Kassem was out there doing it too:

Sunday 08/07/2012 headed out off Botany Heads around 8:00am, amazing day calm clear perfect fishing weather. Decided on heading out just past Browns ended up 55-60km out. Started trolling out there for around 3 hours then decided to call it a day, then BAMMMMMMM 4 hook up the Okuma t50ws going off their heads. Tangling up at the same time. lucky there was four of us on the boat. After 10min of fighting one got off. still three to go. Oh yeah reason it got off, it broke 15kg over head Okuma Titus snapped the line. After another 10 min we got the baby 8kg tuna. Another 20min finally at the boat was 55kg bluefin tuna.

5 min after that the last and final fish 65kg bluefin tuna. To think we were actually winding up the rods when the reel I was winding in went off. But what a day.

Sensational, Kassem! PS: hope your mum’s got a Whirlpool.

Top bloke and gun fisho Peter Garrett writes:

Hi Andy, with all the talk of Bluefin around, Ed and I took a run out to Browns on Sunday on his awesome 8m Hydra Sports. …. we had just completed our 3rd drop on the electric around for a nice Gemfish and Silver Dory (my second) when Ed noticed some fish busting up around around 300m inside Browns.  A quick change of tactics and we deployed some Halco 160s onto a 24kg and a 15kg rod. They were pretty much nailed as they hit the water.

Chris W fished the bottom at Browns Mountain, and sent in some nice feedback on our electric reels:

HI Andrew. Well finally made it out to Browns to give the electric reel a work out. Weather couldn't of been better, and very little current as well. Boated several good fish, one massive blue eye, but probably lost just as many before they got to the boat. Got sharked a few times as well as made a few mistakes with the gear but once we worked out what we were doing got fish on every drop. Plenty of boats out there and all seemed to be on the fish. A fantastic day on the water. Best regards, Chris

That’s a lovely bag of deepwater tasties Chris, well done. I could just cry when I think of the way we used to put those little rock perch back over the side – until someone put me straight, on their eating qualities.

OK fishing was awesome had great day with solid blue eye to 14 kilo and bumper gemfish to 8.5 kilo not every drop but moving from mark to mark was productive and trying some different spots was good too.

Andrew I had the best experience doing one drop with the 80 w electric winch I brought from you, with it going down 50 metres or so and stopping for 20 seconds, I was like, whats going here, I even had my finger holding braid trying to feel what was going on silly could of lost it!!!! then took up slack hit motor and it was on striped marlin twenty metres from back of boat came up sat 2 or 3 foot out of water, done a head shake like a indian at a seven eleven servo trying to sell me bread and milk two for five dollars then took at 200km per hour and ping all over but was fun.

Andrew thank you again so much for all your ongoing support and advise, and just becoming a good friend of mine, and also if you have any clients that have a hour up there sleeve give them my number and I will tell them all about your electric reel cheers.

Mate don’t even mention it, I’m very grateful for your pics and report, let alone your kind offer. And I reckon if our reel needs any testimonials the pics of that beautiful brace of blue eye cod will do just fine. Aren’t those gemfish huge, the biggest I’ve seen this year. Well done champ.

Kiama came alive with bluefin on Sunday, and the ever reliable Mark Way sent through a report:

The combination of great weather (calm sea n low wind with sun thrown in!) plus large schools of big Bluefin Tuna proved to be the ideal draw card for a crack at the "big n's!" although they were out around 30 nm making a big run out n back the only option to get to the temperature break. On Saturday Keep it Reel ventured up north and hit a "Blue Mine Field" with multiple strikes on big lures accounting for 8 fish with 7 over 100kg's and biggest going 135kg's for anglers George Tome, Robbie Bird, Brad Lindsay and Jeff. They bagged out early so skipper Todd Lindsay headed back in and weighed all fish by 2.30pm!

Sunday saw Karizma, Profishent, Barmaid and Tunami all out fishing for Blues. Karizma's young guns got amongst the action with Laughlan Rogers catching a 63kg fish on 60kg tackle for a pending NSW and Australian record claim; Casey Rogers caught a 64.5kg Blue on 37kg whilst Aaron Shelly captured a 64.5kg on 24kg. Profishent came in late with a 115kg Bluefin to Steve Bova. Barmaid skipper Glen Byrne told me all they could catch was Albacore but the go was using bigger lures for the big blues. The fishing action was all on top of temperature and there were a heap of boats out there with those connecting being on the school when it came up!

By crikey this is exciting.

I don’t usually do boat reviews because I’m always worried about getting someone’s nose out of joint, with negative comments on their pride and joy. But in this case there aren’t any negatives because the boat in question came across as a hot little weapon and reminded me of my all time favourite – the Seafarer V-Sea. I was browsing through rows and rows of polished metal and fibreglass, when I came upon the Evolution 500 Sportsfisher.

I’m no expert on boats but I do know that a new one is a big purchase, and understandably the wife is often involved. The manufacturers are fully aware of that factor so they put in little cushions up the front, and fold down rear seats supported by dinky aluminium poles in rear, with the hope that the Mrs will be enthused about comfort levels. But the fact is that it is very hard to compromise between the sort of boat you need for hard core fishing, with the type required for a day on the Bay with the wife and kids.

If that compromise has to be made – and of course it does, all the time – then Evolution have done a great job. They started with a hull with a big flare and a good V to get the spray moving out and down – not out and up. The seating is genuinely comfortable but the boat itself is all business and is beautifully finished, both inside and out. At $36000 it’s not cheap, but there aren’t a lot of real bargains with boats – excepting the odd receiver’s auction. If you’re looking for a boat for family and fishing you could do a lot worse than checking out the Evo 500, if it suits your budget. And no, I get no benefit from these reviews.

In the NT, Ben Dixon sends word of a fantastic barra trip, with black jewfish on the tooth in a big way:

Hi Andrew, thanks for the regular updates they are great. I just wanted to share a few pics from our trip to Melville Island last week – some spectacular scenery, a few crocs and some excellent fishing.

120cm Jewies on soft plastics and light barra outfits was very exciting. Not to mention catching the elusive Saratoga. Amazing place.

Ben, what’s amazing is that our readers are so generous as to send in their great reports for the benefit of others, just like you have. Happy personal memories of the Tiwi Islands too, because I got engaged at Barra Base. Spent all week with the engagement ring in the bottom of the tackle box amongst the Nilsmasters, figuring it was best to pop the question on the final day - so as not to spoil a top week of barra fishing, with the risk of rejection.

J For our Sydney readers – of which there are well over one thousand – Arthur has a helpful photo update, on progress at the Roseville Boat Ramp:

Hi Andrew, latest photos on the progress of the ramp upgrade at Roseville, apparently it will be ready by 10 July! You be the judge. By the way I took these today 8 July. Hope they remember to fill in the big hole next to the ramp …. looks more like the end of July at this rate.

Lads, if red hot blue eye and gemfish action plus big bluefin on the boil aren’t enough to get you pumped, here’s the icing on the cake. THE KINGIES ARE BACK. And you better believe I’ve been waiting a long time, to hear that. Craig Booth writes:

Hi Mate, had a good day out on Sunday and bagged out on Kings at North Texas. Last drop of the day I landed a 101cm at 9kg. Fav Jig of the day was one of yours in straight silver, the other fav was a redhead/silver. I've recommended your jigs to some mates so you might get some more orders.

Music to my ears amigo, you don’t know how welcome this news is. Talking about music, didn’t that bloke in the first pic play bass on the last Frank Zappa album? To politics, and lots of feedback about last week’s argy bargy with the greenies: