hotbite

Hello Raiders Just an update from the Bill Heyward Memorial Tournament , hosted by Botany Bay GFC last weekend , 22nd & 23rd of January. Thirty five boats entered the tournament from various clubs from mainly the Central Zone region. The fleet was greeted by 10 to 15 knots of southerly with 20 knot rain squalls passing through during the day. With cobalt blue water out wide , most boats pushed out to the 100 fathom line & beyond. Some boats went to the FADs only to find small Kingfish less than 30cm on offer. Not many Dollies to be found & what were are very small. There was some solid bait schools from about 80 fathoms to 100 fathoms. Nearly all the fleet saw some action. The shark boats drifting the shelf were doing really well. Stats for Saturday; Tag & Release : Stripe Marlin 8 Blue Marlin 2 Dolphinfish 7 Blue Sharks 3 Capture: Tiger Shark 2 Mako Shark 1 Sunday : Again southerly breeze 10 knots with less rain squalls was order of the day. The warm current had pushed in closer , now 24 degrees in 50 fathoms. Fishing was quite a bit slower than Saturday as no fish reported on the first sched. We ventured down to the southern canyons & hopefully to find a Blue Marlin. We had 27 degree water in 400 fathoms, birds & bait , looked very fishy. Caught some of the smallest Stripe Tuna on our cord line only 25cm long!!! Again the shark boats saw some good fish. Port Hacking GFC boat "Sirocco" hooked a solid shark in 220 fathoms & got towed out to 480 fathoms in an hour and a half of fighting on 15kg tackle only to pull the hook. Shattered. Another hard luck story was an angler who put the reel into "free spool" on a massive shark& the resulting birds nest ending in a bust off. Results from Sunday: Tag & Release: Stripe Marlin 4 Mako Shark 2 Blue Shark 1 Capture: Tiger Shark 1 Mako Shark 1 The Tiger Shark weighed on Sunday went 358kgs on 15kg. This fish earned the boat "Reaper" (not sure of the club) a 25K cash prize. Well done to the skipper & crew, an awesome effort. All winners will be announced on the 9th of February. Big thanks to Botany Bay GFC for hosting a great comp. Tight lines Raiders.......Hotbite

Nice Stripe Marlin.....any Marlin is a good one. Well done to all the crew!!! The Bill Heyward Memorial Tournament is on this weekend hosted by Botany Bay GFC, so hopefully there will be some good results. Will keep you all posted.

Well done on the catch!!! My thoughts are not algae but coral spawn....common this time of year.

Good stuff mate....yes a Bonito.....But a Watsons Leaping Bonito....!!!

Stand corrected.....thank you Fishraiders

Stargazer

Ha ha ....no Scratchie we did not put it out....tried to revive it in a tuna tube but no joy....got a good Blue Marlin later in the day in only 75 fathoms....go figure😎🎣😉

Got this little tuna in 400 fathoms east of Terrigal. Got it on a little pink squid lure attached to a cord line. Maybe a juvinile Yellowfin or Bigeye Tuna????

Hi adkel53... my favorite spot for blue swimmers is the start of Kogarah bay.....draw a line from St George motor boat club across to the northern side of Tom Uglys bridge..... set your pots there then you can have a drift between the bridges for flathead.... I find the run out tide the best....always fresh mullet for bait.....hope this helps abit...

We call them “Sabretoothed Whiteing”.....ha ha

Mate they are extremely poisonous when eaten!!!!! Cut them off & let them go.......

Hey pare'......Where are my marlin baits????? Those two Bonnies are a good start!!!!!

Forever fishing......In Gods hands......Brilliant fisherman & all round good bloke...R.I.P mate...

Hi Flickn Mad.....Thanks for the follow up mate. I did not know there was so many varieties. Yes mate they are good on the chew. I have had the bigger ones up north & they are cracker! Good bait too...Big Bream love them also Mulloway.

Hi Flickn Mad......Its a type of "Cherabin".....they grow as big as a King Prawn but are mainly a sub tropical/ tropical critter. In Queensland & the Northern Territory they use them live for Barramundi. I have heard of them being called a "Rock Prawn" but this is just a local slang term.....