Tuesday 25 October 2011

Mates Day on the Bay 2011

The 2011 Future Fish Mates Day on the Bay was conducted on Sunday the 23rd October in calm and warm conditions, a rarity over the last 5 or 6 years that I have been involved in the event.  My regular skipper for this event is Chris Halstead and we always have a great time taking the mates out for a fish but this year takes the cake - the pictures do the talking.  Well done to all of the organisers and volunteers you have hearts of gold.  This years was a record of sorts with 186 mates plus carers out for a fish on fantastic Port Phillip Bay.  Even the reds played the game this time.














Friday 21 October 2011

Raining Red

Firstly apologies for being tardy with my posting its been over a month but I have been pretty tied up on some projects - more on that another time.

Today was my first serious snapper session for the year (I don't count September and before, it's too easy to miss!).  With a rising barometer after the low that came through Wednesday we were pretty confident we would find hungry fish today.  Heading out early with mates Tam Missen and Ash Shaw on Tam's Sailfish we enjoyed a stella session on 'school size' fish boating 15 or 16 (lost count it seems) and practised some good ol' catch and release in the light rain that hung all morning, making photography a challenge.  The bite which coincided with the first hour of light was constant while it was on and then shut down in an instant..

It's great news for all that the water temperature in Port Phillip Bay and Westernport has equalised with the ocean and that means the snapper bite will well and truly heat up.  The bite times are likely to still be brief for a week or two yet and it wont take much of a softening of the barometer for the fish to shut down.  The bite windows will increase and of course change over the next few weeks and the soft takes will change into screaming runs.  Tight lines on the reds everyone!


The skipper Tam and 'Ooda' with the result from a double hookup.  Interesting to note the different coloured fish from the same school.




Its your lucky day!


It's great to see fish blast off, as these two had no hesitation.