Quick Report From Jb...

[michaelrdoyle@gmail.com]

Hey All

Just a quick report from Crookhaven/JB region (and G'day Keeping Tabs - saw you at Culburra Boat ramp the other day)

5-10k wind this morning (been blowing 20-30k NE the last couple of days). Decided to hit Murrys Beach Boat Ramp (southern headland of Jervis Bay - 5km from "Middle Ground"). Good decision, as it turns out the Crookhaven bar was pretty much closed due to NE swell and wind....

anyway - went with my wife, mum and Dad (their boat - gotta let them use it every now and again)....and it went off! Heaps of fun! Headed out to Middle Ground (with about a million other boats joining us)

We caught about 12 yakkas early, and a large squid.

Hooked up about 10 kingies off the 12 yakkas, and perhaps 15-20 off the fresh squid....then went onto the old squid and jigging (and a heap more).

Caught over 40 Kingies - all in about 3 hours! Most were about 60cm, 2 legal (65 and 66).

It was awesome aweseome awesome fun. Still looking for my thumper though! Perhaps tomorrow!

I am so sore!

Murreys was going nuts - heaps of people (of course). We arrived early so it wasn't so bad dropping in - but bad picking up. The classic thing was on Middle Ground - we were catching heaps, whilst people around us were catching heaps less - and it's not like we had burley or anything! As the morning went on - they got closer and closer and closer! But everyone was catching!

Unfortunately Murreys has no cleaning facilities, so cleaning our 2 kingies (from 40) whilst on the boat - and someone cut sick at us (I reckon they thought we had kept smaller ones - but we hadn't! We even kept the frames so fisheries could check if they wished!). Mind you - not many people SEEMED to be throwing them back!

Anyway - I'm off for a shower and snooze - have a great New Years Eve!

Mike

PS Perhaps photos to follow - but 2 kings aren't really worth a photo.

[Steve07]

Great session on the rat kings mate,they are great fun when on a hot bite like that.

Gets pretty hectic down that way this time of year,should be better early feb

when the boat traffic get's less busy,that's when the bigger fish should be

on the banks.

It's the time im heading down that way too!

cheers mate

steve

[livo]

Sounds like a big day to end the year. You obviously made the right decision not to cross any bars today.

[huntman]

I'll be in JB for the first two weeks of feb we only have a small boat though should still be fun but I got some learning to do about where to fish there.

[squidboy]

Fantastic Report,

Sounds like a day to remember on the water, I can only think of one time last year hooking up about 40 kings and I think my back is still sore. I will be heading to JB in about two weeks when all the holiday comotion calms down.

This might sound silly to ask but where about is the middle ground? Is there something close by? or is it just in the middle of the bay?

[michaelrdoyle@gmail.com]

Thanks Guys - yep, was a great day to finish the year (I credit it all to my wife - when she comes, so do the fish)

Squid - Middle Ground is about in the middle of the two heads of Jervis Bay. It's prob about 4km from Murrays Beach boat ramp, and an easy trip from there. If in doubt - just go to where the other boats are. For GPS markings - just search in Google for them, cause it's a well known spot.

In other news - I went out a few days later (I think the 3rd) and basically caught nothing. Wind came up early. Could only grab 1 small squid, and a few livies. Got to middle ground, and all our live bait got taken by large pike (boring), there was a seal around - and no kingies.

But that's life!

I'll be heading down again end of Jan - so hoping for a good time :-)

Mike