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Another 12 boats ventured onto the water. While shark numbers slowed for most, Tenacious managed to tag an additional 4 sharks for the day, securing a total of 8 sharks and a significant lead in the tag and release section of the central zone competition, bolstering Sydney's position. Following the tournament, we turned our attention to our community event, We organized a kids' fishing day, which was attended by 36 enthusiastic children. We wish to express our gratitude to all the skippers and crew members who selflessly volunteered their time to make this day special for the young participants. We continue to seek signatures for the petition that will play a pivotal role in securing the future of our club. While we have yet to receive communication from the transport authorities, the status remains uncertain. Therefore, we appeal to you, our members and supporters, to dedicate some of your valuable time to collect signatures from friends and family. The signature page is conveniently located at the back of our magazine.
FROM THE PRESIDENT
The Geoff Woolley Monster Mako tournament has concluded. Congratulations goes to returning member John, who secured victory with his new vessel, Tenacious, a magnificent 47-foot Caribbean. Winning a fishing tournament is always an exhilarating achievement, and the victory on his new boat undoubtedly enhanced the sweet taste of success. The weekend graced us with exceptional weather conditions, ideal for shark fishing. This event was co jointly held with the first round of the central zone competition. The first day saw 12 boats in action, among which Casey and Tenacious both impressively tagged 4 sharks. On the following day, we were blessed with similar favourable conditions.
As we anticipate the upcoming season, we look forward to the warming waters and the migration of marlin with the ocean currents. Notably, the first marlin of the season has already been tagged by the vessel On Call. However, the titles of "First Marlin by a Sydney Angler" and "First Marlin to be weighed at the Club" are still up for grabs. Our Kids Christmas Day, scheduled for December 8th, is a day where we host children and their families from the Children's Hospital at Randwick for a relaxing day on the harbour. We extend a personal invitation to everyone to join us and contribute to the success of this heartwarming day. Santa may need some helpers, so if you can participate or offer support, please contact our Secretary, Annita.
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ADVERTISE WITH US Tight Lines advertising is available. It's a great way to get your message out to your fellow members For more information please Email our club secretary Annita Flannery on secretary@sgfc.com.au
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Calendar of Events SGFC November 2023 10th Club Meeting 7pm Ed Aspden 8th - 19th Summer Pointscore 26th Prawn Oyster lunch 12 midday 28th Committee Meeting December 2023 1st Dinosaurs Function at SGFC Club house 12.30 (Lunch) onwards 2nd - 3rd Summer Pointscore 5th - Club Meeting 9th - SGFC Children's Hospital Christmas Party 16th - 17th Summer Pointscore 26st Committee Meeting January 2024 2rd - Club Meeting 6th - 7th Summer Pointscore 20th - 21st Summer Pointscore 20th - 21st Botany Bay Bill Heyward Tournament + Central Zone Weekend
Tight Lines is a members based magazine. We welcome and ask for any articles, stories, photos and information on what is going on out there from our members. No matter how big or small "remember it's your club too". Send all info to Email: stephen@pitchforkprinting.com.au all Call Stephen Pitchfork on 0404 019 683
Friday Night Club Meeting Ed Aspden Talk on Rip charts 10th November BBQ will be available $15 steak & salad meeting starts 7pm
Prawn & Oyster Lunch Sunday 26th November $50 Bookings Essential Annita Flannery 0402 615 814 secreatary@sgfc.com.au
NSWGFA Records broken by SGFC
Sydney Game Fishing Club is proud to have 2 new NSWGFA record holders to 2 amazing juniors
Huge Congratulations to 2 of our young Juniors Jayden Millauro & Hassan Kobeissi for claiming NSWGFA records.
Jayden is now the holder for heaviest yellowfin tuna weiging in at 68.8kg on 37kg line
Hassan is now the record holder for heaviest bluefin tuna weighing in at a massive 120kg on 24kg line
Both boys were fishing with their families on the day when they made there catches
Amazing achievement by both of the boys and i am sure more records will fall to these 2 young boys
We had such a great day, 36 kids took part each receiving a Shimano rod & reel plus a kidsfish2 goodies bag and a Pantaenius water bottle. Boats ready at 9am ,and a big thank you to President Glenn Wright Tantrum, Jamie Mackay Groundswell, Ivan Bennet Ambition, Sergio Da Silva On Strike, Rob Ranlon On Call, Ben Still Black Jack. After a short briefing we soon took to the water. There was plenty of action with all boats reporting good catches of fish On call once again took full advantage of the weather and trolled along the heads catching bonito and kingfish which kept all the boys very happy. Back at the club by midday where the kids were greeted with a sausage sizzle a big thank you to Anthony & Adina Levi who came and helped out with the snags. This day wouldn't be possible without the support of the members boats & crew who gave up there Sunday morning to help take the kids fishing. Watch a highlights reel here:
Gone Fishing Day GFAA Kids Fish 2
Geoff Woolley Memorial Monster Mako Tournament had glamours weather conditions Ten boats participated in the event Day 1 Sydney boat Casey tagged 4 sharks Tenacious also tagged and released 4 sharks. Tantrum, Ambition & Murrifin were all on the scoreboard Central zone boat Carnage from Broken Bay GFC captured 3 sharks Dark Horse from Port Hacking hooked up on a tiger during the day and it turned into a marathon finally landing the fish in the early parts of the morning. Special thanks goes to Graham Williams OAM who stood by on the radio until they safely returned to Port the fished weighed 407kg on 15kg line. Day 2 and the fleet was presented with absolute glamours weather conditions and Tenacious took full advantage heading straight to Browns Mountain where they had an action packed day tagging another 4 sharks giving them a total of 8 for the weekend. Casey's run dried up. Tantrum also fishing on Browns mountain tagged 3 sharks for the day Tenacious total 8 sharks Casey 5 sharks Tantrum 5 sharks Thank you to our sponsors Assent Marine Group IBW Constructions Predator Tackle d'Albora Marinas Sylvania Marina Otto's Tackle World Fishing Station
LA rare deepwater lunch By Tristan Guillemin Science Little is known about blue marlin diet in Australia, hence why I’ve been collecting stomachs from them for the past few years. In other parts of the world where blue marlin diet has been studied, they generally seem to favour scombrids (fish in the tuna and mackerel family) above all else. The second most common prey item found in blue marlin are squid of various kinds. However, a plethora of weird and wonderful species including small invertebrates and fish of every size, shape and colour do make their way into blue marlin stomachs. From my many conversations with anglers and the stomachs I have opened so far, it seems that blue marlin in Australia follow pretty similar trends to overseas. Love a bit of tuna, don’t mind squid with the occasional oddball species. Today I’m going to talk about one of those oddball species. As part of the annual Broken Bay fishing comp in March of 2023, boat Happy Days landed a 94.6kg fish weighed at Sydney Game Fishing Club. The anglers were kind enough to donate some tissue, the fine spine and the stomach. When I cut the stomach out of the fish, it felt really empty and I suspected there wouldn’t be much in there at all. However, when I cut it open in the lab, I found one of the most surprising finds I’ve found in a marlin stomach so far: a small (20cm) lancet fish (Alepisaurus sp.). Lancet fish are large oceanic predators that can grow up to 2m in length, so this one was just a juvenile. They are seldom encountered by recreational anglers as they predominantly occupy the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones (100 – 2000m deep). They are occasionally caught by tuna longliners, particularly in the Western and Central Pacific where they’re considered a bit of a pest. So how did our marlin find this fish? Did the marlin take a deep dive and happened to come across our unlucky little lancet fish, or did the lancet fish venture a little too close to the surface?
Drop cast Vanuatu September 2023
This trip has been on the agenda for while , allowing us enough time to prepare properly.
We booked a six night / 5 day live aboard charter onboard drop cast .
Probably not everyone’s cup of tea , but it was well suited for our group of 5 good mates and the style of fishing we aimed to do .
The boat is extremely well setup , very seaworthy, and more than comfortable for these extended trips. Most importantly it has a very good fridge to keep your beer cold!!
The food is five star , with a full time chef onboard you definitely don’t go home hungry.
As a matter of fact I got fed better on this boat than I do at home!!
The two deckies actually don’t stop , they are super helpful , read the play and have a constant good vibe , even though they do all the dirty work.
My hat goes off to the skipper , Andrea , not only for his wealth of knowledge , but for the long hours he puts in . Fishing sunrise to sunset and some days beyond . You are definitely not going to go home saying that you didn’t fish hard enough.
Our trip started out of Port Villa and we fished our way up to Santo . The scenery along the way was breathtaking and the fishing incredible.
We would troll between spots that were far apart . We racked up some nice fish on the troll including, blue marlin, black marlin, sailfish , YFT , mahi . I also caught my first ever dog on the troll, even though it was only a pup .
Jigging the seamounts was fast and furious. We hooked , caught and lost lots of fish of all different shapes and sizes . The main species we saw on the jigs were dog tooth, giant trevally , coral trout and many other colourful reef species . The tax man did make it difficult at times .
With out a doubt , the highlight for this trip was the topwater action.
Using a variety of poppers and stick baits we caught lots of quality size GT's , some Dino coral trout , Maori sea perch , red bass and the holy grail, the almighty dog tooth tuna .
The doggies hit like they were on rocket fuel . We will not forget some of the aerial strikes we encountered . Their ability to fight dirty and open hooks , is adrenaline pumping ,kind of addictive and very rewarding when you get them on the deck.
The boys and myself took great pleasure in passing over our prize catches into the outstretched hand’s of the village people, who would paddle out in their hand carved canoes.
I loved the entire experience of this adventure .
It lived up to all expectations and I can’t wait to go back .
A big thanks to the boys at Ottos tackleworld and the fishing station for looking after us with quality gear
Standouts jigs - trophy hunter 170 and 220gm
Standout stick bait - fifth element street fighter 130gms
Standout popper - the 150gm cubbera
The Dreaded Fuel Bug
By Ben Still I’ve just survived an infestation of a Fuel Bug on my boat, Blackjack. Fuel bug is a problem on boats for which there is little concrete information about. Hopefully this is useful to other members. I like to know how things work, so I try to do most of my boat work myself. I stuff up a lot of things, but I’d like to think on average I’m slowly fixing more than I’m breaking. First up, this was all completely my fault. I was refuelling at dusk and didn’t spot that I hadn’t screwed the main fuel tank lid back on properly. It was partially in, but just not tight enough for the seal to engage. As well, I’d been doing some repairs to the deck lid, and hadn’t Sikaflexed the screws back in. So it rained, water got through the deck screws, and then eventually dripped into my fuel tank. I knew this because my engines started belching out big white puffs. When I checked the tanks the fuel looked like cloudy apple juice mixed with milk. The fuel line Racor filters looked fine, but they were all squished in - indicating that they’d been under pressure. Fuel bug is a strange thing- everyone seems to know about it, and dreads finding it in their tanks. But there is surprisingly little actual information that I could find. There are lots of people trying to sell various solutions at silly prices, but they seem to profit from the general misunderstandings / fear out there. Some myths: You can “catch†the Fuel Bug. You can’t. 99% of diesel powered cars & boats will already have the Fuel Bug in their system. Fuel Bug is a generic name for a mix of bacteria, moulds and yeasts. They feed on the hydrocarbons in the diesel fuel, but they need water.
It will exist in the tanks, but also fuel lines, filters and engines. Think of it like yeast used in making sourdough bread - it’s everywhere around us, but you need to create conditions for it to survive and flourish (flour, water & sugar). In this case, it’s the hydrocarbons in the fuel, and water. Fuel bug is black and lives on the side of your tanks This isn’t true. Fuel Bugs are tiny bacteria & fungii that you can’t see. The black goop at the bottom of your tank is actually just their excrement. Fuel bug will damage your engine Fuel Bug won’t. The black goop they excrete will block up your Racor filters, which in turn will then restrict flow of fuel. If, like me, you have water in your fuel, this water will most certainly damage your engine over time. Racor filters will filter out Fuel Bug No. Controversial, but they most certainly won’t. Racors will filter out the black goop, but the Bug that still exists in your fuel will just poop out some more. You need to remove the water to solve the problem. Racor filters will filter out water This is partially correct. Water in diesel comes in a few different variants. If you drip some water into diesel, it will form globules and float around (aka “course dropletsâ€) Add enough water, and it will join together and sit at the bottom of the diesel. This is the water you can see at the bottom of a Racor bowl. A Racor will filter 1 and 2. A diesel engine is different from petrol in that it sucks in a lot of fuel, but then returns an unused portion back to the tank.
And it can be this process which can then mix fuel and water under pressure & heat, resulting in emulsified water. Once emulsified, it is then sent through the filter membrane along with the rest of the fuel. Even Parker Racor technical support. If we assume that to remove the bug, you need to remove the water, then using the standard 2040 Racor filters alone won’t achieve much. There are specific“depth coalescing filters†which do meet the SAE J1488 and can remove emulsified water, but they start at around $6k each. Many ocean going Yachties have a setup where they continually pump fuel through a separate Racor & return line. This is separate to their engine system, and allows them to regularly filter fuel, because they have long periods when they are under sail power and don’t run a diesel engine. I suspect the main benefit of this would be the continual agitation of the fuel, rather than any actual filtration. A little bit of infected fuel will spread to infect the rest of the tank It won’t. I did a test where I added 10% infected diesel to a clean sample. It became slightly cloudy and then cleared. It would seem that you need around 30-40% contaminated to get the bug to start colonisation. So if you do have Fuel Bug, don’t worry about flushing out fuel lines- it will probably just clear itself once you have enough fresh fuel. Additives like Fuel Doctor will fix Fuel Bug Again, this is kind of right and kind of wrong. Additives do work, but nowhere even close to the recommended dosage rate. ◠On the pack, the claim is that 1L treats 2000L (0.05%) for marine applications. ◠From speaking with Steve, the owner of Fuel Doctor, his advice was 3% (which for my tank would be about $900 of Fuel Doctor!)
Many ocean going Yachties have a setup where they continually pump fuel through a separate Racor & return line. This is separate to their engine system, and allows them to regularly filter fuel, because they have long periods when they are under sail power and don’t run a diesel engine. I suspect the main benefit of this would be the continual agitation of the fuel, rather than any actual filtration. A little bit of infected fuel will spread to infect the rest of the tank It won’t. I did a test where I added 10% infected diesel to a clean sample. It became slightly cloudy and then cleared. It would seem that you need around 30-40% contaminated to get the bug to start colonisation. So if you do have Fuel Bug, don’t worry about flushing out fuel lines- it will probably just clear itself once you have enough fresh fuel. Additives like Fuel Doctor will fix Fuel Bug Again, this is kind of right and kind of wrong. Additives do work, but nowhere even close to the recommended dosage rate. ◠On the pack, the claim is that 1L treats 2000L (0.05%) for marine applications. ◠From speaking with Steve, the owner of Fuel Doctor, his advice was 3% (which for my tank would be about $900 of Fuel Doctor!) Being the proud owner of 800 litres of very infected diesel, and being unable to fish until I solved this problem, I had a good opportunity to run a series of experiments with controls to verify this. If you spend time on Youtube researching this, you’ll probably see a video of Steve from Fuel Doctor adding some to a small container of infected diesel, giving it a shake and it miraculously clears. However if you watch the dosage carefully, he’s putting in a dose of around 10-15%. And yes it does clear - I was able to replicate this result.
The problem is at 0.05% or 3%, it does absolutely nothing. And 10% is around $3000 worth of Fuel Doctor! There are other brands such as Chemtech, but these brands recommend even lower dosage rates so I’m sceptical that they are as effective as they claim. Should I add Fuel Doctor each time I refuel? Probably. On the off chance that a bit of water gets in, it may help. But if you’ve got an infected tank, you’re wasting money. My AHA! moment I was talking about this problem with some other SGFC members, and we’d all seen this guy on Youtube trying to sell something he called “The Camel Tailâ€. He dangles his “camel tail†into an infected tank, and he claims that it can fix infestations. We guessed that the camel tail was just a sock of fabric with some kind of water absorbing crystals inside it. The obvious problem being what happens when your “camel tail†swells up with water and you can no longer pull it out of the fuel tank - but maybe that was a problem for another day. The contents of a baby nappy or any kind of incontinence pad (ideally unused) would do the same thing - absorb water. Someone also suggested “water saver†crystals that are used in gardening. I did some research to make sure they didn’t break down or react with diesel, which they don’t. I tested this theory with some garden crystals from Bunnings. Amazingly, after a few days the fuel was clear and there were just some swollen crystals at the base of the container. How I eventually solved my Fuel Bug problem My initial thinking was that this finally was a great excuse to repower with some new engines. But upon further reflection I thought it would be extremely unlikely that my wife would miss the item next to the big number on my credit card “2 x Yanmar engines - supply & fitâ€
Being the proud owner of 800 litres of very infected diesel, and being unable to fish until I solved this problem, I had a good opportunity to run a series of experiments with controls to verify this. If you spend time on Youtube researching this, you’ll probably see a video of Steve from Fuel Doctor adding some to a small container of infected diesel, Even a very fine 2 micron Racor filter is unable to filter out emulsified water. The relevant standards are: ◠SAE J1839 “course water droplet in fuel†- this is the standard that 2040 Racor filters (regardless of micron size) can achieve at 99% efficiency ◠SAE J1488 “emulsified water in diesel†- they do not meet this standard Note the cheaper Chinese brands of filters meet neither You can “polish†fuel by feeding it continually through Racors for a long time You can’t. I’ve tried. I’ve also spent a lot of time with Parker Racor technical support. If we assume that to remove the bug, you need to remove the water, then using the standard 2040 Racor filters alone won’t achieve much. There are specific“depth coalescing filters†which do meet the SAE J1488 and can remove emulsified water, but they start at around $6k each.
I managed to recover most of the fuel - apart from the stuff right at the bottom of the IBC, and about 40L I used for experiments. Using the IBC was key - since it’s clear it allowed me to inspect and make sure the fuel was clear all the way down. In some of my experiments, there was a layer of infected fuel and then separate good fuel - so if you dipped a boat tank to sample you might not pick up on this. Obviously if you’re going to use an IBC, you need to be careful about prior usage contaminants. I hope this wasn’t too long and I didn’t bore you. And that it’s useful in some way. Please reach out if you have any fuel questions or comments!
There were a few more realistic, marriage saving options available: The Sydney Fuel Barge guys will come and pump out. Disposal is 40c a litre, plus the hire cost of the barge out and back. So that would be around $2k to dispose, and another $2-3k to fill back up. And a complete waste of what was perfectly good fuel a week ago. Dose with Fuel Doctor at 10% - but that is going to cost around $3-4k and I’d still need to run it through filter polish to remove the black gunk. So total around $4-5k Pump fuel out into separate IBC, treat and then use that diesel later, refill boat with new diesel - total cost being ~$300 plus my time I went with the last option. I put the dirty fuel into an IBC and added a container of garden crystals ($15) and just in case I also added 5L of Fuel Doctor ($200). I used an air compressor and pipe to agitate the fuel, and then pumped it out through Racors (to remove any black gunk or garden crystals) into fuel cans. The size of the Racor filter matters. The big 9000MA filters do 340LPH (litres per hour) - the smaller 120MA only to 75LPH. This matters if you’re going to try to use a pump to create some kind of polishing system or filter. My initial setup was using a 1200LPH pump - which according to Parker Racor will result in the filter not working properly. So if you are polishing, you need to slow the flow to match the size of filters you’re using, and it will take a loooong time. Position also matters - those filters only work in negative pressure. Which means you need to have to suck fuel in, through the filters, and then to the pump and finally back to the return line. You can’t have the pump sucking from the fuel and then pushing through the filters then returning.
FAD locations for NSW Waters
Can you imagine catching a fish that is as ugly as it is beautiful, both easy to catch and hard fighting, and also one of the best tasting fish in the sea?
I know this sounds like an impossibility, but ladies and gentleman, this fish actually exists! The Mahi Mahi or “Dorado†or “Dolphin fish†(no relation to the dolphin of course) ticks all the right sports fishing boxes! From its golden flanks, to its hard fighting and jumping antics, to its subtle delicious white flesh- it’s hard to pass up an opportunity to fish for Mahi Mahi.
With a few handy tip’s from this article, you too will fall in love with the Golden Dorado.
What determines the obscure migratory patterns of Mahi Mahi is still uncertain, but you can bet that part of the driving force is the constant pursuit of food. Mahi Mahi can be found around the majority of Australia’s coastline but are seen as a very rare catch off the Northern Territory and Victoria. Whilst less prolific in the cooler waters off southern Australia, in NSW, you can expect to tangle with this enigmatic fish throughout the summer months as warm temperate currents push down our coastline. Whilst the Mahi Mahi is a fast growing fish, the species’ short lifespan make conservation imperative. Size and bag limits are in place in all states as follows:
NSW: Ten fish over 60cms and only one over 110cm. QLD: Five fish over 50cms. WA :Two fish over 50cms NT: (rare catch) Thirty fish in possession VIC: (rare catch) no restrictions SA: N/A
The Science Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) have an extremely high metabolic rateand voracious appetite that means they are willing to gorge themselves on just about any food they can find. Mahi Mahi growth rates are fast as a result, with fish estimated to grow up to 50 cms a year. Mahi Mahi reach sexual maturity in their first year, however only live for a maximum of four years.

GOLDEN MAHI MAHI www.hookedupmagazine.com.au/how-to-catch/mahi-mahi/golden-mahi-mahi/
Finding Mahi Targeting Mahi Mahi is just like any other pelagic gamefish. First you need to analyse your temperature charts and find the right for these fish. As a rule of thumb off NSW, we mainly tend to find “Dolphin fish†in water temps over 22 degrees. They will travel in colder waters but are often more lethargic and off the bite. Finding the right temperature to fish for “Dolphin fishâ€, normally means a substantial travel offshore in search of those big currents pushing warm water down the coast. If you do your research, you may just be lucky enough to find a good pocket in closer saving you a whole lot of travelling time and petrol.
Mahi Mahi are epipelagic. This essentially means that they spend their entire life in the upper section of the water column, and are particularly partial to structure (often hiding around and under floating debris, weed or fish traps). As you can imagine, there isn’t a huge volume of floating debris within offshore currents, so when this species do encounter structure… they will hang around it. Often in large schools, and often until all possible sources of food (including smaller Mahi Mahi) have been exhausted. Big clumps of Sargassum weed, floating debris (such as trees, shipping containers, and even an overboard Esky) will all hold Mahi Mahi in the right water conditions.
This phenomenon has brought about the deployment of FAD’s (fish aggregating devices). FADS are essentially mooring buoys, set in place for the sole purpose of attracting fish (such as Mahi Mahi) to one location for us fisho’s to enjoy. The great people at NSW Fisheries, and the equivalent agents in each state, have been deploying these devices off our coast for sometime with great results. Hop online to find your nearest deployed FAD.
FAD’s are normally deployed around October every year, and removed from the water for maintenance around June. They are usually deployed in 70+ metres of water.
Tagging Programs Little research has been done on Mahi Mahi, and there is much unknown about species. Therefore, it’s time us anglers stepped in and helped our Fisheries team out by tagging and releasing some of these fish for the benefit of research. Once a fish is tagged and the tag card filled out (with information such as length, girth, date, method of capture and location caught) it is then sent off to Fisheries NSW. If the fish is later recaptured, the tag is then removed and replaced with a new one. The old tag is then also sent through to Fisheries NSW. Tagging data is then analysed by scientists at Fisheries NSW therefore revealing information on migratory habits of the tagged fish, the distance and direction travelled between tagging and recapture and even growth rates. This information not only allows us to better understand these fish (which is vital for sustainability and management into the future), but it can also help us fisho’s determine how best to target this magnificent sportfish.
If you would like to take part in gamefish tagging(in NSW) jump onto the NSW fisheries website: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/
it comes to cubing, is to keep that trail going even when you are hooked up. Holding your hooked fish in the water is another little trick to holding your school near the boat while someone onboard puts a bait out. Mahi Mahi are an inquisitive bunch – they will come up to see what the commotion is.
Fishing Fads Lure Fishing When fishing a FAD, it’s a good idea to have a bit of gear in your arsenal.
Mahi Mahi can at times be quite picky in what they will eat. In addition, they are pretty quick to wisen up to your tactics –what works for the first few fish doesn’t always work for the rest. When these fish shutdown, a change of technique or a new offering in the form of a different lure or bait can be enough to put you back onto the bite.
If you’re a lure fisherman, ensure you have a varied selection of lures and colours.
A few trolling lures, a couple of surface poppers and some soft plastics are well worth having rigged and ready to throw around the FAD.
When you are fishing the FAD – there’s no need to sit on top of it! Mahi Mahi are constantly on the move in the water surrounding the FAD… they will rarely be sitting underneath it. If casting, set yourself adrift up current and a good distance off the FAD. Normally at this time of year the current is raging at a few knots – so your drift will be quick. If you have a sea anchor its worth deploying to slow your drift as best as possible.
Your best strategy if to cast close to the fad, and change up your retrieve. I recommend trying a surface popper – watching a school of Mahi Mahi climbing all over your surface popper is pretty awesome!
If you decide to troll the area, a couple of deep divers deployed and trolled slowly past the FAD often works well. The trick is, again, to keep your distance from the FAD. Running over the top of it will likely result in angry nearby boaties, and tangles with the submerged FAD rope. If you plan on trolling, it is best done in the early morning. Not only is the bite hotter, but you are also more likely to have the FAD to yourself. Bait Fishing If you like your bait fishing, a varied selection of baits are again vital for consistent results. Fresh is best, live is better… and don’t be afraid to use big baits. The Mahi Mahi’s voracious appetite will ensure that the school fight over the bait. Ultimately, the bigger mouthed fish will end up with the bigger baits.
Slow trolling or drifting live baits is a highly successful way of targeting bigger Mahi Mahi that hang around FAD’s or fish traps. Downrigging deep livebaits is yet another tactic that has proved highly successful in weeding out the larger fish from the juveniles. If dead baiting, start your drift up current a fair way way from the FAD. A slow cubing berley trail with a stripping back unweighted cube is a great way to catch Mahi Mahi. Agai, no need to get right on top of the fad… a good burley trail will keep the whole pod of fish at the back of your boat. The most important thing when it comes to cubing, is to keep that trail going even when you are hooked up. Holding your hooked fish in the water is another little trick to holding your school near the boat while someone onboard puts a bait out. Mahi Mahi are an inquisitive bunch – they will come up to see what the commotion is.
On The Troll The bigger Mahi Mahi are normally encountered as bycatch when fishing on the edge of the continental shelf for Marlin. Targeting these larger fish means keeping a good lookout for signs of life in your surroundings. Have a spotter for bait and birds, and keep an eye out for any flotsam or weed clumps especially around current lines.
When trolling lures, maintain your normal lure spread size as you would for marlin, they have no trouble smashing a 12 inch marlin lure.
If fighting these fish on heavier gear (24kg and up), it pays to drop the drag back a little as they have quite soft mouths and hooks will pull out quite easy under heavy drag.

March is a good month for Dolphin Fish, by now currents have pushed down to our more southern waters and has opened the door for everyone to have a shot at this wonderful fish. Get out there guys!
www.tantrumlures.com
SAINTLY WHISPERS
Good Fishing Humor to Contemplate Life Now, let us share this timeless well-known story and a few cartoons that will make you not just smile but contemplate your life. A fisherman and a businessman parable A successful businessman on vacation was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman proudly replied, “Every morning, I go out in my boat for 30 minutes to fish. I’m the best fisherman in the villageâ€. The businessman, perplexed, then asks the fisherman, "If you're the best, why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish? What do you do the rest of the day?" The fisherman replied, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, spend quality time with my wife, and every evening we stroll into the village to drink wine and play guitar with our friends. I have a full and happy life." The businessman scoffed, "I am successful CEO and have a talent for spotting business opportunities. I can help you be more successful. You should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats with many fishermen. Instead of selling your catch to just your friends, you can scale to sell fish to thousands. You could leave this small coastal fishing village and move to the big city, where you can oversee your growing empire." The fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?†To which the businessman replied, “15 – 20 years.†“But what then?†Asked the fisherman. The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!" “Millions – then what?†The businessman said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, spend time with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your friends.â€
Love the SAINT
Corny Fishing Jokes A corny fishing joke might not be the funniest thing in the world, but it'll definitely make everyone laugh (if the kids are not around). Funny fishing jokes are always a hit, but sometimes you just want a bad fishing joke. Here are a few. What do you call a girl hanging off the side of a fishing boat? Annette!
 Q: Why did the fish blush? A: Because it saw the ocean's bottom.

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