Sucking The Life Out Of It!

By Dan Trotter on January 22, 2013 in Other

Ah summertime; don’t you just love waking to the air’s warm kiss on your skin, the promise of a sunny day, balmy saltwater, friends, family, fun and some cool drinks at sunset? I certainly do, and if you don’t, well, you know where you can go!

With Christmas and New Year’s holidays now upon us, the summer break and the whole of January are great times for fishing. Whether you like it relaxed and easy like a good lover, or serious and focused like an expert at work, this time of year is really what fishing was made for.

Around our home waters and up and down the coast, this is the time of year to fish the beaches on the tide. Hit the highs with fresh bait, light leaders and sharp hooks for a good chance at bream, whiting and possibly a decent flathead. Along the ocean rocks, whether from a boat or doing it hard from the stones, now is your time to shine. Live baits are the order of the month if you want to tussle with big kingfish or marlin and all reports indicate that there’ll be many elated anglers as well as broken hearts. Keep a lure-casting rod at the ready with a popper, stick-bait or metal lure tied on. If a busting school of kings or small tuna come through, place a cast ahead of the leading fish and work the lure back to entice a strike.

In our outstanding harbour almost anything is possible. North Harbour and the upper reaches of Middle Harbour will hold all manner of northern species gorging themselves on the healthy bait schools. The resident staples of silver trevally, bream, flathead and blackfish will be joined by good numbers of jewfish and kingfish, all enjoying the summer seafood feasts just like you and your friends. Remember, they like it fresh too.

Offshore, January can be the most amazing or frustrating of months, depending on what the EAC decides to do. If the currents push down and in against the coast proper, expect marlin, dolphinfish, occasional wahoo and tuna to be caught most days the boats venture out wide.

Closer to shore on the 30-100 metre reefs, good numbers of bruiser kingfish will be making anglers pay, whilst good catches of snapper should be around for those with the marks and the smarts.

A parting word to start the New Year: if last year saw you with friends, lovers, business partners or people who seemed to suck the life, energy and joy out of you, shake them off like you would an angry octopus and watch them slink into the depths from whence they came. Onwards and upwards my friends; 2013 is a new year full of promise, possibilities and hope.

And if you like to dream, aim high for you will never go higher than you dream. Peace, best wishes and fishing to you all.