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Port Stephens - better whale watching than fishing 16/6


Maccam

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Headed out solo to the front islands to fish the washes on what was a glamour day. Got out to Little island about 0545. To be honest I was surprised at how little wash there really was. The few days of westerlies have flattened the swell to almost nothing. 

In our heavily pressured waters I only fish 10lb braid with a 10 or 14lb leader coupled with 1/4oz TT jighead and 5" Motor Oil jerk shad. Got a few timid hits with no hook-ups, which in my experience is very strange.

About 15m after sunrise, changed to a Pearl jerk shad and a jighead with a bright fluoro head and picked up the first (and only) real fish of the day. A cracking snapper in the vicinity of 70cm or so, quickly released. 

After that, the day turned into a whale watching spectacular. Dozens of them breeching and tail-slapping and generally having fun. 

Caught a large Bonnie at about 0830 and that was all she wrote. Headed back in. 

Basically not enough wash to fish the wash! Probably should've headed south to Boulder Bay for more wash but felt lazy... 

Mat. 

 

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Mat. You done OK . People pay good money to go on a whale watch charter and have to share their experience with many other folk. You done it in your own time and wet a line at the same time.

To me that would be a great morning.

Frank

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That's a nice snapper.  Interesting about your leader.  I was using 16lb last week and mates are telling me I'm going way too light.  I'm just trying to get the bite!  With the conditions so calm and only fishing in 10-15m of water I felt like I needed to go light and it certainly worked but I did lose a few.  Do you think you lose many fish because of your leader and what's the biggest you've caught on that?

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23 hours ago, frankS said:

Mat. You done OK . People pay good money to go on a whale watch charter and have to share their experience with many other folk. You done it in your own time and wet a line at the same time.

To me that would be a great morning.

Frank

Yeah, I wouldn't really change it!

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20 hours ago, TK01 said:

That's a nice snapper.  Interesting about your leader.  I was using 16lb last week and mates are telling me I'm going way too light.  I'm just trying to get the bite!  With the conditions so calm and only fishing in 10-15m of water I felt like I needed to go light and it certainly worked but I did lose a few.  Do you think you lose many fish because of your leader and what's the biggest you've caught on that?

Yeah TK, I'm sure I've lost plenty of fish because of the light leader. But I'm also sure I've had many more hook-ups because of it too. In pressured waters you have to go light to fool the better fish. Sure, go 20/30lb when you're at more remote areas (like Edith Breaker her in PS), but you still need to be prepared to lose some even on that.

My biggest fish on my usual leader was a 75cm beast, and what would've been my PB I lost on 20lb so...

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