October was another hit and miss month as far as south easterly winds were concerned. It was more miss than hit as far as offshore boating was concerned. When the windows of opportunity offered themselves up, we made the most of it with some memorable bottom fishing and a few outstanding topwater days. The water temperature has risen through October and we have noticed the Nannygai especially, and Red Emperor, have started to migrate out into deeper water. I was fortunate to follow their movements and we caught some cracking ‘red’ species on those calmer days.
We also had the first of two demersal fin fish closures, in addition to a brand new Spanish Mackerel closure through October, so everyone’s tactics and methods had to be flexible. These closures basically coincide with breeding cycles of these fish.
Tip for the month for those anglers wishing to be more successful in the offshore topwater fishing caper is to know where the current pressure points will be on the reef systems you will be targeting. Pressure points are not necessarily created by wind and wave action, but the current relevant to the stage of the tide you are fishing on. This varies considerably in direction and strength as the tide floods and drains. Getting your timing right to fish the ideal location and at the optimum time is critical to your success. This is a learned trade and the more time you spend on the water the more you’ll be able to pick these points. These spots attract the bait and the bigger fish wont to be too far away.
This month on the surface we caught Gt’s to 18kg, Red Bass to 6kg, Spangled Emperor to 6kg and various other species of trevally. We did lose some unstoppable fish but that’s part and parcel of the game. It was a lot of fun however and a bit expensive on the hip pocket losing quite a few surface lures. Anyway we’ll press ahead with the same intent and plan for November. The weather appears to be settling nicely for some red hot fishing in the coming month."