Muddy Waters
Out from Sydney on Thursday with the issue being, how can we find quality fish after the East Coast’s massive downpours?
Just getting down to the Heads was a trial:
First stop Balmoral Island, which has been producing jellybean yellowtail all summer. The kings love them and with a crew of three or four we need at least 15 baits. Catching that many is not easy. A reminder of how bad the weather got last week when, next to the island, we spotted a bloke shovelling sand out of his beached bowrider:
Up to Long Reef where we found clear water close in, and brown water further out. We anchored up in the green and got the burley going. It didn’t take long. Chris opened the batting with a small but legal king:
The day proceeded with a dizzying array of captures, including this amberjack:
At one point, a bust up 20 metres to port had me grabbing our light 602 combo, with a 10 gram jig attached and ready to go. First cast, and I’m into a rainbow runner:
What a great day, and big thanks to Ed Symonds and Chris Cooke for making it so memorable. With a top forecast, and still on a high from Thursday, I booked up a crew for Saturday. Things didn’t start well, with a flat tire on the trailer:
Met Josh at the ramp, picked up Alex and Oscar, loaded up on live bait and headed to Long Reef for a repeat session. Just short of the headland we saw some bust ups, but this time Josh was first to the light combo. The 10 gram jig was deadly, as usual:
Do yourself a favour lads and get us to send a set? Kings, tuna, even rainbow runners love them. And at just $44 for 10 jigs *including delivery* you can’t go wrong:
Fishing was just as hot as Thursday, but the fish were bigger. Here’s Oscar with a little one. Check the cluster of boats – and the perfect weather - in the background:
Big thanks to too-generous friend Ken Musgrove for gifting me this beautiful bait casting combo! Had a ball flicking 6 inch soft plastic eels down the burley trail and hooking up kings almost every cast:
Here’s Alex with a nice 80 taken on a live bait:
Josh scored the fish of the day with this hard fighting 85:
Lesson learned? If you can get out there, get out there. Heaps of clients told me they were going to wait until the water clears, until it warms up, etc. But the fish weren’t waiting. Good luck and let me know how you go
Andrew Hestelow
Also in Tackle News
Target: Kingfish
Two Sydney offshore sessions targeting kingfish with live yellowtail and heavy knife jigs, including fish to one metre, sharks and an amberjack.
Mackerel, Kingfish and Sharks
TUESDAY! Wanted to downrig small live bonito around Long Reef for a stud kingfish. Our purple trolling lures accepted the challenge:
