Offshore

Many species are on the chew

OFFSHORE Kelly Hunt

The sun is finally out and that is great news, as there are leave days to be taken. Tasmania comes alive in January, and so too does the fishing. very keen anglers made. There were some nice fish seen and a few caught in Carters Lagoon and Second Lagoon.

A great outcome of all the rain is that all lakes are up, and the area is going to fish well for the summer. We just need some stable weather and a bit less wind, and the fly

Good eating-size mako sharks often pop up when deep dropping. minutes, panic sets in, doubt is raised and the plan changes three or four times in quick succession.

Take blue-eye, for example. If these fish were holding in a spot on a previous trip, they will still be there this time. It can just take a few different drifts and a change of position to hit the spot just right. On your previous trip, I hate to say it, you just may have fluked running the baits down, and having them drop right in front of schooling fish. Once the water gets over 100m in depth (and at times we are fishing up to 500m) it’s quite a skill to land the sinker and baits right on a ‘spot’. There are so many factors in play – surface current, mid current, wind and tide, to mention a few.

In short, it’s good to persevere, stick to the plan and really tough it out. You never know, when tide and current come to you, it can cut some up and lay them on the bait board under a damp towel. That way, if you lose bait or catch a good fish, you can bait up swiftly and drop down into the hot zone quickly. Have a spare sinker and rig ready to go. If there is a hot bite on, you don’t want to lose 10 minutes looking for where the sinkers and rigs are.

The usual summer areas will start to fish well our wide and out to the shelf. St Helens and its offshore spots are well known, and fish well. If you are so inclined there is also a lot of shelf area that can be explored, looking for new ground. A really good sounder and some confidence in using it will go well here. I am always saying the sounders of today are one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal, but if we don’t learn to use their significant technical advantage it’s a huge waste.

Bicheno holds some really good numbers of Frost fish are good eating and make exceptional broadbill swordfish baits.

All species are starting to love the rising water temperature, and are feeding hard. This is not only true of the estuary fish and saltwater species, but also the trout, which are looking up and feeding on all manner of winged morsels.

The offshore species will start to see some action targeted to them as family groups and mates plan some fishing trips. Good weather and a few days off make for some great days on the water. Days where you can reset and forget the worries of the past year, and fill the esky with some tasty fish.

TUTTA TRUTTA

The rivers and lakes have been full from the unseasonal late rains of November and December, and there is a great deal of food about. Andrew Homann and his friends Charlie and Joanne fished the highlands area recently, and had a splendid time. They did not have it all their own way though, as they suffered some atrocious conditions, including 60kph winds and sideways rain. This made the fishing very tough going, but also very rewarding when fish were found.

Arthur’s Lake has had some tailers in the grassy bays late in the evening, and this will continue as the water level remains high for this time of year. Penstock Lagoon has been showing some early season dun feeders, although the trout are not into them properly yet and the duns have been scarce. There were a lot of small fish around the edges of Little Pine, which will be good for the ongoing season.

The gate from Augusta, being open into the western lakes, will remove the early season long walks that the January is about taking a break with mates and family.

fishing fraternity will have a super season. OUT WIDE

Time off from work coinciding with good weather is what we all hope for. Having success when going wide to the shelf and targeting deep water species demands some level of planning. Otherwise, a promising day of good fishing can just turn into a boat ride. Making sure you have some good fresh baits, and a few different varieties, is a good idea. You should also have some spare rigs made up in case you lose a few to snags and sharks. It’s a long way to go burning expensive fuel to not have the gear to make the day a successful one.

My biggest advice out wide is to stick to your guns and try a few different drifts. I see quite often crews heading out to a spot or concentrating on a mark that fished well last time. If that spot does not produce in the first 10 all happen in a hurry. The fish come on the bite, and you must make the most of it. Have baits ready to go, deep-sea fish that are very good to eat. Blue-eye trevalla are the main prize, but the by-catch of gemfish and blue grenadier are also quite welcome. A little further down the culinary ladder are pink ling, and they are quite prolific out wide of the little seaside town of Bicheno.

We venture to Bicheno during January most years, and have even found the odd hapuku (hapuka). These are exceptional eating fish, so there’s cause to celebrate when one is caught. Hapuku are grey in colour when they mature, with silvery white underbellies. Juveniles are generally a little bluer in colour. Hapuku can grow to be very large, but are more often found around the 20-30kg mark. These fish live to a ripe old age, and a monster over 80kg can be as old as 60 years. They have a dorsal fin full of spines that should be respected, a rounded anal fin and rounded pectoral fins. A hapuka has a large, powerful, squareshaped tail and puts up a good fight once hooked. Its other distinguishing feature, which helps in identifying it, is that its lower jaw protrudes from the top a little bit. Like all deep-sea species, hapuku have very large, googly eyes for hunting and mooching about in low-light conditions.

The fishing grounds off the southeast are also firing at this time of year out wide, and offer a few options to the daily plan. You can plan a nice, early deep drop session, and then come home with the lures out should the wind freshen as the sun heats up the land. The sea breeze inevitably picks up at this time of year in the afternoon, and it pays to keep this in mind.

I mentioned having some spare rigs on hand because at this time of year the mako sharks like to play havoc. Yes, it sounds like a nice problem to have as an angler looking for some flesh for the esky, but although a 100kg mako is an awesome freezer filler it’s a pain when its chomping through your blue-eye rigs. Have a wire trace on hand and a rod and reel you can switch to should the shark come up.

If you’re keen to catch a mako, it can pay to bleed the fish you have been catching off the bottom, and keep some of the blood handy. It’s one thing to attract a mako to the boat on the commotion of deep drop rigs going up and down, but another to keep it interested long enough to hook. The blood in the water will do just that. Not only does the blood in the water help keep the shark interested, it also can turn a timid fish that is holding off, into an aggressive, baiteating machine.

So have a great break, enjoy your time off and let’s have a most wonderful 2023.