Striped Marlin from the boat Compton.  A bitter sweet day for many of us as it is a much vied for Trophy. On one hand it means the Marlin season has started on the other the pressure is off  and we can save a lot of fuel looking for that first fish.

Striped Marlin...
Striped Marlin…

I was out on Sunday looking for Marlin. The conditions were almost ideal with lots of bait around the shelf, good water colour and temperature but no birds. We did get a strike late in the afternoon which I’d like to think was a Marlin. A few boats encountered Marlin further North, around the Norah canyons,  but I didn’t hear of any other than Compton’s.

Inshore the Kingfish are around but you have to put in a lot of time  to catch the bait needed to attract them. Even when you do get the bait it is tough to find a keeper fish. I fished on Friday trolling live baits close to the rocks in quite rough conditions but only caught undersized Kings and a couple of Bonito.

Kingfish...
Kingfish…

Browns also seem to be running hot and cold with Gemmies and a few Blue Eye still on offer. From what I have gathered fresh bait is necessary.

Overall the fishing is on the quiet side. Whether you are fishing inshore or offshore perseverance is the key and of course good bait…

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Ambition report 23rd.Oct.’17

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I don’t know why but I still get surprised when the SST’s don’t reflect what I experience at sea. I shouldn’t I know because the charts don’t have the resolution to show the minor eddies that hold the fish we chase. This is especially important when chasing Marlin and other pelagics.

Striped Marlin
A Stripy at the boat…

When I went out on Sunday the SST’s showed a relatively warm current coming down the coast running quite quickly at the shelf and out from there. I headed out East from the heads planning to troll North at the shelf and go out wide. Without going into details, as I trolled North and out the temperature increased as expected. At around two hundred fathoms the temperature started to cool off which I did not expected. I turned around and started to work my way back to the warmer water. Here the bait was also building up. Most interestingly the current varied, as I moved in so as to make me think there was an eddy somewhere around the ‘Bait Station’. As the day progressed we raised two Marlin and one probable Marlin. Each of the fish hit the lures more than once but we just couldn’t sink the hooks.

A beautiful Mahi Mahi
Mahi Mahi on Ambition

Through the day several boats saw and hooked Striped Marlin. Jeff Manson from his boat ‘Spindrift’ hooked a Blue Marlin in four hundred and fifty fathoms when it took a 10kg. outfit. As you would expect the fight didn’t end well and that’s what I call sporting. I only heard of one boat catching a Marlin a small Stripy. If  you are into sharks the boat ‘Undertaker’ fishing just inside the shelf caught a couple of good sized Tiger Sharks and a small Blue Shark.

Mahi Mahi
A beautiful Mahi Mahi

Fishing for Kingfish is patchy at present because  most of the reefs are being adversely affected or is that infected by Barracouta and Leatherjackets. There are some good fish coming out of the harbour though and some from surprisingly far down past the Bridge.

The numbers of Marlin sighted is definitely increasing. This increase  should continue as the water warms and the currents push inshore. November usually sees an increase in the warm water pelagics with larger than usual Mahi Mahi often encountered.

So hurry up and bring on Summer…

Tight lines,
Ivan

 

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Ambition report 16th. October’17

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Not much to report on today. Due to my involvement with the ‘Go Fishing’ day via the Sydney Game Fishing Club, I didn’t manage to get out or even listen to the radio though I did hear about a few Kingfish.

It is very gratifying to take the kids and their parents out for a day of fun fishing. When the kids catch a fish the excitement expressed on their faces and the pride their parents exhibit is hard to beat. It must surely add to their self esteem – the day was a great success.

As far as the fishing scene goes I don’t know that many went out. I have heard the Kingfish are a daily proposition both on the inshore reefs and offshore. The Kings are there one day and the next all you can catch are either Barracouta or the dreaded Jackets. The fact that there are ‘Couta around would imply there is cold water down deep.

This is the time of year when the currents are changing over to the warmer water of Summer. The charts are showing the current strengthening from the North and hopefully with it the pelagic speedsters. As I mentioned last week their are enough sightings and hooking of Marlin and Mahi Mahi not to mention a Spearfish to make the offshore trek worthwhile. You never know you might get lucky and find the elusive Yellowfin.

Tight lines,
Ivan

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Ambition report 9th. October’17

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I fished on Friday and Sunday and both days had nothing in common at all.

On Friday I had the gun jigging crew on board. Thien ( Timpon ) and his friends who can jig like machines all day long. It’s tiring just watching them. However this day we were chasing those Yellowfin.  After hearing the report from Bushy about the ‘fin just South of Sydney and some wide off Broken Bay we had to give it a shot.

Unfortunately the weather wasn’t very kind with a South-Wester doing its best to blow us off the water and make us as miserable as possible.

The first stop was to warm up with a jigging session chasing Kingfish. However the gusting wind was making it difficult to control the drift. After a frustrating half hour the attraction of Yellowfin out wide won out so off we went. We trolled for a few hours making it to the thousand fathom line with no sign of activity. No birds, no temp breaks and no info from other boats. We were on our own.

Then in the distance I spotted something red floating. So I we went to investigate. As we got closer I could see it was a couple of very large red buoys apparently holding up something very heavy. My first thought was that it was a long line float but there was neither a radio beacon nor any identifying markings. Also there were no other floats in the surrounding area – a mystery.

We passed by the floats and I presented the lures as close as I dared. A double strike took us all by surprise. The water was green and only 18.5 degrees and we were hooked up to two Mahi Mahi. We managed to land one of around 6 kilo’s which was a good effort in those seas.

After a few more fruitless hours trolling with only one Mahi Mahi to show we decided to give the Kings another shot. By now the wind had eased to only 15 to 20 knots.

At the reef the sounder revealed a lot more activity than it had in the morning. The drift was a lot more manageable and  the Kings started to come aboard. At the same time a school of Bonito showed up consequently if the jig missed out on a King a tasty Bonito was to be had. However there was still the ever present danger of Leatherjackets to steal the jigs.

I didn’t go out on Saturday. The weather was supposed to ease through the day but with Sunday looking so much better I postponed the outing.

Sunday dawned a perfect day. Simon Fisher had fished on Saturday and talked of Yellowfin out wide and of losing a Blue Marlin. We went out with great expectations on a magic day.

Ed's Spearfish...
Ed’s Spearfish…

I started trolling near the shelf. Gannets were diving on schools of Slimy Mackerel and  Dolphins were harassing them from below. The whole area was alive. We worked the area for a while only catching Striped Tuna, but big Striped tuna. From what I gathered over the radio nearly every boat out there saw a Marlin. Unfortunately no one actually caught one in our area but Ed Ingram on his boat ‘Hold Up’ managed a very out of season Spearfish (pictured). It was also one of the biggest I’ve seen. Peter Pakula caught one on my boat a few years ago weighing 32.5 kilo’s .

It was only on our way home in about 300 fathoms we encountered our Marlin. As is usual for the species it ripped off some line without hooking up then a few minutes later had another go. This time we thought t was hooked but after a reasonable run it just simply dropped off.

So, though no one found any Yellowfin so many Marlin appearing and so much bait building on the shelf is gratifying. The water is warming and the EAC getting stronger. You just have to be optimistic about this upcoming season. Especially with so many juvenile Blacks up North.

Tight lines,
Ivan