Weather conditions are looking great for this weekend’s Garmin Billfish Shootout and hopefully that extends into Interclub next weekend.
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“It’s not going to be easy street, but who knows, we may see influx of blacks coming down the coast.”
The big challenge, as always, may be the fish which have not shown up in such great numbers along our coast as last year.
Anglers competing in the 2018 Shootout and Interclub weekends enjoyed a bumper tournament season.
Over 250 marlin were recorded at the Shoutout, and over 500 at Interclub.
But if the 2019 Big Fish Bonanza, hosted by Lake Macquarie Game Fishing Club a fortnight ago, is anything to go by, anglers may have there work cut out for them.
“Last year there was a stack of fish caught, but this year, during the Big Fish, Gary Hoff got a blue marlin, but otherwise, the fish were down,” said Jason “One For” Nunn, who fished the Big Bonanza on Luke Stansfield’s boat Fifi and will contest both the 2019 Shootout and Interclub events.
“We’ve seen little black marlin sprinkled along the coast in close and the same with blues out wide, but it’s very sporadic.
“During Big Fish there were football fields of flying fish out wide of the Shelf in water temps pushing upwards of 27 degrees.
“But reports over the last few days suggest those flying fish have moved down the coast.
“The biggest marlin caught at Big Fish was a blue over 150kg, but there was only two of them caught, so they are out there, but it is hard yards and if something doesn’t change these next two tournamnts may be similar.”
Indeed Jason feels it might be more of a reality bite than a marlin bite for those anglers who’ve grown accustomed to setting up at the Carpark and getting their 10 fish per day.
“People shouldn’t expect that this year,” he said.
“You have to back yourself, but the quantity of fish are just not abounding.
“When you put numbers of boats in the same vicinity, fishing for finite numbers of fish, you only have to do the math. It’s not going to be easy street, but who knows, we may see influx of blacks coming down the coast, but it’s looking challenging over both events.”
Jason is tipping there won’t be much in both the Shootout and Interclub.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it came back to countback this year.
“Persistence and experience will be critical.”