I along with Ron Kovacs and Lee Cheesman took Ambition up to Port Stephens last Saturday. And what a trip it was. It poured the whole way up. The sea wasn't too bad to start with, being about 15 knots of South-Easter with a Northerly current. However as we moved wider the water temperature went up to 26 C, the current turned to the South, and increased markedly and so did the wind. The 1.5 to 2 metre Southerly swell jumped up to 3 to 4 metres and shortened making for a very uncomfortable ride. We didn't see anything on the way up and it wouldn't have been much fun if we had hooked up anyway. When we reached Port Stephens the water temperature had dropped down to 22.5 C and off the lighthouse we marked lots of bait and since the current was coming from the South in close it was a lot more comfortable, but still raining. It was a pleasure to reach our berth at Nelson Bay and relax with a beer or two. Sunday dawned a perfect day. It was hard to believe it could have calmed so quickly overnight. We headed out to the lighthouse where there had been lots of bait and bird activity the previous day. Surprise , surprise, there was no bait, no bird life and the water had jumped up to 25 C. We'd caught bait at Cabbage Tree and I wasn't going out to the shelf so we skipped a couple of slimies in close to shore. Up near the V Reef I started to mark bait and after working the area for an hour or so, we were rewarded with a strike. It turned out to be a Striped marlin of about 70kg. which sadly didn't put up much of a fight however it was a first for Grant . So, one more off his bucket list. I worked the area for a little longer but with the tide starting to run out I worked my way back to the entrance intending to get back to the lighthouse. However, we never made it back, this time it was a Black, a very stubborn Black which gave Grant's son a very, very hard time. Then an even harder time to Ron when he traced it as you'll see in the video. So one quite successful day after one very miserable day. Two firsts to two very excited and satisfied fishermen Tight lines, Ivan

Ambition report 13th.January'2020 ------------------------------------------ Experience Sydney' hot Marlin bite - at present possibly one of the best bites for this time of years in years. It is ironic that I am taking Ambition up to Port Stephens in a couple of days while Sydney's hot Marlin bite continues. Over the last couple of weeks Striped Marlin of varying sizes have been on the bite around the shelf. Just where they have been is the question. Generally you find them near the temperature breaks and where the bait is stacking up. So, find the bait and you find the fish. Having said that, finding the fish can be the start of the problem. Striped Marlin being what they are can be the most frustrating of fish to hook up and keep hooked up. Small lures or bait are the go but even then nothing is sure. In closer to shore where the bait has stacked up on the inshore reefs and off the headlands the Black Marlin have appeared. There was the occasional Black seen last week but since the water has warmed up inshore their numbers have increases significantly. Reports of numbers of Blacks from further up the coast, around Coffs indicate there could be more on their way down. As I mentioned earlier in the report I'm taking 'Ambition' to Port Stephens and will be there for the next couple of months fishing the tournaments and chartering. I still have a few days free and will keep you informed. Tight lines, Ivan

First of all a belated Happy New Year to all, hoping for as well as anything else a great year's fishing. This year has already started with a bang. A good run of Striped Marlin having showed up off Sydney. Peter Pakula had rung me a few weeks ago telling me we should expect a good run of small Striped Marlin in coming weeks. And so it happened, however among the small Marlin, around the 30 to 40 kilo's, are some good sized ones. One that we weighed at the SGFC for Steve Baker of 'Fly by Night' went 82.5 kilo's. Others have reported fish around the 100 kgs. which are really good sized Stripies even if they didn't pass the lie detector test. Though the Stripes are in reasonable numbers you still have to find them as well as put in the time until they to turn on. They have been found out as far as 300 fathoms but they are most likely to be in the 60 to 110 fathoms where most of the bait is holding. I have found them to be on the cooler side of temperature breaks. Once found you still have to cope with the difficulty of hooking them. While searching and looking for bait, using lures you take your chances on the hook up but if you're watching and the crew is awake you can tease them and you'll increase you chance of staying attached. If you have found the bait it is wiser to either skip bait or troll livies. Both are visually exciting ways to chase Stripes and you'll get a much better hook up. Now with the warmer water closer in shore and the bait holding on some of the inshore reefs is Black Marlin time. There have been only a few sightings and I don't know of any caught yet but they can't be far away. However having said that there haven't been any numbers of them on the North Coast yet. Further offshore there is some 25 C water coming all the way down from North of Coffs where there was a good Blue Marlin bite. The water off Port Stephens is looking good at present with the water pushing into the shelf around the 'Car Park' which is always a good sign. The best is that I'll be up there soon and available for charter from 20th.January, see you there... Tight Lines, Ivan

One of the biggest frustrations of running a charter boat is not being able to go out whenever you want. Especially frustrating is when you know the fish are there or when the bite is on - My situation last week-end. And just to add to the frustrations just hearing about the Striped Marlin bite off Port Stephens and Norah Canyons the previous week and the many encounters off Sydney last week. It finally happened, the greater body of Marlin moved into Sydney waters. From what I have heard there were lots of boats out there with most if not all at least seeing a fish. As is usual with Striped Marlin for every fish hooked many were lost. The Stripies seemed to come in a range of sizes with a few boats and experienced fishermen from SGFC tagging fish of around 100 kg. as well as fish in the 60 kg. range. It would appear there are a couple of year classes involved. Will it continue ? Yes, it is the beginning. But at this early stage of the season the currents haven't yet settled in so you still have to find the water and the bait. I don't know if anyone has heard about the Blacks moving down the coast in their annual run. I have heard there is plenty of bait waiting for them up the North but have heard nothing. Tight lines, Ivan Don't forget Port Stephens, the best Game fishing spot in NSW, I'll be there and available from 20th.January'20 until 16th.March'20... [

That elusive Marlin. At this time of year the keen Game Fisher people are out looking for the first Marlin of the season. In most clubs this is a much contested trophy with a great degree of kudos and boasting rights to the winner. With that in mind and seeing that the water was warming up I and a four other members of SGFC went out hunting. On the way we had a look at the 12 Mile but it was loaded with Jackets and after losing two rigs we were off. Out went the lures and the hunting began. It was pretty lumpy going for a while and I lost sight of a couple of crew members for a while, sleeping they said. There was no apparent bait or birds working around the shelf so we moved on, working our way out. It wasn't until near the thousand fathom line that we saw any life. A couple of Sunfish showed up near a temperature break in a thousand fathoms and I saw a school of what I thought were Striped Tuna. There was life here so I worked the break and was eventually rewarded with a crashing strike on the short corner. The fish took such a long first run I thought at first we might have found our Marlin. However the fish never jumped but it did stay near the surface . It must have taken two hundred meters on that first run and poor Rob had to work really hard to get it back. When we did eventually see it was a Yellowfin we were a little surpised. It never went deep and never did that gut wrenching circling. So even though that elusive Marlin eluded us we did have a good 40 kilo's of Yellowfin to satisfy our needs. At least until we get out again to chase that elusive first Marlin. Tight lines, Ivan

Spring Gamefishing is always a bit hit and miss but this Spring has been more unusual than most. The weather has been fickle and the currents even more so. I went out late last week during a break in the weather . The charts showed some good water East of Browns and some colder water out a bit further, the edge was the target. There was a build up of bait just inside the shelf. So, hoping for that first Marlin the lures were put out. Amazingly from just outside the shelf to about 250 fathoms there was huge amounts of bait. I can truly say I have only seen bait like that at Port Stephens. Needless to say I worked it for a while , didn't mark anything so after about an hour moved wider to the temperature break. On the way there was still a lot of bait but in smaller schools. The whole scene looked very fishy and just to prove it as I started to work the area we hooked a Yellowfin of around 25 kilo's which made the inexperienced angler work for it. Their excitement was palpable. I went out again on Sunday with some friends and club members. This time aiming for that first Marlin. After all the bait I had seen on my previous trip it had to be on the cards. I couldn't believe how much the water had changed. Inshore the water was blue and 20 degree but as we approached the shelf it got cooler and cooler. There was still plenty of bait around the shelf so out went the lures. Strangely even though the water was getting cooler there was still huge amounts of bait out to 300 fathoms. A couple of boats South of me reported similar bait build ups. I surmise there was a warmer current below the cooler surface . Well we continued out but this time I was marking good fish deep around the bait. I made the decision to bring in my shotgun (Brad 'J') and put out a 'Bluewater Livy' . The idea was to stop the boat and let it drop into the bait school when I marked bigger fish around them. As it happened the first time I tried it we hooked up. After a good fight that took two anglers we landed a Yellowfin of around 45 kilo's. We continued, optimistism running high, unfortunately no more hook ups. Later in the day and well away from the bait I marked what I thought was a Marlin. Sure enough the 'Lumo' went off but no hookup. I knew I shouldn't have left that 'Bluewater Livy' out there because Murphy stepped in and it went off in a screaming run and then just stopped. A lesson learned, like most , the hard way. Tight lines, Ivan