Seaway Weekly Wrap Up Friday 22nd November 2013

As we head into the end of the year, the water temperatures have begun to creep up and the potential is there, but the fish are still reluctant to feed for extended periods.
This week saw some classic summer surface season feeding behaviour from Kingfish, Bigeyes and Tailor but only for very short periods.  Use the wrong lure or be in the wrong place when they come up and you go without.  Water temps increased up to 23 degrees this week. I only fished morning sessions on Monday and Tuesday this week.

Kingfish have been the highlight and they showed up in numbers around the Canyon on Monday and around the Pipeline on Tuesday, if you want a Kingfish you are going to have to keep your eye on the birds and get over there fast when they indicate feeding activity.  There is still no guarantees about hookups when they feed on surface but if you persist you should get a hookup or two if you are lucky.  Landing them is another matter.  The Kings should hang around as long as the baitfish do, and that usually hangs around until the new year.  Realistically, if you REALLY want to hook a kingfish, hang around the Canyon around sunup or during the first half of a run-in tide and sooner or later they will come up and you will get a shot at them, just be ready when they do.




There have been GT's mixed in with the Kingfish but the numbers aren't there, most of them are still upstream.  They are taking surface lures meant for Kingfish but aren't coming up for poppers worked over the Canyon Edge or taking trolled lures.  They have to be in feeding mode.  Just keep an eye out for any bustups and get a popper or skitterbait in there quick.

Bigeyes are around but their behaviour is still erratic.  Tuesday they came up over the pipe on the 3/4 line just after sunup and they were mixed in with the big Kingfish.  Most people got nothing though, I managed one about 45cm on a redhead/silver skitterbait.

Tailor are there but with the flat calm conditions they are only coming up to the surface once that tide starts to run-in, and not feeding for long when they do.  20gram Twisties are getting fish and skitterbaits pulled a couple of Tailor around the North Wall working the eddies and edges.

Jewies are still in the usual spots BUT if you are interested in picking one up on a lure you should try the south wall, they are hanging below the massive schools of frogmouth pilchards particularly around the end of the south wall on a run-out tide just before sunup.  Most are small (70cm or less)but it wouldn't surprise me if a bigger one was mooching around underneath the schools of bait. Get a small plastic about 5-8cm long on a 3/8oz jighead and work it slow under the schools of bait.  I was using Ecogear Grass Minnows in CCM but any small plastic should work particularly anything that resembles a frogmouth pilchard.  Squidgy Flickbaits in the 80mm size would be perfect.

Still the occasional Tarpon around, I hooked one off the end of the North Wavebreak rock wall on a run-out tide on tuesday and another couple around the end of the south wall just before sunup.  This time of year most of them have headed upstream into the rivers and canals.

So overall, the fish are there but bite times are short.  Pay attention to whats going on around you or miss out.  Look for the congregations of baitfish on the run-out tides and fish below them in particular around the North Wavebreak Rock Wall and the end of the South Wall.  On the run-in tides look for any surface activity and get over there quick.  Mornings are still fishing much better than afternoons, but if the tide is right you can get a burst of feeding activity just as the sun sets.

I am currently testing single hook configurations on skitterbaits and these will be available as an option towards the end of next week.  These single hooks are perfectly balanced and do not affect the action or buoyancy but they should increase the chances of landing a big Kingfish on them.  Remember that Skitterbaits need to be worked with a steady pulsing action to get the best out of them, keep that rod tip up and don't work them too fast.  Get them into a bustup and not many fish will refuse them. This week they have hooked Kingfish, GT's, Tailor and Bigeyes.

Bigeye on a skitterbait cast into a school feeding on surface near the pipeline

Tailor are still taking skitters around the North Wall

GT's are mixed in with the Kingfish, this one took a skitterbait

Slugging it out with a King

This jewie took a CCM grass minnow worked underneath the baitfish schools