Berleyguts Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 (edited) The planets all aligned for me today and I actually got to go fishing, after a long time between trips! 😎 Rather than head to Broughton, I thought I’d try out the front for a change as I’d heard reports of water temps of 24.5 at Little Island. With the warmer water moving in, I thought it was time to try for a marlin... but really, I just wanted anything to break the duck! I left Little Beach ramp by 6 and headed to Mrs Murphy’s to catch livies. All I could find was sweep and mado, so I ducked over to Cabbage Tree Island and filled my tank with slimies and yakkas in 10 or 15 minutes. Shoulda gone there first! I then headed to Little Island and tried flicking plastics for snapper. Found slimies and tried a few different drifts but no luck. Trolled twice around the island hoping for a bonito but, again, nothing. I then trolled a couple of skirts out to the 100m line, planning to troll along it for a while before heading to a reef known as The Vee for the tide change, when I would troll bridled live baits, hoping for that beakie. Saw some fish traps and worked that area for a while - picked up over 20 dollies but all 50-55cm, so all released. They were a lot of fun, though! It was then I saw something and at first, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Initially I thought it was a shark - a big dorsal fin cruising along but then it dived and came up and blew air a few times... I think it was an orca! Very strange at this time of year and the first one I’ve ever seen! 😎 I grabbed my phone to shoot video of it but I got a double hookup on dollies and dropped my phone! I then headed to The Vee and trolled a couple of live yakkas around (the slimies died in the tank). No marlin to be found, so I then did a bottom bash - one just undersize red and an undersized flathead. I then headed towards the big island and spotted some working birds and bait breaking up all over the place. Picked up three small bonito on small trolled skirts and also two slimies that hit the skirts - one as big as the bonito and the other not much bigger than a pilchard. With the wind picking up, I headed for home, arriving at the ramp at about 3pm. A long day and not a lot to show for it... but, boy, it was good to be out there again! I was in my “happy place”! Edited February 28, 2019 by Berleyguts 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 Nice work Baz good to see you get out. Me and Woodsy had a similar day Wednesday. No marlin and plenty of micro mahi. Managed a few snapper, pearl perch and 20 plus bonito (kept 4) and the only strike was a 60kg bronzy that we thought was a marlin at first as it slammed the livey and made half a jump! Got it boatside and released safely! Water and bait was amazing just a lack of beaks. Didn’t hear of one all day! 😩 cheers scratchie!!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickmarlin62 Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 Sounds like you had a good day baz more fish next trip maybe comin into the best coupla months now 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingie chaser Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 Nice work, even if you didn't get a great deal you sound like you enjoyed your day out which is the main thing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoingFishing Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 Great report baz....glad to see u get out and spend some time on the water. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterfisho7 Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 Any time you can get out on the water is a good time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankS Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 Wow that sounds like a damn good day on the water to me, plenty of action and although the fish were small it's still great to be on the water and amongst some action. Thanks for sharing your day with us. Frank 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsswordfisherman Posted February 28, 2019 Share Posted February 28, 2019 Nice report baz. It isn’t all about the catch is it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berleyguts Posted March 1, 2019 Author Share Posted March 1, 2019 2 hours ago, mrsswordfisherman said: Nice report baz. It isn’t all about the catch is it It sure isn’t, Donna. Out there, on my own, I’m in my happy place. It’s good for the soul. 😎 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berleyguts Posted March 1, 2019 Author Share Posted March 1, 2019 6 hours ago, Scratchie said: Nice work Baz good to see you get out. Me and Woodsy had a similar day Wednesday. No marlin and plenty of micro mahi. Managed a few snapper, pearl perch and 20 plus bonito (kept 4) and the only strike was a 60kg bronzy that we thought was a marlin at first as it slammed the livey and made half a jump! Got it boatside and released safely! Water and bait was amazing just a lack of beaks. Didn’t hear of one all day! 😩 cheers scratchie!!! Yeah, Jeff. The water looked amazing! I planned to fish in close because I thought it might still be a bit lumpy but when I got out to the 100m mark, I realised I probably could have managed a trip to the FAD. I’d loaded the boat on Tuesday arvo, planning to head out on Wednesday but there was another family drama, so I thought it prudent to stay at home. Hope to get out again on Monday or Tuesday before I go back to work on Thursday. Im still pretty chuffed about my orca sighting. Well, im pretty sure it was an orca. 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Bert83 Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 Great report and good to see you got out amongst them. How rude for a double hookup to ruin your video opportunity 😏 Cheers Trav 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 21 minutes ago, Berleyguts said: Im still pretty chuffed about my orca sighting. Well, im pretty sure it was an orca. 😂 We seen some whales a bit further up north too! Weren’t close enough to get a good look though! Orcas are amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berleyguts Posted March 1, 2019 Author Share Posted March 1, 2019 45 minutes ago, Scratchie said: We seen some whales a bit further up north too! Weren’t close enough to get a good look though! Orcas are amazing! I was fighting a dolly, when I saw huge fin glide past another fish trap about 15m away. At first I thought it was a HUGE shark 🦈 but when it turned, I thought the dorsal looked a little thinner than a shark’s. I then thought it might be a sunfish (haven’t seen one for years). I got my dolly in and started trolling again, hoping to get another look... when I approached it, it dived and came up three times, blowing. I couldn’t see any white on it but I’m positive it was an orca. A guy on the Port Stephens Marlin Fishing FB page took a photo of a whale at 7:15am yesterday and others are calling it for a pilot whale but the dorsal fin I saw was huge and upright, not swept back. I’m calling it for an orca. 🤪 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 Sounds like a fun day, regardless of the fish to be kept. Better than sitting at home twiddling your thumbs ( or something else ) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61 crusher Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Berleyguts said: I was fighting a dolly, when I saw huge fin glide past another fish trap about 15m away. At first I thought it was a HUGE shark 🦈 but when it turned, I thought the dorsal looked a little thinner than a shark’s. I then thought it might be a sunfish (haven’t seen one for years). I got my dolly in and started trolling again, hoping to get another look... when I approached it, it dived and came up three times, blowing. I couldn’t see any white on it but I’m positive it was an orca. A guy on the Port Stephens Marlin Fishing FB page took a photo of a whale at 7:15am yesterday and others are calling it for a pilot whale but the dorsal fin I saw was huge and upright, not swept back. I’m calling it for an orca. 🤪 Good to be out and catching fish, good write up & report of you’re day, I think they are called false killer whales if all black, a couple of weeks ago when I saw the seal on the surface, about 2 mins from him I saw a false killer whale would’ve liked to have doubled back (as the seal didn’t look right)to get some David Attenborough footage but had other commitments so kept on heading in. Good on you for getting a target species of bonnies. The “happy place” is a great place to be, especially with the unexpected things we get to encounter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berleyguts Posted March 1, 2019 Author Share Posted March 1, 2019 2 hours ago, 61 crusher said: Good to be out and catching fish, good write up & report of you’re day, I think they are called false killer whales if all black, a couple of weeks ago when I saw the seal on the surface, about 2 mins from him I saw a false killer whale would’ve liked to have doubled back (as the seal didn’t look right)to get some David Attenborough footage but had other commitments so kept on heading in. Good on you for getting a target species of bonnies. The “happy place” is a great place to be, especially with the unexpected things we get to encounter Yeah, some people thought it might be a false killer whale but the fin I saw was more upright, like the orca in the picture below. I didn’t see any white but then I only saw the fin and then it’s back while I was following it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Nelson Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 Nice one Baz, good to hear you got out for a fish. I went out today and only managed a few trag, seemed like most people got the same as they were the only fish I saw getting cleaned.👍. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berleyguts Posted March 1, 2019 Author Share Posted March 1, 2019 5 minutes ago, Peter Nelson said: Nice one Baz, good to hear you got out for a fish. I went out today and only managed a few trag, seemed like most people got the same as they were the only fish I saw getting cleaned.👍. I didn’t even bother cleaning any fish, as I was keeping them for bait but I emptied my berley bucket at the cleaning tables and I saw a few dolly frames that didn’t look much bigger than the ones I was catching. Undersized, I’d say. “Hammers” caught a 20+kg cobia yesterday, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 8 hours ago, Berleyguts said: I didn’t even bother cleaning any fish, as I was keeping them for bait but I emptied my berley bucket at the cleaning tables and I saw a few dolly frames that didn’t look much bigger than the ones I was catching. Undersized, I’d say. “Hammers” caught a 20+kg cobia yesterday, though. That was today baz! 20.7kg! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berleyguts Posted March 1, 2019 Author Share Posted March 1, 2019 3 hours ago, Scratchie said: That was today baz! 20.7kg! I must be losing it! I thought it was Thursday! I’m really losing track of time lately! Anyway, it was a nice fish on 10kg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 Awesome report Baz. You got so much into that trip. Just fantastic! Cheers Zoran 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61 crusher Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 18 hours ago, Berleyguts said: Yeah, some people thought it might be a false killer whale but the fin I saw was more upright, like the orca in the picture below. I didn’t see any white but then I only saw the fin and then it’s back while I was following it. Awesome never seen or heard of one off our coast until now 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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