Deep Drop Heaven Monday 15th August

[Andy from the CJ]

With a great forecast yesterday Serk, Dean and myself were keen to go east twenty two miles to Browns Mountain and return with a boatload of prime deepwater table fish. On an extra high this time, knowing that a major poacher has just been busted. Geoff Jones writes:



From Port Botany the other day. 43 fish what a disgrace. Keen to find what punishment is dealt out.

Too busy, too tired and too sunburnt from carping on Sunday to go and buy much needed bait. So, we were going to find out whether gemfish eat carp, with me using one caught that afternoon:



Launched and headed down Middle Harbour. Annoying to find some dirty grubs had dumped their rubbish at The Spit. This is one of my favourite blackfish spots:



Scored a tankful of live bait pretty quickly at the Centurion wreck, then off we went. First stop North Head to check out last week’s giant rock fall. Incredible! Here’s a short video:



A comfortable run to the Mountain on a light following sea, with the wind dropping off every mile we covered. Only five boats there when we arrived which genuinely shocked me. Considering that fish are swarming and the weather is perfect, you’d expect more anglers on station? Or maybe it’s just because I’m out there so often. Anyway, I knew the crews on four of the five boats (!) here’s Bob Greenhill in his element:



Dave with his Tanacom nicely loaded up:



And two nice gemfish boated:



But, the numbers of fish are nowhere near what they’ve been in previous seasons. Knowing they are in huge numbers south of Sydney I put that down to our unseasonably warm water temperatures this year. There are still stacks of fish on the Mountain but mainly hugging the humps and bumps:



rather than on the flats:



First drop right on the mark and a double hook up in less than a minute. Two nice fish brought to boat, note squid tentacle marks on the bottom gemfish:



Dean is a competition bream fisherman and loves his luring. He asked: ‘Andy, will gemfish take a soft plastic? That’s what I’m used to fishing with.’ ‘Give it a try’, sez I:



I usually spend the day at Browns reversing the boat into the current and reminding the crew not to let the sinker touch the bottom. But the weather was so good yesterday I was able to kick back:



After bagging out we put out a deep live bait on Serk’s Saltiga combo and a shark bait on the TICA. Got the burley going and drifted across the mountain in the hope of an albacore or mako. But nothing doing and the wind started to lift so we decided to get on the go. Coming up to the Spit again and spotted a big CC with the great registration FLYGUY N. ‘Hey, Andy!’ It was Lionel, a mad keen fly fisho who’s fished with me way back when. He’d been out with a mate,chasing salmon with the long wand. Good to see you after all this time, cobber:





The icing on the cake was when I got home after cleaning and stowing the boat to find a pic and nice note from one of the crew:

Hi Andrew,
Thanks for a fantastic day.
Great company and great fishing.
I really learned a lot and I took plenty of pics and footage.
Thanks, Dean



What a great day. Good weather, good mates, and some prime fish for the table.
Thanks to all involved and can’t wait to do it again,
Andrew

[gofishin]

Good report CJ, well done.

They are not what you would call a pretty fish are they, but I gather they taste pretty good? In the end, that's the only 'pretty' that counts I guess.
Cheers
Brendon

[bugsytwoshoes]

Great report Andy and great pics thanks for showing us something different. I doubt many of us have caught gemfish. I remember years ago that was what you got at the fish shop lovely eating fish, better than the Basa they serve up now.

[Andy from the CJ]

It's difficult to explain the appeal of this kind of fishing, Brendon. I have had so many blokes out on the boat who say, 'electric reels? That's not fishing!' And within an hour they're hooked. It's not as easy as it sounds and it can be bloody exciting.

Good report CJ, well done.
They are not what you would call a pretty fish are they, but I gather they taste pretty good? In the end, that's the only 'pretty' that counts I guess.
Cheers
Brendon