Three Days On The Water

The forecast at the start of last week – for the end of last week – was fantastic. Winds falling, seas calming, skies clearing. Went hard and fast to get my work done so I could get out there and enjoy it. The first chance came on Thursday, when I was invited to a barbecue with some old mates at Kirribilli:

Followed the same procedure mentioned in a recent report – with the same good results. That is, taking our 802 blackfish combo along, and getting there a couple of hours early. The tactic worked. Check the tail on this 38cm:

It really is a hotspot, and after fishing it twice now I can see why. This little bay just east of the Harbour Bridge and just west of Admiralty House is a giant eddy. No matter what state of the tide, weed and other blackfish food rotates around the circular bay. I caught five over 35cm in an hour – with only one downside:

Lads, give it a try. Maybe leave out the hook in the hand bit. Blackfish are everywhere at the moment. They fight hard, they taste great, the tackle is cheap and the bait is free. Check out our 802 combo if you’re going, because the key to success is having the right gear. We’ve done it all for you:

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Next day, Friday, I was excited to get offshore in James Taylor’s beautiful Black Watch. Took plenty of tackle in case any of the lads found themselves a bit short:

Straight to Texas and kings were marking on the bumps:

I kicked off with a downrigged slimy mackerel at 80 metres:

Here’s James with an icebreaker, taken on our 250 gram jig. Not huge, but an indication of what was to come:

Our 250 gram jigs have delivered dynamite results this winter. Don’t go east without ‘em:

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Next up was yours truly. This 85cm model took a live slimy mackerel, 80 metres down:

But the best was yet to come. New crew man Alex T hooked up on a live slimy too. But right from the start it was obvious this was no kingfish:

Bust off was always on the cards with a light mono leader rubbing against shark skin. What a top day! We took home some solid keepers for the family table. Here’s Leo teasing his cat with a kingfish:

Saturday the final day in this three day fishing spree. Way offshore chasing yellowfin. We went out to 1100 metres, east of Norah Canyons. But the only tuna we found was this solid stripey, for Xavier:

Stopped at the Reef on the way back to see if a quick jig sesh was worthwhile. Most definitely! How’s this, for kingie mark? But check the time on the screen. It all happened very late in the day:

James and Xav hooked up on our Bay Jig combos straight away. But the kings weren’t big:

So back in we went. What a magical few days, and I’m so grateful to all who shared in it. Thanks for reading
Andrew Hestelow

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