Botany Bay

[bluebottle18]

Hi All. I am concerned about the lack of fish in the bay this season. I am aware we have had plenty of rain and conditions not the best but it appears the bay has shut down and there is not the quantity of fish IMO should be out there. Reading all of the reports and talking to fisho`s at the boat ramps most people are returning with poor catches. There appears to be even a lack of under size fish being caught as well.

Since Commercial Fishing has been banned there has been ample time for fish stocks to improve out of sight and for breeding to be allowed to go the full cycle, ie fish to grow to legal size and the bay a mecca for many breeds of fish.

There are of course exceptions but in general and on an average catches this year are very disappointing. Even some of our expert fisho`s have had far too many bad days and have had to work super hard to find fish.

IMO I believe the bay is suffering severely from it becoming a commercial port and the recent building of the desalination plant has caused the quality of the water in the bay to sour and fish have moved on. Also it is possible that all the rain has flushed out further toxic soil etc from our estuaries that have also settled on the floor of the bay. I have noticed the colour and quality of the water over the last six + months become dull and oily and not look crisp and clear.

The once reliable drift off Brighton/Ramsgate beaches is now becoming a hit and miss situation. Having grown up on the bay for over fifty years and fished with a number of people I consider to be gun fisho`s of the bay I have become extremely disappointed. Today there are No schools of fish. Thank heavens for the Salmon, Bonito that were around this year and the odd visit of other species. Even the jew seem to have disappeared or not in the numbers or size they were a season or two ago.

Ofcourse there has been the exceptional catch and the good day but it has not been sustained as has been in the past. The bay was trawled for prawns so one would think there would be fish in abundance feeding on this natural food resource and staying.

Anyway these are my thoughts. Am I wrong to think the bay is shutting down and it is mother nature.

Cheers, BLUEBOTTLE.

This post is not to be taken as controversial but my observation this year and a check of my fish diary in recent times.

[rockfisherman]

You might just be having a dry patch there buddy, I frequent the bay and have had good results the last 5-6 outings, although on our second last outing we didn't see a single bream at all the usual haunts, and we did say "what happened to all the bream?" but then the last outing we got 8 keepers and 6 throw backs...

Kings have been around, more rats than anything else, but good to have them present.

Over all I can't complain about the bay.

Fishingphase