Popping at the FADs
Out last Wednesday in my boat with new friend, Zac. He’d never caught a mahi before and I thought I might be able to help with that. Just before dawn we hit the Obelisk bait grounds and loaded up the tank with small yellowtail. Just a couple of slices of bread scrunched up, and they came to the surface like a carpet. It’s amazing how well they bite just before the sun comes up. On to FAD 24, off Botany Bay:
As soon as we got there I realised we wouldn’t be catching any big ones that day. The reason? No current. But with the water blue and clear, and us being the only boat there, I knew we’d find a few. Small nose hooked yellowtail on long light leaders are something they can’t resist. Zac hooked up straight away:
He’s a big bloke, a professional footballer who makes every fish look small! This one went 72cm:
The live bait tank was off the boat for repair so we only had ten or so yellowtail in a little esky. We went through those pretty fast. A chop started to pick up from the south, and knowing that a massive southerly was due mid-morning, we bailed after 45 minutes. All good! A family member of Zac’s has just bought a beautiful Cobia 24 centre console:
And Zac invited me aboard the following week. Yesterday (Wednesday) I met him at the marina in Pittwater. Hella impressed with the console on this weapon:
Out to the Valiant Wreck off Barrenjoey Head for live bait. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get any small ones. The wreck was infested with small kings, bonito and keeper size trevally. These predators scare the little yellowtail away. All we could get was oversized yellowtail and a small bonito on the sabikis. Off we went to Broken Bay FAD:
On arrival there was a trailer boat on station, hooking up keeper mahi using small live baits one after the other. And once again, no current. But it has to be remembered that mahi are the fastest growing fish in the ocean. Meaning that the just legal 60cm you released four weeks ago is probably 70cm by now. Zac very pleased with this 78cm:
Three or four boats arrived and the FAD was copping a flogging. With the big comfortable Cobia we decided that a move six miles north to the Terrigal FAD was in order. Same story, no current, but we had the place to ourselves. We drifted a live yellowtail way out the back in case a big one was around. Zac drifted unweighted yakka strips down and was endlessly hooked up to a procession of small kings and mahi. Loving topwater strikes I pulled out my 802 combo and started popping with our little all black poppers. They went nuts:
Now I know that custom painted $120 poppers are all the rage in some sections of our fraternity. But consider this. You’re a mahi (or a kingfish, or a giant trevally) living in the deep gloom of the open ocean. You register something skipping across the water above. Is it food? You’ve got to make the decision quick because if you don’t get it someone else will. You look up, and power up, for the attack. What do you see? Well obviously, the blazing light of the sun, shining in your eyes like a 200 watt spotlight. Charge up through the water column, strike, and miss. Why? Because the popper you’re attacking is maybe white with a silver belly or some other light colour that merges with the bright sky. Which is why all my poppers are black all over. Yes, the kings and dollies were small, but I was using the same rod and reel I use for squid and blackfish for popping. That turned every hookup into a battle and believe me, there were plenty of hookups:
Between us we caught maybe 30 to 40 fish:
And the fact that almost all of them went straight back over the side didn’t worry me in the slightest. We were having a ball. Kicked myself when we got back for not using the Go Pro to record the surface hits. Check our poppers out here? Four for $50 including delivery is a killer deal:
As to mahi season, they’re only going to get bigger and better. Planning on fishing for them at least once a week until May to prove that prediction. Thanks for reading
Andrew Hestelow
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