Tuna seasons looks good
I have just returned from a offshore from Sydney with 2 nice fin in the 35kg range. The seaqson has started  well and we are finding some nice fish although the numbers seem to be down a bit. Last week I fished down at Jervis Bay and scored a number of fish in the 30kg range on the cube as well as trolling up some albies on Halco laser Pro 190s. We were fishing in a 21 degree water.

Looking at the SST charts the current is still very warm reaching 24 degrees in areas which signals a late season. However if early indications are anything to go by I would put it so boldly to predict that there will be some good fish caught this season. In  fact a a 63 was caught on a lure off Sydney just a couple of days ago. This hot flush of water water alos has some nice blue marlin in it. A 316kg fish was caught off Sydney and I have heard some good reports of big fish up at Port Macquarie as well.

As a personal challenge I am focusing on fishing deep during the day for both swordfish and bigeye. As mentioned in my last report there was a nice bigeye caught off JB and the longliners are finding some solid fish up to more than 100kg so chances things are looking very promising.

This time of year cubing is the traditional method but you should always make the effort to have some live baits in the trail as well. Some days the cubes work best other days the livies will work, but if you have both out then you are running an each way bet.

Tassie bluefin
Portland is still producing a few school sized fish as well as the odd big jumbo, but it is Tasmania’s Eagle Hawk Neck (EHN) that is really on fire this month. Local skipper Stuart Nicholls from Personalised Fishing Charters rang to tell me that he had been getting some real great fish up to 110kg on a regular basis. An old mate Sam Muscat just had an amazing day catching four jumbos to 114kg. This is only the beginning and I predict the fishing will fire for another month at least around EHN and possibly longer at Pedra so it is well worth heading down if you want a shot at a jumbo sized tuna. 

Solid kings inshore
The kings have been firing in some spots dead in others I have been finding some solid fish around long reef but there is no consistency and they keep moving about. Greg Joyce from Calm Water Charters has been finding a few decent fish in the 6-10kg range while trolling live baits inshore around the rocky headlands north of Sydney. While Scotty from Haven Charters up at Terrigal has been getting into some nice fish on the jigs

Longline Alliance
Recently I made the effort to meet up with one of the longliners from the South Coast. We chatted over a few beers and found we had a lot in common and while we agree to disagree on the issue of marlin we both realise there are bigger issues to contend with.  Things are changing and with Marine Park Authority screwing anglers so well in state waters there is now a movement to try and lock up Commonwealth waters. Already a group is trying to close off the whole Coral Sea and this is only the beginning thanks to the disunity amongst recreational anglers.

These environmentalists are radical and believe so strongly in their cause that they are like the new form of terrorism and will do anything to see fishing stopped. O f course they are simply misguided and never even go to the places they passionately want to protect and as a result really do have little understanding of the environment. With the laid back attitude of fishing and boating associations in this country doing little for our welfare I for one will happily welcome on an alliance with the longliners. With both the major users of the resource working together just imagine how powerfully we can become. No longer is it an issue of competing with commercials over resource ownership now it has become a fight for our very right to fish!

I don’t know about you but I am happy to share the waters with commercial fishermen rather than no fishing at all. We are in for some serious changes and with the eco terrorist already getting a taste of victory we had better work fast.
 
Carp Fishout
Our right to fish was what part of my motivation to volunteer my services to host the Parramatta Carp Fishout. In an effort to really promote fishing and encouraging the next generation to get out and enjoy the great outdoors I spent the day helping anglers catch carp in the Parramatta River.  While it is about as far removed as possible from offshore fishing we should never forget that that is where we started many years ago.