bluewatermag.com.au 41HOT BITES| AUSTRALIA
5 NSW SOUTH COAST:Yellowfin coming
The striped marlin bite continued to fire
through March and early April, with boats
regularly reporting multiple tags in a day.
The usual hotspots of Bermagui, Tathra and
Eden have all produced some exceptional
fishing. Most of the marlin have been
found around baitballs of slimy mackerel,
and there’s been some very exciting action
when several boats hook-up around the
same school. There have also been plenty
of bronze whalers and dolphinfish to add
some variety.
Local longliners have been bringing some
nice yellowfin tuna in to Bermagui and no doubt the recreational
fleet will soon switch their attention to these great gamefish – as
soon as the striped marlin fishing slows down.
Judy Sillis – Canberra Game Fishing Club
http://www.canberragamefishing.com.au
6 PORT STEPHENS:Season keeps giving
This year has been one of
the best seasons on record,
and it’s still producing!
Juvenile black marlin arrived
right on cue in early March. A
surprising number of striped
marlin moved in to the inshore
grounds, particularly after a bit
of south-easterly weather.
‘The Carpark’ continued to fire in April, and the size of the
bait schools there were immense. Further south, large hot-water
yellowfin tuna were a bonus for blue marlin boats working wide of
the shelf, along with some good-sized wahoo.
Another clockwise eddy appears to be forming off Newcastle and
this should deliver crazy fishing well into Autumn. Better dig out the
heavy-tackle and head wide for large blues.
Capt Scotty Thorrington – Haven Sportfishing Charters
http://www.kingfishjigging.com5
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8 GOLD COAST:Mackerel in close
Consistent strong winds have interrupted
many trips to the billfish grounds, but
black marlin to 90kg have been very active
on ‘Spot X’ and the ‘Deep Trag’ grounds,
producing multiple captures when the
weather allowed. A few sailfish have come
from the same locations, and wahoo have at
times been a pest, snipping off livebaits. A
few blue marlin are still available from ‘Jims
Mountain’ to ‘The Kink’, and the Spanish
mackerel have returned to the coastal reefs
with a vengeance – with Nomad’s 140DTX
deep-diver the killer lure.
Blue and striped marlin as well as yellowfin tuna will still be
available on the wide grounds throughout winter, especially around
sauri schools.
Kevin Ballantine – Gold Coast Fishing Tackle
http://www.goldcoastfishingtackle.com.auSouth Equatorial CurrentEast Australian Current7 NSW NORTH COAST:Striped marlin
Unseasonably strong winds made summer
conditions challenging, but autumn has
seen mixed catches of black, blue and
striped marlin in the same areas along the
edge of the continental shelf. The average
size of black marlin has been above normal,
with many around 100kg, double what we
normally see in the run of juveniles.
With the winter season approaching and
temperatures in the East Australian Current
persistently higher than usual, consistently
good striped marlin fishing is likely off
the Solitary Islands throughout the cooler
months ahead. With a larger fleet of game boats now based along
the NSW north coast and operating from the northern rivers, we
should see good reports throughout winter.
Rick O’Ferrall
http://www.FromtheFlybridge.com2
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