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Hooking Up Anglers Since 2011.
Western Ports BIG Gummy Sharks are HERE RIGHT NOW!!
Busy, Busy, Busy....Yes the entire TBC have all been ultra busy over the past few months & it hasn't always been easy to find time to compile a report for you all, but I've found sometime in between a lot of charters this season to put together this report & cache of pics from selected charters since before Christmas & up until the last few days.
Yes I know, I too would have liked to have had this report out far earlier, but as they say, You have to make hay while the sun shines... Well we've been making huge bales of the stuff as you'll soon see.
Snapper: Well it pretty much goes without saying that this season of 2011/2012 will be remembered for the season Snapper were firing on all cylinders. The Port Phillip Bay fishery in particular this season has been nothing short of mind blowing with very reliable angling on all fronts on all styles of tackle/techniques for everyone. The average size this year was also something special with many 4-5 & 6kg Snapper making up many clients bags. The usual 2-3kg school Snapper were also about in unprecedented numbers and many days the bite was so crazy that as far as you could see, there was almost every boat in the area(s) hooked up with hard fighting Melbourne Snapper.
One little gem of an addition to our Think BIG Charters this season has been a burley product known as 'Zealcol Snapper Snacks' This yellow colored/squid enhanced pellet is a dead set Snapper Hypnotiser, Seriously they love this stuff & as its heavy, it gets down in the current quickly, especially when out wide in 21mtrs plus. Launching Way at Carrum retail this must have additive for any Snapper session. It also works very well when wetted up and placed in a burley pot boatside for Garfish, Mackeral etc.
Pilchards were a definate stand out bait this season & any wonder given the huge schools of both these & small to medium size Yellowtail Scad or Yakkas. Slimy Mackeral & Garfish are also in abundance and can be easily caught onsite in many areas with the aid of a little berley & the use of small sabiki rigs. Fresh Snapper bait on site, makes it easy some seasons.
Currently there are still good Snapper being taken in Port Phillip Bay around the Seaford area. These are good fish to at 4kg upwards in a lot of cases. Many people give up on Snapper after Christmas, but there is some superb fishing to be had from now & especially into March & April & later, so if your keen on booking a Snapper Charter, give us a call.
Port Phillip Bay Think BIG Snapper Charters:
03/12/2011: John & the boys had a ripper morning charter
03/12/2011: Rod Callahan brought down a crew all the way from Cobram Nthn Vic to show them what Snapper fishing is all about. These guys are generally soaking baits in search of Murray Cod & were stoked to see buckled rods going off this afternoon.
04/12/2011: Racing horse enthusiast John Loton & friends had a brief but productive morning off Chelsea & found some quality fish in the shallows that go hard on light gear.
05/12/2011: Facebook fan & reg client Alex Schuecher & crew had a big mornings action on Snapper out wide near the shipping transit lane.
06/12/2011: Regular Think BIG clients Mark Beaconsfield, his son Mitchell, Craig Joel & Shaun Carter all had their hands full this morning on a hotbite of Snapper, again outwide in the deeper regions. This is where the use of plenty of burley will help hold the school in your area.
07/12/2011: Compleat Angler Dandenong Staff Member Harley had a group of customers from the shop join him for a eve session on Snapper.
08/12/2011: Yep your on there Steve !!! Steve James another regular Think BIG client had a special birthday charter & it turned out a pretty personal affair with just Steve on the boat all to himself!! This caused little problems Steve reckons & he soon had his hands full trying to keep up with the action. Was funny to watch actually.
Well done Steve & a great Birthday pressie to land your personal bests so far on Melbourne Snapper.
08/12/2011: Michael Neighbour & crew from Drouin Vic had two bites of the apple to land this catch, after their original charter was cancelled after an hour or so as the weather was horrible. I offered them the benefit of a second trip when the weather cleared & the result was a very happy bunch of guys who took home a great feed of Snapper & some fair Flathead too.
09/12/2011: Lachlan & crew organised a Think Big Charter as a birthday gift for friend Sam & had a big session on school sized Snapper.
10/12/2011: Brian & crew with part of their catch on a slower than normal morning when we had a rock bottom barometer. Sometimes this has had no bearing on the Snapper activity or feeding pattern's, then other days it seems to almost shut the fish down, each charter is different from the last....
17/12/2011: Craig 'Clint' Eastwood had a birthday voucher as a gift & arranged a few other friends to tag along for this charter. Things weren't easy weather wise, but a hard buckle & a great Snapper of over 5kg was soon boatside. A move out wider saw multiple rods going to finish this great session off.
24/12/2011: As a wind up right before Christmas, reg clients Edwin Chen & Stuart Thornton had a top session after a bit of sounding with plenty of perfect whole eating sized Snapper. Perfect for Christmas feastings...
Speaking of feastings.....
That one time of the year when it's just 'grab that plate & fill it'..Thanks again Mum & brothers Danny & Gregory for a top Christmas spread as always.
January soon arrived as did the Great Grey Gummy Sharks & the ever popular King George Whiting fishery Western Port is famous for:
The transistion to Western Port was a welcome view after a fair haul over in Port Phillip Bay. Instantly we were enjoying the varied wonders Western Port has to offer & have been running almost every charter since over here. We are always available for charter in Port Phillip Bay, however we tend to fish Western Port almost exclusively at this exciting time of the season.
Those slender, keen nosed & lovely species we can't get enough of 'Gummy Sharks' have been on the prowl all over Western Port over the past few months & will continue to do so until at least June or later. The peak of this activity is generally from now until late March/April, but going on our outstanding results all through last Winter proper, we are expecting to see another memorable season on this, possibly our most popular & loved species.
Think BIG Gummys !! Think BIG Charters !! PH: 0423 696 061
Follow this link for Think BIG Gummy Charter Dates
Gummy Sharks:
23/12/2011: Tarsh & friends from the Australian Defence Force chartered a specific Think BIG Gummy Charter. The aim was to experience what Tarsh had read about & viewed on YouFishTV Programs. The morning picked was perfect with some great action on a number of Gummys up to 15kg's.
23/12/2011: Later this same day some longtime friends joined me in a social evening session on Gummy's on some new areas, we've recently come across that are proving to be reliable on the right tides.
Adam Xuereb with a good table size Gummy in the afternoon sunset on a balmy evening.
& as the night moved in, so too did some better sized Gummy's, this one was soon released after a quick photo.
27/12/2011: Edwin Chen whose a very regular client on all of our charters over the season, invited a work colleague out for an eve session on Gummy Sharks. Good nights action too !!
30/12/2011: Benny Lo who always seems to have a great day on all species had some great daytime action on hard running Gummy Sharks. It was another session of numbers with Gummy's to 14kg landed & released after pics.
31/12/2011: Matt 'Squiddy' Stewart & Think BIG Team player & all round top guy bows out for the 2011 season with this lovely daytime Gummy that made us all smile when that familiar bounce/bounce---rip--run>>>!! happened...Was a good way to end a fanatastic 2011 on the water with some very special people.
02/01/2012: Regular Gummy Chaser 'The good Dr Khalid, CEO of 'Dreamtime Limousines' & local Phillip Bayer from nearby Balnarring experienced a hot still night weather wise and even hotter Gummy Shark action with several good sized models landed over the charter.
15/01/2012: We had the distuingushed pleasure of having Charlie 'Savage Seas' Micallef aboard with a special client all the way from Malaysia. This day was memorable for two reasons, one I finally was to witness Australia's most equipped camera person I've seen yet, fair dunkum...You had to see the amount of footage & still's this crazy little, but so lovable & very passionate man can fire off in a few moments as each Gummy came aboard. The 2nd reason is we encountered a really hot bite on Gummy's in what could be best described as very trying condiditons, with wind against tide etc...Was a great day Charlie & am looking forward to getting out on the water with you again very soon mate.
Charlie & client 'Victor' with the victors...well the start of a great session...
Going well there Victor with a bigger class of Gummy Shark.
Yet another quality Gummy landed by Victor this day & was soon released after this pic.
23/01/2012: A recent Gummy charter opened up with some good table sized specimens.
This was soon to change however as darkness closed in and the bite opened up proper.
Client Elkatarina (hope I spelt that correctly) along with her father Leon out here on holidays all the way from Russia really were Thinking BIG when they stepped aboard as the action just got better & better.
Another good Gummy landed moments after the one pictured above.
Elkatarina with her hands well and truly full cradling a BIG Gummy Shark that was a huge milestone for her & it really did put the icing on the charter for this magic evening.
Yep if you land too many Gummys you end up looking them, this glow eye effect is a result of flash when pic was taken just as she was to be gently released back into her marine homegrounds.
24/01/2012: This particular charter was an achievement for a certain Shaun Dennehey. A long road of trial & error was finally put to rest when that first rod bounced almost 17 mins to the second as I'd predicted after setting baits. Yes this time Shaun was into the fish of his dreams & something he has lost a fair amount of sleep over, well that and the recent birth of his newborn son 'Ethan'. So in many ways it was a special Think BIG Gummy charter.
Well done mate & a great size as an account opener.
Skipper Fruits holds another solid Gummy Shark prior to release.
Close friend of Shaun's, Omar also added quality Gummy Sharks to his list of favoured species. Once again we encountered a great session with good numbers of Gummys to 16kg.
Now!! Is the time to book your very own group or individual Think BIG Gummy Charter !! The season is shaping up as being fantastic all over Western Port & also in our neighbouring Sthn regions of Port Phillip Bay. We also will be offering some *Special Facebook Fan* BIG Gummy Charters from time to time over the next few weeks so stay tuned for these charters.
Near the end of the typing, not forgetting those inviting & always fighting & exciting
King George Whiting: These iconic species of both Western Port & Port Phillip Bay have treated all anglers it seems to a bumper season so far. Good quality Whiting are about now!! In many areas it's generally been noted that there is plenty of good sized '38-44cm plus' bait slurpers around a lot of the popular fishing mk's in both Western Port & Port Phillip Bay. The next few weeks leading into Autumn will see some very reliable Whiting fishing & the larger 'fumpha's' will also be seen in better numbers. The slower parts of tides have also allowed some deep water sessions with some absolute horse sized Whiting turning up on occasions. These larger Whiting almost go as hard as a typical 2kg or more Snapper when hooked in the current. Top fun on the light Shimano outfits we have recently aquired for these great fish.
Follow this link for Think BIG Whiting Charter Dates
King George Whiting:
22/12/2011: Bill & the crew from Aldrin Homes organised a group for a Think BIG Whiting Charter work break up & found some great action with plenty of Whiting for all clients & a great work breakup day.
Sample of Western Port Whiting along with fresh Mussels that caught them & the preferred tool of trade for easy mussel removal...the traditional 'butter knife'
30/12/2011: Ric along with reg charter client Benny Lo had a great time on a mixed species Think BIG Charter & started it out with a fine bunch of Western Port Whiting.
03/01/2012: My brother Danny along with a bunch of clients got amongst the Whiting in the shallow water on a calm morning.
Some good sized Whiting amongst school sized fish this calm morning.
06/01/2012: Damien Perry & crew soon had the live well filling nicely with plenty of quality Whiting in the shallows hitting the fresh Mussel as quick as the lads could get their baits down. Despite a large amount of boats in the area we were fishing, the fresh Mussel had these Whiting almost lined up & was an obvious winning bait on the day.
08/01/2012: On a very ordinary day weather wise I had the good fortune of having Kurt Emmerson to assist as deckhand with this charter. As it progressed it was pretty clear there was basically no-one else out this day. This allowed us to enjoy a top session despite the sometimes crazy weather with frequent downpours lashing us all. Client Trent Showler & crew showed how to do it in the rain & came up with a top bag of Whiting.
Kurt assists, Trents wife, who had the whole charter on their toes as she single handedly outfished them pretty much with her keen angling skills.
Trent swings em in under the cover of the canopy, smart move Trent as you kept dry !!
Smile says it all.
A weary but very happy charter with a sample of a great Whiting session...even a few Garfish held by a crazy guy up front, who enlightened us all to the finer points of skinning Eel's with your teeth....Apparently its a quicker easier method than using boring old pliers like most folk do....
10/01/2012: The Gravox crew from Watsonia assembled along with a reg Think BIG client Alex Schuecher. The brief was simple. Daryl & crew had come prepared with around 5kg's or more of ready to go Mussel meat, complete with his favourite mussel gravy all in a huge decor container. With some moving about over the course of the charter we found some good action on Whiting in all depths from 10mtrs right down to just 1.6mtrs. As usual its always a funny session with the Watsonia crew & this was no exception with a lot of ribbing & jokes the whole time.
Alex soon got into the swing of things when there were some earlier threats of pants being pulled down if he didn't stop loosing baits so fast to biting Whiting!
Alex with a hefty haul of spotted bones, with the Gravox master himself Daryl holding court in the background.
Wayne shows how it's done..
Yes '2 Fillets boys' as the saying goes.
Great catch of Whiting for the boys. Afterwards they even helped with the washdown of Think BIG. Now that's customer service !!
13/01/2012: & Edwin Chen had some fun amongst the Whiting with some real good sized models during the charter.
These are great fun & suberb eating especially at this size of 44cm's !!
19/01/2012: Local angler & reg client Robert Johnstone was aboard on a Whiting charter & found out a whole lot more on the finer points of putting these top fish into the livewell.
20/01/2012: Craig Saunders arranged to have a guided tuition session aboard his vessel for a closer look & better understanding of Western Port. Some quality Whiting were also landed during this trip. Craig has since gone on to land very good catches of Whiting on every trip since this tuition trip.
22/01/2012: Adam & Davy, both good friends joined me on a rare day off & we set out on a day when there was perhaps 6 or so trailers at Stony Pt, Yes she was a tad windy, but we continued on. Moving about we found a good patch of Whiting along the Middle Spit on the start of the ebb tide. This session was quick but productive with a nice bag of succulent fillets the results for persisting.
Easterly winds means leasterly to some folk, it certainly didn't effect these spotted beautys.
25/01/2012: Craig Joel along with his son Andrew & friend Duncan found out that the more you work your baits & keep a check on things the better the catch can be at charters end. Also was good to see the younger guys go from raw 'L- Platers' to quick reflexed whiting anglers over a few hours of careful guidance. Well done guys, you certainly put in the effort.
Young Andrew with a solid two hands full of fresh Western Port Whiting.
26/01/2012: Aust Day again & of course we're going fishing for a change. The Watsonia Gravox crew were in for this session & along with another local fisho Lou Rocca the day was going to be a fun one for sure. As the tide eased some real Fump Daddy sized Whiting were turning up with Lou showing us all how to extract the better fish of near 50cm's!! amongst some already very good Whiting of 43/44cm's. Lou has recently spent many hours of painstaking exacting laboratory work on the finer points to Whiting rigging successfully & with fish like these below landed by him alone, we all bow our hats to 'Lou the Professor Nibble Tip Tub Thumping Whiting Guru'
Solid Whiting & a feed on it own pretty much !!
Wayne with a great bunch of BIG Aust Day Whiting from Western Port
Think BIG Whiting !! Think BIG Charters!! PH: 0423 696 061
Well this is just a sample from recent charters on some of our favourite species & highlights from what is continuing on within Think BIG Charters. If you have a yearning to be apart of any of our specialist charters, please give us a call or an email.
Until the next Think BIG Charter Report
Thanks To All & Cheers,
TBC
This Fishing Report was submitted on 3/12/2011 4:21:32 PM by Seamus and last updated on 11/2/2012 4:21:32 PM.
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