hotbite

Hello Raiders Just an update from the Bill Heyward Memorial Tournament , hosted by Botany Bay GFC last weekend , 22nd & 23rd of January. Thirty five boats entered the tournament from various clubs from mainly the Central Zone region. The fleet was greeted by 10 to 15 knots of southerly with 20 knot rain squalls passing through during the day. With cobalt blue water out wide , most boats pushed out to the 100 fathom line & beyond. Some boats went to the FADs only to find small Kingfish less than 30cm on offer. Not many Dollies to be found & what were are very small. There was some solid bait schools from about 80 fathoms to 100 fathoms. Nearly all the fleet saw some action. The shark boats drifting the shelf were doing really well. Stats for Saturday; Tag & Release : Stripe Marlin 8 Blue Marlin 2 Dolphinfish 7 Blue Sharks 3 Capture: Tiger Shark 2 Mako Shark 1 Sunday : Again southerly breeze 10 knots with less rain squalls was order of the day. The warm current had pushed in closer , now 24 degrees in 50 fathoms. Fishing was quite a bit slower than Saturday as no fish reported on the first sched. We ventured down to the southern canyons & hopefully to find a Blue Marlin. We had 27 degree water in 400 fathoms, birds & bait , looked very fishy. Caught some of the smallest Stripe Tuna on our cord line only 25cm long!!! Again the shark boats saw some good fish. Port Hacking GFC boat "Sirocco" hooked a solid shark in 220 fathoms & got towed out to 480 fathoms in an hour and a half of fighting on 15kg tackle only to pull the hook. Shattered. Another hard luck story was an angler who put the reel into "free spool" on a massive shark& the resulting birds nest ending in a bust off. Results from Sunday: Tag & Release: Stripe Marlin 4 Mako Shark 2 Blue Shark 1 Capture: Tiger Shark 1 Mako Shark 1 The Tiger Shark weighed on Sunday went 358kgs on 15kg. This fish earned the boat "Reaper" (not sure of the club) a 25K cash prize. Well done to the skipper & crew, an awesome effort. All winners will be announced on the 9th of February. Big thanks to Botany Bay GFC for hosting a great comp. Tight lines Raiders.......Hotbite

Nice Stripe Marlin.....any Marlin is a good one. Well done to all the crew!!! The Bill Heyward Memorial Tournament is on this weekend hosted by Botany Bay GFC, so hopefully there will be some good results. Will keep you all posted.

Well done on the catch!!! My thoughts are not algae but coral spawn....common this time of year.

Good stuff mate....yes a Bonito.....But a Watsons Leaping Bonito....!!!

Stand corrected.....thank you Fishraiders

Stargazer

Ha ha ....no Scratchie we did not put it out....tried to revive it in a tuna tube but no joy....got a good Blue Marlin later in the day in only 75 fathoms....go figure😎🎣😉

Got this little tuna in 400 fathoms east of Terrigal. Got it on a little pink squid lure attached to a cord line. Maybe a juvinile Yellowfin or Bigeye Tuna????

Hi adkel53... my favorite spot for blue swimmers is the start of Kogarah bay.....draw a line from St George motor boat club across to the northern side of Tom Uglys bridge..... set your pots there then you can have a drift between the bridges for flathead.... I find the run out tide the best....always fresh mullet for bait.....hope this helps abit...

We call them “Sabretoothed Whiteing”.....ha ha

Mate they are extremely poisonous when eaten!!!!! Cut them off & let them go.......

Hey pare'......Where are my marlin baits????? Those two Bonnies are a good start!!!!!

Forever fishing......In Gods hands......Brilliant fisherman & all round good bloke...R.I.P mate...

Hi Flickn Mad.....Thanks for the follow up mate. I did not know there was so many varieties. Yes mate they are good on the chew. I have had the bigger ones up north & they are cracker! Good bait too...Big Bream love them also Mulloway.

Hi Flickn Mad......Its a type of "Cherabin".....they grow as big as a King Prawn but are mainly a sub tropical/ tropical critter. In Queensland & the Northern Territory they use them live for Barramundi. I have heard of them being called a "Rock Prawn" but this is just a local slang term.....

Hi Gregmf..... Mate at the northern end of Paddys Channel there is a sandbar on your right before the oyster leases which is great for Whiteing & Flathead. If you then track over that sandbar heading east you will see where it drops off from about 1.2 metres to around 8 to 10 metres!!! This is known as "The Blind Channel". Great spot for Jews on the runout tide. Also on big tides, over 1.8 metres, try the oyster leases, in between the racks. There are some monster Bream in there. Plastics, Vibes, Hardbody lures all work well....also unweighted baits like, Stripey cubes, half Pilchards, Chook gut...

Hi Raiders Went out today from Sydney. All I can say is don't trust BOM weather forcast, as it never got over 10 knots all day!!! went 5 5 1 on Marlin. Tagged a small Stripe on 15kg just north of The Peak. Also had two bites from small Black Marlin in the mix. The other two were Stripes. All in the 40 to 60 fathom region. Marked alot of bait & just worked them. All the bites were on medium size lures.......Our converison rate not that good today but good to see the fish in good numbers......Get out there!!!

Yep 100%....Starting to fire up!!! Botany Bay GFC boat "Spindrift" tagged a Stripe & also a "Mako" on a lure. Also "Marquis" got two as well. Sharpen those hooks & test those drags & get out there!!!

All good fun Mypeeps99!!!..... Its just good to get out there.....Mate we are all learning new things everyday. On our boat, the Pike are known as "Sabre Tooth Whiteing" ha ha!!!

Sorry for late reply to your question Joel2230...... The red tubeing is also an attractor......Also when you are fishing for Whiteing, try to keep your bait moving slowly. As with most fish, they are attracted to movement.

Hi Joel2230.......The closest I can think of is Macs Bait Bar at Tom Uglys bridge or Gabes tackle Princes Hwy Sylvania if its still there. Frozen beach worms will catch fish not as good of course. Don't forget about 3cms of red tubeing above your hook.......good luck mate

Good job on the Kingy!!! Happy days..... The "Baitfish" you got out of the Kings stomach looks more like a "Whitebait" a very common type of baitfish in most eastcoast esturarys.

Well done lads!!! Great effort all round. At a guess maybe around the 130kg mark. As for your best lure.....its the one which catches the fish ha ha

Mate good to see the kids getting into the fish. The "silver fish " is a Herring & are absolute dynomite bait live or dead!!!! Very common through the whole Botany Bay/ Georges River system. The flathead/bream you catch will be fine to eat,no dramas there.

Having had the fishing pleasure of Boattart (Mark) on many a boat. If he said it was a " Deep Sea Racing Mullet" I would beleave him....... Only seen him lost for words once.....When on Australia Day 2010 wide of Port Stephens we hooked the biggest Blue Marlin he & skipper Rob had ever seen!!!! And that includes many trips to Kona in Hawaii. We did not have it on long but when it came out of the water pulling 130lbs line like silly string. They both called the fish well over 1200lbs..........& they have seen plenty "Granders" both Blue & Black Marlin.........All of us on the boat that day still talk about it... Without any doubt... Mark would be one of the best "Marlin" fisherman I have ever fished with.