Sydney South Fad

[james7]

Last Friday, we decided to give the Sydney South FAD a go so “Skipper” Syd could catch his first dollie. Unfortunately, another mate had to cancel at the last minute. (Bad luck Alan. I hope you were thinking of us while you were recovering in hospital )

At sunrise we headed out of Port Hacking and collected a few yakkas near Jibbon bommie.

It was a beautiful morning for our first trip to the FAD.

We arrived to find perfect conditions.

We dropped a couple of livies down and waited and waited … and waited, but nothing. After watching another boat get a few, we tried floating out some pillies and it wasn’t long before I had hooked up with a few small dollies. After about an hour, I had a few legal size on board, but poor old "Skipper" Syd still hadn’t had a hook up. Eventually he gets a small one, but he was still disappointed because it hardly fought at all. At least now he wasn’t a dollie virgin!

The dollies went off the bite, so we tried downrigging, jigging and throwing a few lures around. No success, so back to the pillies. While Syd’s cursing the annoying mutton birds, he finally gets on to a legal dollie that puts up a bit of a fight. This made him much happier. At least now we could leave the FAD. I was worried that we might have been there for the night if Syd hadn't caught a legal one!

I ended up with 4 keepers and Syd just the one. Anyway, for our first trip out wide, we were very happy. I'd still like to get a decent dollie some time. I love it when they jump! I was busted off by some bigger ones, but that's the way it goes.

We trolled all the way back to Cronulla and after only about 15 minutes this hits the lure and Syd is smiling again.

I’m pretty sure it’s stripey (isn’t it?) It's been about 10 years since I'd caught one so I wasn't sure.

Finally we get back to Bate Bay and we try a couple of drifts off Greenhills.

We pick up 2 flatties, 3 tailor and a bream as well as plenty of small snapper.

A good end to a great day.

Here’s the final catch and Syd with his first dollie and his first stripey.

Even though the dollies were pretty much the same length, there was a big difference in weight and girth.

Could this be because some were male and some female?

Cheers

Peter

PS Best wishes to fellow Raider (German) Peter. I hope you are feeling better and can get out fishing soon.

Edited March 17, 2008 by peterS

[jewgaffer]

Hi Pete you and Syd are doing well off the Hacking every time you go out. Having the old Pick-A- box Syd with you seems to help put it together.

That's a skip jack tuna in the photo.

Nice catch and the good mixture of table fish certainly makes changing locations worth while.

Cheers

jewgaffer

[arpie]

Well done, Peter!! Great report & a Top day out on the briney!! Syd would be saying "What a friend we have in Peter...."

Fantastic that you were able to put him onto his first & second dollies!!

cheers

Roberta

[Floating_Medic]

Damn you anaesthetic!! if i wasnt recovering i would have been there to show you both how to fish the fad!

[james7]

Damn you anaesthetic!! if i wasnt recovering i would have been there to show you both how to fish the fad!

G’day Mr Floating_Medic. Sorry you couldn’t make the trip. Maybe next time.

I’m sure you could have showed us both up if you had been there Al.

Anyway, I’m convinced I out fished Syd this trip (4 dollies to 1) because I “donated” a gold coin to the “gods” on the way out. It was the first time I’d done that and it seemed to work. It’s a superstition I read about in another Raider thread. Syd was too stingy to try it and he paid the price!

If anyone else has a “superstition” I can use to catch more fish and outfish Syd every trip, then let me know. I can do with all the help I can get - not that we are competitive

Cheers

Peter

[Josh88]

Nice dollies mate, yes thats a striped tuna, good bait for nearly anything. The weight issue could be varying between male and female but it may well just be that some fish are eating more than others, happens with most fish, and most humans

Josh