Friday 3rd July 2015
Tackle specials and angling politics
from Downrigger Shop
Mid winter and school holidays meaning lots of our readers out on the water finding quality fish. It’s my favourite time of the year. Icy cold mornings a challenge but fishing in the golden light of a winter afternoon enjoyable on so many levels. Especially when good fish are around like they are this season. Dave Frank stopped by for a Tanacom 750 combo only last week and wasted no time in giving it a workout:
Team Costello (minus Greg) out at Browns but bringing home blue eye trevalla, not gemfish:
Hi Andrew, here is a picture of some nice blue eye from Browns last Sunday. Unfortunately I had to work so I missed out.
That’s a shame but plenty more prime time to go, Greg. Murray O’Dea fishing an all time fave spots, the lucky dawg:
Andrew, Just a few beauties we caught at Allmark. Got these on ur jigging combos mate. Awesome rods an feel. Done the job
Glad you’re pleased my friend and even gladder you’re generous enough to send this top report. Peter G and crew had a good one last week off the NSW central coast:
Hi Andrew we fished central coast over the weekend. We had Mike and Luke onboard on their first trip offshore. Nothing big but a great day out. 5 kings to 80 and a nice big fat 82 trag. First fish on the first drop was to one of your jigs with live yellowtail taking the rest. Attached are a few pics for you. Mike with arms stretched moments after he asked if he would feel a kingfish bite and Luke with his 82 trag.
Isn’t it fantastic the way teraglin are roaring back numbers wise, Pete? Just a few years ago you almost never saw one, now they’re quite a regular capture. Trent at Texas too, family trip:
G'day Andrew, not long back from offshore today. Did you go out? We did it tough. Bait was hard to get and conditions not as good as forecast until the run home. Only 5 boats out. Was there 2 hours before the tide change till an hour after and the only hits we had on the jigs for 3 solid hours were 3 barracuda. Finally got a hit on the livey which produced a nice 94cm to save the day. Seems to have gone a bit cold on the 100m reefs, is that what your hearing? My old man Warwick and his mate Pete
Yes mate we did go that day (to the Peak) and much like yourself found the going generally tough - until Callum saved the day with a teraglin on a live slimy mackerel:
Yours truly trying to get offshore whenever weather (and workload!) permits. So when Josh from Narrabri emailed last week to order a heap of tackle and told me he and two mates were headed for Sydney I invited them to come for a run out wide. Out to Browns and checked in with Matt Cassar, who was heading off to drop a one metre (!) jig he bought at the boatshow. Just hoping that was on the electric reels shown, the thought of bringing it up manually gives me a twinge downstairs:
After seeing his great catch (see first pic in the report) we were at fever pitch to get into the action. First drop, two smallish gemfish:
And so it went. A constant procession of gemfish, with Josh’s alfonsino to liven things up:
By late morning we had our bag limit. It was time for a change of tactics. I knew the lads would be over the moon at a mako hook up so a gemfish head was deployed 70m down and 50m back, under a balloon:
The live slimy was set at 200 metres on a breakaway sinker in the hope of an albacore. Two drifts across the top of the mountain, no result. So time for a change of plan. With the seas flatter than Miley Cyrus’ chest the best option on the way home was the Peak. That had delivered Callum’s 85cm teraglin on Tuesday. But intel received subsequently told me it was dead, kingie wise. Staying positive we set up a drift over some linear marks that fit the direction. Duncan hooked up hard on the live yellowtail. Result: this fat 90cm, which went like a freight train on his long slow action rod:
What a great day. The boys had a ball and their enthusiasm was infectious. Welcome back anytime, lads. But it’s not just offshore where good things are happening. Derryn out with his son and heirs at Forster:
Hi Andrew, Hope you are well. Unfortunately knee surgery and changing jobs has taken a toll on the fishing front, so have been playing catch up. Rather than bore you with lots of photos and reports, recent highlight is a 97cm flathead my son (in the middle of the photo) caught in Forster recently. We estimated it at 7kg. Caught on a live mullet using your small spinning reel with 12lb braid. Carefully released to grow over the magical metre mark.
Great pic Derryn! Hang onto that one for the boys’ 21sts? Mark Wilson has a ripper sesh off Broken Bay and is generous to send the waypoints (!) That’s above and beyond the call of duty:
as you know Sunday was pretty bumpy and windy and I find the micro's work best when you can get a nice slow drift especially for the reds. I had to anchor up for your lucky readers. Plenty for every one 33-33-010 151-24-420 how ya like them apples yes right co. Ps salted down big fat juicy pilchards.
Too good of you dude! To tackle, and with the north Queensland mackerel season steadily simmering to a boil downrigger orders have been white hot. Feedback from new owner Dave explains why:
55lb Spanish first fish on the downrigger, first trip
Just so good. The retirement dream is to spend a season following the mackerel run down the east coast. Start at Lizard Island in June, and finish at Crescent Head the next May. Then turn around and jig kingfish all the way back to Noosa until Christmas. WHO’S WITH ME? J Dave after a 24 kilo game combo. Here’s our new one, just in time for tuna and mako season:
Model: TICA SB30MG lever drag game reel
Gear ratio: 3.7:1
Weight: 1.3 kilos
Drag 16 kilos
Ball bearings 6
Line: 720m of 50-pound (500m x 50-pound CC braid, 220m x 50-pound mono) prespooled
Line retrieve per handle turn: 92cm
Reel clamp and neoprene reel cover included, handle has adjustable length
Price, reel and line only: $480
Price, combo inc reel, line, matching bent butt rod: $570
Last but not least and Bob Greenhill wants to trade in his 80W electric because it’s too big for the rod holders on his Whittley. Meaning there’s a great deal going, for anyone interested in hard core deep dropping. Here’s the details:
Reel: 80W (originally built for Quantum)
Reel weight: 8.5 kilos;
Reel lift: 45 kilos. The only reel on the market this compares with is the Daiwa Marine Power;
Line:1000m x 200-pound braid (included)
Reel recently serviced, has some scratches on the motor housing
Suits Daiwa Saltiga deep drop bent butt, which we have in stock;
Price new: $1200
Price used: $850, six months warranty
Send me an email if interested? Here’s a short video of this reel pulling up a WA swordfish. It’s a weapon:
News of the Weird and Chris Colvin likes to start crew training early:
I'm told the key to successful tuna fishing is, 'to be ready'. I think we are good to go!!
Dang right! After his bottle and a nappy change its back on the berley chomper youngster. Jamie Illistom reporting on a new seafood line:
I've never seen yellowtail advertised as an eating fish before. Especially on a paid ad. I wonder how they would go as bait.
Dunno! Prices look pretty good, that’s way lower than basa. Steve Bowler from SFP says Valley Taxidermy are offering a striking mako wall mount:
Now that’s what a I call a wall hanger. Not weird by any means, but good news. Bill’s back in the studio:
Hey mate, it’s Bill again. Hoping u might be able to post a new painting.
Of course! Contact Bill directly on 0402 587844.
Points south and the colder it gets the faster the bluefin run heats up. Mark Way from Kiama GFC:
Steve Banks n team Frantic just got back from Bermagui and caught a few nice Bluefin tuna (40 & 60kg's), see photos attached. "no Bananas or Esmays on the boat"! Hopefully the Bluefin will be up here in a few weeks? Some goss about Yellowfin at the Canyons?
Right on top of that goss Mark, thanks to Lee Graham:
That was Friday in 900 of the back of kiama canyons
Solid! Thanks Lee, what a magnificent fish they are. Team Westlake at Warrnambool. Andy’s got the bluefin sorted:
Hi Andrew, great day out today, 6 tuna easy and my sons first two. Great time together. This season just goes on and on.
Good to know mon frère, can’t wait til they reach our neck of the woods. More family bluefin from Simon Gayler and daughter Danielle:
120 kilo blue fin caught off eagle hawks nest
Ask Doctor Andy (!), and Jamie’s got a timely question:
Hi Andy, Im loooking for some advice about Browns. Im going to have a run out there soon for the first time. Ive got the boat all sorted and am ready to give it a run. What i don't want to do is outlay $1000 in gear for an electric and rod, only to find either myself or my boat are not into it. Whats your opinion on doing a deep drop with either small deck winch. Holds 1000mtrs of 80lb braid and I'm guessing it would retrieve about 1mtr per turn. or i have a tld50 two speed loaded with 1000mtrs of 50b mono. do you think either of them would be ok, for one run to do a couple of drops just to see how i go out there, or am i wasting my time totally?
+++++++++++++++
There’s pluses, minuses and lots of variables. Let’s look at the pluses first.
We have had blokes do this on our boat and it has worked fine. Set yourself up with a game reel with a good size spool and hopefully, two speed retrieve. Probably best to start with one hook and bait only.
I would recommend braid because I find drag is a huge factor in deep dropping. To defeat drag you can either increase sinker weight or decrease the volume of what you are dropping – including bait and hook size, avoiding shark clips and lights, that kind of thing. Using mono will dramatically increase drag. If you haven’t done it before you might be surprised to watch the way the reel almost over runs at the start of a drop but then the spool turns slowly as sinker nears the bottom – thanks to drag and water resistance. Just by the way drag is nowhere near as much of a factor for me because I am so lucky to be able to fish almost any day. Of course I choose the calm or even glassed out days. But of course most fishos can only go on one day of the weekend and often have to take their chances with the weather or go in less than perfect conditions. Wind drift adds to drag;
Before you even get on the boat get a comfortable kidney harness and rod bucket and adjust them perfectly for comfortable winding. I cannot over estimate how important that factor is with manual deep dropping. It is also pretty helpful if you have some structure to rest your back against, like the side of a centre cab. Anyone doing it manually gets extra fisho creds for his commitment.
Now for the downside.
Just my theory but the gemfish phenomenon at Browns is a spawning run. Copper coloured fish are in spawning mode, the silver ones are sexually immature. The female releases eggs, the male releases milt, just like trout in a stream. The fertilised eggs drift down the coast in the current attracting every shark in creation. And there seems to be more sharks every year, because we are talking about open water sharks like bronze whalers, threshers, makos whose numbers are on a big bounce back since foreign long liners were banned in the AFZ. It is more common than ever to lose a hooked fish on the way up and that is particularly annoying when you are bringing them up manually. I was actually photographing a guy while that happened last year, the language was incredible. Bringing a fish up manually means it will be in the shark strike zone a lot longer, than if you are doing it with an electric reel.
One last thing to mention? I am thinking about renting out a Tanacom 1000/ Saltiga bent butt combo to clients I know and trust – like you. Because I understand the reality of busy blokes not wanting to spend a grand, when they don’t have much time to get out there. Nutting that out this weekend and will have an update in the next report, Andy
To politics and one of the greatest fighters for our fishing freedoms is of course Les Palmer from South West Rocks.
Les was a key part of the fightback which regained angling access to Fish Rock, and reopened the boat ramp at Laggers Point.
Recently he was fighting hard yet again – this time for his own life, in Port Macquarie Hospital. Sadly late last week that battle was lost. Our thoughts go to Jenny, Glen, his family and friends. Les will never be forgotten. His legacy of confronting and defeating those who oppose us lives on, to inspire us all. Rest in peace my friend:
Hi Andrew, Just a quick note. Sadly as the sun rose, 25/6/15, this morning, my brother, Les Palmer from South West Rocks passed away from an illness. He will be greatly missed by many. Will keep you posted. Glen Cadoo
Thinking of you and the family Glen and grateful for your updates during this difficult time. Until next week,
Andrew Hestelow
Managing Director
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Mid winter and school holidays meaning lots of our readers out on the water finding quality fish. It’s my favourite time of the year. Icy cold mornings a challenge but fishing in the golden light of a winter afternoon enjoyable on so many levels. Especially when good fish are around like they are this season. Dave Frank stopped by for a Tanacom 750 combo only last week and wasted no time in giving it a workout:
Team Costello (minus Greg) out at Browns but bringing home blue eye trevalla, not gemfish:
Hi Andrew, here is a picture of some nice blue eye from Browns last Sunday. Unfortunately I had to work so I missed out.
That’s a shame but plenty more prime time to go, Greg. Murray O’Dea fishing an all time fave spots, the lucky dawg:
Andrew, Just a few beauties we caught at Allmark. Got these on ur jigging combos mate. Awesome rods an feel. Done the job
Glad you’re pleased my friend and even gladder you’re generous enough to send this top report. Peter G and crew had a good one last week off the NSW central coast:
Hi Andrew we fished central coast over the weekend. We had Mike and Luke onboard on their first trip offshore. Nothing big but a great day out. 5 kings to 80 and a nice big fat 82 trag. First fish on the first drop was to one of your jigs with live yellowtail taking the rest. Attached are a few pics for you. Mike with arms stretched moments after he asked if he would feel a kingfish bite and Luke with his 82 trag.
Isn’t it fantastic the way teraglin are roaring back numbers wise, Pete? Just a few years ago you almost never saw one, now they’re quite a regular capture. Trent at Texas too, family trip:
G'day Andrew, not long back from offshore today. Did you go out? We did it tough. Bait was hard to get and conditions not as good as forecast until the run home. Only 5 boats out. Was there 2 hours before the tide change till an hour after and the only hits we had on the jigs for 3 solid hours were 3 barracuda. Finally got a hit on the livey which produced a nice 94cm to save the day. Seems to have gone a bit cold on the 100m reefs, is that what your hearing? My old man Warwick and his mate Pete
Yes mate we did go that day (to the Peak) and much like yourself found the going generally tough - until Callum saved the day with a teraglin on a live slimy mackerel:
Yours truly trying to get offshore whenever weather (and workload!) permits. So when Josh from Narrabri emailed last week to order a heap of tackle and told me he and two mates were headed for Sydney I invited them to come for a run out wide. Out to Browns and checked in with Matt Cassar, who was heading off to drop a one metre (!) jig he bought at the boatshow. Just hoping that was on the electric reels shown, the thought of bringing it up manually gives me a twinge downstairs:
After seeing his great catch (see first pic in the report) we were at fever pitch to get into the action. First drop, two smallish gemfish:
And so it went. A constant procession of gemfish, with Josh’s alfonsino to liven things up:
By late morning we had our bag limit. It was time for a change of tactics. I knew the lads would be over the moon at a mako hook up so a gemfish head was deployed 70m down and 50m back, under a balloon:
The live slimy was set at 200 metres on a breakaway sinker in the hope of an albacore. Two drifts across the top of the mountain, no result. So time for a change of plan. With the seas flatter than Miley Cyrus’ chest the best option on the way home was the Peak. That had delivered Callum’s 85cm teraglin on Tuesday. But intel received subsequently told me it was dead, kingie wise. Staying positive we set up a drift over some linear marks that fit the direction. Duncan hooked up hard on the live yellowtail. Result: this fat 90cm, which went like a freight train on his long slow action rod:
What a great day. The boys had a ball and their enthusiasm was infectious. Welcome back anytime, lads. But it’s not just offshore where good things are happening. Derryn out with his son and heirs at Forster:
Hi Andrew, Hope you are well. Unfortunately knee surgery and changing jobs has taken a toll on the fishing front, so have been playing catch up. Rather than bore you with lots of photos and reports, recent highlight is a 97cm flathead my son (in the middle of the photo) caught in Forster recently. We estimated it at 7kg. Caught on a live mullet using your small spinning reel with 12lb braid. Carefully released to grow over the magical metre mark.
Great pic Derryn! Hang onto that one for the boys’ 21sts? Mark Wilson has a ripper sesh off Broken Bay and is generous to send the waypoints (!) That’s above and beyond the call of duty:
as you know Sunday was pretty bumpy and windy and I find the micro's work best when you can get a nice slow drift especially for the reds. I had to anchor up for your lucky readers. Plenty for every one 33-33-010 151-24-420 how ya like them apples yes right co. Ps salted down big fat juicy pilchards.
Too good of you dude! To tackle, and with the north Queensland mackerel season steadily simmering to a boil downrigger orders have been white hot. Feedback from new owner Dave explains why:
55lb Spanish first fish on the downrigger, first trip
Just so good. The retirement dream is to spend a season following the mackerel run down the east coast. Start at Lizard Island in June, and finish at Crescent Head the next May. Then turn around and jig kingfish all the way back to Noosa until Christmas. WHO’S WITH ME? J Dave after a 24 kilo game combo. Here’s our new one, just in time for tuna and mako season:
Model: TICA SB30MG lever drag game reel
Gear ratio: 3.7:1
Weight: 1.3 kilos
Drag 16 kilos
Ball bearings 6
Line: 720m of 50-pound (500m x 50-pound CC braid, 220m x 50-pound mono) prespooled
Line retrieve per handle turn: 92cm
Reel clamp and neoprene reel cover included, handle has adjustable length
Price, reel and line only: $480
Price, combo inc reel, line, matching bent butt rod: $570
Last but not least and Bob Greenhill wants to trade in his 80W electric because it’s too big for the rod holders on his Whittley. Meaning there’s a great deal going, for anyone interested in hard core deep dropping. Here’s the details:
Reel: 80W (originally built for Quantum)
Reel weight: 8.5 kilos;
Reel lift: 45 kilos. The only reel on the market this compares with is the Daiwa Marine Power;
Line:1000m x 200-pound braid (included)
Reel recently serviced, has some scratches on the motor housing
Suits Daiwa Saltiga deep drop bent butt, which we have in stock;
Price new: $1200
Price used: $850, six months warranty
Send me an email if interested? Here’s a short video of this reel pulling up a WA swordfish. It’s a weapon:
News of the Weird and Chris Colvin likes to start crew training early:
I'm told the key to successful tuna fishing is, 'to be ready'. I think we are good to go!!
Dang right! After his bottle and a nappy change its back on the berley chomper youngster. Jamie Illistom reporting on a new seafood line:
I've never seen yellowtail advertised as an eating fish before. Especially on a paid ad. I wonder how they would go as bait.
Dunno! Prices look pretty good, that’s way lower than basa. Steve Bowler from SFP says Valley Taxidermy are offering a striking mako wall mount:
Now that’s what a I call a wall hanger. Not weird by any means, but good news. Bill’s back in the studio:
Hey mate, it’s Bill again. Hoping u might be able to post a new painting.
Of course! Contact Bill directly on 0402 587844.
Points south and the colder it gets the faster the bluefin run heats up. Mark Way from Kiama GFC:
Steve Banks n team Frantic just got back from Bermagui and caught a few nice Bluefin tuna (40 & 60kg's), see photos attached. "no Bananas or Esmays on the boat"! Hopefully the Bluefin will be up here in a few weeks? Some goss about Yellowfin at the Canyons?
Right on top of that goss Mark, thanks to Lee Graham:
That was Friday in 900 of the back of kiama canyons
Solid! Thanks Lee, what a magnificent fish they are. Team Westlake at Warrnambool. Andy’s got the bluefin sorted:
Hi Andrew, great day out today, 6 tuna easy and my sons first two. Great time together. This season just goes on and on.
Good to know mon frère, can’t wait til they reach our neck of the woods. More family bluefin from Simon Gayler and daughter Danielle:
120 kilo blue fin caught off eagle hawks nest
Ask Doctor Andy (!), and Jamie’s got a timely question:
Hi Andy, Im loooking for some advice about Browns. Im going to have a run out there soon for the first time. Ive got the boat all sorted and am ready to give it a run. What i don't want to do is outlay $1000 in gear for an electric and rod, only to find either myself or my boat are not into it. Whats your opinion on doing a deep drop with either small deck winch. Holds 1000mtrs of 80lb braid and I'm guessing it would retrieve about 1mtr per turn. or i have a tld50 two speed loaded with 1000mtrs of 50b mono. do you think either of them would be ok, for one run to do a couple of drops just to see how i go out there, or am i wasting my time totally?
+++++++++++++++
There’s pluses, minuses and lots of variables. Let’s look at the pluses first.
We have had blokes do this on our boat and it has worked fine. Set yourself up with a game reel with a good size spool and hopefully, two speed retrieve. Probably best to start with one hook and bait only.
I would recommend braid because I find drag is a huge factor in deep dropping. To defeat drag you can either increase sinker weight or decrease the volume of what you are dropping – including bait and hook size, avoiding shark clips and lights, that kind of thing. Using mono will dramatically increase drag. If you haven’t done it before you might be surprised to watch the way the reel almost over runs at the start of a drop but then the spool turns slowly as sinker nears the bottom – thanks to drag and water resistance. Just by the way drag is nowhere near as much of a factor for me because I am so lucky to be able to fish almost any day. Of course I choose the calm or even glassed out days. But of course most fishos can only go on one day of the weekend and often have to take their chances with the weather or go in less than perfect conditions. Wind drift adds to drag;
Before you even get on the boat get a comfortable kidney harness and rod bucket and adjust them perfectly for comfortable winding. I cannot over estimate how important that factor is with manual deep dropping. It is also pretty helpful if you have some structure to rest your back against, like the side of a centre cab. Anyone doing it manually gets extra fisho creds for his commitment.
Now for the downside.
Just my theory but the gemfish phenomenon at Browns is a spawning run. Copper coloured fish are in spawning mode, the silver ones are sexually immature. The female releases eggs, the male releases milt, just like trout in a stream. The fertilised eggs drift down the coast in the current attracting every shark in creation. And there seems to be more sharks every year, because we are talking about open water sharks like bronze whalers, threshers, makos whose numbers are on a big bounce back since foreign long liners were banned in the AFZ. It is more common than ever to lose a hooked fish on the way up and that is particularly annoying when you are bringing them up manually. I was actually photographing a guy while that happened last year, the language was incredible. Bringing a fish up manually means it will be in the shark strike zone a lot longer, than if you are doing it with an electric reel.
One last thing to mention? I am thinking about renting out a Tanacom 1000/ Saltiga bent butt combo to clients I know and trust – like you. Because I understand the reality of busy blokes not wanting to spend a grand, when they don’t have much time to get out there. Nutting that out this weekend and will have an update in the next report, Andy
To politics and one of the greatest fighters for our fishing freedoms is of course Les Palmer from South West Rocks.
Les was a key part of the fightback which regained angling access to Fish Rock, and reopened the boat ramp at Laggers Point.
Recently he was fighting hard yet again – this time for his own life, in Port Macquarie Hospital. Sadly late last week that battle was lost. Our thoughts go to Jenny, Glen, his family and friends. Les will never be forgotten. His legacy of confronting and defeating those who oppose us lives on, to inspire us all. Rest in peace my friend:
Hi Andrew, Just a quick note. Sadly as the sun rose, 25/6/15, this morning, my brother, Les Palmer from South West Rocks passed away from an illness. He will be greatly missed by many. Will keep you posted. Glen Cadoo
Thinking of you and the family Glen and grateful for your updates during this difficult time. Until next week,
Andrew Hestelow
Managing Director