Skipper Meggs Amidships

Greetings!

Ok, picture this….

Wayne and I had moved to a designated red hot black jew spot in Weipa right at the change of tide.

If anyone has read one of my earlier blogs about the black jewfish you may recall they are fairly reliable to aggregate in numbers at known spots so we should be on the money.

Bang, I was on and then twang I was busted off as the damn leader was too light.

A couple of re-rigged lines later with the same result Wayne and I headed back to the Houseboat mothership with our own tail between our legs instead of the fish’s.

The next night with heavier leaders the boys went to fish the same spot again at the bottom of the tide.

The tide had only just bottomed out when one, two, three and four of the guys all hooked in at once.

The result? One, twang! Two, ping! The third was wrapped around a channel marker and the fourth was brought thankfully to the boat by my son Grant - a nice black jewfish at a respectable 68cm.

Most avid fisherman could probably fill a book on bust offs and one day I may offer up some of the highlights of my own personal defeats.

All that aside, the difference between landing a large fish or being broken off is huge.

So, as always, I went in search of answers.

The initial bust offs were with no doubt caused by the use of an inadequate leader line (25Kg). In the wilds of Weipa this was unforgiveable but it was also all we had on board the runabout at the time (it’s amazing how forgetful you become after a few days on the grog!).

What is interesting is that the next day, the boys were on the money with their leaders in place.

Hooks were ok as well - between 6/0 to 10/0 and some circle hooks.

There was no doubt either that each had a fish on - they weren’t busted straight off away.

So here’s my theory…

Each was using braided line which we all know is fantastic in the right situations because you have so much better feel for what is going on at the end of the line.

And therein lies the problem with handling big fish - there is no stretch and no margin for error.

Fishing for big black jew with mono (or for that matter other large species) allows for headshakes and the times when the fish want to crash tackle the bait or take off to the other side of the ocean with it.

That’s what your drag is for I hear you say and to a certain extent that’s true.

The thing is that with no stretch comes little margin for error - and for this reason it’s a lot easier to de-snag a braided line than it is a mono line.

Anyway, I’m happy to enter discussions with anyone who has a contrary view.

Don’t forget to have a look at the www.skippermeggs.com website and view the bareboat sailfish caught by our own F&RTS team member Gary (the fisherman formerly known as Harvey). See what you think and have a vote in the poll to tell us if you believe it’s over the Australian record mark of 78kg.

Until next week,

Sea you later,

Skipper Meggs

Follow the steps below and you could organise the most memorable fishing holiday that you and your mates could ever experience…

Step Number 1 – Float the idea

Make your friends and their partners aware that you are planning a fishing holiday - you need their support and commitment to make it happen.

Step Number 2 – Select the Crew

Great mates in close confines with extended periods of alcohol fuelled sleep deprivation, interspersed with flurries of activity can stretch friendships. But it can be so much fun! Choose wisely - I’d recommend limiting numbers to either four or six people.

Step Number 3 – Determine the Venue

The venue will depend on your group’s fishing fetish ie freshwater, deep sea, estuary, beach, rock or game fishing.

Step Number 4 – Select the Dates

Work pressures, school holidays, weddings, relatives, children’s sporting activities, pregnancies and other inconveniences will make it nearly impossible for you to select an appropriate date. Even if you have to set it twelve months in advance the date is the key to getting everyone committed.

Step Number 5 – Establish a Budget

The budget will determine your accommodation, length of stay, number and nature of fishing expeditions and extras you can package to make the trip special. Tell the crew the trip will cost more than you expect and grab a deposit off everyone to show they are committed.

Step Number 6 – Use a co-conspirator

The planning task can be made easier if you enlist the support and help of one of your crew to bounce ideas off and use as a sanity check.

Step Number 7 - The Exploratory Visit

Check out the available accommodation, golf courses and pubs and clubs for entertainment. Look out for maxi-taxis, restaurants, cafes and pizza joints and unusual nearby attractions. If chartering a boat or using a guide, try them out while you’re in town. Speak to locals and get advice about which one to go with. Use the Internet to investigate the destination.

Step Number 8 - Come up with a Plan

When it comes to fishing holidays you should be seriously organised. Don’t wait for things to happen, come up with a daily agenda that outlines some organised activities. Consider a punter’s club day, a BBQ somewhere, bushwalking or card and theme nights like an “Ugly Shirt” or a “Funny T-Shirt” night. Include a sports day where you conduct a Pentathlon comprising of snooker, darts, pool, golf and a mystery event. Have a prize for the eventual winner.

Step Number 9 – Have some fun Rules

Implement a set of 10 rules for the trip. Kick off a “Kittie” for common grocery items used by all. Have a slave each day that cooks, cleans, get beers for the other participants.

Step Number 10 – Under Promise and Over Deliver

Promise a fishing trip but deliver an experience that your crew will never forget. Try to be under budget and send your mates home with money in their pockets – it’s always appreciated.

Sea you later,

Skipper Meggs

Greetings everyone!

I must admit that I’ve been thinking of buying a fishing kayak for a while now but something always stops me from going ahead with the purchase.

There is an old Chinese proverb that basically says that one should never think about anything three times because twice is enough. If I followed this line of thinking I’d probably have ten kayaks by now!

A recent episode of Fishing Australia aired on the weekend and there was Rob Paxevanos inflating an i12 Hobie Kayak with a hand pump. Believe it or not he flew the kayak into a Torres Strait Island resort in its own suitcase. That’s right it comes with it’s own carry bag and the whole kit weighs in at 25kgs. Even so once inflated it can handle loads of up to 500lbs or 225kgs.

You can throw it in the boot of your car and away you go.

Now that’s pretty cool.

What’s more the kayak can be inflated in around 5 minutes.

That’s pretty good too.

The kayak utilized pedal power, or what Hobie refers to as Mirage Drive. If you’ve never seen a kayak propelled in this fashion it’s an amazing sight as each time you pedal, two underwater flippers move back and forth.

Being powered by your feet means that you have both hands free to fish. There is also another clever inclusion with a hand controlled rudder that sits next to the driver.

As the name implies the i12 is twelve feet in length once inflated. Rob mentioned that there were no rod holders but these were on there way on the latest model. It also comes with a high back seat and an 8 inch hatch for storing things that are not meant to get wet.

I live near the Georges River in Sydney’s south west and the thought of heading down to Kelso Beach, blowing up the boat and setting course for the local bridges is pretty enticing.

I went and had a look at the cost of the kayak and I only found pricing in US dollars at around $1800 which I think is a little excessive but how convenient is the storage and transport of this thing?

In the past I’ve looked at solid kayaks and had thought that the inflatables were like toys but this one seems to have jumped a few hoops in the making.

I’d be happy to hear from anyone out there who has had some experience with fishing kayaks. In particular anyone who has any first hand knowledge of the i12 Hobie inflatable.

Sea you later,

Skipper Meggs

Greetings one and all!

I was recently asked for some advice on how to organise a reasonably priced, week-long, fishing adventure for two people.

Naturally a question like that really comes down to what you would like to catch, where you live and what budget you would be working to.

After all, one man’s “cheap” is another man’s luxury.

Regardless there are a couple of general recommendations I would make.

Firstly, if there were 2 people I would suggest that they book a charter on both the Saturday and Sunday of the week away. This is because depending on where you go, some charters struggle to make the numbers necessary to leave port during the week.

This is a good lever for negotiation if you have a larger crew (say 6 or 7 people). In this case you could guarantee the charter three trips mid week and they could still work their weekends at a profit.

Ideally three outside trips is a good number to shoot for -we use to do four in a week and honestly we always did it tough on the final trip after having too much fun during the week.

I like to mix things up a bit - so if possible I’d do a deep sea bottom bouncing trip and the second day a full on game or light sports fishing trip.

I also like to plan a trip in an area that offers beach and rock fishing and sometimes estuary options.

A good golf course, friendly club or pub helps as well. I also look for something a bit out of the ordinary - hang gliding, go karting, quad biking or even surf lessons in the local area.

I’d always opt to rent an apartment or townhouse for the week - it can be cheaper than a motel and you will have more room to move. You’ll also have access to cooking facilities and plenty of fridge space for beer and fish.

Some also have the benefit of swimming pools, spas or saunas and outside BBQ equipment and furniture.

I’d steer clear of school holidays and peak tourists periods if that’s possible.

In NSW, I’d recommend you take a look at places like Nelson Bay, Port Macquarie, South West Rocks, Ulladulla, Bermagui or Mollymook.

If anyone would like any fishing holiday assistance or advice out there, let me know - I’m more than happy to help if I can.

Anyway, good luck and good fishing!

Sea you later,

Skipper Meggs

My apologies once more for the delay in getting this post to you.

Our crew had a sensational trip to Weipa and I’ll write more about that some other time.

We worked hard for our fish up there and it got me to thinking that even this area may be prone to over-fishing by over zealous southerners.

Even in the early days of our exploits on the far south coast of NSW my fishing buddies and I, members of the Fishing & Reef Tour Specialists (F.& R.T.S.), would catch and kill more than our fair share of fish to take home.

We used to keep everything we caught of legal size. We packed them in plastic bags, threw them in the freezer and then at the end of the trip we would lay the carcasses out to take photos and to divide the catch between the crew.

What this meant was that invariably those fish that weren’t given away to friends and relatives would sit in the freezer until they were too stale to eat after which time we would use them as bait.

There are many fish that turn into mash or ice cream soon after freezing and unless they’re cooked straight away some aren’t worth the effort to prepare. In fact they’re better off to be used to make fish slurpys and I don’t know anyone who likes that sort of drink!

The other sad thing is that I’ve also seen my fair share of slaughtered fish in photos – pictures with big men alongside a tarp full of hundreds of barely legal sized flathead and I think we’ve all seen gantry shots of huge dead fish alongside proud fishermen.

I also remember seeing with my own eyes a garbage bin full of undersize bream being taken off a private boat at Hawks Nest jetty and remember feeling totally outraged and disgusted by it as I suspected they were headed for the mincing machine.

Now I’m not sure what happens to a hunter or an angler but sooner or later the penny drops that if you continue to wipe out large populations of fish then you are killing off your own sport.

Fish species need time to breed and restock the very areas that fisherman regularly frequent.

The more you study the habits of certain species the more you come to realize how the odds are really stacked against the poor old fish because of aggregations, limited movements, late maturity and predictable spawning activity.

If you combine that with all the latest gadgetry like GPS’s, depth sounders and fish finders the outlook for the humble fish is not good.

It truly is no wonder that when boats go out on places like Botany Bay you really have to work hard for each fish you get.

I am also reminded of the true story that in 1995 Asia, India and China reported 400,000 tonnes of black jewfish caught by commercial fisherman. Sadly ten years later the industry did not exist as the entire populations were wiped out.

If collectively we only keep what we intend to eat and return every other fish safely back to the water we can at least hope to have a fishing habitat in years to come.

You don’t have to go back home with a full freezer to prove how much you enjoyed your fishing trip. The fun is in the catching and that can only continue for everybody if we have populations of fish to target.

In Weipa, we enjoyed a fish dinner every night but released most of our catch to live and fight another day.

I hope that in future, you too consider doing the same.

Until next week!

Sea you later,
Skipper Meggs

Greetings all,

Firstly, let me apologise (once again!) for those of you eagerly awaiting the updated life cycle story on a popular pelagic fish - it’s been one of those weeks with Skipper Meggs and his crew preparing for the upcoming Weipa trip.

I must confess, I’ve just plain run out of time to get that story finished.

We head off on Sunday night (25th May) so you can imagine things have been pretty hectic.

Never mind, today’s topic is fairly relevant to those of you who believe there is merit in releasing fish that you catch and certainly we’ll be doing a fair bit of that in Weipa next week.

So let’s take a minute to explore some of the reasons why released fish die…

Sadly, anglers trying to release fish safely to the water inadvertently cause either life threatening impacts to the fish or place it in immediate danger from predators.

So what kills released fish?

The major causes of mortality to released fish include;

· Fatal hook damage
· Barotrauma
· Excessive handling
· Over exposure to air
· Predators killing the fish upon release
· A slow death may be the result of damage to organs, stress, poisoning by hooks or infection caught by slime or scale loss

Barotrauma is common amongst reef species as their swim bladder inflates as they are raised from the depths. If released in this condition they will remain at the surface and become targets for predators.

In this case it is best to use a fine hollow needle to deflate the swim bladder before releasing or even use a weighted line to return them to the depths quickly out of harm’s way.

Not all injuries lead to death of the fish, other impacts include the loss of ability to spawn, decreased growth rates and resistance to disease.

It is worth remembering these factors the next time you try to release a fish.

Guys, there may be a delay in next week’s amidships blog due to the Weipa trip. I will have a notebook and an internet connection but I’m not sure of coverage.

 Anyway, I will try and have it loaded by 6pm EST next Friday.

Until then…

Sea you later,

Skipper Meggs

www.skippermeggs.com

Greetings!

Well I’m 8 chapters down in the first ever Skipper Meggs eBook and I am eagerly awaiting time to pass by so that the Fishing and Reef Tour Specialists can make their way to Weipa for this year’s fishing escapades.

 I should first of all apologise to those of you who were looking forward to a continuation of the life cycle series but before we weigh anchor on Sunday 25th May I thought it might be a good opportunity to discuss the aspects of using circle hooks.

Those of you who have been following this blog for some time now may recall me preaching the benefits of using this particular type of hook to save gut-hooking (and therefore almost certainly killing) Black Jewfish.

The reason why this is the case is that the humble circle hook will almost always set in a fish’s mouth rather than anywhere else that may cause harm.

But then, I am probably telling the end of the story without covering off the beginning.

You see, there is one thing that fisherman can thank the Long Lining industry for and that is circle hooks.

Yes, long liners have single handedly stripped the sea of thousands of huge sea creatures but one of their tools of trade is the circle hook.

Hmmm… Why is this so?

Well Long Liners are just that, a great big long line with a whole bunch of hooks and bait on it and the thing is they have no one at the end of the line to set the hook.

And they don’t need anyone because the circle hook sets itself in place.

But how?

 Well it works like this. The fish first of all takes the bait and starts to move away. Someone using traditional J hooks at this stage would feel the bite and start to pull back on the line to set the hook and this is why a lot of fish are gut hooked.

What you will find is that if you strike a fish when you feel the bite with a circle hook you would almost certainly miss the strike every time because you would pull the hook out of the fish’s mouth.

When the fish takes the bait they swallow it and move away. As they move away the water pressure will gently pull the fishing line into the corner of the fish’s mouth and will help pull the hook up from the gut and into the corner of the mouth to set.

So there you have it. To catch a fish with a circle hook the trick is to do nothing! Resist all temptation of striking and the fish will hook itself. What could be more simple?

If you still not convinced try this test with a circle hook.

Attach a circle hook to some line and throw the hook into an empty bucket and retrieve it very slowly.

Almost every time you will see that it wraps itself around the lip of the bucket.

Now try and do the same thing by jerking the line - oops! Nowhere close to catching the bucket.

So there you have it.

The problem with using circle hooks is that fisherman tend to still strike when a fish takes the bait. The opportunity though is to do nothing and to allow the fish to hook themselves.

To overcome this issue the best way to fish with circle hooks is to leave your rod in a holder and on a very low drag that will let the fish take the bait. Once you see the familiar bend in the rod you should be able to take it out of the holder and set the hook.

The best knot to use with circle hooks is the snood knot. This knot will definitely increase your circle hook catch rates as it assists the hook to land in the corner of the fish’s mouth.

Simply pass a line through the eye of the hook and wrap it around the shaft of the hook several times until it lines up with the point of the hook.

Once there, take the line and pass it back through the eye of the hook and there you have it – the snood knot.

By the way there is conjecture amongst the fishing experts that indicate that you shouldn’t use chemically sharpened circle hooks as the pointy end may very well set in the gut of the fish by accident.

Until next week.

Sea you soon,

Skipper Meggs

www.skippermeggs.com

Greetings once again!

You will be pleased to know though that I am continuing to write my first eBook and with six chapters out of the way this is on track for the end of June so I’ll keep you posted on the www.skippermeggs.com site.

Ok, this week we’ll take a look at the humble bit oh-so-delicious mud crab.

In Australia there are two species of mud crab that can be distinguished by colour. The larger of the two is the green mud crab Scylla Olivacea and the other is the brown mud crab Scylla Serrata.

Thankfully the mud crab reaches sexual maturity very quickly. This is achieved in their second year when their size is between 130mm and 170mm (measured across the top of their shell).

At most phases in their lives mud crabs will be found in inshore areas but when spawning the female mud crab will head offshore during the summer months.

Mud crabs “moult” their shell as they grow larger and sometimes are referred to as rattlers because when they ”moult” their meat does not entirely fill their new shell.

Female mud crabs have been found some 30km offshore in over 300 metres of water with upwards of five million eggs ready to disperse hidden under their abdominal flap!

Luckily there are so many eggs laid as barramundi, sharks and cod love to eat them.

Incubation of the eggs takes between two to four weeks.

Interestingly the currents sweep the mud crab larvae back in towards estuaries.

Mud crabs live for three to four years and can reach sizes up to 240mm and weighing over 3kg.

Like the southern Blue Swimmer crab female “jennies” can be recognised by the round flap on their underside whilst the male has a distinct “V” shaped area.

Next week I will discuss the life cycle of one of the torpedos of the sea.

Until then don’t forget to take a look at the eBay clip at;

http://skippermeggs.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=35

Sea you later,

Skipper Meggs

Well hello again!

This week has been yet another hectic one with a few additions to the www.skippermeggs.com site.

If you want to have a good laugh, why not visit the “Funny Stuff” section? If you have ever bought anything from eBay, or know somebody who has, then you would absolutely love this video clip;

http://skippermeggs.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=35

Complete with an estimated speed of over 110km per hour this week’s topic for the Northern Australian fish life cycles series is the Istiophorus Platypterus commonly known as the Sailfish.

By the way, apparently the speed of the sailfish was estimated after 300 foot of fishing line was stripped in 3 seconds - talk about being spooled!

Also, for the record and by way of comparison, a well fed goldfish in peak condition can reach speeds of up to 2.3km per hour.

Ok, the Sailfish is common in tropical and subtropical waters in all three major oceans worldwide and is said to be able to eject its stomach out of its mouth and then suck it back in again to get rid of anything that doesn’t take its fancy after being swallowed.

Mating males and females will swim in pairs or two or three males will chase the one female (wouldn’t you know it!) obviously depending on how pretty she is.

Spawning can take place up to three times within a season and it is thought that the summer months are the most common times for the fish to spawn in relatively shallow water near reefs.

Over one million eggs will be released during this time and once fertilized by the male they will hatch within 36 hours giving birth to a larval stage of about 10mm in lenght. These will live close to the surface unfortunately making them an easy target for predators.

In fact, of the one million eggs produced only about half a dozen sailfish will make it to maturity.

After one year they reach a size of between 1.2 and 1.4 meters.

Sexual maturity is reached at a length of about 1.5 meters however there are certain assertions made that Western Australia sailfish reach maturity at 23kg whilst East Coast fish do so at between 30-35kg.

Adult sailfish can live up to between 10-13 years and weigh in at over 100kg. The world record sailfish is 100.24Kg and 3.4 meters in length. The Australian record is 78Kg although the members of the Fishing & Reef Tour Specialists (F&RTS) tagged and released a specimen from a bareboat in the Whitsundays in 2006 that would have tested that record.

A sailfish tagged in Queensland was recaptured thirteen days later after travelling 106 nautical miles.

It’s getting closer to the Weipa trip for Skipper Meggs and the F&RTS team so next week I’ll take a look at a special crustacean that our group may target whilst away.

Until then….

Sea you later,

Skipper Meggs

www.skippermeggs.com

Well I’ve been hard at work on my first ever eBook and it is beginning to take some shape and should be ready after our Fishing & Reef Tour Specialist’s trip to Weipa in mid June.

For those that haven’t noticed yet, I have included a link on the www.skippermeggs.com site to a You Tube video with some huge fish in it. You can take a look at;

 http://skippermeggs.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=10&id=31&Itemid=34

This week though I’ll discuss another member of the Trevally family - the Golden Trevally or Gnathanodon Speciosus.

Unfortunately little is known on how the Golden Trevally’s life cycle begins but on the basis that most large members of the species are found around reef areas it is likely that this is where spawning takes place.

The other clue to the theory that the fish spawn on coral reefs is that the larval and juvenile stage of the Golden Trevally’s development is spent living on the edge amongst the tentacles of either a blue bottle or portuguese man-of-war. This would point to the fact that the Golden Trevally spawn offshore so that the currents and winds would send their larval stages to the same areas where the jellyfish are likely to be.

Right, so living in amongst the stingers doesn’t sound like much fun does it? Well in fact this is quite a good defence mechanism and it actually ensures that the juvenile fish survive their early life as predators steer clear of the impending danger of stinging tentacles.

The young Golden Trevally on the other hand marinates itself with a mixture of its own mucus and that of the jellyfish so that it becomes immune to any danger of being stung.

As if this gutsy start to life is not enough once they grow to about 50mm they leave the shelter of the stingers and take up residence alongside large sharks!

You’d think they had a death wish from an early age but swimming in the wake of sharks helps conserve their energy and they just love the scraps of food that the shark leaves behind when they feed.

Not only that, what silly predator would even bother to have a go at them and risk running into a shark for their trouble?

Fish up to 3kg take up residence in rivers and are often caught when casting for mangrove jack and barramundi.

They are a schooling fish and will migrate up and down the coast. They will also feed on the sandy bottoms in shallow water and can often be found “tailing” ie feeding off the bottom of the shallows with their tails sticking out of the water.

Like my mother, Golden Trevally don’t have any teeth and those soft mouths and Mick Jagger lips are good for sucking food off the muddy bottom of a river or sandy reaches of an ocean floor.

Larger more mature fish will almost always live on reef areas and can grow to a size of 1 metre in length and are said to weigh in up to 35kg although interestingly the Australian record is only 15kg.

Next week I will start to review the life cycle of some of the Northern Australian pelagics.

Until then,

Sea you later!

Skipper Meggs

www.skippermeggs.com