Slow Sydney Trolling

[Scent Blazer Lures]

With a weeks worth of awesome weather predicted for Sydney and rumors of warm fishy waters coming down the coast the Scent Blazer Crew took to the big blue in search of well, a Big Blue!!

Sydney Harbour Turning it up!!

The day started with a crew pickup and a quick refuel before heading to sea. Rounding south head we were greeted by a slight nor’easter and a lazy swell rolling through the opening to Sydney harbour. While pulling the throttle back to 15 knots we dropped out a Scent Blazer High Speed trolling spread, this consisted of some heavily weighted Bullet heads with a trolling sinker in front of the leader.

The iconic South Head washes and light house, Sydney

Our plan was to run up to the Sydney FAD then to the Hydraulics buoy than east, nor’ east to the shelf and beyond looking for a blue or equivalent.

As we approached the Sydney FAD we were greeted by pea soup coloured water and 23.2 degrees. As we already had the lures in the water all we had to do was slow down to seven to eight knots and pull the lures past the buoy. Our first pass show the FAD to be completely void of life so we persisted nor’ east to the wave rider buoy.

With the wave rider buoy in sight the anticipation was high even though we have done this a thousand times its still exciting to see that rod bend and hear that reel scream, but it wasn’t to be. At this point the water was still pea soup colour and lifeless so east we travelled.

A Scent Blazer Nano with two bait chambers, one loaded with weight and the other loaded with bait ready to be high speed trolled.

Within a mile from passing the waver rider were came across a distinct change in temperature and colour. The water changed from pea soup green to Cobalt blue and the temperature jumped 1.0 degree from 23.5-24.5. so we worked the edge of the change in hope of something fishy but again it seem void of anything with a fin, no bait, no fish and no birds.

We all agreed to head east, so the boat was brought up to 15 knots and we headed for the shelf. With the lures out we just sat back and waited, and waited and waited… the further east we travelled the faster the current became and the warmer the water got from 24.5 it quickly rose to 26.6 and a strong 5 knots.

A large Scent Blazer slant head in a skipjack pattern loaded with skipjack/striped Tuna. matching the bait in the chamber to the pattern of skirt will make the lure look and taste like the fish its imitating.

An X-Large Scent Blazer Purple Frigate Loaded with striped Tuna

Arriving at the shelf we swapped the spread and replaced the high speed lures with Medium, Large and X-Large Scent Blazers in Purple Frigate, Flyingfish, skipjack and Blue Luminator, on the shotgun we had a Nano in a pink pattern in the event we found strippies. We generally run a Nano in the shotgun position so we can catch stippies and then use them in our lures and teasers.

It’s a good idea to work out what bait is in the area and see if you can catch it because filling your Scent Blazer Lures and Teasers with the bait the predatory fish are eating will increase your strike rate but will also make your lures look and taste like the baitfish they are imitating!

Checking your hooks, crimps and leader should be done before putting your lure in the water.

As we trolled over the shelf and towards the bait station the ocean still looked lifeless and void of any predatory fish… I guess if the current is to strong it makes it hard for baitfish to hold up and also makes it hard for fish like Marlin to locate and round up the baitfish.

Nice water and a nice day but very lifeless at the moment...

We continued east looking for the edge of the current but with no joy we decided to point the bow south and head down towards the shelf. As we approached the shelf the light was quickly fading and our chances of finding a blue marlin or a fish at this stage was slipping away as quick as the light was disappearing. We didn’t even see dolphins, which was a sign of a fairly lifeless body of water.

Sun setting over Sydney's Skyline, priceless...

As we pulled the spread in the sun and light disappeared, it was a beautiful day non the less but until the next bite, jump on the Scent Blazer website and have a look at related videos and articles.

http://scentblazer.com/PhotosVideos.aspx

Tight Lines

Andrew

SBC

[puppydawg]

unlucky mate

but you know what they say, a bad day on the water beats a good day at work!

[BillfishMan]

Thanks for the report, you get those days, thats fishing for you.

Anyway, as Bream said a bad days fishing is always better than good day at work,
Good tip about trolling at higher speeds to try and locate the fish, espcially when there lots of warm blue water everywhere, the fish could be anywhere in it.

We have often gone straight to the shelf and the bait station to troll all day for zeros then on the way back spot a few free jumpers off Long Reef about 5 miles offshore.

I guess if we had few lures on the way out trolling at 12-15knot there is chance we could have hooked up on way out and stayed in closer where the fish were.

I read on some forums in the US that trolling for Marlin at 12-15 knots is becoming really popular and they are getting good results. A marlin, even a dollie or stripy tuny could easilier catch a lure at 12-15kts.

I am guessing that you run those lures a long way back? Maybe 100metres back to keep in the clean water?

[Scent Blazer Lures]

Thanks for the report, you get those days, thats fishing for you.

Anyway, as Bream said a bad days fishing is always better than good day at work,

Good tip about trolling at higher speeds to try and locate the fish, espcially when there lots of warm blue water everywhere, the fish could be anywhere in it.

We have often gone straight to the shelf and the bait station to troll all day for zeros then on the way back spot a few free jumpers off Long Reef about 5 miles offshore.

I guess if we had few lures on the way out trolling at 12-15knot there is chance we could have hooked up on way out and stayed in closer where the fish were.

I read on some forums in the US that trolling for Marlin at 12-15 knots is becoming really popular and they are getting good results. A marlin, even a dollie or stripy tuny could easilier catch a lure at 12-15kts.

I am guessing that you run those lures a long way back? Maybe 100metres back to keep in the clean water?

Yea a lot of people do the same, just go straight to the 'grounds' and ignore the water in between, its an old technique which works a treat and yep running them way back in the clear water as the boat puts a lot of wash out at those speeds!!

Have you tried it Billfishman?