Haven’t been fishing offshore in my own boat for nearly a year! But earlier this month, repowered the old girl with a new outboard. Couldn’t wait to get out there:
And just this week, reports started coming in of mahi on the FADs. These delicious – and tough fighters - can be very unpredictable. If the current stops, so can the bite. If the current increases, they can ride it further south. But this week, the stars were aligning. Murray McGuire sent a great update:
First run was last Saturday. Crew was Brendan – whose boat I fished on, a couple of weeks ago, when we got his first kingfish – and new friend, Martin. Neither had caught or seen a mahi. We headed out to the FAD:
A bit bumpy and there didn’t seem to be any fish around. Then we had a lucky moment. Client Steve came trolling past and soon after, sent me a helpful text:
Steve gave me a tip on where we should be fishing! Off we went. The rig was super simple. Our Bay Jig light jigging rod, matched with the new Hoshino spinning reel. Colour change braid, ending in 4 metres of 20-pound fluoro carbon. Then a compact offset hook and a small live yellowtail pinned through the nose. That worked! Martin opened our innings:
Mahi have incredibly good eyesight and the water can be very clear offshore. Long light leaders often turn the trick. Here’s Brendan with an 83cm:
When it’s hot, you’ve got to go! Phoned top bloke Corey to see if he could fit a run into his busy schedule. We headed out on Monday. Same spot, same gear, same technique. And it all worked great:
Top morning! Last session of the week came yesterday, Thursday. Crew aboard who I hadn’t fished with since way before Covid. Straight into it! Here’s Hamza. Doesn't our Bay Jig load up nicely? Good profile:
His mahi went 83cm:
Soon after (dad) Serk boated this 85cm:
What a great week! Three trips in six days, and six crew all with good fish to take home. Interested in our Bay Jig? That’s it in the downrigger rod holder above. The perfect mahi rod is $95 including delivery to Sydney Brisbane and Melbourne. Call or drop me an email
Andrew Hestelow