Trumped Tuesday 10.11.2020 Barrenjoey Flathead and FAD

[zmk1962]

Hey Raiders,

After all the atrocious weather, the promising forecast for Tuesday inspired me reach out to Wayno and by a stroke of luck he was free as well.

The plan was quickly hatched to go stock up on some flatties at our favourite grounds off Barrenjoey. 

An early 430am departure saw us already on the mark by 610am ...

.....and two top fish in the ice water by 617am (the white crate is 64cm). Water temp 19C and the conditions as forecast.

There was a little slow easterly drift but after striking these two, we dropped anchor and swung on the rode... picking up some similar models and a horse of a yakka (which was quickly repurposed for fresh bait)..

By 930am we had landed 4 banjoes (all released) and a total of 10 flatties on ice ... it looked like we would bag out, but the sun had come out, the conditions calmed right down till there was no drift at all, and sure enough - no run no fun - the bite was dead.  We moved to deeper water and spent 30min bobbing around with tiddler bites and  just another yakka and a squid to show for it  ...

Well we had a feed in the bag, so the pressure was off... it was bright and sunny and too early to head back so an easy decision to head out and check if there was any action at the North Sydney FAD. Good decision !  The water temp kept rising, 21C as we approached the NS FAD... surprisingly there was another FAD 200m to NE - I'd never heard of another deployed there.  We broke out the trolling gear (pakula and bullet head skirts etc) and started a run past the NS FAD for nothing.... kept going to the NE FAD and whoa there were mahi-mahi of about 1m length jumping around it !!!!! EEEEWWWW !  Noticed the water temp was now 22.5C ... it was looking hot !

First run past NE FAD we had a strike and a short run ... but it was off.  Bugger.  So we looped around for a run to NS FAD. 

2nd run past NE FAD had another strike, solid hookup ... we were on.  Played the 1m mahi-mahi to the side of the boat ONLY TO HAVE IT HEAD SHAKE AND SPIT THE BULLET HEAD SKIRT...dropped at the boat ... double bugger. 

The next 4 hours we had the FAD to ourselves, and we tried everything !!!  Trolled skirts, hard bodies, surface, mid and deep divers,  threw metals, jigged, drifted past the FAD - we could see the mahi-mahi -- threw SPs, pillies on gangs, right in their faces ..... if we had the kitchen sink, that would have been rigged and gone over as well ... but nothing. They would not take a bait or lure. 

A sample of what we threw at them ....

Our track marks... .. painted the sea yellow !!! 

In the end .. we had to face it .... we were TRUMPED by the mahi-mahi .... and so we left them there for another day.

Get out there chaps ... the warm currents are definitely here. The highest temp I saw was 23C, current was running about 2km/h North to South. 

Cheers Zoran

Edited November 11, 2020 by zmk1962

[dlvbw]

Great report mate. Mahi-mahi definitely on the list for this summer.

[Yowie]

Great work, a fed of flatties is very nice, and usually guaranteed to take something home. A bugger about the mahi mahi. AND I can hear the Blues over the line again. 

[Welster]

Wow I didn’t even realise the FADS were out.  I was aware last year they decided to double up on the busy FADS so I guess that’s one of them. 
 

A feed of flatties always goes down well.   Great report Zoran.  Nice artwork on the chart 🤣.

Edited November 11, 2020 by Welster

[kingie chaser]

13 hours ago, zmk1962 said:

2nd run past NE FAD had another strike, solid hookup ... we were on.  Played the 1m mahi-mahi to the side of the boat ONLY TO HAVE IT HEAD SHAKE AND SPIT THE BULLET HEAD SKIRT...dropped at the boat ... double bugger. 

Just out of gaff reach, BUGGER 😕

Been told Mahi makes excelent sashimi but havent tried it that way.

 

Never fished for Mahi but have read as a last resort & they are not interested in anything being trolled they can be caught on drift with floating chunk baits or livies, sounds like the only thing you didnt throw at them.

 

Still, looked like a good day to be out on the water 

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by kingie chaser

[zmk1962]

Hey @kingie chaser  it was at gaff length but went ballistic before any gaff strike. We didn’t have livies but threw pillies and various SPs (some with s factor scent some without) when on the drift. We also burleyed to keep them around. Kept changing it up till we ran out of ideas. We could see them swim up to the bait or SP and then flick away. They just didn’t want to play. 
I’ve also heard that a dropped mahi can spook the school ... and we dropped two .... but in this case the school wasn’t spooked ... just educated!

cheers Zoran 
 

[Rey05]

awesome report as always Zoran,

 

I've read that there are 2 fads in close proximity for syd north.

 

were hoping to get out of Pittwater this weekend, so will keep an eye out if the weather gods play ball and allow us out to the FAD.

 

tight lines.

[Rebel]

Great report and Super photos.

You can't beat Barrenjoey.

[Brendan Monks]

2 hours ago, zmk1962 said:

We didn’t have livies but threw pillies and various SPs (some with s factor scent some without) when on the drift. We also burleyed to keep them around. Kept changing it up till we ran out of ideas. We could see them swim up to the bait or SP and then flick away. They just didn’t want to play. 

Nice work Zoran! 

Looks like glamour conditions out there! We've had the exact same thing happen around this time last year - You can see the fish everywhere but they will not touch a thing - Like legit, not a thing! (Although they'll still come up to suss it out) 🤔

They've had 2 FADs since at least last year, although there are a lot of trap buoys in the vicinity that still hold a lot of fish 🤫😉

Its amazing to have such a rise in temperature across the 2 FADs!, maybe why the big dollies were only on the NE Fad?

Looked like a cracker day, and you still got a good feed 🤙 Hope to get out there soon!

[61 crusher]

You always manage to pick the good days & looks like you & Wayno had a pearler of a day 👍

Something that has occasionally worked for me when they are difficult to hook up is to throw a handful of pilly chunks & 4/0 to 6/0 buried into one of the junks on a leader of 30 to 40lb & without tension just keep feeding it out till it all well & truly disappears into the depths if lucky they’ll take it well away from the boat

good read & as always you certainly thought outside the square & gave it a good crack 👍

[GoingFishing]

Thats awesome stuff Zoran. Those flatties are really good size !

Mate judging by the track marks you absolutely gave them mahi a serious crack !!!!!!

As crusher has said when they are timid i usually chop up 4 or so pillies into quarters and sneak a hook in one of them. You can even downsize the leader to 20lb if you want and i have caught a few mahi up to 90cm on 20lb line. 

[zmk1962]

On 11/12/2020 at 11:13 AM, Brendan Monks said:

Nice work Zoran! 

Looks like glamour conditions out there! We've had the exact same thing happen around this time last year - You can see the fish everywhere but they will not touch a thing - Like legit, not a thing! (Although they'll still come up to suss it out) 🤔

They've had 2 FADs since at least last year, although there are a lot of trap buoys in the vicinity that still hold a lot of fish 🤫😉

Its amazing to have such a rise in temperature across the 2 FADs!, maybe why the big dollies were only on the NE Fad?

Thanks Brendon, yes very very frustrating. They came up to the boat 2-3m away and were not spooked even after we criss crossed the area and painted it yellow with our track marks... they just would not bite.  

You're right, we sighted about 5 trap buoys sets .... trolled around 3 of them for zip. 

The NSW FAD was around 21C, and the NE FAD around 22.5-23C.  I agree with you, this schools was definitely sitting in the warmer water just 200m NE. It always pays to explore.

19 hours ago, 61 crusher said:

You always manage to pick the good days & looks like you & Wayno had a pearler of a day 👍

 

Thanks Dieter, yes it was a pearler of a day ... started with cloud cover which suited the flattie fishing, then brightened right up with glassy water for the run out wider 👌

 

16 hours ago, GoingFishing said:

Thats awesome stuff Zoran. Those flatties are really good size !

Mate judging by the track marks you absolutely gave them mahi a serious crack !!!!!!

Thanks Sam....and I can report the Wednesday round of the flattie fillets were delish too !  They mahi didn't spook so we kept going back, maybe throwing out a scoop of burley at the buoy helped keep them there. But the boat did start to look like a tackle shop as we broke out the different gear - can't remember the last time I had so much gear to wash down .

 

19 hours ago, 61 crusher said:

Something that has occasionally worked for me when they are difficult to hook up is to throw a handful of pilly chunks & 4/0 to 6/0 buried into one of the junks on a leader of 30 to 40lb & without tension just keep feeding it out till it all well & truly disappears into the depths if lucky they’ll take it well away from the boat

 

16 hours ago, GoingFishing said:

As crusher has said when they are timid i usually chop up 4 or so pillies into quarters and sneak a hook in one of them. You can even downsize the leader to 20lb if you want and i have caught a few mahi up to 90cm on 20lb line. 

Thanks Diets and Sam, I've had another FR text me similar suggestions  I will take it all on board and add it to the kit bag.  The mahi were in an area about 50m before and after the buoy (I guess above the chain and in the eddy), with the wind and current the drift was running at 2km/h ...so we were drifting past pretty quickly. There was just time for 1 cast each  and then were were out of the zone. I tried running the donk in reverse, but limited success on the day. Hmmmm now let me re-assess the need for that spot lock electric 🤔

Anyway Donald was TRUMPed by the DEMs on Tuesday, and we were definitely TRUMPed by the DOLLies the same day ! 

Thats life.... thats fishing !

Cheers Zoran

[Nyxy]

4 minutes ago, zmk1962 said:

I tried running the donk in reverse, but limited success on the day. Hmmmm now let me re-assess the need for that spot lock electric 🤔

 

I dont have one on the boat but this seems like a great excuse to me. was going to suggest a parachute but your problem was current not wind. 

Also great report and well done

[GoingFishing]

3 hours ago, zmk1962 said:

with the wind and current the drift was running at 2km/h ...so we were drifting past pretty quickly. There was just time for 1 cast each  and then were were out of the zone. I tried running the donk in reverse, but limited success on the day. Hmmmm now let me re-assess the need for that spot lock electric 

 

That is very frustrating ! I have trialled a method which sometime works.

Pull up about 100m from the FAD, pillies chopped up and bait ready. Throw pillies ahead of the boat as far as you can. Followed shortly by the bait. The boat will drift towards the baits, over the top and then they will end up behind.

It does provide the bait with a good 1 o 2 minutes in the water sinking "naturally" in freespool which the mahi will usually strike 

[GoingFishing]

Just now, GoingFishing said:

That is very frustrating ! I have trialled a method which sometime works.

Pull up about 100m from the FAD, pillies chopped up and bait ready. Throw pillies ahead of the boat as far as you can. Followed shortly by the bait. The boat will drift towards the baits, over the top and then they will end up behind.

It does provide the bait with a good 1 o 2 minutes in the water sinking "naturally" in freespool which the mahi will usually strike .....or even better....buy that spot lock !!!!

 

[zmk1962]

21 hours ago, Nyxy said:

I dont have one on the boat but this seems like a great excuse to me. was going to suggest a parachute but your problem was current not wind. 

Also great report and well done

Thanks @Nyxy  ... I carry 2 chutes but no use in this case. Re electric - I’ve been looking at my hull and can’t figure where I’d mount an electric easily apart from the stern. But I doubt spot lock would be effective in stern mount position. 
Will keep mulling it over. Lots of great suggestions from FRs that don’t require an electric to keep me busy in meantime. 
cheers Zoran

[GordoRetired]

Great report Zoran and you have me kicking myself. I was planning to head out on Tuesday but with the forecast looking like the wind would pick up and only having a 4.8m boat I called it off. Looks like it was a great day...Bugger. 🙂

[New Signing]

I think i've mentioned on here before that you can sometimes increase the amount of time you are in the zone by deploying the sea anchor as the dollies will happily swim along under it

[GoingFishing]

38 minutes ago, New Signing said:

I think i've mentioned on here before that you can sometimes increase the amount of time you are in the zone by deploying the sea anchor as the dollies will happily swim along under it

If the current is running it wont make a difference i guess. But if wind and current are heading the same direction then it could help

[zmk1962]

Thanks @New Signing  and Sam ( @GoingFishing) ... My original post shows the seabreeze fcast ... wind was NE less then 10kts (very light), seas were SE (glassy).. the short video confirms the glassy conditions when we were there.

The current underneath was definitely North to South (the chain was north of the buoy... I know that as a fact because there are several new SPs hanging off it 🤣 .  The boat drift was to South - South West. ..  it was the underlying current that was moving us south and the wind pushing us slightly west... but the wind was so light it hardly mattered.

I carry two chutes / sea anchors ... but didn't deploy as my conclusion was the NE wind was so slight it didn't contribute much to the Southerly current force.  

It would have been an ideal day for a spot lock electric. 

Cheers Zoran

Edited November 18, 2020 by zmk1962