bluewatermag.com.au 37HOT BITES | AUSTRALIA
5 NSW STH COAST: Big schools of yellowfin
Several swordfish were landed
over the Tathra canyons in
early May, and throughout
April and May there were big
schools of yellowfin from the
seamounts to Tathra, usually
chasing sauries. However, with
good numbers of solid late-
season striped marlin still about, few boats ventured that bit wider
for a yellowfin. Those who did were rewarded with some nice fish,
such as this 54kg tuna caught by Jack Graham after a two-hour
fight on a spin rod. With yellowfin you never have them until they
are in the boat, and there were numerous stories recently telling of
nice fish lost after lengthy battles.
Large southern bluefin tuna will now make their annual winter
migration past Bermagui over the months ahead.
Judy Sillis – Canberra Game Fishing Club
http://www.canberragamefishing.com.au
6 PT STEPHENS & SYDNEY: Striped marlin
At the beginning of June there
were still striped marlin on the
edge of the continental shelf
off Port Stephens, and even a
few off Sydney.
Boats running wide of the
shelf have also been finding
large yellowfin tuna, but you
have to look outside the 1000 metre line. In close, there’s been
quite a few large sharks along the coast, particularly following the
recent mullet run.
The recent drop in air temperature should drop the sea
temperature as well, so keep an eye out for yellowfin and bluefin
tuna beyond the shelf edge. You can also take advantage of winter’s
much slower east coast current to target some great bottom fish
over the deep-water reefs.
Capt Scotty Thorrington – Haven Sport Fishing Charters
http://www.terrigalhavenfishing.com.au8 GOLD COAST: Blue marlin out wide
Eddies of green water with low
water temperatures slowed
the billfish bite out wide during
late May, but patches of blue
water either side of it produced
blue marlin, striped marlin and
dolphinfish.
In early June, on an
overnight expedition to the seamount 90NM offshore, several boats
experienced a red-hot blue marlin bite, including some very big fish.
Boats also found medium-sized yellowfin tuna on the wide grounds
and out to 2000 metres.
Just inside the continental shelf there’s still baitfish and black
marlin around ‘Spot X’, and with a few yellowfin schools out wide,
we’re now looking forward to some more action from the big blue
marlin that cruise past the Gold Coast at this time of year.
Kevin Ballantine – Gold Coast Fishing Tackle
http://www.goldcoastfishingtackle.com.auSouth Equatorial CurrentEast Australian Current7 NSW NORTH COAST: Hopeful signs
There’s been little marlin
action over recent months,
although lost hook-ups with a
couple of striped marlin were
reported. However, medium-
sized yellowfin tuna have been
caught on the edge of the East
Australian Current, so this may
point to an improved yellowfin outlook as the water cools.
The cooler water now flowing down the continental shelf should
provide good striped marlin fishing through the winter months. So
if the poor marlin bite over the three most recent seasons can be
interpreted as the low point in this cycle, anglers can reasonably
hope to see a return to what used to be ‘normal’ winter game fishing
as our weather stabilises, with a steadily improving striped marlin
and yellowfin tuna bite through to spring.
Rick O’Ferrall – North Coast Big Game Anglers
http://www.FromTheFlybridge.com2
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