Ambition Report 1st.April’24
April 01, 2024 Sydney 5 photos & 1 video
Dolphin (Mahi Mahi)
Dolphin (Mahi Mahi)
Marlin (Blue)
Marlin (Blue)
Tuna (Yellowfin)
Tuna (Yellowfin)
Marlin (Black)
Marlin (Black)
Marlin (Striped)
Marlin (Striped)

Trip Summary

The Marlin bite here off Sydney continues as it has over the last few weeks with lots of reports coming in yesterday as well. Most boats out there are finding fish and more than a few experiencing multiples strikes. Most of the Marlin are Stripies but there is the occasional Blue as well as larger Mahi Mahi among them. We generally associate Striped Marlin with the shelf area, between eighty and one hundred and fifty fathoms where the bait congregates. However, this latest run has found the Stripies in numbers out to and over the thousand fathom line. There have been sightings of Yellowfin but they remain aloof though a few have been taken. I took George and his son Chase out today they saying it was their one-time chance to catch a Marlin. So, if it was going to happen today was the day. I put the lures in at eighty fathoms and trolled out towards Browns where there had been lots of action. At around four hundred fathoms we raised our first fish, a Striped Marlin which played with a couple of lures and did what Stripies do. We tried teasing it but no go. Expectation was now high, the guys had now seen their first Marlin and all eyes were glued to the lures. The second strike was a screamer but it only lasted a few seconds, the line snapping for no apparent reason and I sadly I lost one of my Brads. My only conclusion being that the line had tangled on the outrigger clip, one of the many ways to lose a Marlin. We continued on heading wider without seeing much but hearing that the action was further North, so off we went. It took a while for the next strike, but when it came it really took off, I thought it was a Blue. A long greyhounding run then sounding. George had the rod and was worked hard but he wanted to give his son a shot so they swapped over. This was a tough fish and Chase did a good job eventually bringing it to the boat and it was a Stripy a very very good one. The next fish hit us as we crossed the shelf on our way home. George took this one and made quick work of it. It put up quite a spectacular show much to the joy of George and Chase whose ambition, no pun intended, had been satisfied. Tight lines, Ivan
Ivan Bennett
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Other reports from this captain

Ambition Report 27th.April’25
Ambition Report 27th.April’25
May 11, 2025
Today was an interesting day at sea. It actually epitomised Game Fishing…ninety nine percent boredom and one percent mayhem, a lot of the time anyway. I took out Kin and some friends from Hong Kong today. These guys had never caught anything bigger than the equivalent of a Black Bream and were keen to catch a big fish. By any measure it was a very slow day out there today but after hearing of Yellowfin and Marlin caught yesterday the motivation was there to persevere. After several hours of trolling we hooked a Striped Tuna which created a lot of excitement and photo taking. After which we continued on just hoping something else would happen. After several more fruitless hours and with time running out I turned for home. I’d virtually given up on Marlin but as we approached the ’12 Mile’ Ron let us know in no uncertain terms that there was a Marlin following the short corner, a ‘Pakula Evil’. It hit the lure but no hook up then turned away, I thought that that was it but then it or another Marlin came in and took the lure solidly, hooked up and was off running. At the same time the starboard rigger got hit but didn’t hook up. Then amid the mayhem the port rigger was hit and took off at a rate of knots. It was absolute mayhem on deck as you’ll see in the video. Meanwhile Ron was working to clear the shotgun, frantically trying to keep the Brad ‘J’ from being eaten by yet another Marlin. With these guys of limited experience and limited English the last thing we needed was a triple hook up, a double was going to be problematic enough. Fortunately the fish on the ‘Lumo’ dropped off after a few minutes so we could concentrate on just the one fish which after some tag teaming, and lots of motivation, some of which I’ve had to mute from the video, was brought to the boat and released. Thankfully the perseverance paid off and Kin and his friends ended up experiencing the excitement of Game fishing as well as the tedium. Tight lies, Ivan
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Ambition Report 27th.April’25
Ambition Report 27th.April’25
April 25, 2025
It was interesting fishing last week-end. I took Changyu and his friends out on Thursday hoping for a Marlin or Yellowfin. However there was still a residual swell running with a short frequency which exacerbated by a runout tide made for quite uncomfortable conditions. However conditions did ease a bit when we got out past the bounce back from the cliffs and the effects of run, but by then the damage was done. So, we headed back in and spent the day fishing in the harbour. Not something I can get excited about. It was back to grass roots fishing, catching lots of different species and seeing the excitement of newbies catching their first fish is in itself quite satisfying. Friday dawned a different day, it was pouring rain out to sea but the swell had ironed out and as the rain dissipated the sea calmed down. Again, Yellowfin and Marlin were on the menu. On Wednesday there had been a good bite from North of Broken Bay up to the Norah canyons. A bit too far for us to go but we did work our way up in that direction. We got our first strike just shy of the ‘Bait Station’ but no hook up. There weren’t many boats out but out there all caught fish,‘The Dom’ informed me that they’d tagged two Marlin earlier on in this area. I learned ‘Reel Smart’ and ‘El Pirata’ each tagged one and ‘Reel Smart’ also caught a big Mahi Mahi. We found a Stripy sunning itself but couldn’t excite it into taking the lure even after a couple of passes. Other than some flying fish and a patch of birds working on what appeared to be Striped tuna there was little bait in the area. However, it was patently obvious there were fish in the here so it would have been silly to leave the area. Eventually patience was rewarded when after hitting the Pakula Lumo and not hooking up a Striped Marlin found the Pakula Brad ‘J’, Ron then successfully teased it into striking and hooking up. After a short fight we released the fish, a nice Striped Marlin. Tight Lines, Ivan
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Ambition Report 18th.April’25
Ambition Report 18th.April’25
April 12, 2025
A bit of a late report but better late than never I guess. Last weekend’s Peter Goadby Memorial Tournament held by the Sydney Game Fishing Club was held in great weather with thirty-four boats competing. There were thirty-eight Marlin tagged, both Blues and Stripes. Twelve Yellowfin were taken and one good one going sixty-eight kilo’s also a thirteen-point seven kilo Mahi Mahi. There were also a couple of Mahi Mahi, Spearfish and even a couple of Wahoo tagged and taken. Generally speaking, a great weekend of fishing even given that the moon was full and however you want to interpret its relevance. We on Ambition had a frustrating time of it. We tagged a Striped Marlin early on the Saturday and our high hopes were slowly dashed having not seen any further action for the rest of the weekend. One of the interesting things during the tournament was that on Saturday there were lots of Yellowfin, seen and hooked yet on Sunday they had virtually disappeared with only a couple taken - the fickleness of fishing. We were actually mass attacked, as you’ll see in the video, creating excitement and confusion on deck. The, or whichever fish it was finally hooking up on, as you’ll probably guess, Pakula’s Brad ‘J’. The water is still especially warm and with Striped and Blue Marlin out wide and even Blacks inshore not to mention Yellowfin amongst Spearfish and Wahoo in evidence it should be interesting fishing over the next few weeks. Tight Lines, Ivan
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