EBB TIDE ADVENTURES - Media - Tackle - Tactics

Billfish Bounty

2012-02-21T12:57:00.000+11:00

Ebb Tide Adventures regular columnist Jay Furniss has just returned from the 6th annual State of Origin friendly at Port Stephens, an event I usually participate in but the tyranny of distance has kept me away this time, but there is always next year. This is more a visual report than a written one - the marlin bite has been extremely hot on the east coast especially at Port Stephens with over 500 fish tagged on a single weekend in early February, world class by any standards and as you can expect the trailerboat brigade has desended in numbers! By the way, nice pics Jay!

Another Look at Squid - Some Basics

2012-02-10T15:10:00.002+11:00

Whilst the so called craze of 'egi' has been going on, many people have been exposed to the methods of how to fish for squid in much more effective ways. Am I a fan of the techniques?

Absolutely I am and for three main reasons. Firstly I catch more squid (not a bad start), second I land more squid that I have hooked (good also) and finally its way more enjoyable as I like to be active (I tend to get bored easy).

Years prior when being much less aggressive and active with my squidding and using lower quality jigs I simply caught less and lost so many squid lightly hooked on the club tentacles. As is the way squid feed, they will usually be more cautious in their approach to striking a moving jig rather than one that is falling naturally. Using a violent jerk method to get the squids interest and then allowing sufficient sink time is my favored method as I find so many more squid strike aggressively when the egi sinks, its simply the way squid hunt. Using an active fishing method you will find your takes and hook ups are more frequent and much more solid. This is caused by the squid gathering the egi on the drop and wrapping itself around it to deliver a bite to the neck of its meal. When you raise the rod hard after a take, the hook up will invariably be on multiple tentacles or near the tougher head area.

Selecting the right jig for the situation is a science in itself and relates more to the under foil on the jig rather than the exterior cloth. I favor gold foils early morning once the sun is up, clear or silver in high sun and red in low light. As for cloth colours I am a sucker personally for naturals.

For the ultimate resource in egi - make sure you check out Paul Carters blog via our Partners page

Again solidly hooked in the tougher part of the head

Lightly hooked squid often escape at this point!

Barely hooked on a club tentacle but can be landed if treated softly - softly

Vanuatu - The Bonus Sale

2012-02-02T01:42:00.094+11:00

Four years ago I was introduced to a friends mate by the name of Red-Eye (Chris Fowler) whilst launching my boat out off Portland. Since that day we have crossed paths each season, talked tuna tactics and communicated on the water many times, especially this past season hunting barrels at Apollo Bay. Being a real estate agent, I received a call last September from Chris to help him sell his property. The conversation soon turned to fishing during which a friendly bonus was mentioned; if you sell my place in a week I’ll take you fishing. The challenge had been set and in a not so stable market I knew it would be hard task, 5 days later I called Red-Eye, advising him to start thinking about making plans as I had a strike, 48hrs later the bait had been set and buyer boated......lets go fishing!

The next couple of days were then spent researching destinations; Weipa, Cairns, Melville Island, we knew we wanted blue water but where?? Then Chris calls and says; "got a passport?" "Yep why?" "Well what ya think about Vanuatu?" Think, what did I think?, well I didn’t really have to it was a no-brainier. Two days later we were booked on a 6 day live aboard leaving in 10 days!!! Also joining us on the trip would be Chris’s brother Andrew, who’s fishing experience to date had been limited to Port Phillip Bay so this was about to one special experience.

Over the next 10 days many a call were made discussing what gear to take and next thing I knew it was 8pm and I was sitting in Port Vila at the waterfront staring insatiably at the beast of a 40 foot vessel that would be home for the next week. Feeling wired by the thought of fishing for new exotic species I think my alcohol receptors had been switched off by the excitement. Clearly I wasn't the only one as we found ourselves hitting bed at 3am knowing we had to be on the boat at 4.30am, not a good move, it was going to be a long day. The next 12 hours were spent at throttle heading out to the islands with any one off us sneaking off for a nap when able to.

The first day saw us towing lures to Emae Island which was an 8 hour run resulting in some nice Wahoo taken on skirts and x-raps, it was then time to start popping the pristine reefs around the island. Now I have seen some nice water in my travels but this blew me away, apparently the water visibility is around 25 meters on a bad day and up to 200 on a good one.

Some nice blue fin trevally were soon enticed and made for some great action prior to again setting some divers and hard bodies for our last hour run to the bay where we would anchor for the night. This is where we got our first real taste of what was to come. Suddenly the 37kg jig stick screamed off, Red-Eye was locked on and some 40 secs later gone, straight to the reef, possible doggie?, GT? The anticipation levels had now reached a new level!!

Settling into the first of many stunning lagoons we would come across during the trip, we tied up to the mooring which then gave me my first opportunity for a quick dive, one which would turn out to be quite memorable. The captain asked me to check the mooring line which was rope and chain wrapped around a large piece of reef, he also mentioned the potential of crays, so the hunt was on, that was until I put my face into a hole and found myself very quickly back peddling as a 2 meter moray eel decided to come and say hi. Apparently morays in this area are not to keen on interaction and I was advised not to go back down with the GoPro, being the first day I thought that was a good call.

Day 2 would take us to Epi Island, with a 4.30am wake up/start which would be the trend for each day, (but what about breakfast asked the skipper), pfftt we will eat on the troll was the consensus, lets get lines in the water, and so it was by 4.45am each morning we had a spread set. First strike of the day had Red-Eye strapped in and about to pop his cherry on a black marlin estimated at 90kgs, that was it, game on now - the boys were well pumped and it was still early morning. The rest of the day resulted in more fantastic Wahoo and a great session bait collecting, for the following day and what a day that would be. Whilst bait collecting there was a massive bust ups of striped tuna or as the locals call them “skippys”, Johnny quickly deployed a couple of hand lines out with a similar rubber occy set-up we would use for salmon in Port Phillip Bay. Hand lining 2 kilo + stripeys was neither my style nor Red-Eye’s, and this was seen as an opportunity to have some fun! Within a couple of minutes the 3 of us had 3kilo flick sticks with pink Gulp jerk shads in the water, it was well and truly action aplenty not like the finicky fish being taken locally the past couple of years, these fish were absolutely smashing the plastics....light tackle mayhem!

With the day coming to an end it was time to anchor up and head ashore for a local meal and my first Kava experience, soon to be my last! I had pre requested ingredients to make Ceviche which the crew sourced for the trip and was lucky enough to be allowed to use the local kitchen to prepare a tuna/wahoo mix. Now so they say, you drink the karva before you eat, it gives you an appetite and then you feel sleepy, ok then better do the right thing, sounds good, the Ceviche needs time to rest so bring it on………….. let’s just say Andy was the smart one, 20mins after my first cup I was looking at Red-Eye and without words I knew it, yes we were both gone, gone into that happy place or was it? actually felt quite good for the first 40mins just about the time dinner was ready. Dinner, hunger, no thanks, whilst I did manage a small bowl of local broth and some Ceviche it was far from what I was expecting. So now I was expecting sleep, wrong…… both myself and Red-Eye were buzzing all night, this meant another long day ahead!

Day 3 would prove to be the most action packed explosive fishing I have yet encountered. Once again the spread was set prior to 5am. In route to Malakula Island there was good potential of another marlin and within 25mins I was on. This was it the Bonus Sail, a new personal best, a stunning big sailfish of 40-45kg’s. From this point on the day just kept getting better!

Making our way to a bommie rising from 100mtrs up to 30mtrs approximately 8kms from the island we switched baits and ran the stripies as skip baits and deep divers below. This was Doggie & GT territory, within minutes we were on, 3 way hook ups of doggies up to 15kgs was a nice warm up then………Bang while Chris and myself were fighting doggies a sinking skip bait went off…. big time, Andy was on and this was the biggest fish by a mile he had ever encountered, 25mins later the grey shadow started to appear and Andy was about to land the fish of his life a GT of approximately 30kgs, (and to think this fish just swallowed a whole stripie?) from a guy who’s best fish to date was a bay snapper of a few kilo's, he was blown away, his smile said it all, this is what fishing is all about.

Up and running again there wasn’t time to relax as Red-Eyes rod buckled over, this would prove to be in my opinion the best catch of the trip. Using your own gear and testing your own skills in rigging and lure selection was welcomed by the skipper and adopted by us, Red-Eyes skills proved up to it on the day. Following a 40min battle on spin gear, being run from side to side of the boat the silhouette of the Dog Tooth Tuna emerged, traced, gaffed and hauled through the transom. And there it was 50kgs + of pure muscle, anger and fighting power! Chris was pumped to say the least and adds another notch in his belt of well earned tuna captures.

Hang on its only 9am and we have caught what??? Other species added to the numerous captures of doggies and the absolute smashing of reef sharks on x-raps and several jobfish which make a very good account of themselves. The evening would ultimately set the scene to top off to such an amazing days fishing.

Being local’s to Malakula the captain and deckie Rudy & Johnny had phoned their relatives ahead of time to prepare an unbelievable roast, traditional island style; dig the pit make the fire then layer volcanic rock, wrap the sucking pig and vegetables in leaves, place more volcanic rock and cover in leaves. Heaven is the only way to describe this meal, simple, flavorful, amazing! The smoke hint to the pork was to die for. Served with local fresh fruit salads, succulent avocado and oh the mud crab, this was a feast to behold! I must confess that I was quite uncomfortable at first as the locals would not sit down to eat until we had finished but custom being custom we did what we were told!

Day 4 we headed to Lieleppa Island, where we would base ourselves for the final marlin mission, within minutes of leaving the mooring it was station doggie again with 3 & 4 way strikes nonstop, mixed in with another onslaught of reef sharks and job fish we started making tracks into deeper waters. A fish for many years that I have been wanting to not only catch but just see caught is the mahi mahi or mi mi as the locals call it, the catch has intrigued me but to see the color palate of the fish has scratched my itch for many a year, until now. I was on, it’s amazing how Johnny could call a fish coming up time after time and we would be staring out asking where? where?, where I didn’t care, it was a mahi and my first so I was wrapped and not a bad one at that. Little did I know what it tasted like! Three hours later I did and I will honestly go as far as saying that this is my number one white flesh fish to eat. The rest of the day was spent with more captures of wahoo to keep us entertained along with the spectacular scenery trolling amongst the many islands the scene was set for the last few days. I was also amazed how time and time again I found myself being completely mesmerized by the flying-fish, staring out across the water and tracking their glide they kept me entertained for hours each day.

Day 5 & 6 The marlin highway was our destination and this would be our last shot. The crew knew it would be hard going with average seas and a lack of bait fish present but we were still optimistic. Soon enough Chris was on, bang another cherry popped with a blue marlin estimated 100kgs soon tagged and released soon followed by Andy taking his first mi mi.

With the last morning coming upon us all the mojo and spiritual karma was being called upon, please let us all leave with our marlin cherry popped. It was not to be, whilst we managed to raise 4 fish for the day, dropped a blue estimated 150kg and didn’t get strikes from the others, that’s fishing. What else is fishing is making new friendships, experiencing new cultures and learning, learning you can never stop. Fishing, weather it be a sport, hobby, passion, means to an ends, or casual past time with the family, a lot can be taken in and it’s not just about the fishing! Then again the bragging rights of coming back to port on a game boat with the flying of the flags, did feel pretty damn good, yeah baby, we did well.

Massive thanks to the crew from Escapade, a better couple of guys you could not meet, their knowledge and willingness to take the time out to share it, from knot tying to reading charts, they gave all. The boat was equipped with the best selection of game gear available, from jigging and popping spin gear to the 15, 24 and 37kg Tiagra outfits and vast choice of lures. Second to none was also their hospitality and cooking aboard the boat, from day one the guys felt like we had fished with them before, the kind of good mates you would be taking away for a few days, the friendship only grew from there. After checking into the hotel we decided we may as well have our last drink and meal at the waterfront sitting by Escapade. This was to make for one of the funniest moments of the trip. The waiter approached us with the menu’s and then proceeded to announce the specials; we have fresh caught wahoo & mi mi today, hmm this sounds interesting I though as the 3 of us looked at each other blankly, then Andy asks, "was it one of these boats"?, "yes this one here" came back the waiter, they just came in with the fish, well the 3 of us howled in laughter and even more so when Andy ordered the mi mi as he couldn’t resist eating the very fish he caught. What more could one ask for, great company, kick ass boat, cultural experience, awesome fishing and within a 3hr flight of Melbourne.

Bring on the next sale!

Back to the Pond

2012-01-24T14:53:00.002+11:00

In this previous post on Ebb Tide Adventures The Pond at the End of the Street I wrote about the joys of exploring local waterways and the fishing hot spots you may find right under your nose.

In the last few months prior to departing Australia for the year, I had been busy exploring a few more local waterways and I was fortunate enough to have been led to a couple by friends. Blindfolded and sworn to secrecy the locations wont be revealed and not all produced but some were outstanding. Do you know whats on your doorstep, what have you found lately?? I am the hunt for some more local gems over here.

Friends n' foes

2012-01-16T19:19:00.001+11:00

Not always welcomed by fisher people, seals can be a complete pest as they steal your hooked fish, I have a personal vendetta against a couple of these fury thief's. The bottom photo in this post shows what a large male seal can do to a shark in this case a 36 kilogram gummy shark. We know how efficient seals are at targetting hooked tuna now matter how large the fish is. Despite being a pest at times, on occasion sitting back and watching them do their thing can be pretty entertaining.

Fun with frogs

2012-01-06T18:14:00.001+11:00

Many people love to chase the many species of flathead and why not, they are so accessible and in summer months particularly they come into very shallow water to ambush their food sources. This move in shallow gives everyone a chance, you don't even need a boat. There is no perfect location to find them but in any estuary or bay waters the combination of shallow water with a channel nearby, a weed bed and a rock or two will put you in with a better than average chance. My favorite method is to cast these area's thoroughly with a reasonably heavily weighted jig head of about 1/3 to 1/2 an ounce rigged with a paddle tailed shad soft bait, the 75 mm Squidgy Shad in any colour you choose is a great place to start. I favor a hopping style of slow retrieve which is easily achieved by slow rod lifts. Released for the fun of it or taken for some of the best seafood available, have a look in shallow.

Jurassic Park

2011-11-30T20:53:00.004+11:00

Just fresh back from a whirlwind trip to New Zealand I am quite awestruck with the place. Having only been to Christchurch before I found the rugged beauty of the North Island quite something and I can't find the words to do it justice, but Jurasic Park come off the top of the head, quite awesome. In summarising this trip, we traversed above the Bay of Islands at out of the way Whangaroa to avoid strong winds further south however we still met some uncomfortable conditions either side of one calm day where we made the absolute most of it. Whangaroa is a famous marlin port and we were definitely 'out of season' but it was a better option than sticking with the plan to fish the better known Coromandel area when the weather dictated we would not get out as we were fishing from a 5.5 meter trailer boat - the decision to stay or go is one of the many dilemmas in fishing.

We had pretty much no idea where to find the fish however a quick scan of a nautical chart revealed many a submerged pinnacle worthy of an explore and they did not disappoint. The bigger kingys that I was longing for were scarce but the sheer numbers of fish pretty much made up for it. Bust up after bust up provided a unique layer of birds, mako sharks and schooling trevally on the surface, kahawai just below, then rat kingfish, snapper mid water and then lower down numerous pesky jig stealing couta and some bigger kings of which a few provided a quick rub off on the ample reef testament that we had our chances. Jigging, soft baiting and surface luring all produced equally and quite simply, I am busy planning my return trip when the water is a touch warmer. Hope you enjoy the images.

Atomic Guzzlers were a hit with the locals!

Dory on a jig - not something you see every day and we snagged a couple

A magical view

All day the fish and birds were up on the surface - amazing stuff that gets the casting arm twitchy!

Its awesome when reds rise to midwater - they will hit a soft bait with enthusiasim!

Schooling silver trevally by the thousands

Swimming With Sails

2011-11-22T15:28:00.000+11:00

This article was first published on the web in 2010 by Jay Furniss and is reproduced here for your reading and visual pleasure - Rompin is clearly a special place that I intend to visit next year perhaps with jay showing me the ropes.

Rompin; Swimming with Sails

Three years ago I came across an article featuring Sail Fishing with ‘Hook on C Adventures’ in Malaysia. Unfortunately, I had just started a new job and the chance to scratch the Sail Fish itch was not likely anytime in the foreseeable future. Even so I kept the article in that pile of hope-to-one-day destinations, that most fishos like myself would have.

Fortunately, I live in a small costal town located on the Mornington Peninsula which provides great fishing on my doorstep, but when the opportunity arose to escape the 10 degree temperatures that winter had set upon us, it was an easy decision to pack the bags and head off chasing my dream.

On short notice, a family trip to Sri-Lanka had been planned and I knew this would be my chance to hit the Sails in Rompin, so straight to the magazine stash I went. A quick e-mail was sent to the charter operator Charles and within a few days the plan had been set and my five day family trip to Sri had been extended.

From the moment I arrived at the Rompin River Chalets, a soothing calm came over me. Whether this was the relief of stepping out of the white knuckle taxi ride from Johor Bahru or just part of the Malaysian ambiance, I am not sure.

Set on the banks of the Rompin River the village is a typical fishing village. There is the choice to stay at plusher accommodations down the road, but if you want a bit of cultural charm with your fishing holiday, there is no need to look any further. With comfortable air-conditioned twin rooms a stone’s throw from the water (one could cast a line whilst sitting in the room) this place is perfect!

Having arrived a couple hours prior to the fishing crews coming home I was free to poke my nose around and start to familiarize myself with this wonderful new setting. Soon enough I was hit by the aroma of chilly and garlic - so first thing firsts I got stuck into a local restaurant with the aid of a cool Tiger beer. Could this setting get any better? I doubt it.

Finally, the wait was over. I woke the next morning after hearing evening stories from the previous days fishing. To say I was over excited would be an understatement - and we hadn’t even left the dock yet. Charles asked me to stop pacing a couple of times.

But first things first – bait collection. As is often the case with any good fishing, fresh and live bait is best. We fished for a mix of scads, slimys and red bream which were soon brought on board and kept swimming in the massive live tanks. From there we headed out to the sail grounds; tell tale signs started to appear -with birds circling the time came to set the baits. Setting a live bait 4 – 5 meters below a balloon and drifting it out anywhere between 30 – 80 meters behind the boat was the chosen method. A very light or free spool drag is essential as the sails will quickly drop bait should they feel any tension early in a take. After an initial 6-10 second run the bail arm is flicked over or the drag is set. All things 4/0 – 5/0 circle hooks will set themselves without striking the rod. The use of circles hooks for releasing fish is essential and a very well practiced method on the sails.

As day one drew to an end I was still a sail virgin, we only took two fish for the day and dropped six. As it was early in the season, it was not unexpected that the fish were a bit finicky and mouthed the bait as opposed to smashing it.

That night there was a storm which gave me hope; with a rising barometer I could feel it was going to be the day - the one to pop my cherry, as they say. As it turned out, the early morning sky parting and radiant sun saw us set off for the sail grounds. There was a lot more bird activity that morning and within 10mins of leaving the bait grounds there they were; sails everywhere. Excited crew pointed with screams of, “one here, one there! Another one!” It was a sight to behold; they were everywhere, surface cruising in the morning sun.

With four live baits quickly set, I decided to try my luck at some sight popping off the front of the boat. Joined by AJ on his fly gear we quickly had a line up of sails following both popper and fly but unfortunately they just wouldn’t hit them. About five minutes in and just at the point when they were starting to look more likely to strike the call came, “guy’s your on!”

It was a double hook up on our ballooned rigs and you have never seen two guys move so fast from one end of the boat to the other. This was it, my time to land a sail! Ten minutes later, hugely disappointed, I was still a virgin. Not all was lost however, as AJ was still battling his fish.

As we re-set the baits, I was thrilled when I hear the reel scream. Bang I was on again and this time the result would be was different! A solid scream of the reel, then out she came, dancing and tail walking a solid 300 meters away. In and out, off she went for another 150mtrs with the aerial show continuing. After a forty five minute fight my first sail was traced, put in the boat for a quick photo and back in the water for the revival process. Essential for the survival of this fishery is the release process. Ensuring the fish swim off in the best condition possible. It can take up to 15-20 minutes but once you catch one of these magnificent animals you will understand why.

The rest of the day fired up with the captain A-Ping deciding to mix up the methods a bit as the sails were still being finicky. Trolling live baits was the call and in no time we had a double hook up with both fish landed immediately. A-Ping asked for the balloons to go out and bang, another double hook-up. We then went back on the troll, a four way strike had us all excited with two of the fish finally being boated.

Calling it a day, we started heading back to the river when we come across a couple of sails on the surface. A-Ping ordered us to cast poppers. Within two casts the popper I had the sail at the back of the boat and AJ pitched a live bait out. We were on again, what a way to finish the day!

It was an amazing days fishing to say the least. Sometimes it’s not just about the fish; to me the adventure, hunt and culture is all part of the grand experience.

Two things can be said when visiting Rompin fishing. You will never go short on amazing food. It has some of the best local cuisine in

Malaysia

. The local restaurant was one thing but the road house open restaurant, a short drive, was to die for. Over the 3 nights, I was astounded at what they could do with our left over bait, no joke! The selection of food was brilliant, I think we had around 8-12 courses each night of meats and seafood.

Finally, Charles is yet to leave a virgin sail fisher unfulfilled. Kuala Rompin is a hidden gem and I hope it stays that way. Sail fishing is some of the most explosive fishing you will ever come across, package that with a great cultural experience and it really makes for an ideal fishing holiday. I’m already planning my return. Thanks to Charles Lee of Hook On C Adventures http://www.hookoncadventures.com/

Interesting Finding

2011-11-17T13:04:00.000+11:00

Interesting finding of a tumour in a flathead taken from Port Philip Bay

During a recent fishing trip off Carrum, a flathead was caught with a severe lesion around its lower jaw. Fortunately it was possible to sample the lesion and have Panaquatic’s consultant veterinary pathologist, Dr John Humphrey, examine the tissue to determine what the lesion was. The lesion was a tumour known as a fibroma. It was confined to the lower mouth region and had not spread through to any other organs in the fish.

This type of tumour can affect a wide range of fish species. A single case like this is generally not a cause for concern. However, it would be interesting to know if any other flathead have been caught that have similar lesions as multiple findings of this type of lesion on this species of fish from one location would be interesting.

Paul Hardy-Smith

Principal Veterinarian
Panaquatic Health Solutions Pty Ltd
23rd October 2011
Phone: +61 (0) 3 9818 5100 Fax: +61 (0) 3 9818 1200 Mobile: 0404 121 996
www.panaquatic.com info@panaquatic.com

Japanese Fishing Royalty Comes to Town

2011-11-15T22:46:00.009+11:00

For those that aren't aware there is somewhat of a revolution in what we call squid fishing or good old squidding. I know its blasphemy to some purists (or is it that they just have not caught on?) but the Japanese influence on the gear and techniques under the broad banner of 'egi' has been significant. The interesting thing when considering this fad is.... well..... it works. For my money the techniques of darting or 'violent jerk' combine with the gear that is so well designed, weighted, finished, matched and the bottom line - effective that you can catch more squid and arguably have more fun doing it.

In Australia over the last two weeks we have been visited by the rock stars of Japanese fishing - the pro staff from Gan Craft. Its pretty curious and unfamiliar to Australians to combine the concept of clebrity and fishing but these guys commonly get mobbed in their native land so big is the sport and their status within it built primarily through the bass fishing scene and to a lesser extent egi. Founder and owner of Gan Craft Mr Hiraiwa (Gancha) breezed in with his entourage and the team competed in the Eden leg of the Yamashita Squid Series, the national squid comp http://www.australianegitournaments.com.au/ and absolutely blitzed the field both days. Interestingly they don't normally fish tournaments so perhaps they should!

I caught up with the crew whist they delivered an in-store demonstration at Fishing Fever in Mordialloc this week and found them to be great guys. Whilst I have been fishing using egi techniques for a couple of years now, I actually realised how little I know but it was great to meet the guys and chew the fat, I may have even learnt a thing or two. If you get a chance to go along to one of their presentations, or the other variants around town I encourage you to do so.

Lee Raynor and Morne Mulers Fishing Fever

Australian Egi Tournament Paul Carter warms up the crowd

Mr Hiraiwa takes us through the concept of 'violent jerk'

The Fishing Fever crew looks interested!

The Gan Craft crew - Mr Kake, Mr Hiraiwa, Paul Carter and Mr Yuach

New Victorian Based Fishing Guides

2011-11-14T15:17:00.000+11:00

The concept of employing a fishing guide is not a new one when it comes to the travelling angler, but is less considered when thinking of your own backyard because we think we 'have it all covered'. Regardless of your skill and experience level, the learning process never ends and even the most seasoned anglers know that you should never close off the mind to how others do it. For 'newbies' embarking on their fishing and boating journey, engaging someone to teach you how to operate you boat, electronics and successfully target local species is a wise investment - fishing is after all more fun when you know what you are doing!

Victorians now have two new but highly experienced guides to choose from depending upon your fishing preferences - I have fished extensively with both these gents and can assure you of money well spent.

Dale McClelland (Victorian Saltwater Fishing) contactable on dale@victoriansaltwaterfishing.com or 0400902492.

and Marty Ellul (Southwest Guiding) contactable on marcaz1969@yahoo.com.au or 0409366151

Dale being a south-east Melbourne local is the man to speak to for your Port Phillip Bay and Westernport needs while Marty based out of Warrnambool covers the west coast both inshore and bluewater.

Dale McClelland - Victorian Saltwater Fishing

Marty Ellul - Southwest Guiding

East of the Prom

2011-11-06T11:15:00.001+11:00

I was pretty pumped to get back down to the Prom. Recently I had been on a land-based mission around the western side and on this occasion it was an explore to the east side from Port Welshpool with local gun Rodney Gilham. I had not fished from Welshpool for many years so it was another eye opener at both the fishing opportunities and the beauty of the area. The day turned it on weather wise allowing for good light for photography and offshore the water clarity around the islands was excellent and had that turquoise colour synonymous with waters much further north. Cruising around in Rod's Quintrex 'Top Ender' made me feel like we were not in Victoria at all. We sought a mixed bag of bread and butter fish for the day and were pretty well rewarded - I saw enough to say I need to get back again soon.

Random Favorites

2011-10-30T13:46:00.002+11:00

Well there was no fishing this weekend for me and I cant even paint the fence with this rain so I find myself looking at some old favourite shots - they are about a random a selection as you could assemble but it beats tidying the sock draw!

Mates Day on the Bay 2011

2011-10-25T18:16:00.002+11:00

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.

Raining Red

2011-10-21T15:09:00.001+11:00

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.

The pond at the end of the street

2011-09-18T12:33:00.004+10:00

Have you ever wondered what's in the local lake? There is sure to be some carp wherever you go but who knows what else? If you pack a few assorted lures such as vibes, small hard bodies, plastics or even a good old fashioned spinner or two you have the right offerings to see if there are any resident predators. Add a light spin stick and a 1000 or 2000 sized spin reel and your away. You may find that a couple of hours will quickly melt away while you go for a stroll and who knows what you may discover!

The simple things

2011-08-29T20:34:00.002+10:00

A recent trip from Inverloch to the edge of Wilsons Prom was a great reminder of some of the simple but great things in life, including in no particular order, the beach, kids and fish - they just work so well together! The place is a parents, fisho's and photographers paradise, get there when you can

Red is in the air...

2011-08-20T14:21:00.004+10:00

Its soon that time again - red fever in Victoria when good weather will be met with a flurry of activity as boaties discover flat batteries, cob webs and corrosion as they pull the cover off the boat and get it ready for the new ‘season’ ahead. We are all eagerly anticipating this warmer weather and what it will bring, with plenty of conjecture around the timing of the bite beginning, the size of the run and the various views surrounding what the average size of the fish will be are all common discussion points. We have been as spoilt as an only child of recent years with each season seemingly better then the last – can this trend continue? I would think at some time the snapper resurgence must plateau but am happy to be proved wrong! The subject of the success of a season is an interesting point and difficult to definitively measure but it’s certainly been very good over the last decade. The trial dredging and then the actual dredging of Port Phillip Bay and the resulting failed spawns of those years must surely begin to show soon with gaps in the fish sizes. As good as our fishery is now; the questions remain for Victorian snapper aficionados can it get better? Please enjoy this teaser to get the juices flowing and get the boat in for a service now, and remember where these fish come from! p.s. the bays are full of garfish at the moment, get out early and stock up on some of the best bait available.

Smooth waters

2011-08-07T09:02:00.002+10:00

Its was a pretty eagerly anticipated good weather forecast for Melbourne this weekend and many hit the water with winter squid in mind. It was awesome to be out and enjoy some weak winter sun surrounded by threatening clouds on the horizon on flat waters. Squidding or the modern evolution 'egiing' is something I love; its low stress, high reward and complete with good company and home made salami (thanks Frank) all I need for a great day. It seems many did it a bit harder finding squid in the middle reaches and northern end of Port Phillip Bay today however down south the inkers were plentiful although not terribly large around the tide changes. The amount of bait visible in the water and via sonar shows just how healthy our local waters are at the moment, the fat gannets are a bit of a give away as well.

Northern Exposure

2011-07-30T11:27:00.003+10:00

A recent trip to the Northern Territory gave a very welcome respite from the extremely cold winter we are experiencing down south. Some great fishing and photography opportunities were only overshadowed by great company and good times! The territory is a pretty special place where a relaxed outlook on life and boat ownership are mandatory. There is one thing for sure, up north pretty much everything that swims has a fairly sharp set of dentures - I cant wait to get back!

Break in the weather

2011-07-16T21:01:00.005+10:00

Well Victorians know just how cold this last week has been, today was still literally freezing at dawn but at least we had a respite from the wind for a day. A quick trip on Westernport was in order and whilst the fishing was slow, mother nature was magnificent, a big spring tide, full moon and a small pod what we now think may have been juvenile humpbacks whales cruising up the North Arm on dawn. Whilst I did not have my good camera available today, some reasonable results were achieved with a cheap point and shoot.

Big, grey and beautiful

2011-07-10T22:15:00.002+10:00

The unfortunately named gummy shark is a premier southern sportfish. Whilst not a glamour species, they put up a great fight with long powerful runs. So often they are caught around light changes as these photo's shown which makes it a challenge to capture them at the photogenic best.

Tuna Pondering

2011-07-03T09:59:00.004+10:00

Another Victorian tuna season begins to slow down with the charter operators getting ready to focus on species closer to Melbourne. There are still good fish to be caught however before the run disappears for the year. It was another great season on the tuna and they seem to steadily get better if that's possible. The big revelation for 2011 was the wider discovery of Apollo Bay as an amazing big fish location with so many 100 kilo plus fish caught. One question keeps popping up for me though, where are the fish between 30 and 70 kilograms? They have turned up in numbers on the south coast but are a rarity in Victoria....regardless of the size of them, southern bluefin tuna are a beautiful fish.

Spectacular South Coast

2011-06-29T20:30:00.004+10:00

The great weather forecast for the weekend called for a trip to one of my favourite hunting grounds the south coast of New South Wales. This place holds so many memories for me going back to my child hood and every time I point the car east to head there the anticipation builds. Sometimes its a gentle almost giving ocean other times it can be a beast. On this occasion, she was very kind.

Sunday Salmon

2011-06-19T20:40:00.006+10:00

With strong north westerly winds around southern Victoria today there were not too many coastal fishing options. For the die hards, it is the perfect day for some back beach or estuary action - well today I got out with a few mates and did both.

Blue Dynamite

2011-06-18T22:56:00.003+10:00

Wow - mako's are a special, spectacular and potentially very dangerous shark - at well over 200 kilos this big girl put on a great show and left us in awe. Thanks to common sense anglers can still catch these fish and keep them for some of the best eating available - or responsibly release them as this princess was. see you next time!

The kings of Coffin Bay

2011-06-14T21:43:00.005+10:00

Last November I had the pleasure of spending five days fishing for the massive yellowtail kingfish that spawn in the quiet shallow waters of Coffin Bay South Australia each year. Dan Lee and I joined Dave O'Brien who had already spent the five days previous sitting out long sessions without seeing a scale. Over the last two days of the trip our anticipation started to grow as a couple of fish were caught by other crews. Right on cue, two hours before we needed to scamper for Port Lincoln to catch flights this beast showed up with a big crunch! Congratulations to Dave who had invested a trip the year prior as well - a fish well earnt and to Dave's credit, released to swim again - special...

Cephalopods

2011-06-14T19:37:00.009+10:00

I find squid of all types to be among the most fascinating sea critters - I would love to keep some in a salt water tank but the ink would be a problem no doubt! They are so much fun for the young and

young at heart!

Surf Coast Sambo's

2011-06-13T22:09:00.003+10:00

The long weekend called for a trip down to Apollo Bay where the surf salmon played the game - its a beautiful part of the world... I even had to do some self timer photography!

My favourite fish

2011-06-09T21:44:00.006+10:00

I love bill fish of all types and this series of shots from a memorable trip to Jervis Bay a couple of years ago should show why. I can only hope I see this many striped marlin again in one day - they were everywhere you looked!

White water at Portland

2011-06-08T19:21:00.002+10:00

An interesting shot of a southern blue fin tuna reacting to the gaff - you certainly need to hang on even with the small fish!

Quick trip to Wye River

2011-06-07T18:18:00.007+10:00

Regardless of the weather you need to fish right?! With few options to choose from for shelter, we decided on Wye River and managed to not avoid the weather at all - it was cold wet and miserable - but the salmon were there on the tide change and not a bad size either.

Hi all - first post

2011-05-30T19:31:00.004+10:00

Hi everyone, welcome to my blog - hopefully this is the first post of many! I have decided to set this up to share my love of fishing, the marine environment and photography I hope you enjoy. Its pretty cold in Melbourne at the moment but the fishing can still be good if you are brave enough to venture out. Here is a photo I took a couple of weeks ago at Cemetery Beach near Kilcunda - pretty dramatic sky that day!