Blimey. You could throw a saddle on that beast! Rob Nesbit:

 

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Hi Andrew, just back from Three kings Islands in New Zealand . Your jigs did the damage again! The kingfish in the picture was not far off 40kg caught on the black and silver 420g. As you can see that jig took a beating. I lost another jig just before this after being reefed by a suspected bass.

 

Yep, it’s taken some big hits. But it’s still in the game:

 

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Rob, have you thought about retiring that jig? To live out the rest of its glory days in peace, like they did with Black Caviar. Congratulations on besting such a giant kingfish. Back home, and February means big fish riding the warm currents south.

Team Rayment always there to meet them:

 

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G'day Andrew, top day off Sydney on Sunday on Avalon. It was a slow morning but things started to amp up when we crossed the 95 fathom line into the 4 knot south current. Within 2 minutes we had a Shortbill Spearfish strike that then jumped and threw the hooks, then a while later we found good sized Dolphinfish under some flotsam. 7 cows caught all over 80cm including a PB 115cm, 7kg fish for James before we lost them on the current. Can't wait to get out there again! Regards, Bruce.

 

So grateful for your regular updates, Bruce! Couldn’t do it without you. Another father and son team have an exciting day wide off Port Stephens, this time Rod and Hayden Coleman:

 

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…. came onto a high bait school and Hayd did a circle over it and we're on again. This time on our favourite lure from the local lure stable KLF lures. This little stripe was incredibly tenacious and took an hour and a half to be able to grab his bill. He gave Hayd absolute curry boat side for over 5 minutes before we could drag him in one side for a couple of quick pics and straight out the other side where he did the Harry Holt in real fine style. Mate I'm stoked!!!

 

Beautiful. That’s a good way of holding them for a pic, too. Gerry stopped by for one of our new TICA game combos and didn’t waste any time putting it to use. That’s a good mahi:

 

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TICA make beautiful reels, here’s specs on the next size up:

 

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• TICA SB-30MG gold
• 3.7:1 ratio
• Weight 1330 grams
• 6 ball bearings
• 16 kilos drag
• 720m of 50-pound (500m x 50-pound CC braid, 220m x 50-pound mono)
• Price, reel only: $425, including line and reel clamp
• Price, combo: $495 including reel, line, matching bent butt rod

 

Call or email for more details?

 

Sean Morgan, at South West Rocks. Horrible storm forecast for this weekend, he did well to get wide:

 

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… we headed wide to see if we could top up the kill tank with a couple of bar cod. While the current was ripping in close, we cleared the mucky water and hit the nice blue water. The current was slower and partially offset by a nice southerly puff, making the long drop possible. We ended with 4 bar cod in about an hour, a nice way to end the day.

 

Really surprised, Sean! You’d think the current would be belting down. Pete Hodgkins on the bricks last weekend. Lotsa readers reporting small sharks close in:

 

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Hey andy, long time no speak ! What perfect summers day in Kiama today, I hit the rocks early with my brother this morning for a nice lil bronzie on a live slimey, intended for a marlin after several sightings of free jumpers in the 40's off Kiama, haven't heard much from the local guys today but it would of been a cracker out wide.i went for a run on my father inlaws boat after we'd done some work on it, spotted a few frigates and flying fish in about 18 fa also a solid hammer cruising next to the boat. great to see lots of bait in close to the rocks, lookin promising for a black soon I think !

 

Mate, your upbeat positivity is inspiring, I really mean that. Team Cadoo ready for this weekend’s weather challenges in SEQ:

 

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Hi Andy, Just touching base. You may have heard that we are expecting a lot of rain up here in Cloudy Queensland. I don't want you to worry about us, we have taken measures ready for the flood. All I ask is that you keep a look out and grab us as we drift past, Glen.

 

Of course I will! Just make sure your inflatable boat attracts a school of mahi while drifting south. Jigging a little quiet locally because OUR KINGFISH (only kidding!)  headed south too. Both Victoria and Tasmania have had some red hot fishing and I’ll predict that’s only going to improve. Clinton over the moon about both our jigging combo and the first kingfish, he caught on it:

 

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Thanks Andrew gonna upgrade the drag on the Exceler 4500 I got from you a few weeks ago...she works well (the rod is a beauty!)...but I'm often fishing shallow reef down here so want to really maximise the drag as much as possible....got smashed by a couple of biggies last weekend. I caught my first Victorian Kingy on it last weekend here is the pic.

 

Awesome. It’s such a buzz when new kingie chasers find success. Thank you, Clinton. Andrew Horne from Pro-Line Charters in Victoria says fishing’s pretty hot in the Bay, too. He’s just as good at finding kingfish as he is at cracking me up with his funny accents and jokes:

 

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Thank you for doing my order, I’m looking forward to smashing some more Kingies with the jigs. Please find attached some pics of the fish at King Island & the Rip at Port Phillip Heads.

 

Excellent. That’s what we need up here, Andrew. A big roomy Randell or Marko where ten blokes can jig kingies and dollies on a well priced charter. From South Australia, an awesome report. Five weeks?? (whimper) gee I could go a holiday like that:

 

Just spent 5 weeks over in Streaky Bay with the family catching mostly K G whiting. A friend Neil Dodds came over for the last week and we were able to do a beach launch from Sceales bay 30 kms to the south. After a few hours of bottom bouncing for mostly rubbish fish, We came across a 40 m high pinnacle loaded with fish.

 

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On dropping down with your 200gm jigs ,an instant hook up on Samsons  for both of us. What followed was 6 hrs of non stop screaming reels , with hook ups on nearly every drop on 5 to 9.5 kg fish ,being  followed up by 3 to 10 of their mates each time.

 

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By mid afternoon we had ran kings swimming around the boat and Blue fin tuna jumping all around us. I must add that Neil managed to boat 4 fish with the plastic still on the hooks. Had to add a picture of a Harlequin fish known as the southern coral trout for good reason. Thanks for those jigs Mark Dayment

 

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Thanks so much Mark, that’s really got me inspired. Further west and Scott takes his sister fishing. Fantastic result, Maree:

 

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hi Andrew. I just ordered a few sets of jigs off you for chasing small sambos and assorted reef fish in summer. Winter fishing for me is almost exclusively inshore     (16 meters or less) chasing dhufish, snapper and big samsonfish. A few months ago my sister Maree came over from tassie for a quick 4 day visit. One of the boxes she wanted to tick, was to catch a big fish to make the other taswegians jealous. 30 kilo sambo, two 20 kilo models (on lighter gear) and two tasty dhufish, back in the driveway by 10 oclock, BOX TICKED! After the battle with the bigger sambo on 80 lb gear, this is as close as Maree could get to lifting her fish

 

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Just magnificent, Scott! Those fish or whatever are impressive, too. To tackle, and we have a shipment arriving next week with no idea where to store it. Anyone who's visited here knows how chock-a-block the place is. Tim wants me to discount our combo spotlight and lantern to make some space. A great bit of gear, it can be used as a hand held spotlight using two position swivel handle (either pistol grip, or Dolphin style carry handle.)

 

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Alternatively, sit flat on any surface and press the switch twice and hey presto, a 360 degree table lamp:

 

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Each one supplied with both 240V and 12V (cigar lighter plug) chargers. Ready for a killer price? $49 for two, *including delivery*, anywhere in Australia. Phone or email to order, I guarantee you’ll be very pleased. News Of The Weird and Les and Jenny make a spectacular find at South West Rocks:

 

Hi Andrew, Jenny and myself drove along the beach at Smoky Cape this afternoon chasing some whiting for tomorrows breakfast.I was happy fishing and Jenny was (as usual) happy collecting some shells and trinkets. When we were about to go home, she was tipping her shells into a bucket at the back of the 4x4 and she pulled something out of her pocket and said, "Look at this funny thing, I found it down there in the surf with the other shells, what is it, will I keep it or throw it"? I looked at it and I nearly died.

 

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It was a shark tooth, ebony black, definitely off a Great White or possibly its ancestor, a prehistoric Megalodon. I have no doubts that it's fossilised and I wondered if you or your readers have seen anything the same? What are the odds of being in the right spot at the right time with the right wave and then bend over and pick up something like this?

 

Bloody long odds. Let me know what that tooth’s worth, if you get it valued?  Steggs on the spot last Sunday for a dress circle view of the latest Bobbin Head boat ramp disaster:

 

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Beats me. Why is this happening *all the time*? Dan says last weekend’s good weather meant things got a little crazy at the ramp:

 

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Chaos at drummoyne boat ramp on sunday. OMG two older guys almost had a punch up. WELL that was fun. Again people not doing the right thing and blocking the entrance to the boat ramp and inconsiderate people setting up there boat and causing massive delays to everyone. I asked nicely why he was parked there and he they just get in your face wanting to fight. Unbelievable

 

Keep doing what you’re doing, Danny! That is, filming the shenanigans, and sending pics to me. Every year, Maritime receives millions of dollars in registration, licenses, mooring fees, and fines. Basically, taxes on boating. But they are not putting the money back into boat ramp facilities. Or if they do, it’s spent on ridiculous side shows, like landscaping or disabled pontoons. The icing on the cake is that Maritime Minister Duncan Gay promised to fix these problems if we voted for him last election. Instead, they’ve got worse. On a more positive note, Tyler Roberts hankering to chase kingies:

 

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Down rigger fitted to my boat!!

 

Go get em champ and let me know how you go? Louie Volcevski’s first run:

 

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Downrigger in action!

 

Great pic and thanks for sending, Louie. Leo Miller reports swordfish season opens in Tasmania. That’s good news:

 

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We trolled up a nice 5kg alby on 4 but didn’t have any luck on the swords…. Although 2 other boats did! Makover managed a 152kg sword on 24kg mono and another boat got a 158kg on 37 mono.

 

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To politics and, ahead of next month’s NSW election, the ‘Daily Telegraph’ has started a campaign for Sydney’s west to get a better deal in terms of government services and funding.

 

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NSW has over 300,000 licensed anglers. Sydney hosts more than half that number. Each angler pays a $35 annual fee which – when originally introduced by Eddie Obeid, currently under police and ICAC investigation - was promised would be spent on improving recreational fishing. That of course never happened. Particularly affected by this ripoff are anglers living in western Sydney. Most of the money that does filter down goes on inland fish stocking programs to the west and saltwater projects, to the east. Nothing in between. Western Sydney anglers are overlooked and ignored – until election time. At that point the politicians promise the moon and, mostly, never deliver. But there is one initiative only requiring the stroke of a pen. And that is to open the giant Prospect Reservoir at Eastern Creek to recreational angling.

 

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This would mean thousands of western Sydney anglers (and their families) could enjoy A grade fishing in their own backyard – without having to travel down expensive tollways to the coast. The reservoir swarms with freshwater fish – carp, catfish and even Murray Cod. Check this out. It’s okay for pelicans and wild pigs do their business in Sydney water storages but Heaven forbid someone casts a line in:

 

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Sydney Water claim Prospect is part of the city’s water supply and as such, fishing could not be contemplated. But so is Tallowa Dam at Kangaroo Valley, yet fishing is permitted there. The truth is that recreational fishing occurs at over thirty water storages across the State. Sydney Water don’t want anglers accessing Prospect because they have offices there and it would mean their cosy private playground was opened to the public. Plus at Prospect there’s an unused wharf ideal for fishing, meaning anglers wouldn’t need to come in contact with the water anyway.

 

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All that’s required is for the Minister in question – Katrina Hodgkinson, who administers both Sydney Water and NSW Fisheries – to make the decision. The Recreational Fishing Alliance assembled a paper on how fishing at Prospect Reservoir might be responsibly managed, and requesting - at the very least – a trial of their proposal. That’s been sitting on Hodgkinson’s desk since she was appointed as a Minister four years ago. With her track record of anti angler sentiment no change can be expected – unless political pressure is applied. Next month’s election the best opportunity in the last four years, to do that. Let’s not kid ourselves or sit on the fence, lads. Labor and the Greens brought in the marine parks which locked us out of prime fishing spots for no scientific reason whatsoever. And they’ve promised more lockouts if they win government, next month. The Libs and Nats promised to overturn the lockouts, and instead expanded them. I’m supporting the blokes who traded their votes for a five year moratorium on marine parks because that was the best result rec anglers have had politically in decades. After all the lies we’ve been told, I just want results:

 

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Until next week, thanks so much to those who spare the time to send in reports and pics.

It’s so wrong that I get the credit for all the work you do but be assured our readers deeply appreciate your contribution.

I’ve got the emails to prove it! Cheers,

 

Andrew Hestelow

Managing Director

 

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