Fishing Reports 2006 / 2005 / 2004

"ON THE HOOK" with Ross and Glenn Hunter
22/10/06

BILLFISHER HAS A GREAT TRIP ON THE YELLOWFIN TUNA LAST WEEK
It's yellowfin tuna that have dominated the action of late, we thought that the run had left us and whilst they did quieten off for a few trips, they are now back with a vengeance.

However the last two trips the glory days were back with some great yellowfin tuna caught.

Adam, Marcus and John went through the ordeal of two postponed trips before finally getting the weather right. The wait was worth it, when the lads cleaned up on some great tuna on Billfisher

Captain Glenn Hunter on BILLFISHER caught four fish to 40 kg last week, one of them was trolled and the balance on the cubes.

Since then because of the southerly gales we have not been able to get back to the yellowfin grounds.

I am confident that the fish are still there and as suggested last column will hang around for sometime yet.

It can be frustrating for us skippers when the Hot Bite is on, to be shut down by bad weather but, alas, that is offshore fishing, you have to shrug it off and not let it get to you. Why is it when the tuna are at their best the southerlies blow gale force, not allowing us to get to the action?

As pioneers of the gamefishing industry off Sydney, we have had to learn that weather is just one of the variables that can upset the apple cart.

We will not take our customers fishing on rough days if we can avoid it…..after all that is not what their paying us for and we realize that they do not come back after a flogging around in a 3 metre sea.

As reported before we really have had the yellowfin season of seasons this year with both BROADBILL and BILLFISHER'S crews catching a heap of great fish this will continue, maybe right up to December..

How good would that be catching marlin, tuna and mahi mahi ……all in the one day!

Happy anglers with a great catch	Happy! No not really!. I always smile like this
Always a great sight happy anglers screamin reels and big tuna

PT STEPHENS '07…."THE FISHING TRIP OF A LIFETIME"
Talking about marlin we still have some vacancies for Pt Stephens '07.

If you have a bunch of mates who would like to join us next year to experience some of the most exciting marlin, big mahi mahi and tuna fishing anywhere in the world Pt Stephens is the place.

Having fished there since the early '70's it is my favourite and most reliable fishery.
We will do one-day trips, but favour the 3-day packages.

This gives us more time to ensure everyone catches a marlin or two
COSTS…for a three day trip is $1050.00 per head for groups of 6 people max ….NB this figure includes accommodation.

All you and your friends have to do is get there………..we do the rest.
COSTS FOR A ONE DAY TRIP …….$1700.00 per day (6 anglers max.)
Over the years we have had some amazing days at this great fishery (See Fishing Adventures) on this web site for details.

If you haven't got a crew, but would still like to experience the excitement of Pt Stephens then ring 9534 2378 as we do share charters.
NB to avoid disappointment. Do not leave it too long to book .

Both Glenn and myself trust that we may have the pleasure of your company at Pt Stephens between late January to mid April '07

THE ANNUAL DUNBOGAN ADVENTURE
Yes! it's been and gone again and what a wonderful time we all had.

It all started 40 years ago when my great fishing mates Brian "The Moose" Nesbitt, John "The Gnome" Robertson and Bob The "Road Runner" Morgan first met.

We were all wet behind the ears fisherman who enjoyed the thrill of the chase of our piscatorial friends, that energy has never left us and whilst we have a few more years under our belts, we still look forward to our weeks fishing to-gether immensely.

Over the years we have fished mountain streams for trout, break-walls for jewfish, beaches for salmon and tailor, oceans for tuna and marlin…as a matter a fact name it and we have tried it.
Our adventures have taken us to many exciting venues all over the place, however these days; it is the lazy backwater of Dunbogan we love.

Is it the age factor or just the layback "Easy Peasy fishin'" which is the attraction, probably both I reckon….Blackfish off the rocks and the walls, bream and tailor off the beach or spinning a few flatties on the plastics from the tinnies.

It is the Camden Haven River on the NSW Coast we now frequent and have done for the past decade, but now we have a group on younger and more energetic youngsters who join us and we love it.

It sort of reminds us of our younger days when we had energy to burn and every day's fishing had that bit of unknown to it The thought of that "Fish of a Lifetime" that may be caught.

So it is with great joy that we share the house with the younger fishos' and admire their most energetic work.

We had a visitor whilst blackfishin Has anyone seen Ricko	The Moose and Roscoe witha great catch of fat blackfish
Ross and a good mornings catch	Bob The Road Runner Morgan with a couple of big blackfish......Ross's number plate says it all.
Aqua monster with his catch	Rick Clay with a great blackfish

They arrive like browns cows with rods, reels, cartons of beer and heaps of apprehension that this will be the year of "the big one"…………..and so the week begins.

Glenn "Big Bird" Hunter, Ricko "Koala" Clay, Bob "Banana Bob" Cartwright, Gavin "Aqua Monster" Sharp, Graham "The Tourist" Lees, Kevin "Banga" Banks and Ian "Redwood" Rann are keen fishos with one thought in mind and that is fishing and fun.

Early starts, fish hard, back mid morn for bacon and eggs back out into the fray to return at nightfall for a run down of the days fishing followed by cold beer or several. Ah! Fishing tales of the one that got away …they are always the biggest of the day, especially after a few coldies around the campfire.

THE ANNUAL FLATHEAD TROPHY
We held the annual Flathead trophy; this was run on the Monday, previous winners have been Gavin Sharp, Ross Hunter and Banana Bob.

This year saw the lads heading out with incredible gusto at sparrow fart, boats ladenened with every kind of rod reel and lure one could imagine, tearing down the street at first light to the boat ramp.

Banana already had a 68 cm flattie in the fridge caught the previous day and was the hot favourite on the day, but alas like thoroughbred a racehorse he peaked too early and his reputation preceded him, but in the same boat and thrashing lures into the water was the "Koala" Ricko Clay.

Now Rick is a quite achiever and had two flatties in the tank early, both around the 58 cm mark. Glenn Hunter too in the other boat had also scored early with one around the same………….. Surely not a dead heat.

We all sat back at 4.45 pm enjoying a beer convinced that we had our first dead heat, with Rick and Glenn's fish. They weren't large, but they were legal and they were flathead, and half a trophy each was the call.

We had the hack saw out ready to cut the trophy in half when we were shocked as Graham "The Tourist" Lees arrived back 33 seconds before fishing finished at 5 pm with the winning flathead, caught from the shoreline……..the boaties were devastated
How could this happen especially by a first timer and from the shore as well.

Ricko just gazed into the darkness looking for Koalas that he wanted so badly to see, not believing us that they are there, he was a devastated man, needing several beers to compose himself after the last minute defeat. ……………………Even half a trophy was better than none he was heard muttering under his breath.

A dead heat	Bob working his magic
It's a love affair but we don't talk about it much Banana and Robbo cuddle up	An acceptance speech by Graham the tourist Lees as he humbly accepts the flathead trophy... check out the dissapointment on the Koala's face!
The crew at Dunbogan	A big fish cook up. the lads tuck in to blackfish and flatties in banana Bob's world famous beer batter

It was Gavin and myself who won the blackfish trophy and continued to catch great fish to 1.2 kg all week……Our best morning was 12 blackfish but they were all great fish "Quality always beats quantity"

As always we enjoyed the company of local black-fisherman and legends Jack Ellis, Brian Perkins and Kenny

It was a great trip enjoyed by all and we look forward to Dunbogan '07

"ON THE HOOK" with Ross Hunter
9/10/06

Yellowfin tuna are still prevalent on the wide grounds, but they have thinned out a little
On Broadbill and Billfisher we have struggled a little over the past few trips with catches of one and two being the results.

The conditions can have a major bearing on the success of the day when we are cube fishing the tuna.

If for example the Nor Easter is blowing at 15 to 20 knots and the southerly current is 2.5 knots, then our drift speed across the ground can be as high as 4.5 knots and that is far to fast for good tuna fishing.

The past few trips this has been the condition so the results have not been so good. We will see how we go in the lighter winds next week.

THE '06 TUNA SEASON OFF SYDNEY…………THE BEST IN 10 YEARS
If the yellowfin did a runner tomorrow none of us could complain, we really have had a season that we will all remember for a long time.

The fish have not been big (average size 30kg) but they have been plentiful and both Glenn and Myself have been privy to so many tuna virgins, so much wild and wonderful tuna action all winter.
It always so gratifying for us professional skippers to see the look on the face of an angler who had only ever dreamed of catching a yellowfin tuna and all of a sudden after a gut busting 20 minutes or so that same angler is sucking in the deep breaths and gazing at their first success laying in the cockpit.

Yellowfin tuna are without doubt the most popular species from a charter angler's view than any other fish.

Why?..Because they pull like a D-9 bulldozer, they are great to eat and they are the most powerful fish that swims the ocean…. and the punters love them………………...You can't argue with those facts.

We do not argue because we know it's true………Glenn and myself love catching yellowfin and really do appreciate the great season we are experiencing in '06.

See a collage of photos of some of the great crews we have had the pleasure to fish with since May.

Broadbill caught 21 marlin a day in 2005	Fishraider's had a ball on Billfisher last week
Tri and crew from Fishraider.com web site had a great day on	Western Australian visiting angler Viv Davidson came to the east coach to catch a yellowfin....Job done!
A fat fish	Nick Vass's fish
Who's got more hair	Danny Goode and crew with a great catch
So many great days since May and it will keep going until summer

The tuna are still in our waters but we need the currents to back off as well as the north east sea breezes which make our drifts too fast and there will be some great catches
I predict that we will catch tuna right up until December.

The waters are purple at the moment and 22 degrees and it really looks great

ORCA WHALES ATTACK THE HUMPBACKS
We encountered a pod of Orca whales (killer whales) on the 200-fathom line last week.
These beautiful whales are here because of the return migration of the southbound humpbacks and their newly born calves.

The Orcas prey on the calves by teaming up and harassing the calf and the mother, sometimes following them for days. The mother fends them off for as long as she has the energy, but the Orcas know that persistence pays off.

Eventually she gets so exhausted from their repeated challenges that she cannot protect the calf any more and the Orcas move in for the kill.

Sad! No, not really, just Mother Nature working as she has done as long as whales have roamed our oceans.

It’s a fact that our marine animals eat each other in their piscatorial environment and this is a textbook example of how it works.

Apart from the Orcas the humpbacks have few predators and are multiplying each year in dramatic numbers, so all is well.

The Orcas eat the tongue and the lower jaw of the humpback and leave the rest for the sharks.

SALMON IN CLOSE IN BOTANY BAY
The strong southerly set has made the inshore reef fishing a little tough, with all boats working harder for a catch.

Salmon have been plentiful in Botany Bay Last week there was a huge school in Little Congy Bay as well as a big school off Shaky at La Perouse… Under the schools were kingfish, however most were undersize.

Blackfish are worth a go. Best spots Pt Hacking around fisheries or Lambert Park in the Georges. River.

BROADBILL DROPS A STRIPED MARLIN
Heading home last Saturday we dropped a striped marlin in 150 fathoms, with the warm water 21.5 degrees we will see an early marlin season.

The cobalt waters should see an early start to our marlin season so don't race around the ocean like a maniac, put out some lures and have a troll, it just might be worthwhile.

Be kind to those marlin they are the most exciting and most beautiful fish that roam our oceans.
Always tag and release them, take photo and you will feel so much better, than being part of a minority of modern day anglers who kill them,
Killing marlin is joining a group of fisherman called "Wankers"
There is just no need for it, not even the old adage "Oh! It was my first one"…..just let them go. End of story………You will feel so much better in the long run.
As the busiest boats on the coast Glenn and myself have not killed a marlin on our boats since '92.

It has never affected our business, because the modern anglers who appreciate these magnificent fish agree that they should be tag and release only.We had great day fishing with Ex-Aussie fast bowler and cricket legend Merv Hughes….

Merv has just written a great book "Caught in the Deep" about fishing This is a "must" as a Xmas present for the fisherman in the family.

We fished hard for tuna but got blown home mid morning by a 30 knot southerly which spoiled our day, however, it's always a great day fishing with the big fellow.

THE NEXT FORTNIGHT YELLOWFIN TUNA AND MARLIN OUT WIDE.
As we said at the onset I do believe we will catch tuna right up to summer.

It is only natural that the fish may go quite for a week or two but they will be back with a vengeance, it just takes the right conditions and we will be catching the hell out of them…As the warmer weather gets closer the fish may be caught better by trolling. Best lures bib less minnows, Laser Pros. , Bloodshot "tuna hunters" see web site www.bloodshottackle.com for details.

It will be worthwhile to troll to the grounds especially around the 70-fathom line out.
Marlin are starting to appear a little more as the waters warm so there is every chance you and your crew could get a most pleasant surprise.

COME AND JOIN ROSS AND GLENN AT PT STEPHENS '07
Talking about marlin we still have some vacancies for Pt Stephens '07.

It's action all round a Pt Stephens	A great shot of a striped at Pt Stephens IN '06
Pt Stephens boasts the biggest of Dolphin fish These were caught last year	The view from our angler's unit at Soldiers Point...... Not bad to wake up to before heading out for another day in paradise

If you have a bunch of mates who would like to join us next year to experience some of the most exciting marlin, big mahi mahi and tuna fishing anywhere in the world Pt Stephens is the place.

Having fished there since the early '70's it is my favourite and most reliable fishery.
We will do one-day trips, but favour the 3-day packages.
This gives us more time to ensure everyone catches a marlin or two
COSTS…$1050.00 per head for groups of 6 people max ….NB this figure includes accommodation

All you and your friends have to do is get there, we do the rest.
COSTS FOR A ONE DAY TRIP …….$1700.00 per day (6 anglers max.)
Over the years we have had some amazing days at this great fishery (See Fishing Adventures) on this web site for details.

If you haven't got a crew, but would still like to experience the excitement of Pt Stephens then ring 9534 2378 as we do share charters.

NB to avoid disappointment.. Do not leave it too long to book
Both Glenn and myself trust that we may have the pleasure of your company at Pt Stephens between late January to mid April '07

I have include a poem from long time angler Chris O'Neil about Pt StephensThe poem was written in '92 Since then Chris has caught many great catches of marlin on our boats.

PT STEPHENS '92 ON BROADBILL by CHRIS O'NEIL
For three days we’re goin’…..……we all have our reasons
We pack up the troopy………....We’re off to Pt. Stephens
We’ve one thing in common …..….with all the same wish
That each and every one of us………… catches a fish
Six marlin in three days………………now that’s big ask
But we’ve confidence in Roscoe….… he’s up to the task
So it’s Allan, Johnny and Campbell…….Gerardy and me
Set a coarse on Broadbill…… to the bluewater out to sea
We’re all excited………….………….and can hardly wait
Praying for that strike……….….. as we troll the live baits
Someone Yells …………………….“Fish up on the right”
My heart starts to pump…..I’ll never forget the first sight
Of that amazing jump as Ross yells…… “Get in the gear”
At the mighty marlin……………airborne in awe we stare
It’s action a plenty………………………Al’s in the chair
The reel’s still screamin’………..the big fish gathers pace
I’ve got to get a photo…………..of the smile on All’s face
The adrenalin is pumping…………….. and so are our nerves
As “Cogga chases the marlin… with BROADBILL in reverse
The marlin is tagged………..………He put on quite a show
Well! That’s one down………..…………… only five to go
The next two are caught…. …one each by Campbell and Phil
It’s still on day two…………....So there’s plenty of time still
And now there’s only three….…….That’s me Greg and John
The Bat yells “fish up”………….……. “You beauty I’m on!”
The big fish jumps towards the boat …he’s still goin’ hard
His power is incredible ………………. I fight for every yard
The marlin goes deep…….………… line screams off the reel
I glance up on the bridge ……….It’s the BAT on the wheel
It’s now been one hour ………….…. and I’m starting’ to lag
At last Glenn has the trace……….... and “BB ‘ sets the tag
The marlin has trace around him…40’ treacherous of long line
Glenn carefully revives him…. Then he’s free ‘n looking fine
Everyone’s catching’ marlin…………. we’re busy taking’ pics
By eleven AM on day three…………We’ve hit the magic six
Ross, Glenn and Big Bat. ……………What a formidable crew
We’ve all caught our first marlin.. ..And achieved our life’s dream
Three days at Pt Stephens……..…eating lots of chinese meals
Tagged eight marlin on Broadbill ..Can’t tell you how good it feels
So for all you HI TIDE listeners …….if it’s a marlin catch you wish
Go fishing with Ross on BROADBILL..He’s the man to get you a fish

"ON THE HOOK" with Ross and Glenn Hunter
6/10/06

Tuna, tuna and more tuna have been the reports every week since May. On Broadbill and Billfisher we have been privy to so many great battles, watching virgin fishermen catch their first 30 kg tuna.

They grunt and grimace as the big fish powers off line time and time again from the big Shimano reel, then it's high fives, back-slapping and smiles all round at the celebratory finale.
Every one loves catching yellowfin tuna They are indeed a great challenge as a sportfish as well as being pretty good tucker.

We have caught tuna nearly every trip since Mid May it has been one of the best tuna seasons for 10 years …..So many great times …so many happy anglers We were convinced that the dream would never end and it would go on forever

A beautiful juvenile wandering albatross visits us NB The brown plumage these feathers turn white after two years	Humpbacks give us a show on the way out to the tuna grounds

Yellowfin tuna can be "here one day and gone the next" it is all relative to the currents and thermo-clines. If they change and the oceanic currents drop a degree or two in temp. or the eddy of water that has stayed between Pt Stephens and Ulladulla moves away so will the yellowfin….."Gone overnight" leaving us fisherman with great memories of a very exciting tuna season and wondering, when and if, they will return.

This has happened of late when for the first time for months our boats have drawn blanks over the past three trips.

The question I ask is, have the yellowfin temporarily moved and will be back next trip, bearing in mind it is the best weekend of the month being the full moon on Saturday…………...So only time will tell

Having fished for tuna most of my life I still cannot figure out what it is that makes them wander to places afar.

Certainly water temps, current flow and lack of food source would be thrown in the ring for thought, however in this instance all the above are within acceptable levels for good tuna fishing.
Let's hope we get a pleasant surprise this weekend.

Had a great day fishing with Aussie cricket legend Merv. Hughes, Bill Classon and Sean Mc McAllister the other day It is always an entertaining day fishing with the big fella, however, I was very diss appointed that we could not catch the fellows a tuna. We did encounter a 30 knot southerly which sent us home early, not helping the cause.

Sean McAllister , Merv Hughes and Bill Classon come to Sydney to catch a tuna but the tuna did not see eye to eye with that	Big Merv hooks up.We came back early because of bad weather
Colour on a great fish

It wasn't from lack of trying…………………. That's for sure.

Our last good day on the boats was last week, when we caught five tuna ………we will report after the weekend.

Lets hope it is a temporary thing and the tuna bite on the full moon.