Botany FADS

[GoingFishing]

Gday Raiders

Headed out from Botany yesterday with the plan to fish the Botany Wide FAD. After having so much fun last year i was really looking forward to this years FAD season. Launched the boat at 5am and with the sun starting to peak its head over the horizon i was on my way out. Check out the sunrise, with a view like that i honestly didn’t care if i caught any fish, i was revitalized! (Ok im lying i would have cared)

Conditions were a little sloppy but not uncomfortable, a steady speed of between 10-12 knots and i was passing within stones throw distance of the Sydney East FAD, so i thought what the hell might as well, put out the lures and do a couple of passes.

I was the first boat to arrive (unless someone even more excited than me was night fishing there) and on the first pass a double hook up, one undersize dolly which went back and a nice legal dolly, a couple more passes and mostly undersize dollies and rat kings up to 30cm. The boats were starting to appear in the distance, i decided to venture out to the Botany Wide. The temperature at the Sydney East FAD was 22.5 degrees, and according to the charts i looked at Saturday night, the wide FAD was sitting in 23.3 degrees of water, so i was really surprised to see the temperature dropping as i went further out. I arrived at the wide FAD and it was 20.2 degrees? WAT THE ^%^$ ??? Now there is a strong ( if not certain ) possibility that i misread the charts available on fish-track, so if someone else can correct me please do, but i was absolutely gobsmacked to see a 2 degree drop, i was expecting the water to get warmer.

With such cold water on the botany wide FAD, I was not surprise that i didn’t get a single touch for a full hour and a half i was there, trolled lures, downed a live bait, unweighted pillies.

Disappointed, i turned around and slow trolled all the way back to Botany, on the way i picked up the two small tunas which i kept for baits, and then outside botany stopped and picked up the 3 blue spot flathead and lonely salmon.

Whilst i am very grateful to get to go home with a feed ( and 1 of my target species) i was kicking myself for misreading the charts. Hope everyone else had a good weekend out.

[BigRod]

There is plenty of blue spots around at the moment

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[lindenn94]

Awesome work out there!! Did better than me! Trolled from Sydney heads to 12 mile had a solid hit and run about half mile from 12 but dropped it! The trolled down to botany wide out to the 150fath line up the shelf and back to 12 mile for nothing! Next week!

[GoingFishing]

Awesome work out there!! Did better than me! Trolled from Sydney heads to 12 mile had a solid hit and run about half mile from 12 but dropped it! The trolled down to botany wide out to the 150fath line up the shelf and back to 12 mile for nothing! Next week!

thanks fellas

lindenn did you find warm water ?

[lindenn94]

Found 23.1 just over the shelf botany wide fad seemed to be sitting in a cold spot! 12 mile was like 21.5

[tobycb]

Nice work, may be a little early for the FADS. Out tomorrow myself Northern Beaches headlands. Will post results.

[NaClH2OK9]

Nice result on the dolly.

When you said Tuna I was expecting striped.

Imho salted mac is one of the best dead baits available.

Thanks for sharing.

[Farvos]

hey there mate. Good catch none the less. out of curiosity what sort of lures do you troll out there anyway? and how far from the fad? any help is appreciated

[GoingFishing]

hey there mate. Good catch none the less. out of curiosity what sort of lures do you troll out there anyway? and how far from the fad? any help is appreciated

Hey farvos

I troll deep diving bibbed lures though I know many on this forum also troll skirts. Given it's early season I would suggest the smaller lures will work best this time of year between 3 or 4" size.

Troll past the fad anywhere within 50-100m proximity is good but don't get too close you could lose all your lures and keep an eye out for divers they're around sometimes too.