Any Yellowfin off Sydney yet?

[Sparkx]

I heard some were getting caught off bermie a few weeks ago.

[mattooty]

Southern Blues are making their way north with a tonne of albies in between. Haven't heard much about YFT yet....

[Noelm]

very few Yellowfin around, and those that have been caught have been small, around 20-30KG, some big Bluefin have been caught though, one of 145KG was caught off Sydney last weekend, and plenty of around 100KG have been landed as well, I am going out this weekend (if the wind pisses off) to have a look over the shelf at Shellharbour/Kiama area, I will be taking the drop line gear so I will at least come home with a feed if the Tuna are not around.

[Sparkx]

Thanks guys, Im thinkin of cubing browns or sthn canyons, sunday looks good.
noel what depth and drop gear do you use? I want to get into it at browns....

[Jarrah Jack]

very few Yellowfin around, and those that have been caught have been small, around 20-30KG, some big Bluefin have been caught though, one of 145KG was caught off Sydney last weekend, and plenty of around 100KG have been landed as well, I am going out this weekend (if the wind pisses off) to have a look over the shelf at Shellharbour/Kiama area, I will be taking the drop line gear so I will at least come home with a feed if the Tuna are not around.

What a sad indictment of fisheries management that the once magnificient YFT fishery has been reduced to this. The writing was on the wall twenty years ago. Makes me sick to think about it.

I don't think its any coincidence that the BFT are making a come back all around the coast after the Japs were exposed with their over fishing of the quota.

[Noelm]

Thanks guys, Im thinkin of cubing browns or sthn canyons, sunday looks good.
noel what depth and drop gear do you use? I want to get into it at browns....

Depends if you just want to 'give it a go" or do it all the time, by far the best setup is an Alvey Reefqueen or Reefking loaded with around 200lb braid and some decent sinkers and a couple of hooks, but if you just want to try it once, a large game reel will be OK, but it is a long way down, and an even longer way back up! we bottom fish the Kiama canyons which is over the shelf a bit, depths vary. but it is mega deep, species include Blue Eye, Gemfish and Hapuka, plus all sorts of odds and ends, like Green eye sharks, those silly looking Rock Cod things some call Ocean Perch and some other funny looking stuff too, like Ribbon Fish and so on, best bet for a one timer is lots of cord around 6mm and just hand line out there, lots easier than winding up an over head for 15-20 mins!

[Sparkx]

Yeah know what your sayin about the overhead, I actually banned the boys from droppin rigs down 200m from 50Ws'.......... takes 20 min to retreve and a real PITA when one of the surface baits gets taken by a yellowfin, mad panic to the rig up from the bottom. Im lookin to get set up with the big spool and braid, maybe even motorised...

http://www.blueoceantackle.com/bottom_reels.htm

Big dollars.

guess im lookin for a 2nd hand alvey.