Merry Christmas Jam Packed Newsletter

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Merry Christmas From Hervey Bay Fly And Sportfishing

From Pete, John, Kurt and myself, we wish a safe and Merry Christmas and Happy New year to all our customers. 2020 was a challenging year for all Australians, but we have made it out the other side and the Team at HBFSF look forward to a big 2021. Plenty of exciting things to come from us in 2021 as we strive to make our customers experience the best it can be. This newsletter is jam packed with HBS goodness! With so much happening the last few months it's been hard to soak it all in.

Bait Balls, Billfish and Bent Rods !!!

2020 certainly has had it’s challenges, but one of the brighter parts of the year has been the great spring fishing. We have seen far more east in the wind this spring, with only a few blows from the north west. This has made conditions good enough to get out most days, with only a few cancelled trips due to weather. For guests that did take a bit of a gamble on the conditions on those slightly windier days, they were rewarded with some great fishing.

The big news has been the billfish for the past few months. This season has been consistent with some great numbers of juvenile black marlin turning up. Multiple bites per day resulted in many guests enjoying their first experience of targeting small blacks. We fished for them in a few different ways throughout the season from switching live baits, casting at free swimmers, trolling gars, trolling Pakula skirted lures, and switching and sight casting with saltwater fly tackle.

Garry with his first Black Marlin

Many of our billfish were caught in shallower water and were released in the shallows where they can recover nicely. The sharks were difficult at times with some crazy moments to be had.... plenty of care was taken when the fish were in the shark zone to make sure they were landed and released unharmed.

Shallow water marlins

Quality Marlin for the boys

We had an epic free-swimmer on fly capture which was sensational. This black marlin was cruising the flat, and when Josh made the cast and hooked this fish, it cemented him into a small group of anglers that have caught flats free-swimming black marlins that have not been teased.

Josh with his epic fly sight-casted black marlin - the ULTIMATE prize

Regular guest Adam Yearby also did very well on fly, landing 3 fish on the tease and switch.

Black marlin on fly the ultimate challenge

Along with billfish, we've had some great spotty mackerel sessions with the first run of fish being the XL size. Spotties are great fun and ball the bait up making it very visual fishing. Mac tuna and longtail tuna often joined in on the action smashing through the bait balls.

Dinner sorted for chase

Mac tuna slicing up the bait

On the flats, we had a few solid longtails cruising down the flat making for some great sight casting opportunities. Along with longtails, queenfish, golden trevally, mac tuna and small black marlins were seen frequently on the flat.

Flats Longtail for Jack Wighton

Landing a flats marlin

The ultimate spring flats prize - black marlin

On the reefs we caught a few coral trout, cod, snapper, golden and other trevallies. We didn’t spend too many days on the reefs, with much of our effort focused on the pelagic action the past few months.

Quality sweetlip off the reefs

Coral trout from the inshore reefs

The Months Ahead

The months ahead look to be busy at HBFSF headquarters with our guides chomping at the bit to take on another big year. The next few months will see the pelagics take the main focus with spotty mackerel hanging around until March, then the longtails arrive in big numbers as part of their annual migration.

Longtails are already here

Stickbaiting and surface lure fishing will be high on the agenda for many anglers, as species like queenfish, longtail and mac tuna and spanish mackerel start to get aggressive on the surface.

For anglers looking for a bit of reef fishing late Autumn can be a great time to target coral trout and sweetlip. If you are looking at booking in a 2021 trip please email us for rates and dates, bookings are filling fast!

Scarlets a great reef species and have been caught through summer

Trout are also a Autumn classic particularly closer to May

New Estuary and Dam Vessel

We have a brand new smaller vessel which we have fitted out to target barramundi in our local impoundment Lenthals Dam, along with some smaller finesse style sportfishing in the Sandy Straits. We are excited about the little 4.5m Polycraft Gotcha II, which has already proved to have fish mojo.

Liv with the first fish caught in Gotcha II

Goctha II is fitted out with the latest electronics including side imaging sounder and bow mount Minn Kota. We have also added some lean bars for support when casting on the front and rear cast decks, along with a polling platform which is handy to for sight fishing.
Gotcha II is powered by a whisper quiet 60HP Yamaha four stroke engine.

New Sister Boat Hire Company - Gotcha Boat Hire Hervey Bay

With a gap in the market for a purpose-built, self-drive sportfishing hire boat, we have decided to start a side company, Gotcha Boat Hire Hervey Bay.

Our main focus will always be our guided sportfishing trips, but with recent government incentives we have decided to grow the business. We now employ admin staff, allowing our guides and I to stay focused on the water and deliver our charter guests the best experience possible.

Gotcha Boat Hire Hervey Bay is a boutique boat hire service which specialises in offering custom sportfishing boat hire – a first for the Fraser Coast region.
Targeting the avid fisherman, Gotcha Boat Hire Hervey Bay has launched with its first vessel - a 4.5m Polycraft equipped with the very latest in sportfishing equipment.

Polycraft Boats have a great reputation as safe, user friendly vessels which are stealthy, quiet and come with the ability to be fully customised, enhancing the fishing experience.
This business is a one of a kind, offering a custom boat with the latest electronics and bow mount Minn Kotta motor, along with arguably the best fishing advice on offer in the Fraser Coast. This service provides a fishing experience that is comfortable, affordable and our research indicates that there is a significant market looking for this type of fishing experience.

See the website here http://gotchahireboatsherveybay.com.au
Email enquires fishing@gotchaboathireherveybay.com.au

Bay To Barra Drive - A Hit With Guests

The Bay to Barra drive has proven to be a huge success for guests, with this unique package "the only one of its kind " drawing plenty of attention from fishos around the country. We recently had NRL players Jack Wighton and Curtis Scott enjoy the package catching some great fish at both destinations. The boys both caught their first marlins in Hervey Bay along with some quality tuna and pelagics, before heading off to Gladstone and nailing some mighty Awoonga Barramundi.

Curtis Scott, head guide Andrew Chorley, and Dally M winner Jack Wighton enjoying marlin fishing on their first leg of the Bay to Barra Drive.

Curtis with a black marlin

Then on to the barra with Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing

Fishing with Brooksy

We recently caught up with YouTube fishing vlogger Johnny Brooks from Brooksy Fishing and fished a few days targeting marlin on the flats. The boys had a ball on the marlins landing some cracking fish. Check out the action here and make sure you subscribe to his YouTube channel.

Black Marlin In The Shallows

Exciting New Self-Drive Yacht Hire Package!

To complement our popular full-service mother shipping package with Freedom III, we are offering another great experience with another great local business, Fraser Coast Boat Charters.

Alongside luxury yacht Cattitude

Two of the Fraser Coast’s most popular marine based tourism businesses have teamed up to launch an exciting new touring experience - offering a range of overnight yacht and sportfishing packages that will allow visitors to experience the thrill of world class sportfishing in one of the country’s best fisheries, and enjoy the comfort and facilities of their very own sleep aboard yacht.
Fraser Island Boat Charters and Hervey Bay Fly and Sportfishing are now offering guests three night, 5night and 7 night bareboat and full day guided fishing options - with guests to be picked up from their yacht by the team at Hervey Bay Fly and Sportfishing whilst sailing the west coast of World Heritage listed Fraser Island.

To Book Visit https://fraserislandboatcharters.com.au/

See Promo Video Below

Sail Fish Relax

Guide Life

NRL Player vs Marlin and Whale Shark photo BOMB

Recently we had NRL payers Jack Wighton and Curtis Scott on board........ check out what happened in this clip!

The Fraser Island fires made for some interesting days on the water, they are all out now and air quality has returned to normal.

A dingo brings her pups down in search of food

Don't move Garry!!

Mother ship Dinner Prep

Product Review
Mako Sunglasses

We have recently teamed up with Mako glasses and have been enjoying the benefits of a great pair of glasses. We have been running the Gt style frame with the blue copper mirror lens and it has been perfect for all the situations we cross on the bay.

MAKO Polarised Sunglasses were launched onto the Australian market place over 25 years ago and have been at the leading edge of high quality polarised eyewear ever since. We were one of the first (if not the first) local Brands to introduce Polarised Lens technology and continue to be 100% Australian owned.
See their website https://makoeyewear.com.au/

Christmas Vouchers are available right up to Christmas email. fishing@herveybaysportfishing.com.au or visit our website http://herveybaysportfishing.com.au