Batemans Bay Options

[Jumpus GooDarus]

Was asked to go down to Urradurra last tersday but had tings tu do
Was however free on Flyday so arranged to tow wittle goat in the morn & pick up a passenger then head down to Batman & Robins Bay.

Left Sydney bright & early friday morn around 10 am got to Urradurra around 1.30 pm & after a quick fuel stop we were on our melly way once more.

Boys had gone for a fush that morn on Lake Conjola & did ok bream to 35 cm's , flathead & a few other fishy's as well & that's good for them as not worlds best fisho's but they had a local take them out in his tinny.

Booked into motel & unhooked the goat @ BB by this time I was starvating hadn't eaten all day some morton bay bugs & a nice array of seafood quickly filled that hole, beatifull arvo with not a breathe of wind should've gone out in the goat but couldn't be bothered esp as the day was ending & I didn't have a clue where to go fish.

Picked up a map from maritine to sus out where santuaries were, also had a look @ water depths [bottom grids] of the area b4 I left home pretty shallow place I must say.

Went for a walk to wharf across the road water was clean & could see brimski's doing swimies down below so went & grabed a flick stick & a few SP's had a bit of fun there for an hour.

Then went for a drive to check out the goat ramps opted to use the wun out near the breakwall in the morn went for walkies on the breakwall a few peeps fushing but not catching was amused by the big rays patrolling the breakwall & wated them doing their U turns, also spotted an array of boats out there fushing getting late by now & they started coming in so waited to see wot they'd caught & to try & get a bit of local knowledge.

GooDarus nights sleep & I was up b4 the sparrows started their far tings, punched co-ords into gps of the map I'd gotten the day b4 so as I had sum idea where the santuaries started [ bloody big joke these fish santuries esp in towns like this cant do a great deal of good for their tourist months with peeps getting put off by them]

Anyways went sth & picked a wittle point to start fushing started getting hookups with velly 1st cast got evllyting from kungs, samson fushies, brimski's , snapper, bonito, salmon, etc etc there

Paul is definatly not a lure person so he used a bait rod, tired of this spot after an hr only because of the slimmy mackeral they were huge sum would've gone close to a kilo they were evllywhere & stated getting to be a pain in the butt.

So saw a bommy about a mile away & decideds to go try there sa,me deal & fish as the first spot but did nail a nice bream on lure 38 cm's, kungs were darting around the back of the boat eating the cubes thrown in got a few more of them.

Saw a few boats out wider so decided to go have a looky didn't stay there to long with nothing coming up on the sounder & headed further sth to a point in the coastline twas sum natives in canoes with a paddle fushing 400 meters off the point & thought they'd have to have sum idea 1/2 hr later still nut ting nor was anywun else so snuck in a bit closer to the coast.

GooDarus move cause we found snappa's along with those bloody slimmys again, oh well did stock up on slimmy fillets

Not a day I was pulling the camera out @ all as there was generally to much going on & none of the fush were of any real size none of the kungs made legal but I did get done by wun that looked the goods got an epsy of it near the boat then he went down.


Samson & Delilah



Sammy Snappa's




Had to pull the camera out to take a pic of a pike of all fush get a load of this thing I'd never seen wun this big b4

Attached File(s)

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[catchnrelease]

That samson is an amberjack. You can tell because of the thick dark mark running diagonally across it's eye and the fact that it doesn't have a dark/blotchy colouration. And yes I've caught both before in juvi form. The only question is whether it's a greater or lesser amber.

I miss the south, good fishing there that's for sure.

[Jumpus GooDarus]

That samson is an amberjack. You can tell because of the thick dark mark running diagonally across it's eye and the fact that it doesn't have a dark/blotchy colouration.

Cant say that ewe've convinced me but did put doubt in my mind so I did wun of your twicks & googled

Samsonfish Seriola hippos
Distribution: Inhabit coastal waters of NSW, commonly in and around reefs.

Size: May attain a maximum size of approx. 175cm

Characteristics: These fish exhibit a lot of variation in head and body shape as well as colour. Generally silvery with a bronzy coloured back, often displaying vertical patterns of mottling. These fish have a blunt head that lessons in degree as the fish ages and may show a yellow band down the side of the body.

Confusing species: Similar to kingfish and may often be confused with amberjack.

Amberjack Seriola dumerili
Distribution: A more tropical species that is often found in coastal NSW, usually with the warmer, summer waters.

Size: May attain a maximum size of approx. 190cm.

Characteristics: Best separated from the Samsonfish by its more torpedo shaped body and lower head profile.

Confusing species: Similar to kingfish and may often be confused with samsonfish.

Caught about 4 of them that day & when I saw the 1st it looked like a golden trevelly in the water due to the yellow band down the side of the body + it's fins

You can tell because of the thick dark mark running diagonally across it's eye and the fact that it doesn't have a dark/blotchy colouration

Kungs also have that band as do rainbow runners if I recall correctly got a pic of wun sum where I caught many moons ago

Still not sure wot they were but going by the DPI description I'm leaning to wot I originally called it as a Samson

[poly]

I miss the south, good fishing there that's for sure.

well get back down there and wet a line

Paul

[Jumpus GooDarus]

Yep I'll prob start doing a few more trips down there again tis a nice place
Boat towed like a dream behind the Navara did alot of overtaking

[poly]

South Durras is all so worth having a look, and the headlands to the north will give you a good feed of fish on the wright tide however dawn and dusk will give bigger fish, but Sir Reel knows the really good spots i just blunder about till i get a fish or two

warning warning the South Durras boat ramp is one of the worst on the coast

[Sir Reel]

Good to see you got out there Jumpas. Yes the fish are in close at the moment due to the large amount of bait fish. Bonnito are a plenty at the moment. Have caught a few gummies as well. Some days those slimes are a pest we generaly keep a few for bait and burley. Suprised you dint get any squid as they have been about too. Snapper are a little harder at the moment, Like Poly said dawn and dusk are best for these fish.

Durras is a tricky ramp to use, I have used it and have heard of a few boats comming to grief as the boat can be lifted onto the wench pole with waves.
The ramp at the break wall ( hanging rock ) is the best ramp with 3 lanes, protection from the sea and wind, cleaning tables & marine rescue is set up there as well.

[Jumpus GooDarus]

Yep a mile of baitfushy's in close was having a yak with a local boat who'd fushed out wide for wun malin on saturday said they came across no baitfushy's out wide
Told them there were miles of them in close boat was a 6.8 meter cruisecraft called shotgun ewe may know them ??

Also showed a guy how to fillet flathead when he came in on flyday arvo he'd caught a few nicw sized wuns

Squiddys ???????

Really wanted to but it all came down to I can get them up here @ will & was more interested in using those yoshi jigs seen in pic, they work a treat caught just about everything on them just varied the size of jig to suit water depth fishing.

Tis a nice place down there with great facilities , if it wasn't so shollow out front could see alot of potential as a LBG area

[poly]

I have to agree, those jig's are dynamite glad i gave you a heads up, how ever most of the jig's in that patten, regardless of brand will work quite well

[Christos]

Good reporting.

Bit long but still good.

[catchnrelease]

Kungs also have that band as do rainbow runners if I recall correctly got a pic of wun sum where I caught many moons ago

Still not sure wot they were but going by the DPI description I'm leaning to wot I originally called it as a Samson

Kings have the bands running horizontally all the way along the body, but on ambers it's diagonal starting from the top of the head. Easiest way to tell apart from a juvi sambo is the blotchy colour pattern. All sambo's have it when they're little and then lose it when they grow up, but ambers have one solid colour all the way through their entire lives.

Samson:


Amberjack:

[nimrod]

Well I'll give you both something to google and think about.
Personally I believe it to be a " Almaco Jack " not a common fish
but I caught a couple one time off The bay and sent it in to Fisheries at Cronulla
and was told it was not a " amberjack " or a " Sampson " but the " Almaco Jack ".
Does it really matter what it is.?
Jumpy put it down to being another new species you have caught and wipe yet another species off your
caught list. Not real good for a table fish.
Scientific name " seriola rivoliana " .
I would have jumped in a little earlier but took a while to find the letter from Fisheries.

[Jumpus GooDarus]

Think ewe could be correct Frank

Like I said I wasn't 100% on the ID but knew it wasn't Amberjack cause I caught some of those in Pt Hacking a couple of weeks back & this fishy looked different.

Have also caught Samsons but many moons ago & tended to call these samsons putting down their Juvy size as fush not having the blotchyness of the adults

Did a googlefushy & got a colour pic from DPI site & it looks exactly wot I caught

[catchnrelease]

Almaco Jack. Makes sense. Similar to an amber though, but most of the Seriola's are.

This post has been edited by catchnrelease: Mar 21 2010, 05:09 AM

[bafoo]

Hey jumpy,

Good report mate.

That pike looks like the length of one of those jopolinas that Bees rear end produces.


Bafoo

[Christos]

That pike looks like the length of one of those jopolinas that Bees rear end produces.

Amazing

[Jumpus GooDarus]

I have to agree, those jig's are dynamite glad i gave you a heads up, how ever most of the jig's in that patten, regardless of brand will work quite well

Wot ewe on about poly ????????????

I've had them for over 12 months just hadn't gotten around to using them did a thread on them ages ago but cant find it , think it was lost when site went down sum time back.

Actually stocked up on them today now tackle box is pretty full of them with all the various gram weights

[Majed]

Good report Jumpus.....sounds like a good place to fish and relax....

[Jumpus GooDarus]

A place like Batemans is beter suited to the style of fushing ewe do majed there's cover in the river with the option to sneak outside if weather is favourable.

Tried warning ewe about JB but ewe wouldn't risten

[Majed]

Have to try BB next time........