Whilst the northern half of the country suffered under the deluge of flood and cyclones we've been very very fortunate in this part of the world to not only have missed the whole natural disaster thing, but experience some of the best fishing in years.
The Basin has showed why it is one of NSW premier fisheries with some cracking sessions but just like any estuary it can and does shut down, particularly with lure fishing. Compared to previous dry summers the summer surface bite hasn't lasted as long, and the whiting in particular were down right slow by comparison in the Basin itself. The Sussex River has been the go this summer for whiting. Having said that we set a new record of 20+ black bream on surface in one session over the past month, and the bait fishing sessions are still going strong. Happy days.
JERVIS BAY
The bay and offshore have fired! It was great to part of the team from Hobie and Fishing Australia with Rob Paxevanos, and to witness Rob's amazing effort in capturing an 80kg black marlin with Paul Leary from a Hobie tandem Mirage Is kayak at the "Banks" in February. See the Hobie website for more details.
http://www.hobiefishing.com.au/2011/02/hot-currents-equals-hot-fishing/#more-1136
A truly amazing day at the office!
In the bay the kingfish have been going off! I got my pb metre king to 12kg in February. We've been getting some great kings to 92cm with sessions of regular 74-83cm fish. I tend to think that this is a direct result of the banning of the fish traps over a decade ago. Also, a wet winter. The nutrient (food) which was part of the fish kill in January is more than likely contributing to the high recruitment of juveniles from many species this month. This has led to a feeding frenzy by yellowtail, slimey mackeral and bonito, which in tern attracts the larger predators. Underneath all this feeding on the surface the reddies have been cleaning up the scraps and we have caught reds to 4.5kg in the middle of the day. Blink and you'll miss it. The down side to this is that reefs in the bay have resembled a car park on the weekends whilst the people with day jobs jostle and drive too close to each other for comfort. Book a midweek tour to avoid the congestion.
Note: All the large kings pictured were released to fight another day. Only take what you need for a feed and put the bigger fish back if you can. The red came from 30m of water and couldn't be released. It ended up on the dinner table after being prepared at the local Thai restaurant in Huskisson.
PB's all round!
A nice little stripie on 6lb for a bit of surface lure fun.
NEW KAYAK FISHING TOURS AND GIVEAWAYS.
On the kayak fishing side of things I'm really pleased to announce that we have finally got the I's dotted and the T's crossed from the relevant authorities and we will be launching our NEW kayak fishing tours in the very near future. The first 50 people to book onto a guided tour will receive a "Hobie pack", containing a shirt, hat and accessories. This is really exciting for both myself and new kayak guide Darryl Head. Darryl is an extremely experience canoe and kayak guide and has been operating tours on the upper Shoalhaven River for more than a decade. All kayak tours will be conducted on the calm waters of St George's Basin and the upper Shoalhaven River for bass, in fact we have access to private property on the river. Stay tuned for more.
Check out the pic of Darryl and his pb 90cm Basin tailor whilst filming with Rob Paxevanos recently.
FISHING WORLD MAGAZINE
Just in case you weren't aware of Fisho's extensive online material, check out the link below and take the time to really have a good look at the website. It's a wealth of essential info, and the regular weekly newsletter will keep you up to date and informed as to what happening in the "fishing world" pardon the pun.
http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/estuary-reds-the-usual-suspects
BCF INSTORE APPEARANCES
I'm booked to do another instore talk with Gary Brown at BCF Auburn on the 6th of April. This follows on from the successful BCF Club Member night at Campbletown recently. Gary and myself will be waffling on about how to catch all the inshore species like flathead, bream, snapper and jewfish on both bait and lures. Put that one in your diary if you live in Sydney and pop in and say g'day.
ET'S E-MAG
Check out my latest article on ET's new E-mag. It only takes a minute or two to register and you have access to some great fishing and lifestyle articles from the best in the business.
check out www.escapewithet.com
Tight lines and good times
Greg Reid
www.bayandbasinsportsfishing.com.au
