zmk1962 Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Hey Raiders, With all the hot fishing action being reported from Port Stephens and Broughton Is ... I thought I'd counter that with a report of a very forgettable Sunday here off Sydney ... just so that some of you don't start to think our sport is called "Catching" vs "Fishing". OK... so given the recent reports of small marlin off Sydney I gathered a crew for the weekend. Weather and Sea condition forecast: Sunday light seas 0.6m wave interval 14sec …and NW (4kts) 5am - N - NE winds (11kts) Noon. SST showing 23C water at about 100m. The Plan: Davidson Ramp - Balmoral (live bait) - down rig North Head - troll 12Mile - Sydney Fads - Wave Riders - North Head. Some bottom bash / jigging in-between at 12mile. Launch: 5.00am Davidson Park Boat Ramp. The Result: 9 yakkas in the tank by 550am. 6 -630am : Two runs downrigging along North Head at 12m... Zip. Decided to start our trip to 12mile. By now we were inline with North Head - dead calm water. Brought up the bomb and as I was unclipping the line felt a tug tug on the live bait...then nothing. Reeled in the livie (deadie) cleanly bitten off at the gills (tailor, bonito??). Ok so we dropped some skirts and shiny stuff and trolled North Head to Manly ... Zip. Hmmmm. Decided to call it and raced out to 12mile... about 3km out from 12mile came a cross a flutter of surface bait fish. Dropped the trolling skirts - 6" and 8" Pakulas, two metal head jet skirts (purple/pink, white/blue) and a lumo teaser in close to the stern. Trolled to 12mile, trolled around 12mile twice...Zip. Saw 10 boats and a charter there bottom bashing. So dropped down 2 livies on long leaders and 12oz lead (2.5kmh current)... livies taken but no strike no bite felt. Dropped down a paternoster with strips of yakka and another two livies. Livies gone, paternoster untouched. Still ZIP !!! Hmmmmm. 9am Boats started leaving. We called it as well and started our troll north. ... beautiful conditions offshore, water 23.8-24C and BLUE as per the video .. After 3-4hrs and without a single hit, decided to abandon continuing heading north and turned in toward Long Reef, did a couple of loops around each of the buoys and the close in Fad looking for some dollies (anything really!).... so after 6hrs and some 80+km on the water we ended up back at North Head... with 3 livies. Dropped two over the side - one weighted one free swimming .... still ZIP. So at 330pm we gave up ....and released the 3 livies as a token offering to the good karma god for the next trip….!!!! But some how I think this crew will INSIST on bottom bashing only. Cheers Zoran (PS - @Fab1...I must been taking fishing lessons from you through the week - I'll stick to reading your workshop posts only !!!! ) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Unlucky mate! After the big southerly push it will take a week or so to clear up and they’ll be biting! Guess rick and I got lucky! Right place, right time!!! Cheers scratchie!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaxland Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Nice report love that by the end you are already looking forward to next time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welster Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Great write up it just wasn’t happening on the day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscarthebeagle Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 Shame you missed out, certainly wasn't for lack of trying. Went for a troll wide of the Port Hacking on the Saturday for the same result. At least you found some nice water, all i found was green water around 22 degress. But like you i was already planning my next trip as i came back to the ramp. Have to keep trying, next trip will be the one. Ash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hookerbruce Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 You put in a good effort and a good report. I pulled the pin early I did a trip on Sunday from Port Hacking. Intended going to the south fad but too many boats heading out so did a lap out then south then back in near Marley. Result 1 only 50 cm dollie in 100 m of water No kings not much at all. Back in the queue at the ramp by 1030 Water never looked good. Who caught fish? Three donut reports so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddyT Posted January 22, 2018 Share Posted January 22, 2018 The bite was on the edge, I was too crook with a head cold to fish Sunday but there were beaks and some good dollies in the 90fathom area- somes days you are too wide, some days you aint wide enough! I generally find that area between the waverider and the 70fathom line to be a desert- if im pushing north from the 12mile its usually tracking along in 70-80 fathoms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted January 22, 2018 Author Share Posted January 22, 2018 Thanks for the comments and encouragement guys ... yeh the northerly route took us 120-140m depths (65-70fathom) ... I may try the 70-80 fathom line next time. - But somehow I think my biggest issue will be to find a crew that will be willing to give it a go!!!...hahaha .... We live to fish ... another day ! Cheers Zoran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisholb Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 On 22/01/2018 at 5:09 PM, zmk1962 said: Hey Raiders, With all the hot fishing action being reported from Port Stephens and Broughton Is ... I thought I'd counter that with a report of a very forgettable Sunday here off Sydney ... just so that some of you don't start to think our sport is called "Catching" vs "Fishing". OK... so given the recent reports of small marlin off Sydney I gathered a crew for the weekend. Weather and Sea condition forecast: Sunday light seas 0.6m wave interval 14sec …and NW (4kts) 5am - N - NE winds (11kts) Noon. SST showing 23C water at about 100m. The Plan: Davidson Ramp - Balmoral (live bait) - down rig North Head - troll 12Mile - Sydney Fads - Wave Riders - North Head. Some bottom bash / jigging in-between at 12mile. Launch: 5.00am Davidson Park Boat Ramp. The Result: 9 yakkas in the tank by 550am. 6 -630am : Two runs downrigging along North Head at 12m... Zip. Decided to start our trip to 12mile. By now we were inline with North Head - dead calm water. Brought up the bomb and as I was unclipping the line felt a tug tug on the live bait...then nothing. Reeled in the livie (deadie) cleanly bitten off at the gills (tailor, bonito??). Ok so we dropped some skirts and shiny stuff and trolled North Head to Manly ... Zip. Hmmmm. Decided to call it and raced out to 12mile... about 3km out from 12mile came a cross a flutter of surface bait fish. Dropped the trolling skirts - 6" and 8" Pakulas, two metal head jet skirts (purple/pink, white/blue) and a lumo teaser in close to the stern. Trolled to 12mile, trolled around 12mile twice...Zip. Saw 10 boats and a charter there bottom bashing. So dropped down 2 livies on long leaders and 12oz lead (2.5kmh current)... livies taken but no strike no bite felt. Dropped down a paternoster with strips of yakka and another two livies. Livies gone, paternoster untouched. Still ZIP !!! Hmmmmm. 9am Boats started leaving. We called it as well and started our troll north. ... beautiful conditions offshore, water 23.8-24C and BLUE as per the video .. After 3-4hrs and without a single hit, decided to abandon continuing heading north and turned in toward Long Reef, did a couple of loops around each of the buoys and the close in Fad looking for some dollies (anything really!).... so after 6hrs and some 80+km on the water we ended up back at North Head... with 3 livies. Dropped two over the side - one weighted one free swimming .... still ZIP. So at 330pm we gave up ....and released the 3 livies as a token offering to the good karma god for the next trip….!!!! But some how I think this crew will INSIST on bottom bashing only. Cheers Zoran (PS - @Fab1...I must been taking fishing lessons from you through the week - I'll stick to reading your workshop posts only !!!! ) excellent report mate thanks for sharing spending time in the water with your mates is always better than spending time with your workmates lol unless your fishing mates are your workmates too catching a fish to take home is always a bonus specially when your boss/wife loves eating fish like mine (she refuse to eat fish that are being sold at the shops...thats another story lol goodluck on your next trip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickmarlin62 Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 hey zoran the 70s are usually a desert from Sydney to above Newcastle a couple of miles and fish 85 fm to 100fm and you will fair better...all the hotspots up n down the coast are in this depth ive fished broken bay tournament in the past and always found fish straight out the front in 85/90fm the seventies are flat long and no structure or change to hold bait..a bit further and find bait find fish...rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted January 23, 2018 Author Share Posted January 23, 2018 2 hours ago, rickmarlin62 said: hey zoran the 70s are usually a desert from Sydney to above Newcastle a couple of miles and fish 85 fm to 100fm and you will fair better...all the hotspots up n down the coast are in this depth ive fished broken bay tournament in the past and always found fish straight out the front in 85/90fm the seventies are flat long and no structure or change to hold bait..a bit further and find bait find fish...rick Cheers @rickmarlin62 so I'm hearing loud and clear from several posts... will try deeper next time ... BTW I did catch a 70kg stripey trolling the same run back in 2015 -- guess that one was was lost or didn't get the memo.... he he he. Will go deeper next time.... Cheers Zoran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smasher Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 (edited) Sounds like a carbon copy of my last day out. Only I went south and ended up at least pulling up a couple of rats trolling around Coogee. Plan b for me next time I have a day like that is to do a flatty drift. That day I met a guy at the ramp who bagged out while we came home with donuts. Edited January 23, 2018 by Smasher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stimo1076 Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Great report, You will get em next time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted January 23, 2018 Author Share Posted January 23, 2018 8 hours ago, Smasher said: Sounds like a carbon copy of my last day out. Only I went south and ended up at least pulling up a couple of rats trolling around Coogee. Plan b for me next time I have a day like that is to do a flatty drift. That day I met a guy at the ramp who bagged out while we came home with donuts. Yeah.... I've done well on flatties last few trips so I didn't bring any bottom bash bait (still have enough flattie fillet packs in the freezer for 6 meals for Mrs and me). We had some plastics on board so I guess we could have tried but for this trip I was keen to stick to plan A and target a spear or other pelagics given all the reports. That's fishing! ... Cheers Zoran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HUSKY194 Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 1 hour ago, zmk1962 said: Yeah.... I've done well on flatties last few trips so I didn't bring any bottom bash bait (still have enough flattie fillet packs in the freezer for 6 meals for Mrs and me). We had some plastics on board so I guess we could have tried but for this trip I was keen to stick to plan A and target a spear or other pelagics given all the reports. That's fishing! ... Cheers Zoran Hey Z, looks like a case of Sydney not wide enough! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted January 23, 2018 Author Share Posted January 23, 2018 16 minutes ago, HUSKY194 said: Hey Z, looks like a case of Sydney not wide enough! HA HA HA Glen.... VERY GOOD !!! .....pay for that one! Cheers Z 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam bros Posted January 24, 2018 Share Posted January 24, 2018 Great write up Shame about the fish 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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