The Hunt For Bluefin In The Bad Lands

[Ross Hunter]

Out we went Braodbill and my good friend Captain Rob Curry on his beautiful boat Marquis beside me we on the THE HUNT FOR BLUEFIN TUNA...Both bright eyed and bushy tailed to the "Bad Lands" and beyond. The place where land all but dissappears and the water depth is over your head. The place where all kinds of sea monsters frequent, a place where you only go when it's flat calm, the place you never go in a small boat.

It was a crew in inticipation and trepidation filled with high spirits as the twin Cummins diesels burbled in unison, I too, stood at the wheel with a little apprehension of a wild strike from a big southern bliuefin. That amazing crash as big fish smashes a lure like a schoolyard bully.

I glanced back at the big lumo Bloodshots popping away in the wake ..We trolled the zone wide of the bait station (wide off Manly)and found 20.5 degree water... too hot OK! let's go back where we found them last week 35 n mile sothward Yeh! let's do that I point Broadies bows to the south we pick up troll speed from 6.0 knots uphill to 9.3 down hill.... "MMMMM that's some southerly current I thought"

I saw grey prions, yellow nosed albies a scatterings of kermedic petrel and associated other species. but no sign of a tuna ( tell a lie I say a bunch of skippys rippling around at one stage).

Ok! southward we troll, still the lures fizz.........At 3pm we reach the Southern Canyons results so far... One albacore and a small fin...still undaunted we troll on enjoying superb conditions, flat calm sea (just how I like it) The crew are by now drinking fair quantiies of beer in the cockpit below but their confidence never wains.

We see Hump backs breaching, gannets plummeting in on dolphin patch, 2 seals and a dead cuttlefish and before we could blink we were steaming through Botany Heads.

Day done, trolled 80 nautical mile ........No bluefin OH! well we'll get 'em next time

Ah! the life of the eternal optimist but is'nt that what fishin's all about!

[netic]

Good read.....thx

[Penguin]

An entertaining read there Ross, well done on the couple of fish

u got, and too bad no the Bluefin (this time)

penguon

[Steve07]

Bad luck ross on not finding the big bluefin,but you gave it a real good go covering all those kms,

but seals,whales,dolphins & perfect sea conditions, i would take that anyday compared to workin!

cheers mate,steve

[sanger]

Bad luck ross on not finding the big bluefin,but you gave it a real good go covering all those kms,

but seals,whales,dolphins & perfect sea conditions, i would take that anyday compared to workin!

cheers mate,steve

Ditto!!!!

Besides you dont want to catch them all before the raider day anyway ross!!!!!

[Ross Hunter]

Yeh! good point We'll have 'em lined up at the transom Screamin' reels 'n sore backs bring it on Raiders .

We've still got 2 spots to fill if any one is interested Ring 9534 2378 to book.

[Craigie]

Yeh! good point We'll have 'em lined up at the transom Screamin' reels 'n sore backs bring it on Raiders .

We've still got 2 spots to fill if any one is interested Ring 9534 2378 to book.

Sorry to hear the SBF didn't show up for you y'day Ross.

Better luck on the weekend. We are fishing the Sydney GFC tournement.

Cheers

Craigie

[abiasin]

any fin is better than no fin.

[nitefr8]

HI ROSS

Great read mate but maybe you should have stuck to the river chasing blackfish with Norm and me , they should be good this week , by the way which one of those big boats i drooled over at the boat show was the one your getting.

mark