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Port Stephens


knapers

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Spent Sunday and Monday morning up at Port Stephens, arriving we had high hopes of our first ever Marlin on our boat.

We went to the shelf Sunday morning and we had everything sorted 100% and we had skirts our, livies out, everything was perfect, but there were not fish, we had one hit but it didnt stay on. Back at the ramp, I spoke to a HEAP of blokes that didnt have much more luck than us. Monday we tried for kings at all the places where we were told we would have luck, Put the downrigger down with a live yellow tail, we put down a slimmy and a floating yakka, still no luck,

For the whole weekend our total catch we about 1000000 undersized flatty and rays. A fair few bonito, but thats not what we went there to catch.

All in all a very expensive waste of time, not happy at all. Knapers.

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Guest bluecod

Knapers,

1st lesson learnt.

It can take many, many hours fishing for JUST marlin before you manage to hook, let alone land your first one, particularly this late in the season. There are blokes out there who've spent countless hours after their first and still haven't scored. I spent a week overseas [thousands of bucks] and the boat only had one marlin hook up in that time [i wasn't on strike], since then we've done much better locally.

You've got to make up your mind whether you are going marlin fishing or if you are just fishing. From your report it seems this weekend you went fishing with a hope for a marlin. Next season try and get out on a charter or go with someone who has reasonable success, because it is often the little things that can make all the difference and you can learn some of those little things to apply to your own boat.

Bad luck this time, at least you had great weather for it - don't get too despondent - if you put in the occasional day, during the peak of the season, dedicated to just marlin fishing, you are bound to hook up sooner or later.

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sorry to hear that knapers.

we were also in nelsons bay for the weekend and didnt do much good. a few bonitos, snapper, bream and jackets.

still great to be on the water with beer in that weather though. how was the fog in the mornings? made the headlands look all jurassic.....i was trying to spot t-rex :biggrin2:

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unlucky mate.

but unfortunately thats how it goes.

it took me about 5 months of persistance out of broken bay to get one bill.

in this process my motor died so i had to put a new one on.

for about 9k with 2k trade on old one

this motor already has done 110 hours since i put it on in december

i worked out i went out every weekend at least one day some both days.

10 hours running at least each day some 12hrs.

now say i went out 4 times a month and each time id use around say 150 litres of fuel.

plus oil bait lures etc.

i spent roughly 4k on just fuel and oil.

for one fish. that i released!

i can tell you now though there is no regret =]

just to show you it aint easy!

unless u time it when the bills are on at swr or port.

or you go on a charter boat.

but it was a big thing for me to get my first in my own boat in my home waters etc

you will get one eventually mate

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Yeah i hope DJ, thanks mate, i was cut coz my Dad was a farmer most of his life and he is getting on so we wanted to get one before his back is completely stuffed, he finds it hard enough to land a nice kingie coz of his back, but he is a very tuff old bugger and when he finally gets a marlin, i reckon he will be jumpin around like he is a youth again.

Matt, the fog in the morning was insane wasnt it. Top stuff, i thought the dolphins everywhere was nuts as well.

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i know what you mean mate, was the same thing with my old man.

hes been gamefishing all his life and he wanted to see me get my first. and this will probably be the last season he can come out.

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Its hard aint it DJ,

One more thing has anyone ever been into the actuall marina at Port, we went to get a bite to eat and thought stuff it we will just use the marina to tie the boat up, anyway, dad went up to get some food (we slept on the boat sat and sun night) and i was bored shitless so i thought i could have a perv and fish at the same time :biggrin2: i chucked a small hook over with some white bait on it and i swear that i saw about 20 big big bream having a squiz at it. Im telling you these bream were big. Anyone ever been there?

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Its hard aint it DJ,

One more thing has anyone ever been into the actuall marina at Port, we went to get a bite to eat and thought stuff it we will just use the marina to tie the boat up, anyway, dad went up to get some food (we slept on the boat sat and sun night) and i was bored shitless so i thought i could have a perv and fish at the same time  :biggrin2: i chucked a small hook over with some white bait on it and i swear that i saw about 20 big big bream having a squiz at it. Im telling you these bream were big. Anyone ever been there?

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Are you talking about Dalbora marina at Nelson bay or the anchorage ?

There is always big bream in places like that coz most big boaters cant be stuffed droppin a line in after catching big fish all day :1prop:

Also, they have so much cover its just one huge floating reef which = lots of food for them etc.

changa

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Naked are you saying that you havent fished this time of year? Mate we tried a fair bit of veriety, slimies , yakkas, different types of skirts, big ones small ones, black and white, yellow and pink, etc etc, we did everything......... just didnt catch anything. whats doing????????

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We fished the trailer boat this year and and 8 days prior to the comp for no beakies. Swoff and Byron went up to Port with Ross Hunter and boated 6 or 7 ( i think ) in 2 days and 5 on the first day. This is where a captain that is very very experienced in these waters helps. Port has always been home of the slimey so fishing live baits or even skipping dead baits will almost always outfish skirts.

Morale of the story, if you want, bonnies, strippies and dollies then use skirts and xmas trees. You want Beakies or long tail tunas then use slimies. Find the bait balls and work them.

And as for the bream in the marina, I fished for them during and prior to the comp and got nothing. Dropped a 50cm fish, but all the small pinkies in thier ruin the chances of a good fish. they are just to quick.

Cheers

Lee

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Naked are you saying that you havent fished this time of year? Mate we tried a fair bit of veriety, slimies , yakkas, different types of skirts, big ones small ones, black and white, yellow and pink, etc etc, we did everything......... just didnt catch anything. whats doing????????

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That's probably part of the problem, stick to the same lures, how do you know which lure is no good if none of them are getting hit? Choose a spread carefully, learn how to set the lures properly, fish as light as possible and stick with it and you should come through with the goods. Also if the bait is not getting worked by predators then livebaiting is a waste of time as I have found out many times. :thumbdown:

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as bash says find a spread that works for you and stick to it.

I have probbaly over 15 skirted lures.

but i have narrowed it down that i only ever run the same 4.

if i find im getting more by catch like dollies and stripies i might upgrade the size of the lures.

thats about the only change id make.

keep the same colour pattern that seems to work.

it will all come with time and experimentation.

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Port has always been home of the slimey so fishing live baits or even skipping dead baits will almost always outfish skirts.

Morale of the story, if you want, bonnies, strippies and dollies then use skirts and xmas trees. You want Beakies or long tail tunas then use slimies. Find the bait balls and work them.

Cheers

Lee

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Lee,

with all due respect to you as a fisherman, i dont agree with any of the points above. I will explain why. :1fishing1:

I have been fishing for marlin for quite some time and have caught hundreds on my trailerboat as well as other large gamefish like Fin and dollies etc.

Baits does not always outfish lures. :thumbdown:

The only time bait fishing is good is when you know that marlin are concentrated in a certain area, be it little blacks in 10fath or blacks and stripes scoffing bait balls out at the car park in 80 odd fath.

In the height of the summer season, when bait is stacked, you just KNOW the marlin are goin gto be there, its just a matter of catch bait, bridle them up, and stay in the area where the bait is and you WILL get luck eventually.

Skipping baits is a good idea, but preperation is sometime a problem on small trailerboats. It is also not a live bait so the only thing that attracts the marlin is the splash from the SKIP. In essence, if you use the correct lure, you should have the same or similar success without the preperation.

As autumn comes around and the water cools and baitfish are not so prevalant, and the blacks have moved on, stripes and blues become the target. Travelling 50km out to the shelf at port sees you cover a lot of ground and as marlin cruise the top 5% of the water collumn for 95% of their time, trolling lures is the best choice to SEARCH for fish or good water or bait with the chance of hooking on out of the blue whilst looking.

I would love a dollar for every marlin i have caught whilst trolling out to my fishing grounds. I would also love a dollar for every marlin we have caught by sounding bait and working the area with lures only to have the marlin come up for a look and snatch our lure.

The biggest fish to come out of Port Stephens have also been on lures.

As for your moral to the story, Big dollies eat baits with ease and some of our bigger fish (15kg+) have mostly come from baits. I have also caught many longtails on lures whilst marlin fishing but never one on a bait(not saying that lures are best here, just a co incidence :1naughty: )

Most important is to KNOW what your target is, KNOW that the fish you seek has a very good chance of being where you want to go, and most important of all is to HAVE A PLAN. :thumbup:

If you do that, and put some time in, you WILL come out with many nice marlin(given you have appropriate tackle of course).

cheers

changa

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Changa your full of really good info mate. If you ever need a deckie... :1prop:

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Knapers, only too happy to have you on board mate. I especially love marlin virgins as there is no better thing than to have many beers with a new marlin angler and sit and talk about the day at sea with them.

I think i have helped 6 virgins get their first this season(maybe 7) and i dont know how many over the past 10 years, but it just gets better every time.

I think its because its nothing like a charter. On my boat you are involved with everything.

People get shy about having newbies tag or trace on their boats. For me, if they are not going to learn faster with me there, then when are they going to??

When it warms up again Knapers, you are more than welcome.

changa

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Hi Changa,i keep meaning to ask you but what make and size is you tinny?

simon

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My boat is a REBEL sportsfish 6.4. but when i measure it it measures 22ft (6.6) without pod or bow sprit :wacko:

Its being shipped up to Cairns this spring and we are fishing for GIANT BLACKS out of it on 80lb stand up tackle, living 80km out on the ribbons.

Im getting so excited.

i will see if i can load a better picture here.

changa

post-212-1114651894_thumb.jpg

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