After the crazy kingfish action in our last report, things have ramped up in a big way. Gamefishing season hitting its peak and the inbox flooded with mahi and marlin reports. Which I don’t mind at all. Richie Inglis and crew pleased as punch with their nice black:

 

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Hey Andy, this is the black we got on Sunday after trolling for about 45 minutes, we were about 5-6km east of long bay in 47 fathoms. Fish was 38kg and lure was a Pakula mosquito in (I think I may have said it was frigate on the phone but I'm not sure without looking). We also got a barracuda (we think) but dropped him at the back of the boat. The bloke in the shimano jumper was the man on the reel

 

Great stuff. Fishing in summer rain awesome too. Top bloke and regular contributor Matt Cassar off Sydney in his Quintrex:

 

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Hi Andrew, had a cracker of a weekend starting with a black marlin around the 40kg mark. Then out again on Sunday 0.0.0 on marlin but we got a cracking WAHOO.

 

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Well done bloke you fish hard and you desrve those two beauties. Is that our 24 kilo game combo in the starboard rod holder? J Andrew Ericsson off Sydney last week. Live bait deadly on dollies:

 

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Was able to keep my yakkas alive overnight in a collapsible mesh bait storage device from bcf that you're recommended. 3x 1.2mtrs Dollies caught in 100 fathoms out from broken bay. 2 x released. Cheers. Andrew

 

Cheers to you too my friend, that’s a good fish. Guy Edmonds finds a solid one close in:

 

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Trolling off Sydney heads about 2 km out on a fathead skirt tiagra 50 wide. 1.35 cm 12 kg

Nice. Grateful for your report, Guy. Jack Scoles had to settle for a fallback option:

 

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No dollies mate but got 3 striped marlin right on the shelf directly west of browns

 

Stay strong Jack one day it will happen for you. J PS well done to all. Haven’t heard from Ed Aspden for a long time. But I knew he’d be out there doing it. Impressed to find out what he’s been doing is beyond my wildest dreams:

 

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On my 8kg spin rod yesterday

 

What a classic pic. Closer in, and Dan covered himself in glory on Thursday night with some good jewfish from Sydney’s hardest fished waters:

 

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weather was ok but windy. I doubt we would catch anything. I was so so so wrong. Would you believe not one but two 1.1 meter jews. Could not believe my eyes.

 

Blimey. I could go some jewfish cutlets if you’re passing by, Dan? We umm .. err .. haven’t been quite as successful, lately. Heading south and so much good news from Victoria. Geoff Wilson of Fishing Knots and Rigs fame sends a prime report:

 

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Taking advantage of good weather on Sunday, Kevin McLoughlin and Paul Carson headed out off Torquay where they put a large bait out on game fishing tackle hopeful of catching a decent shark. On the drift in 28 metres, the reel growled into life, heralding a long drawn-out battle that lasted almost two and a half hours before they were able to subdue their protagonist, a bronze whaler that later weighed 127 kg.

 

What a battle that must have been, bronzies go so hard. Dan says the tuna are back in western Vic already:

 

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Approx 60kg tuna caught out wide off Warrnambool by Warrnambool Boat Charters.  Interesting...  Plenty of bait around out wide by all reports.

 

News of the Weird and Richie Inglis spots another stinker sinker in Rose Bay (Sydney Harbour) on Saturday morning (27th Feb.) When I become Prime Minister I’ll pass a modified Law of Salvage, so our readers can claim these by right:

 

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Dan likes the fish mounts being produced by Mark Cilia in Melbourne. They look good:

 

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Steve Bowler from SFP dropped by on Saturday morning to pick up some gear for the Sydney trailer boat show, and left a prezzie. Only downside, it looks too good to use:

 

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Thanks cobber, way too generous of you. This is disgusting! Now excuse me, while I pop down to Rebel Sport for a few Titleists:

 

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On a nastier note, Dan writes:

 

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Ok, I'm intrigued at how something like this happens... A kayaker this morning was hit by a sinker from a wharf, had it hit him in the head it would have killed him. Ouch!

 

That’s horrible. If that was intentional, the person responsible should be charged. To tackle, and Lloyd pleased with his new downrigger:

 

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It's been a long time coming but here is my first fish caught using the "rigger". Getting the hang of it.

 

That’s fantastic, Lloyd! So glad you sent this picture, boat looks great too. An inquiry for our rod pod with buzzer alarms:

 

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Hi guys, I'm interested in your rod pod/alarm set. Looks like it's $110 - is that correct? How does the pod collapse down for transport? Do you have any more details on it please? I've seen the videos - looks really good and great value for money.

 

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$130 including postage.

It breaks down into legs, frame and buzzers and is packed into a canvas bag with carry handle. Great bit of tackle and has many applications, not just carp. Last but not least our jig bags finally back in stock. They have clear PVC pouches so you can check your jig colour, and a mesh backing for quick drying or even washing your jigs without removing them. Great bits of kit, ask for a free one with any 100 or 250 gram jig order:

 

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Boats, and Dan sends a pic of the tackle room on a US gamefishing boat. How’s this?

 

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Now i have to have one too... lol.. Tackle room on the lasted Rybovich !! Isn't that amazing

 

Sort of uplifting and depressing at the same time. Winston says a simple vinyl wrap has given his centre console a new lease of life:

 

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It sure has:

 

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Dino pleased as punch with his new rig:

 

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Looking forward to hearing what it delivers for you champ. Points north, and stacks of good fishing happening in Queensland. Greg from Double Island point Charters phoned to order some jigs, saying he’s been losing a few lately. I can see why:

 

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Imagine how hard those puppies would have fought. Brett with his lovely girls and their big barramundi. Good fisherman and good dad:

 

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Hi Andrew, a nice morning at the Causeway last Tuesday, I scored this nice pair at 75cm and 90cm and dropped two others. My girls are a nice pair also they take after their mother. You need a big esky for barra, the back of a Pajero is just about right.

 

Always where the action is, aren’t you buddy? Well done. Greg Costello taking the family fishing too:

 

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We got four carp in 45mins at our secret spot

 

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Busting to get back to Glenmore Park and chase a few, Greg. A good one pulls just as hard as a same size kingie and you can catch them when its way too rough to get offshore.

 

 

To politics, and ex NSW Maritime Minister Eddie Obeid in court last week:

 

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Like with current Maritime Minister Duncan Gay, I’m furious at my wrong assessment of this bloke. Obeid was very helpful with our lobbying in the 80s, back when we were fighting planned wilderness declarations on the Styx River. He got the proposed boundaries modified to what we wanted, and I felt grateful and believed in the man. I got it wrong:

 

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Note that the ‘retail leases at Circular Quay’ were managed by NSW Maritime? And that dozens of Maritime staff knew how bad the corruption was, yet kept it quiet. Ex Maritime boss Steve Dunn (mentioned in the article) was Obeid’s hand puppet. He was moved from government department to government department, as Obeid moved from ministry to ministry.

 

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But Maritime was the ultimate money maker, because Maritime controls lease renewals on several large Darling Harbour restaurants. Those are rivers of gold, with the Financial Review says were worth $1000 a week to the Obeids.  Here’s one they owned, the Arc Cafe:

 

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The family secretly owned those restaurants through intermediaries, and Dunn’s job was to make sure the rivers kept flowing into Obeid pockets. Obeid even had Maritime’s senior legal counsel doing all the lease paperwork and conveyancing. Dunn was so arrogant that, when ICAC’s investigation first started, he marched down to the Rocks police station and abused the commander there. ‘Do you know who I am? One phone call from me and you’ll be writing parking tickets in Brewarrina etc etc.’  And I’m told that Dunn is still on the official registry of lobbyists for the NSW parliament. The Maritime officers you meet on the water are almost always good people. But the structure itself is rotten to the core, because so many of the people who covered for Obeid and Dunn are still in senior positions there. This is relevant to us as fishos and boaties, because it proves the more things change, the more they stay the same. Until next week and as I always say, thanks so much to our contributors. I get the compliments, but you do the work. Cheers,

 

Andrew Hestelow

Managing Director