issue

Hi, went out for the tide change on the Georges this afternoon flicking plastics. Half an hour into it and Im on with good weight and big head shakes. Knew it was a jewie but was guessing at the size and some good hard runs later had a nice fish slipping into the net. Went 80cm and was released in kicking condition. Nooice! About 3 casts later and another solid hookup, felt heavy but it couldn't pull the drag of its mate and lo and behold it came up a nice big girl croc. The net was back in business and a 70cm croc was lip gripped and released. Sorry no photos but I was on my own and wanted to get them back in the water as quick as possible. Pity, I never get them when I have company. Anyway,feeling very happy with myself tonight. The lure of choice was a 5 inch Gulp jerkshad in pearl white on 12 lb leader, Branzino 3000 and Loomis stick. Noice! Saw a couple of big fish boofing on the top and I think they were jewies... Do they surface bite? They were way too big for salmon and sounded like a barra does. Got the 2 kilo stick out later and got dusted by another jewie, bugger. That will teach me. It shut down after the tide change but that's ok. Hope this is a sign of things to come.

Oh what a stonker of a blue !!! Good on ya and congratulations to the charter, I hope they realise how lucky they were to tangle with that thing. Yeah the Broken Bay was a test of commitment. We managed to go 1 from 1 on Sunday which put us in the prizes but it was a poor result for the punishment we copped.

Congrats on the fish....Im with Damo on probably a black due to the rigid aerofoil pecs. They are usually the sluggers too.

Yeehah !

Wow that is an awesome pic ! Nice fish.

Unfortunately I have just found out Mikey has taken Reef Magic to Port Stephens already. Mind you the fishing up there is great too! Some boats are getting 5 a day at the moment. He can be found on this site as Reef Magic Charters if you are keen. There was only 2 of us on board and it was plain sloppy so there was no photos this time but will have some more crew next time, and some pitch baits, so look out!

Decided to go for a marlin exploration on my brothers new boat on Saturday after hearing reports of fish in close recently. We headed to Long Reef and started in 30 fathoms just pulling lures and were immediately greeted by a big stripe that tried a couple of lures before grabbing the short rigger and pulling the hooks shortly after. The next 3 hours saw a total of 6 big stripes and blacks doing all they could to stay hooked but we had no luck in that department and ended up with 6-2-0. Uggh! Thats fishing and it didnt bother us at all as it was still a very exciting half day. All the bites were in 30 fathoms between North Head and Longy. The fish were all solid and it is just so good to see them back in close. If you were ever thinking of catching that first marlin then I strongly recommend giving Damo or Mikey a call and having a shot at em. You will be on the grounds in 20 minutes....just like the good old days! For those with their own boats...get out there and dont forget to take a tag pole. Lets hope the weather backs off for you.

Yeah I go along with the skipbait idea. If Im targetting stripes I take the hooks out and run the lures as teasers and switch them to a bait at the boat. Sick of watching them mess around with a hook-filled lure. Its amazing how much more keen they are on a lure without spikes in it. Only problem is you will miss all the other by-catch like dollies and such.

Wow that IS awesome !! I would be telling that story for years. Lucky you for seeing it. Very cool

Black , Blue .... doesn't matter ! What does matter is an encounter with a psycho billfish that melts a reel and charges the boat.....thats what its all about! Bad luck losing it but it just makes you more addicted. Congrats to all involved in the baby too.

Have you noticed how the calm water seems to follow you around ? I reckon you could just about walk on it anyway. Can 2012 be any better??

Good luck with that metre flattie! Nice start with that one though. Congrats on releasing your PB.

Congrats on your 1st marlin. Great stuff. Always nice when the call to wind em in and move pays off. May it be the first of many.

Good croc, kudos on the release ! Bummer about the jew, makes it sweeter when you get it.

How good is your life ??? You must be the envy of everyone on this site. Some really nice fish there. I love catching sails, they are just beautiful, the pick of the billfish for me.

At the 100 Fathom line east of Lake Macquarie. The water was putrid green and 21 deg cold, so dont go racing out there just yet. Only bite for the trip down.

We brought Chris Herberts 54 Bertram ABSOLUTE back to Sydney after the last 8 months staying in Port Stephens yesterday and nailed this cute little Stripe on the shelf. Only a baby but it was crazy windy so probably best we didnt find the blue the lures were intended for. It was released after the snaps.

Its true, there was a pod of about 200 of them trapped in there and there was a crowd of people (note I do not call them fishermen) ripping them out on heavy gear with no regard for any bag limits. I called Fisheries as it was a disgrace to see 20 kingfish lying bleeding on the wharf. The good news is they did respond and freed a lot of the fish. The whole swimming complex is now completely redesigned and is a great place to swim.

Wow so close to a metre ! I would have given her a little stretch....there you go. Good on you for letting her go. Nice.

A TLD25 ! That sounds like taking a knife to a gunfight. They make a good bait jigging reel but thats about where it ends. Bad luck but now you are keen to put things right...

Wow a stripe and a blue in one day !Thats fantastic fishing ! Oh and a dolly too. Wish every day was like that. Good on ya, now you just need a black,sail and broady ! Next day hey !

Wow nice lizard Trung. 1st cast ! Gotta love that. Congratulations on releasing such a beautiful fish. Sweeet boat.

NIIICE, there is a few good ones around that Ramsgate area and thanks to people like you releasing the big girls, there should be for years. Will see you around that spot some day soon,the water will get warmer and they will start getting more interested. Good on ya,keep it up.

Hi yeah I tried them yesterday off north head and cast among the splashes with small slugs and plastics but they were not interested. Have caught them plenty of times before but when they are behaving badly like that there is nothing but frustration. Found a school of salmon but they were only smallish ones and again didnt really want to know lures. Caught one on a live yakka but they passed that up plenty of times too.

Congratulations....that is an absolute stonker. Good on you. Next time you go out watch out for all the boats following you.