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| canberra, south coast & snowy mtns with rob paxevanos |
Dated: 30 August, 2006
Rob's weekly fishing southern NSW report 0403 written for the week of Wednesday 30/8/2006
SOUTH COAST YELLOWFIN SEASON THE BEST IN 20 YEARS?
The last time I can remember not being able to get away from school yellowfin to catch the bigger ones was in the early 80’s. Now sure there is still nowhere near as many big tuna as there were back then however it is most certainly one of the best seasons in 20 years ‘if’ you do your homework.
The seasurface temperature maps are the secret. The leading edge of 20 degree water is still very prominent off Greenwell point and stretches 100’s of miles out to sea. Just a couple of miles south of this edge the water drops down to 18 degrees. This leading edge should be up north off Coffs Harbour but the fact that it is down our neck of the woods is simply acting as a yellowfin trap; it is absolutely filthy with yellowfin a few miles either side of the leading edge!
I hit the water with world famous Restauranteur Wes Murphy from the Boatshed in Nowra, mates Scott and Joe from McCallums Sports and well known fishing writer Greg Finney and daughter Bec. As expected the water in close to Greenwell Point was still cool at 15 degress thanks to the river runoff, but as we got to the 100 fathom line the water got to 20 degrees pretty quickly.
Straight away the Rapala X Rap magnum in green mackerel hooked a school sized yellowfin. This has been the stand out ‘tuna locating’ lure this season and no doubt we could’ve once again trolled up yellowfin all day on the X-Raps just as other boats on the radio were reporting.
 | | There is hot yellowfin bite on off Greenwell Point. |
However we decided to do something different and started cubing, and within about 15 minutes we started hooking yellowfin! The fish got thicker and thicker as the morning went on, with double and triple hookups the norm. At one stage I even caught a tuna on a bare hook!
Another boat just one mile south of our drift hooked a 40 kilo specimen on the troll and just as we started setting deeper baits for bigger tuna a couple of mako sharks turned up. The largest one was around 200 kilos and was awesome to watch. We were slightly under gunned though and he made short work of out heaviest trace. Unfortunately we had to head home at lunch time but what a session; it’s been 20 years since my team caught 25 yellowfin in just a morning.
If you are after yellowfin of any size the place to be is most certainly between Jervis Bay and Kiama with Greenwell Point (which is in the middle) being the most reliable. Troll lures until you find the schools and then cube if you like (it’s cheaper than trolling for some boats). The place is alive with yellowfin, makos, a few Albacore and even the odd marlin. Can’t wait to get out there again.
BEACHES AND ROCKS
The Murramurang National Park (between Durrass and Batemans Bay) continues to offer good beach and rock fishing. On the beaches Salmon can be caught on the incoming tide, and the good news is you don’t have to get up early. The low tide is around mid morning this weekend and the tide takes about six hours to peak which means good fishing can be had from mid morning to mid afternoon.
A two hook paternoster rig baited with half pilchards, white bait, tuna strips (one of my favorites), pippies or cuttlefish will catch salmon. A few cubes of pilchard thrown in every couple of minutes will attract the school your way.
The corners of the beaches are producing a few Snapper, the odd flathead and a few bream. To best catch these use a running sinker rig with a 2/0 hook and a strip of tuna or cuttlefish.
The rock platforms are producing drummer and Rock Blackfish. Traditional weed techniques, ab gut, prawns and dough will catch these fish. Snook, wrasse and Silver Trevally are also about in some of the holes. A bit of bread burley (save up those stale scraps) mixed in with any of the above baits will attract all of these species.
See you on the water.
Rob Paxevanos
"Rob's column proudly brought to you by the new Nissan Pathfinder 2.5 litre Diesel: 7 Seats, the fuel economy of a small car, the most powerful in its class and a massive 3000 kilo towing capacity."
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| Rob Paxevanos
Fishnet Pro Angler
Report brought to you by fishingaustralia.tv
Email : robpax@netspeed.com.au
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