The water is warming!

[adkel53]

This Christmas we have the pleasure of the company of a young (early 20's) couple from Germany. They are friends of my daughter's made while she and her husband and kids were living in Germany for two years. I decided to take them, along with my son in law, on a harbour tour this morning and to see if I could connect them to a fish of some sort.

After leaving Rose Bay on a sparkling morning at around 6.30 we trolled a couple of minnows past Pt Piper and along towards Rushcutters Bay. The water was 22.5 degrees, up a full two degrees since last trip. There were birds everywhere and fish busting up intermittently between Clarke Island and Garden island. We swapped the lures over to small white squids and trolled faster, stopping to throw small metals, a popper and a 6" stickbait at the bust-ups. Eventually the two trolled lures took a simultaneous strike and my guests landed their first Aussie fish - a tailor of about 25cm each!. Anne landed one more on a cast popper before we left them and continued the tour, visiting Rushcutter,s Bay to see some of the Hobart fleet, the Opera House, Bridge and Kiribilli Pt. Eventually we made our way into Athol Bay where we found some rat kings busting up. Unfortunately they wouldn't touch any of the small plastics or poppers (or trolled squids) offered to them - the ungrateful bastards! I would loved to have hooked Anne and Chris up to something that could pull string on the light gear we were using.

We rounded off the trip with a coffee at Clifton Garden and a troll up to Middle Head, coming across more fast moving kings out off Nielsen Park. No joy from them either, nor from a few casts at the yellow marker and sticks on the way in.

No "real" fish but an enjoyable morning showing international guests our magnificent harbour at it's sparkling best.

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Merry Christmas all.

Kel

[The Poacher]

Thats the Christmas spirit Kel!

There have been a stack of shoppers on the central coast - I had a few double hookups trolling out of my kayak during the week. But as you say, all 25cm,

Cheers,

The Poacher

[windredj]

i was out on saturday around garden island heaps busting up and in rose bay but we would have spent ages casting every lure i had at them even a sneaky fly tied onto a metal lure. no takes not even a bumb. very fustration but good to see some surface action agian