Ambition Report 1st.January’26

With the weather looking good on Monday we headed out with Michael and his son Max to see if we could find some Kingfish or one of those elusive Yellowfin. Up until now the ‘fin haven’t showed up in numbers off Sydney. However occasionally fish are turning up in just enough numbers to get you motivated. We went out over the twelve mile without marking anything substantial so with the upcoming Southerly change in mind decided to go wide while the weather was good and have a shot at the Kingies on the way back. I must say we covered a lot of ground, trolling North to the ‘Bait Station’ then out to a thousand fathoms. In all that travelling we only saw a school of Striped Tuna some Dolphins and Whales as well as some big splashes I assumed might be tuna but it was anyone’s guess. I could see the clouds building up to the South and since we were nearly thirty miles from home I turned to head for the twelve mile. When trolling on a glassy ocean in a following sea on a bright sunny day with the drone of the engines lulling you into a trance it is quite a start when a ratchet starts screaming as it did in about nine hundred fathoms East of Browns, it was a startling wake up call. Max took the rod and was put to work by this fish, as Yellowfin do. I must say for someone who had never used this sort of gear and never been Game Fishing before he handled it well, very well indeed. After a good twenty minutes of hard work he brought it to the boat where we gaffed it to his relief and amazement. Tight lines, Ivan

Welcome to Ambition Game Fishing Charters Sydney where Spring gives promise of Summer's arrival... SEPTEMBER to DECEMBER : During these months the offshore waters start to warm up. However there are still winter species around. It is a good time of year to target Yellowfin and Albacore. The Mako and Blue sharks are still around Browns Mountain and wider out. Around the inshore and offshore reefs Kingfish ( American Yellowtail ) are taking up residence. Jigging and live baiting being the best methods to catch them. Schools of smaller generally undersized Kings can be found close in to the rocks around the Heads and at various other Headlands. By November the warmer water has moved closer inshore and the first of the summer sharks turn up i.e. Hammer Heads, Tigers and Whalers just to make life more interesting. Slimey Mackerel and Striped tuna start appearing along the shelf attracting more of the pelagics, Striped Marlin though present all year become more common as well as Mahi Mahi, the bigger ones often arrive in November before the school fish take up residence around fish traps and FAD's. We will on occasion also find the bigger Yellowfin Tuna in the warmer currents. The warmer currents continue to move in through December. Generally towards the end of December and usually around Christmas or Boxing Day the first of the Black Marlin show up. The Blacks are generally smaller fish but what they lack in size they more than make up in numbers out wider, over the continental shelf Striped Marlin become more prevalent with the occasional early season Blue Marlin crashing the party.. What I have described is a very general overview of what may be expected on the East Coast of New South Wales. As I have mentioned the currents are very fickle so finding the fish that travel in them is a matter of observation, perseverance and knowledge of what and where the currents are. At Ambition, we offer fishing charters off Sydney and surrounding areas. So contact us today to find out more about the current conditions and what to expect. Tight lines, Captain Ivan

Its been a while since my last report for many and varied reasons not the least being weather and breakdowns, well not so much breakdowns but the time taken to get parts, thankfully all good now, except for the cost of fuel. Anyway, I went out yesterday with Alvin and his partner who wanted to catch Marlin and Yellowfin, on an absolute stunner of a day. On checking the charts you could see a good temperature break and around the Southern canyons some eddying also some interesting water to the North, so, which way to go ? On the way out I heard that Ali on ‘Finfinder’ had caught a Yellowfin of around fifty kilo’s wide of the Southern Canyons which motivated all on board and made decision for me. We found heaps of bait on the way out and when we reached the temperature break we could see Gannets diving in over a wide area on the bait. Continuing out and down to the canyons the temperature went up to 24.5C, we were expecting to see a big Blue come charging in at any moment but sadly it never eventuated and neither did the Yellowfin. After several hours of frustratingly unsuccessful trolling in what appeared to be ideal conditions it was time to head for home. I trolled back up towards Browns and in towards the shelf in the hope of finding a Striped Marlin. The bait was still there as were the Gannets and as before no results either. The frustration on board was palpable, so we pulled in the gear and headed in. On the way a friend, Paul, on ‘El Pirata’ called to let me know that he’d tagged a Blue Marlin as well as taken two fifty kilo Yellowfin North of Browns. I can’t tell you how it made us feel. I’d made the wrong call, should have gone North instead of South, but that’s fishing, didn’t make me feel any better though. For a moment I thought about turning around but good sense prevailed, it was far too late. To add to the frustration as I sit here listening to the radio there is a good bite going on North of Browns with several Blue Marlin and Yellowfin being taken. One could so easily be forgiven for giving this fickle, frustrating game away, but then what else would you do. Tight lines, Ivan