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Portland Bluefin Charters

Ph '0423 696 061'

Email: rushdale@hotmail.com

Southern Bluefin Tuna Charters Portland Victoria: April-July

Client Daniel Beddoe with some Chunky Southern Bluefin Tuna from last seasons Think BIG Charters at Portland Victora.

Think BIG Charters experienced very good Tuna fishing over the months of April, May & June last year. Tuna are available to those keen to experience the thrill, of seeing hundreds of Tuna busting up through vast baitfish schools. Each season ocean currents sweep inshore along the West Coast of Victoria. Currently there are good numbers of SBT in the 15/25kg class. At anytime the larger 80-150kg plus Barrel sized Southern Bluefin may also visit these rich waters. It's an exciting time of the season for these areas!!

Ph Shaun '0423 696 061'

To Secure your Group (5-6 persons) or Individual Spot !!

We've recently aquired a 24ft Aluminium in 2C Survey for 6 clients + 2 crew(skipper & deckhand)

We offer Inshore Game Fishing Charters for Southern Bluefin Tuna & Mako Sharks.

Small groups of 5 preferred although we can cater for 6.

Our aim is to offer all of our clients an enjoyable experience on one of the toughest bluewater species known to man. Southern Bluefin Tuna or SBT are available throughout the coastal regions of Portland from now until late July or even early August in some seasons.

Our Portland Charters are great value for money.

All clients Tuna filleted upon returning each day.

For more detailed information & pricing please follow link below:

Portland Bluefin Charters

Western Port:

Once again we have passed on by, the change in hours from Daylight Savings time to regular time for another season. With it brings mixed reactions of a Summer gone by and the Winter that lays ahead in a few short weeks. Still this hasn't phased the fishing in recent weeks and this will again continue onwards.

Many Melbourne anglers pack away the boat as soon as the T.W Sherrin ball is bounced. As the AFL gears up into that unstoppable machine it is for another season holding many people's attention.

Its the cooler weather times ahead, where there will be some equally hotter times from a fishing point of view both locally and further afield of which I'll mention below in detail shortly.

Kruno Horvatincic was Thinking BIG when this huge Gummy took a bait recently.....

It's been an exciting past few weeks on those slender grey muscled Sharks of Western Port. We've noticed some distinct patterns to these Gummys....there are none !!

By this we mean you need to put in the time and be prepared to sit through an entire tide if need be as the classic times of a tide change aren't always the prime times so to speak.

In contrast we have experienced very good fishing mid tide in many regions and depths ranging from 8mtr to 22mtr's plus. This has occured in the Northern areas around Joes Island. Also along the Middle Spit across from Hastings as well as many areas along the entire length of the Western Channel. So as you can see from the above, the main ingredient to success is perseverance in an area chosen. We've also encountered a myriad of sizes ranging from 6, 7 & 8kg through to some real hefty weights well over the 18-19kg range. Also we've seen a few over the 20kg mark and often at times when you would least expect it!!

Once again it shows that almost anything is possible with commitment & patience.

Michael Kruger joined along on a friends Bucks Party charter recently, having a lot of fun with this fast running Gummy that woke the crew up for the morning.

Jarryd Hansch with his arms pretty full holding a lovely BIG Gummy that was a fitting end to this charter. Jarryd looks a little seedy here still. He'd spent the best part of the night prior, getting a little 'refreshed' lets say and felt a little less active until this Gummy had the Shimano Twin Power drag singing in the wind....

 Facebook fan Giuliana was all smiles after booking an individual spot on an individual evening charter. Once this Gummy was landed there were bigger things to attend to shortly as you'll see below.

Magilla Alert!! All hands on deck!!..These ragged toothed Sharks aka 7Gill's are also on the move in Western Port. They occasionally steal baits set for Gummy Sharks, often though they are lost as their formidable array of teeth usually makes quick work of mono leaders. The use of Inline Circle style hooks such as the Rigmaster PenOtrate Inline Series are a good choice. Generally there is a far better chance of hold on the outside of the jaw, away from line cutting teeth.

Steve Fields in the field so to speak with some of our recent 'produce'.

This Big Gummy was a great addition to a busy night with many hookups over the charter.

A work colleague who had a successful Gummy Charter earlier in February persuaded Peter Kent & co to book a Gummy charter. Results were good with very good sized Gummy's landed over the session.

This Big Bertha Gummy later in the charter was a two person job to hold comfortably for a quick pic prior to release. Excellent Gummy Shark.

Recently we've also encountered a few med to large Calamari that have taken a fancy to Gummy baits being retrieved for checking. Often they'll stubbornly hold onto the bait until it is within a few metres of the boat, before swiftly retreating back to a safe distance.

It's at these times a quickly offered up cloth style squid jig will bring them undone. As they haven't been frightened off by the gummy bait with a single hook in it. The sight of a cloth covered squid jig will almost always result in the immediate capture. These top eating Cephalopods are great bait for anything that swims.

Another view of the Huge Gummy that Kruno had while onboard a charter courtesy of a Gift Voucher. Think BIG Gift Vouchers are an excellent gift for a friend or partner, offering a very real chance at landing a trophy fish of a lifetime while on a Think BIG Charter.

Yodah(True name I kid you not) really had the force by his side. Check out the powerful purple hued colors present in this sunset pic with a quality Gummy Shark.

Simon Edmonds has achieved what he had wanted to for years now and that was to land a quality Gummy Shark. He also got to see a few more landed by his mates on this charter.

Lucky Phil as he's known amongst mates joined Gary Perazzi and crew for a work Christmas charter. Originally booked in the last week of Dec. A combination of cancellations followed because of unsuitable weather. Eventually we had a great weather window and the guys had some top Gummy Shark action. The results were quite good with quality Gummy Sharks landed on the trip.

Another clients personal best Gummy Shark with this model around the 13.5kg range.

Reg Think BIG Client Khalid Raffoul owns and operates Dreamride Limousines. He really didn't quite know what to say when this Big Gummy keeled over one of the Shimano Bluewater T-Curves. Howling off with the current. He briefly asks ' Is this a Gummy?' It easily removed around 100-120mtrs of 30lb Shimano Power Pro braid under a very firm drag setting. There's no doubt about it, these Big Grey Girls can really take a LOT of line on that initial run!! This Gummy was a conservative 18-19kg easily

This Big Gummy literally blew the wind out of Khalid after holding it for a quick few pics!!

It's always great to have a father son team aboard. For this charter with young Justin aboard, it was a perfect opener Gummy Shark that made Dad Tony very proud !!

When the weather for Good Friday isn't that good, what do you do ?? Make Thursday Good Friday instead!! That's what was organised last week, as it was looking atrocious for Friday. The clients were all ok for this untimely change and all were eager for a bit of Easter Flake for the table.

We had the good fortune of a very loyal client over the years. Colin Sires had booked weeks earlier and was part of a posse of reg clients. Colin is one happy vegemite after landing this Gummy Shark, as it has been a milestone of sorts for both client & skipper alike. You see it has been quite a few blank trips Gummy wise along with what seems like thousands of unwanted & delightful Banjo Sharks. It was a great feeling to see that rod tip bounce with purpose when this Gummy finally made the plate for Colin !!

Another Facebook fan: Joe Taranto also was aboard this Good Thursday Charter & was pleased with the results of this fine Gummy Shark.

A trip across from Southern Gippsland at Traralgon was well worth the wait said Matt. Recently he was part of a Gummy Charter along with his father Shane.

Eve nights see the Gummy's bite. Shane Taylor is right onto this as he smiles contently with a great size Gummy. This was one of several landed aboard a charter that his son was on also.

Now this guy has a well travelled story to tell. Hailing all the way from The Netherlands. Frans was in Australia for a brief business visit with his partners here in Melbourne. There business, Incotec Seeds in Seaford is a Vegetable Seed company. Over the years they have introduced some innovative techniques to the Australian Vegetable Farming industry.

The brief from John Canavan was to introduce Frans to some Western Port ideas. So once we had aquired fresh bait, we set off. Setting some fresh baits down and commencing the wait. I'd said soon after, 25 mins should see action. Action wasn't too far out with a 27min wait. Along came this excellent Gummy for Frans. When your used to catching small Pike & Carp in small canals, this sure did come as a suprise for him.

Later in the charter Ryan capped off his personal best nicely with this solid Gummy around the 13.5kg mark. It's great to see the buzz clients get from hooking, fighting & then landing these iconic Melbourne species !!

Port Phillip Bay: Cooling water temps and it's sometimes easy to forget it early April. It has been fairly quiet boatwise on many parts of Port Phillip Bay around the eastern side of the bay. Traditionally in April Snapper are available in good numbers in Port Phillip Bay. Often there are better size fish available around the 4-5.5kg range. However reports are sometimes hard to find unless you get out there & have a go!!

This is exactly what we did on a charter a few weeks back. With clients wanting to experience some Snapper before Winter sets in proper. The deeper regions around Mornington through to Mt Martha just shy of the Shipping Transit lanes were chosen. These are good areas to have a sound around prior to anchoring. Finding Snapper on your sounder prior to anchoring is a proven method when on these wider grounds.

Nice Snapper on a chilly but calm morning.

Blue hued highlights on the fin tips are typical of School sized Snapper from the mud areas.

In coming weeks both Snapper & Gummy Sharks will continue to be very viable species to target. Not forgetting some excellent Whiting fishing to be had. The ever growing popularity in Calamari fishing both landbased and kayak bound will continue on right throughout Winter. The smaller Calamari on offer now will rapidly grow to maturity over coming weeks/months.

For those keen to experience the thrill of Offshore Tuna fishing, follow our updates via links below:

Think BIG Fishing & Youfish TV Facebook Pages.

Portland Bluefin Charters for further Information, Rates & Dates Available.

Thanks,

TBC

Think BIG Charter Bookings

Ph Shaun '0423 696 061'

Email: rushdale@hotmail.com

With the passing of Summer & weather patterns that may be best described as indifferent for the most part. Autumn is always a great time for pretty much every species Melbourne Ports & Bays has to offer. As waters locally are at their peak temperature wise, there will be some very good reliable fishing for many species over the next 6-8 weeks with Snapper, Whiting, Gummy Sharks, Mulloway & other popular offerings in both Port Phillip Bay & Western Port.

The local offshore scene has been alive with many reports & captures of both Kingfish & Mako Sharks & this will also continue to around mid to late April as waters slowly cool off with the approaching Winter.

Whiting numbers this season have been staggering for many anglers & charter operators in both Western Port & also along the Western shores of Port Phillip Bay.

Quality of these fish has been excellent with many charters seeing larger fish of 40+cm's in very good numbers. The deeper areas that are more commonly fished for Snapper during Spring have seen good bags of both Whiting & Pinkie Snapper along with other incidental species such as Silver Trevally & Yakka's as well as their bigger cousins Cowanyoung or Jack Mackeral.

These last 3 species are amongst some of the best baitfish species available for another Hugely Popular & Much Loved Western Port Trophy species known as Gummy Sharks or Great Grey Subs.

We've encountered some pretty hot sessions on BIG Gummys to around the 23-25kg mark & have been fortunate to have shown some first time anglers what it feels like to hold a huge Gummy Shark after hooking & fighting these amazingly fast & fit Great Grey Subs.

A Great Grey Sub from the 20+mtr depths of the Western Channel in Western Port almost ready for release & held gently into the current.

Think BIG Gummy Charters:

Now is a very good time to consider booking your Think BIG Gummy Charter as we've seen plenty of BIG Gummys in many areas of Western Port. The chances of landing a trophy sized Gummy Shark of 18kg or better are very high at the moment. Although no-one can guarantee any fish species on a given day, it becomes even more demanding when speaking about trophy sized specimens such as BIG Gummy Sharks. We are proud to say we have a pretty good average in finding these larger Gummys in Western Port for our clients & always try very hard to make this happen while on any Think BIG Gummy Charter.

Follow this Think BIG Gummy Charters link for upcoming prime tides & dates available.

Here's a run down over some of some recent Western Port Think BIG Whiting Charters

1st Feb: Long time friend Alex Seretis, who originally resided here in Melbourne left for sunnier pastures a few years back & now calls Queensland home. Recently Alex & family returned to Melbourne for a quick visit & was able to slip out for a mornings Whiting fishing on Western Port 

Alex found these lovely Whiting as good as ever & made the comment a few times that he had indeed missed fishing for these top eating & great fighting favourites.

2nd Feb: Weekday Whiting specialists Colin & Jeff along with Adam found a hot bit of action on a fairly breezy day. Similar to many of our Whiting charters this season the use of fresh Mussel has worked favourably.

Colin with a great bunch of delectable Whiting from Western Port.

Saving the Mussel shells when shucking them at home prior to fishing is also a great way of having a very natural berley. These shells are best left until the very slow part of the tide before putting over the side, alternatively they can be crushed up a bit & placed into a weighted burley pot and tied off once lowered to the bottom.

3rd Feb: Once again Whiting were on the agenda & were found in a number of areas in depths ranging from 11mtrs near the slack water times. Whilst once the tide picks up momentum the 4-7mtr areas along the edges of the middle spit in the Eastern Ch have seen reliable fishing.

These area's will see larger schools of Whiting moving through later towards the end of April & some outstanding Whiting fishing can be experienced.

Feb: As much as we love our Whiting fishery, It's the return and ongoing fantastic Gummy Shark action we've encountered lately that has kept many clients returning after confessing of their newfound addiction to Gummy Shark fishing in Western Ports highly productive & mysterious tidal streams & channels.

Boatside & a pleasing sight.

Nice Gummy destined for the table landed by reg Think BIG Client Davy.

A recently aired Ch31/44 Youfish TV episode was filmed on Western Port a few weeks back & as Winga had said 'We'll get em tonight'. Well when you've done the same scenario on the same tide four years running & landed numbers of large Gummy's each & every time you tend to have faith in a few things !!

Winga looks on as Shaun Dennehy hugs a big Gummy that raced off with a fresh Yakka chunk bait we'd caught earlier in the evening. Shaun has experienced some pretty big Gummys so far this season & is looking forward to putting the lessons & techniques learnt with us into his own boat shortly.

Matt Squiddy & Winga interview a large Gummy that Squiddy has just landed & then wrestled for a quick chat on cam. Squiddy rates Gummy Sharks very very highly as a preferred species to target in Western Port. I can wholeheartedly agree also as there is something very special about seeing these huge grey lengthy shapes arrive boatside in the current after a great line ripping initial run & ensuing fight.

Winga with a very happy 'Malliot' & another Great Grey Sub landed this evening. Malliot aka Matt Elliot is also fast becoming addicted to BIG Gummy Shark fishing too, any wonder !!

Malliot with another very good example of the calibre of Gummy Sharks landed recently.

Clients from McDonald Real Estate in Noble Park/Springvale were aboard for a Gummy charter. This particular day saw very strong winds that was going to make it interesting. Once a variety of fresh bait had been aquired we set off for an area up the top end of the Port. Fishing in just 9mtrs with a strong easterly wind pushing an already large ebb tide on its way out, we had a rod bounce, buckle & literally howl as something grabbed a fresh Silver Trevally chunk. Angler on the rod was none other than 'Cheeky Dunlop' I kid you not. To say this fish fought is an understatement as it was a very long drawn out battle right to the end, more inline with hard running Eagle Rays.

Thats 'Cheeky' up front cradling the head of this huge Gummy Shark. Great team work here guys. All hands were required to keep this girl from playing up too much before a smooth release back into the murkier zones of the top end of Western Port.

This newly born & very ravenous Gummy was caught on a single Single 8/0 Penotrate Circle Hook just moments after we'd released the big girl pictured above. The top end is a large nursery section for these very important mini sublets racing about at this time of the year. Please do the right thing here & treat them with respect before quickly releasing them. In time these will be some other anglers dream Great Grey Sub.

Some people get all romantic & buy flowers for partners on Valentines day, however we had a posse of guys who were keen to find their own grey slender Valentine from Western Port.

Andrew Gerardi is stoked with this his very first Western Port Gummy Shark just on dusk.

Wayne Wills also was pleased when this bigger model moved in as darkness entered for the evening.

More Facebook clients aboard with both Darrell & Peter getting amongst some quality Gummy Shark.

Darrell with a perfect table sized Gummy Shark, at the 5-7kg range they are amongst the best seafood fare our southern waters have on offer. Freezes very well also, which is part of the reason it is so hugely popular with the Victorian Fish & Chip trade.

Peter is also quite happy with this Gummy Shark as the eve progressed.

Well I guess if you spend enough time on the water your bound to come across one of these from time to time.

Here's a large armful model of the Biggest Port Jackson Shark I've yet to see, let alone watch a small girl slowly get owned by this large kelpbed resident. This outsized female Shark was easily around the 16-18kg range & was as solid as you would expect a boxheaded Port Jackson of these proportions to be.

Looking at it from this angle,

I think Crabs would roll over in sheer fright as this monster hunted in amongst reefs etc.

Andrew returned & along with some other clients 'Scott & Adam' from back during the Snapper season & another first time client 'Steve' for a Gummy Charter. Bait was first explained & acquired before settling in for the evening.

Once again Andrew was hot to trot on the first Gummy Shark for the session.

Adam sooned livened up things though when this big Grey moved in & snaffled a bait before racing off on an extended run.

Steve Fields soon had his arms full too with this hefty Gummy, that also did a Tony Grieg & ran Haurd & Faurst before we could safely net it before releasing after pics were taken.

A mixture once again of familiar faces & some new clients via Facebook on this Gummy Charter & after setting a selction of fresh baits, we didn't have to wait too long before the first enquiry.

Dylan was shown some neat lessons & proudly shows the success's. Since this he has accomplished some very good capture & releasing of Gummy Sharks to over 17kg. This is a fantastic achievement so soon after joining in on one of our Think BIG Gummy Charters.

Youfish TV Fan & committed tidal water angler Shane drove a fair hike across from Traralgon to get a closer under standing of Gummys from Western Port. Shane often fishes Corner Inlet with very similar techniques & has had some reasonable succes on Gummys. He also did ask if we could arrange a Gummy charter for the Corner Inlet region, We'll keep you all updated as we feel it is a fairly underated Big Gummy area worth exploring, particulary during Winter.

Here's a 2 person Gummy Shark held up for a quick pic by Reed & Shane. Terrific fight & some fun once in the boat that is for sure !!

Dan & Nat Moloney along with a pair of work mates (the boss I believe) had a session recently & were all called in to cradle this Big Gummy.

A half Yakka head section was used for this Great Grey with a Single 8/0 Penotrate Circle Hook from the Rigmaster stable of tackle.

On a picture perfect day we set out for a Gummy charter. We also had a young dedicated angler by the name of Jezz Scott join us. Jezz is a going to be a very good angler going on his recent captures which amongst other fine fish includes an outstanding Mulloway of 18kg landed during the Snapper season in Port Phillip Bay last spring. He'd dilligently kept his promise & saved up money from a recent birthday for his own crack at a Gummy Shark with us.

Well as it turned out we were all suprised at the length of both the fight & size of this Gummy Shark once we had it boatside!! At this stage Jezz was almost ready to collapse from both the extended fight time in a hard running current & the heat as it was a 35deg day & also the sighting of what for him is so far a personal best for Gummy Shark. Well done mate, was a great moment for you & when we got back to the ramp later on, one your parents were absolutely stoked with & won't forget about in a hurry.

Another 3 person Gummy, Note the dark coloration & vivid white spotted markings. This is typical of Gummys landed in areas of heavy reef & kelp covered bottom. They really are beautiful when from this environment & take on a more authorative look with the darker grey almost black tones. Contrasts very nicely against their white undersides.

Facebook fan George with a closeup view showing the lovely markings & contrasting colours in the sunlight.

Back you go you good thing....hope to have a client catch you again some other tide ;)

As the day turned to night, a move was in order to another area to coincide with the tide. Wasn't too long in the waiting, with a mere 8 mins passing after the 4th rod had been set when a rod bounced hard twice before leaning over against our regular very firm reel drag settings.

George with a well marked solid Gummy that will see him soon try to top weight wise as it seems he is well and truly hooked on Gummy Sharks also.

Steve D also got out with us recently & found it to be a tad wet when a deluge of rain hung over us for a good couple of hours, still we pressed on & made Steve's night with this hard running Gummy Shark. As it was raining very heavily at time of hookup, it was a strange sensation to have a hard running Gummy racing off yet struggling to hear anything over the noise of the rainfall...was quite unique.. 

Salmon amongst the Shearwaters:  The past 6 or more weeks have seen huge numbers of Australian Salmon throughout many areas of Western Port. However the standout area has been out from the Pilot Buoy area near Flinders in 12-17mtrs. At around the 1.5-2kg range on average they do make for some great light line action when casting very small 10-15gm slug lures from a stationary boat & importantly, with the motor switched off to allow you to close the gap & get right in amongst the action.

A good approach is to first see the direction the quickly moving Salmon schools are headed & position the boat so they come to you. Chasing them down only disturbs the krill which soon sound deep at the motor noise & have the Salmon follow them real fast.

Hawk Eyes Squiddy up front as Salmon Buster Spotter while Malliot displays a typical Salmon landed on a small 15gm metal slug rigged with a single hook. The single hook is far & away the best way to stay connected to these Salmon, especially when they start their Barra like antics on the surface near the boat. It almost goes without saying that these Salmon are up there as one of the top baits for BIG Gummy Sharks in both Western Port & Port Phillip Bay. They also come up a treat when cooked within a day or 2 with the aid of a smoker. Very tasty indeed.  

These schools are not too hard to locate as they are also being closely followed by millions of migrating Shearwaters or Mutton Birds. Petrels are also here in huge numbers. The reason is a huge party & gorge fest on tonnes & tonnes of tiny almost clear/white colored krill that is being swept through these areas helplessly each tide change. There is also many other species here loading up on this marine banquet including Cowanyoung, Slimy Mackeral, Barracouta, Short Finned Pike & more than likely some Kingfish down below this surface feeding melee or combat zone.

This is all part of a worldy travel migration these Muttonbirds are about to embark on. A journey that will see them land in distant postcodes in Russia, before returning to the very nest they first mated up with, with their partner. Yes it is fascinating & part of an approximate number of 23 million Muttonbirds in the Sth Eastern regions of Australia. It's estimated that around 18 million of these birds alone inhabit the Tasmanian coastline each year.

When you consider these lightly framed birds not much bigger than a typical Seagull fly across the world as part of their ongoing exsistence, you really do feel humbled when watching a part of this amazing part of our intricate sealife we have here in Melbourne waters.

So there's another snippet of what has been happening since the last report, stay tuned for ongoing reports & upcoming news.

For any Think BIG Charter enquiry please call Shaun on '0423 696 061' or send an email to rushdale@hotmail.com for any other detailed information required for our charters.

Thanks,

TBC

Western Ports BIG Gummy Sharks are HERE RIGHT NOW!!

Busy, Busy, Busy....Yes the entire TBC have all been ultra busy over the past few months & it hasn't always been easy to find time to compile a report for you all, but I've found sometime in between a lot of charters this season to put together this report & cache of pics from selected charters since before Christmas & up until the last few days.

Yes I know, I too would have liked to have had this report out far earlier, but as they say, You have to make hay while the sun shines... Well we've been making huge bales of the stuff as you'll soon see.

Snapper: Well it pretty much goes without saying that this season of 2011/2012 will  be remembered for the season Snapper were firing on all cylinders. The Port Phillip Bay fishery in particular this season has been nothing short of mind blowing with very reliable angling on all fronts on all styles of tackle/techniques for everyone. The average size this year was also something special with many 4-5 & 6kg Snapper making up many clients bags. The usual 2-3kg school Snapper were also about in unprecedented numbers and many days the bite was so crazy that as far as you could see, there was almost every boat in the area(s) hooked up with hard fighting Melbourne Snapper.

One little gem of an addition to our Think BIG Charters this season has been a burley product known as 'Zealcol Snapper Snacks' This yellow colored/squid enhanced pellet is a dead set Snapper Hypnotiser, Seriously they love this stuff & as its heavy, it gets down in the current quickly, especially when out wide in 21mtrs plus. Launching Way at Carrum retail this must have additive for any Snapper session. It also works very well when wetted up and placed in a burley pot boatside for Garfish, Mackeral etc.  

Pilchards were a definate stand out bait this season & any wonder given the huge schools of both these & small to medium size Yellowtail Scad or Yakkas. Slimy Mackeral & Garfish are also in abundance and can be easily caught onsite in many areas with the aid of a little berley & the use of small sabiki rigs. Fresh Snapper bait on site, makes it easy some seasons.

Currently there are still good Snapper being taken in Port Phillip Bay around the Seaford area. These are good fish to at 4kg upwards in a lot of cases. Many people give up on Snapper after Christmas, but there is some superb fishing to be had from now & especially into March & April & later, so if your keen on booking a Snapper Charter, give us a call.

Port Phillip Bay Think BIG Snapper Charters:   

03/12/2011: John & the boys had a ripper morning charter 

03/12/2011: Rod Callahan brought down a crew all the way from Cobram Nthn Vic to show them what Snapper fishing is all about. These guys are generally soaking baits in search of Murray Cod & were stoked to see buckled rods going off this afternoon. 

04/12/2011: Racing horse enthusiast John Loton & friends had a brief but productive morning off Chelsea & found some quality fish in the shallows that go hard on light gear.

05/12/2011: Facebook fan & reg client Alex Schuecher & crew had a big mornings action on Snapper out wide near the shipping transit lane.

06/12/2011: Regular Think BIG clients Mark Beaconsfield, his son Mitchell, Craig Joel & Shaun Carter all had their hands full this morning on a hotbite of Snapper, again outwide in the deeper regions. This is where the use of plenty of burley will help hold the school in your area.

07/12/2011: Compleat Angler Dandenong Staff Member Harley had a group of customers from the shop join him for a eve session on Snapper.

08/12/2011: Yep your on there Steve !!! Steve James another regular Think BIG client had a special birthday charter & it turned out a pretty personal affair with just Steve on the boat all to himself!! This caused little problems Steve reckons & he soon had his hands full trying to keep up with the action. Was funny to watch actually.

Well done Steve & a great Birthday pressie to land your personal bests so far on Melbourne Snapper.

08/12/2011: Michael Neighbour & crew from Drouin Vic had two bites of the apple to land this catch, after their original charter was cancelled after an hour or so as the weather was horrible. I offered them the benefit of a second trip when the weather cleared & the result was a very happy bunch of guys who took home a great feed of Snapper & some fair Flathead too.

09/12/2011: Lachlan & crew organised a Think Big Charter as a birthday gift for friend Sam & had a big session on school sized Snapper.

10/12/2011: Brian & crew with part of their catch on a slower than normal morning when we had a rock bottom barometer. Sometimes this has had no bearing on the Snapper activity or feeding pattern's, then other days it seems to almost shut the fish down, each charter is different from the last....

17/12/2011: Craig 'Clint' Eastwood had a birthday voucher as a gift & arranged a few other friends to tag along for this charter. Things weren't easy weather wise, but a hard buckle & a great Snapper of over 5kg was soon boatside. A move out wider saw multiple rods going to finish this great session off.

24/12/2011: As a wind up right before Christmas, reg clients Edwin Chen & Stuart Thornton had a top session after a bit of sounding with plenty of perfect whole eating sized Snapper. Perfect for Christmas feastings...

Speaking of feastings.....

That one time of the year when it's just 'grab that plate & fill it'..Thanks again Mum & brothers Danny & Gregory for a top Christmas spread as always.

January soon arrived as did the Great Grey Gummy Sharks & the ever popular King George Whiting fishery Western Port is famous for:

The transistion to Western Port was a welcome view after a fair haul over in Port Phillip Bay. Instantly we were enjoying the varied wonders Western Port has to offer & have been running almost every charter since over here. We are always available for charter in Port Phillip Bay, however we tend to fish Western Port almost exclusively at this exciting time of the season.

Those slender, keen nosed & lovely species we can't get enough of 'Gummy Sharks' have been on the prowl all over Western Port over the past few months & will continue to do so until at least June or later. The peak of this activity is generally from now until late March/April, but going on our outstanding results all through last Winter proper, we are expecting to see another memorable season on this, possibly our most popular & loved species.

Think BIG Gummys !! Think BIG Charters !! PH: 0423 696 061

Follow this link for Think BIG Gummy Charter Dates

Gummy Sharks:

23/12/2011: Tarsh & friends from the Australian Defence Force chartered a specific Think BIG Gummy Charter. The aim was to experience what Tarsh had read about & viewed on YouFishTV Programs. The morning picked was perfect with some great action on a number of Gummys up to 15kg's. 

23/12/2011: Later this same day some longtime friends joined me in a social evening session on Gummy's on some new areas, we've recently come across that are proving to be reliable on the right tides.

Adam Xuereb with a good table size Gummy in the afternoon sunset on a balmy evening.

& as the night moved in, so too did some better sized Gummy's, this one was soon released after a quick photo.

27/12/2011: Edwin Chen whose a very regular client on all of our charters over the season, invited a work colleague out for an eve session on Gummy Sharks. Good nights action too !!

30/12/2011: Benny Lo who always seems to have a great day on all species had some great daytime action on hard running Gummy Sharks. It was another session of numbers with Gummy's to 14kg landed & released after pics.

31/12/2011: Matt 'Squiddy' Stewart & Think BIG Team player & all round top guy bows out for the 2011 season with this lovely daytime Gummy that made us all smile when that familiar bounce/bounce---rip--run>>>!! happened...Was a good way to end a fanatastic 2011 on the water with some very special people.

02/01/2012: Regular Gummy Chaser 'The good Dr Khalid, CEO of 'Dreamtime Limousines' & local Phillip Bayer from nearby Balnarring experienced a hot still night weather wise and even hotter Gummy Shark action with several good sized models landed over the charter.

15/01/2012: We had the distuingushed pleasure of having Charlie 'Savage Seas' Micallef aboard with a special client all the way from Malaysia. This day was memorable for two reasons, one I finally was to witness Australia's most equipped camera person I've seen yet, fair dunkum...You had to see the amount of footage & still's this crazy little, but so lovable & very passionate man can fire off in a few moments as each Gummy came aboard. The 2nd reason is we encountered a really hot bite on Gummy's in what could be best described as very trying condiditons, with wind against tide etc...Was a great day Charlie & am looking forward to getting out on the water with you again very soon mate. 

Charlie & client 'Victor' with the victors...well the start of a great session...

Going well there Victor with a bigger class of Gummy Shark.

Yet another quality Gummy landed by Victor this day & was soon released after this pic.

23/01/2012: A recent Gummy charter opened up with some good table sized specimens.

This was soon to change however as darkness closed in and the bite opened up proper.

Client Elkatarina (hope I spelt that correctly) along with her father Leon out here on holidays all the way from Russia really were Thinking BIG when they stepped aboard as the action just got better & better.

Another good Gummy landed moments after the one pictured above.

Elkatarina with her hands well and truly full cradling a BIG Gummy Shark that was a huge milestone for her & it really did put the icing on the charter for this magic evening.

Yep if you land too many Gummys you end up looking them, this glow eye effect is a result of flash when pic was taken just as she was to be gently released back into her marine homegrounds.

24/01/2012: This particular charter was an achievement for a certain Shaun Dennehey. A long road of trial & error was finally put to rest when that first rod bounced almost 17 mins to the second as I'd predicted after setting baits. Yes this time Shaun was into the fish of his dreams & something he has lost a fair amount of sleep over, well that and the recent birth of his newborn son 'Ethan'. So in many ways it was a special Think BIG Gummy charter.

 Well done mate & a great size as an account opener.

Skipper Fruits holds another solid Gummy Shark prior to release. 

Close friend of Shaun's, Omar also added quality Gummy Sharks to his list of favoured species. Once again we encountered a great session with good numbers of Gummys to 16kg.

Think BIG Gummys !! Think BIG Charters !! PH: 0423 696 061

Now!! Is the time to book your very own group or individual Think BIG Gummy Charter !! The season is shaping up as being fantastic all over Western Port & also in our neighbouring Sthn regions of Port Phillip Bay. We also will be offering some *Special Facebook Fan* BIG Gummy Charters from time to time over the next few weeks so stay tuned for these charters.

Follow this link for Think BIG Gummy Charter Dates

Near the end of the typing, not forgetting those inviting & always fighting & exciting

King George Whiting: These iconic species of both Western Port & Port Phillip Bay have treated all anglers it seems to a bumper season so far. Good quality Whiting are about now!! In many areas it's generally been noted that there is plenty of good sized '38-44cm plus' bait slurpers around a lot of the popular fishing mk's in both Western Port & Port Phillip Bay. The next few weeks leading into Autumn will see some very reliable Whiting fishing & the larger 'fumpha's' will also be seen in better numbers. The slower parts of tides have also allowed some deep water sessions with some absolute horse sized Whiting turning up on occasions. These larger Whiting almost go as hard as a typical 2kg or more Snapper when hooked in the current. Top fun on the light Shimano outfits we have recently aquired for these great fish.

Follow this link for Think BIG Whiting Charter Dates

King George Whiting:

22/12/2011: Bill & the crew from Aldrin Homes organised a group for a Think BIG Whiting Charter work break up & found some great action with plenty of Whiting for all clients & a great work breakup day.

Sample of Western Port Whiting along with fresh Mussels that caught them & the preferred tool of trade for easy mussel removal...the traditional 'butter knife'

30/12/2011: Ric along with reg charter client Benny Lo had a great time on a mixed species Think BIG Charter & started it out with a fine bunch of Western Port Whiting.

03/01/2012: My brother Danny along with a bunch of clients got amongst the Whiting in the shallow water on a calm morning.

Some good sized Whiting amongst school sized fish this calm morning.

06/01/2012: Damien Perry & crew soon had the live well filling nicely with plenty of quality Whiting in the shallows hitting the fresh Mussel as quick as the lads could get their baits down. Despite a large amount of boats in the area we were fishing, the fresh Mussel had these Whiting almost lined up & was an obvious winning bait on the day.

08/01/2012: On a very ordinary day weather wise I had the good fortune of having Kurt Emmerson to assist as deckhand with this charter. As it progressed it was pretty clear there was basically no-one else out this day. This allowed us to enjoy a top session despite the sometimes crazy weather with frequent downpours lashing us all. Client Trent Showler & crew showed how to do it in the rain & came up with a top bag of Whiting.

Kurt assists, Trents wife, who had the whole charter on their toes as she single handedly outfished them pretty much with her keen angling skills.

Trent swings em in under the cover of the canopy, smart move Trent as you kept dry !!

 Smile says it all.

A weary but very happy charter with a sample of a great Whiting session...even a few Garfish held by a crazy guy up front, who enlightened us all to the finer points of skinning Eel's with your teeth....Apparently its a quicker easier method than using boring old pliers like most folk do....

10/01/2012: The Gravox crew from Watsonia assembled along with a reg Think BIG client Alex Schuecher. The brief was simple. Daryl & crew had come prepared with around 5kg's or more of ready to go Mussel meat, complete with his favourite mussel gravy all in a huge decor container. With some moving about over the course of the charter we found some good action on Whiting in all depths from 10mtrs right down to just 1.6mtrs. As usual its always a funny session with the Watsonia crew & this was no exception with a lot of ribbing & jokes the whole time.

Alex soon got into the swing of things when there were some earlier threats of pants being pulled down if he didn't stop loosing baits so fast to biting Whiting!

Alex with a hefty haul of spotted bones, with the Gravox master himself Daryl holding court in the background.

Wayne shows how it's done..

 Yes '2 Fillets boys' as the saying goes.

Great catch of Whiting for the boys. Afterwards they even helped with the washdown of Think BIG. Now that's customer service !!

13/01/2012: & Edwin Chen had some fun amongst the Whiting with some real good sized models during the charter.

These are great fun & suberb eating especially at this size of 44cm's !!

19/01/2012: Local angler & reg client Robert Johnstone was aboard on a Whiting charter & found out a whole lot more on the finer points of putting these top fish into the livewell.

20/01/2012: Craig Saunders arranged to have a guided tuition session aboard his vessel for a closer look & better understanding of Western Port. Some quality Whiting were also landed during this trip. Craig has since gone on to land very good catches of Whiting on every trip since this tuition trip.

22/01/2012: Adam & Davy, both good friends joined me on a rare day off & we set out on a day when there was perhaps 6 or so trailers at Stony Pt, Yes she was a tad windy, but we continued on. Moving about we found a good patch of Whiting along the Middle Spit on the start of the ebb tide. This session was quick but productive with a nice bag of succulent fillets the results for persisting.

Easterly winds means leasterly to some folk, it certainly didn't effect these spotted beautys.

25/01/2012: Craig Joel along with his son Andrew & friend Duncan found out that the more you work your baits & keep a check on things the better the catch can be at charters end. Also was good to see the younger guys go from raw 'L- Platers' to quick reflexed whiting anglers over a few hours of careful guidance. Well done guys, you certainly put in the effort.

Young Andrew with a solid two hands full of fresh Western Port Whiting.

26/01/2012: Aust Day again & of course we're going fishing for a change. The Watsonia Gravox crew were in for this session & along with another local fisho Lou Rocca the day was going to be a fun one for sure. As the tide eased some real Fump Daddy sized Whiting were turning up with Lou showing us all how to extract the better fish of near 50cm's!! amongst some already very good Whiting of 43/44cm's. Lou has recently spent many hours of painstaking exacting laboratory work on the finer points to Whiting rigging successfully & with fish like these below landed by him alone, we all bow our hats to 'Lou the Professor Nibble Tip Tub Thumping Whiting Guru'

 Solid Whiting & a feed on it own pretty much !!

Wayne with a great bunch of BIG Aust Day Whiting from Western Port

Think BIG Whiting !! Think BIG Charters!! PH: 0423 696 061

Follow this link for Think BIG Whiting Charter Dates

Well this is just a sample from recent charters on some of our favourite species & highlights from what is continuing on within Think BIG Charters. If you have a yearning to be apart of any of our specialist charters, please give us a call or an email.

Until the next Think BIG Charter Report

Thanks To All & Cheers,

TBC

Once again this season has seen absolute huge schools of Snapper move into both Western Port & Port Phillip Bay. With Port Phillip Bay producing possibly the best ever season seen yet, I know this is often mentioned each passing year it seems, however there is no doubt that it is fishing more consistently than our beloved Western Port. Even the media recently (Ch 9) had a story on the outstanding Snapper season many Melbourne based anglers are witnessing. 

Big Snapper too have also been recorded in higher numbers so far this season in Port Phillip Bay with the Northern regions around Sandringham through to Port Melbourne offering some real solid fish of over 7-8kg's on occasions. There has also been a few over the magic 20lb or 9.2kg range landed. Most of these larger Snapper are the result of fishing the small hours of 12am through to dawn & are often in depths of 9-5mtrs. Winga & the rest of the YouFish TV Crew have had some great Snapper sessions in the past few weeks in these areas & have found these Snapper absolute screamers in the shallower reefy contours these fish prefer to feed in.

Crimson Shallow Water Snapper- Port Phillip Style

Pawsey's never too far from a buckling rod & screaming reel on Big Snapper

Another solid middle of the night Nthn Port Phillip Bay Shallow Water Snapper.

Tea Tree Snapper Comp 2011

Once again the annual Mornington Tea Tree Snapper Competition was held on the last Friday of October. This year saw an adjusted start time of 5am Fri morning with the comp going all the way through until Sat afternoon. As always happens the everchanging Melbourne Spring weather was true to its name & ensured this comp was soon tagged 'tongue in cheek' an Endurance event....With some crazy strong Northerly winds forecast ahead of a strong rain filled front it was going to be a big task for all entrants.

Strangely, just an hour or so after lines down at 5am, there was an almost eerie stillness on Western Port as a very small weather window showed itself briefly. This was just what a certain entrant needed to find that winning fish, as moments later most of the Think BIG Charter & YouFish TV Team were to hear & see with their very own eyes. Local angler Mark 'Sully' Sullivan had found that winning Snapper. This monster Snapper later weighed an official 10.55kg's on the club scales.

Click Here for more Info & Pics of this Outstanding Angling Achievement & Exciting News for YouFish TV.

For the rest of the field it was a fantastic effort & input in some very average weather conditions at times. With wind driven rain hitting most entrants in the face because of tidal flow, a lot of people did pull out earlier on during Friday afternoon & into Saturday morning. Below are a few pics of Snapper landed during the comp.

Winga with a nice pair of solid Tea Tree Snapper from Western Port

Joseph 'Quick where's the Camera' Fernand had some fun too !!

Client Ben Emery had this Snapper while out on Think BIG during the Tea Tree comp. This Snapper had gained its freedom prior via a dodgy knot on a circle hook.

Profile of a very hungry King George Whiting taken whilst targeting Snapper one eve prior to Tea Tree, at better than 41cm's it once again shows how many of these better Whiting are about in areas many consider Snapper only locations...

A look over some of our recent Snapper sessions on Think BIG Charters:

Yep, I think you'd best grab that Buckle !!! This has been very typical of the nature of recent Snapper strikes, no messing about, just a steady & direct loading of the rod. This is the moment all Snapper anglers nationwide live to witness.

We've experienced some very hot action recently with many multiple hookups occuring on the better days. These days have usually coincided with steady to rising barometer readings, however we've also experienced many very memorable charters while out in average weather patterns.

Youfish TV Assistant Sean Hildyard with a Port Phillip Bay Boston Screamer landed off Seaford on a pre work filming session with Winga & Joseph Fernand from YouFish TV

Reg Think BIG Charter Client Edwin with a quality Port Phillip Snapper

Some truly memorable Snapper action on this charter on the 22nd Oct out from Carrum on Port Phillip Bay

 Part time Deckhand & good friend Matt 'Squiddy' Stewart has been on some great sessions recently.

The Banana theory debunked yet again!!

Jamie Watson & crew had a top morning out after winning a Nova FM radio competition & arranging the prize to be swapped over to a Think BIG Charter, Well done guys & a huge thanks for the support !!

Nugget White with a good pair of typical Spring Snapper from Port Phillip Bay

Squiddy with a quality Snapper landed in some pretty awful conditions off Seaford one morning

Western Port can always be relied on to produce some excellent bycatch in the form of solid fit Gummy Sharks while targeting Snapper in some areas

Mark Beaconsfield has a knack of finding some good quality fish most charters 

Some brilliant colors apparent on this Western Port Snapper from Elizabeth Island & notice the missing section of tail fin. Theres a lot of competition out there under the waters surface for these tasty Snapper including Seals & many species of Sharks.

A fog filled chilly morning off Rhyll produced some good fish including the one pictured below

Once the sun burnt off the low fog & cloud later in the morn, we found a few more Snapper

 Western Port Snapper with a client from Compleat Angler Ringwood

Neil Isoderio who's a very regular client has had some good Snapper recently including this hefty Snapper landed off Seaford.

Another solid Snapper from the same session

Great mornings action with many multiple strikes & soft plastics also accounting for Snapper to 4kg

Chelsea was the scene this particular morning for a great session on Snapper to 5kg

Think BIG Charters mechanic Alan Heib from Southside Marine Services Ph 0424 315 112, was aboard on this charter to lend a hand as decky & had a ball with the clients & later found time for a good fish of his own as can be seen below

 Nice effort Alan, on a day when things were shutting down bite wise.

Carrum local & long time friend Neil with a nice fish on a perfect arvo on Port Phillip Bay

We recently had the good fortune of having Dallas Dsilva from the DPI Fisheries department aboard for a Snapper charter. Along with his father who was celebrating his birthday we had reg clients Edwin Chen, Herman Cabral & Karl Hughes. These guys experienced one of the hottest snapper bites for the month & were amazed at how aggressive the fish were for over 3 hours !!

Dallas with what he told me was his first actual Snapper from the Bay & not some tiny little undersized Pinkie Snapper

Edwin with a plastic smashing Snapper

A pigeon pair for Dallas back at the ramp at Carrum

A trio of more keener Snapper anglers would be harder to find than these guys

Trent along with his family had a good session on Snapper off Chelsea & Aspendale one grey & stormy morning

His son certainly took out honors for the charter though with this quality Snapper taken on Silver Whiting

David Diogardi & the crew from Olex Cables in Lilydale had a fun filled morning. The Sri Lankan guy Samuel was an absolute crackup during the action. Top fun guys !!

A windswept & storm approaching eve up Nth in Port Phillip Bay near the Transit lane produced some good Snapper like the one above for some Compleat Angler Charter clients.

Nice way to celebrate a birthday charter, this was off Chelsea in close during a strong sth westerly front

Steve from Compleat Angler Ringwood arranged a group together for a Port Phillip Bay Snapper Charter & had some great action.

The crew from the Coldstream Footy Club after a great Snapper Charter

Recently we had the good fortune of a travelling angler all the way from Jakarta Indonesia. Facebook is a wonderful business tool & it's how Diana Itink initially found Think BIG Charters. She also took up the offer of staying at the Somers Holiday Villagewhilst here in Melb.

The brief was: I'd like to catch a Gummy Shark & possibly some Squid...Well although we didn't have the most ideal of weather conditions for this trip we ended up finding what we were after.

This male Gummy absolutely raced off with the squid ring bait during the last stages of an ebbing tide

Some on the Shimano Sephia range of Squid Jigs

& the tried & proven old school method of a simple whole Silver Whiting suspended under a styrene float fished near a drop off...no need to go all EGI & wear your wrists out....This method is very very reliable at extracting the larger models.

Think BIG & YouFish TV fan Shaun Dennehy has had some memorable outings recently & also added good sized Snapper from Port Phillip Bay to his angling line up

Shaun, Yvonne & Linda with a sample of their recent Port Phillip Bay Snapper outing

Rebecca & friends from Inverloch also got amongst the Snapper on a picturesque afternoon on Port Phillip Bay

Harry & crew from Austruck in Seaford had a crazy session on Snapper off Seaford

Charter Bookings:

With Christmas just a few short weeks away, now is the time to book your end of year Think BIG Charter. We still have a few dates available with some weekend openings also available.

Check out our Booking Calendar link here for the latest dates available

BIG GUMMY SHARKS ARE IN WESTERN PORT NOW!!

Don't forget that it's now time to consider that other favorite of our fishing calendar & thats the Giant Gummy's that Western Port & Sthn Port Phillip Bay are famous for. These big breeders are moving in now & are a great species to land, especially when over 20kg's !! Check link below & stay tuned for reports on these big grey crab crunchers as the season moves ahead.

Gummy Shark Charter Info & Rates

Whiting are just so inviting when they're biting !!

Whiting too are also another favorite & are available right now in Western Port in good sizes & reliable numbers for the most part

Whiting Charter Info & Rates

Until the next report,

Have fun & stay safe.

Cheers,

TBC

                                &

BIG Congratulations to 2011 Premiers Geelong!

& that the BIG race at Bathurst has passed.

Each passing week will see a slow & steady rise in anglers fishing both Western Port & Port Phillip Bay. With this weekend forward seeing many keen Melbourne Snapper anglers commencing their Snapper seasons fishing. Recent bouts of some typical Spring weather in the form of sudden downpours of rain coupled with strong winds has put a few gaps in days of suitable weather for some.

However its during the tail end of these fronts when the barometer has steadily climbed that has seen a more reliable bite window for most. Water temps have climbed slowly since mid Sept, with ave temps in W/port & Port Phillip Bay around 13.5/14 or so depending on tide. On occasions there has been some smaller spikes in areas where temps have been around 15 or higher. The passing of the full moon this week will see tides slowly gain in strength & should see a spike in Snapper being active for many anglers.

Some Sounder pics below were taken in Port Phillip Bay in early September & as you can see, there is certainly some quality Snapper about.

Snapper Season is Now !!

Click here for Think BIG Snapper Charters, Bookings & Information on Spring Charters

Our ever reliable hard working Lowrance X-135 displaying some good clear sharp images of Snapper & the structure these fish have possibly been hanging close to for much of Winter along with Rock Cod, that can be seen hovering above the actual structure.

 More good imagery from a slightly shallower mark.

Some recent Charter Pics of Snapper from Western Port & Port Phillip Bay

Jade Shannon from Cobram was a recent guest at the Somers Holiday Village

Having never fished Western Port before it was a pretty stoked & shaky Jade in pic above after landing this lovely Western Port Snapper during a run out tide off Lysaughts. Bait was a simple strip of fresh Calamari.

Somers Holiday Village Manager Jason also had some fun & opened his Snapper account for 2011 with this fine specimen, again on Squid on a single 6/0 circle hook.

  Nice result after a few hours fishing.

One of our field team Think BIG Members ' Pete aka Bloats' with yet another nice Snapper from Western Port. Peter has found good success recently on a variety of baits including Squid, both freshly caught & the increasingly popular alternative Californian Squid & the humble but deadly early season bait, Pilchard.

Nick brought along his daughters for a quick arvo session on a blustery day recently & was stoked to land this plump Snapper.

His daughter couldn't help herself with another nice fish & was very keen to hold it for a pic.

Winga with his lovely daughter Billie braved some chilly conditions & had this typical school sized Snapper engulf a generous sized Squid Ring bait. Billie has been putting in some enormous missions with Dad in recent weeks & has to be one of the most dedicated young anglers I've seen for a while, she has great patience & understands the waiting game is part of it all at this time of year.

To the victor go's the spoils, this Snapper was the result of a focussed & dedicated campaign in Western Port & was also a historical moment as it was landed by Billie, with a little bit of guidance of course by Dad. These larger fish of 7kg or better aren't easy pickings & are the result of putting in the time & sitting tight & not racing all over the place trying to find a quick bit of action....

Snorzey Pawsey & Josh do it again!!

Yes these two lads have been keeping busy on the Snapper in the past few weeks with some very good quality the result of spending time on the water. Once again a variety of baits has worked including Californian Squid & Pilchard.

 Josh with another good quality Western Port Red landed last week during a top session.

This Snapper was landed in some average weather conditions on Port Phillip Bay recently, bait used was Silver Whiting.

Landbased Snapper are always a very good angling achievement, bagging out though is something that doesn't happen all that often. Local Melbourne super keen angler Eren has been doing extremely well of late with quality Snapper. As is the case in many landbased scenarios when chasing Snapper, the timing of these sessions is possibly the most important factor.

In a nutshell you need to be fishing these locations as soon as the wind has turned from a Nth Westerly & back into a Southerly or Sth Westerly. When this occurs the barometer will immediatley be on the rise & this usually see's an increase in Snapper landed in landbased areas. You'll also notice the turbid water in the background, this cover will see a longer period of Snapper foraging inshore, but may only last as long as 24hrs or so before it's over as waters clear with settling weather patterns.

Gummy Sharks Day & Night Continue to Delight !! 

Click here for Think BIG Charter Info on Gummy Shark Charters

One of our most popular species with clients are Gummy Sharks & we've had a superlative Winter season on these sleek grey tidal cruisers.

With some memorable dusk shots it makes for a good evenings session on the greys.

Shaun Carter & friends had a great session on Gummys.

Mick with a perfect sized Gummy for some fresh mouth watering Flake fillets.

Shaun again with another sizeable Gummy that fought very well & was soon released as they should be soon after pic was taken.

Hold them gently but firmly into the current and allow time to recover, making sure they are breathing nicely & you'll feel them pulse & kick as they revive. Once your certain it's ready, release & watch her swim off gracefully to where she belongs. Think Future ;)

And the night just got better & better with Shaun holding another beautiful Gummy Shark.

Long time friend & amazing mechanic, builder, seasoned deckhand, & occasional Sub catcher....you name it Mick Torpy can do it...holding a top Gummy of better than 15kg prior to release.

This Gummy had a sneaky agenda & was initially brought up along boatside & was about to be netted, when it decided to let go of the Yakka chunk bait it had been just hanging on too...something I hadn't seen until now. It swam off & within 3 mins had taken a bait from the rod next to the first & was eventually landed & is held here by Mario.

Regular Think BIG Clients, Matthew Elliott, Chris Karapavlou & Big Shaun Dennehey all help to hold this Seven Gill Shark for a quick pic before release.

These big spotted bait stealers with heaps of sharp leader chaffing/destroying serrated teeth aka Seven Gill Sharks have also provided some fun for quite a few clients over the last few months. There is one thing common with all of these we've landed, there all over 50-60kg's & are always greeted with a lot of wow's!!, as many clients have never seen a Shark, let alone hold one of these sizes in Melbourne waters.

Whiting are Exciting when they're Biting!

Click here for Think BIG Charter Info on Whiting Charters

While most of Melbournes anglers are being swept up by Snapper fever, there is also some very good alternatives for the lighter rod brigade...

Yes those very popular Whiting aka 'Spotted Bones' have been showing up in recent weeks in a few areas of Western Port.

Here's Jamie Martin with a sample of the quality Whiting available now.

At better than 43cms & as thick as a medium sized Don Salami. From this size upwards these Whiting aren't smallgoods & really do put up a spirited fight when hooked. Strips of tenderised squid has worked well.

A HUGE Thanks also to all recent & ongoing Think BIG Charter Clients.

See you on the Water,

Cheers,

TBC

It's that time of the year again when things are starting to move along slowly but surely. Recent spikes in water temps in areas of both Western Port & Port Phillip Bay have seen a few Snapper landed by those putting in dedicated time & perservering. The last 3 weeks has seen some unprecedented weather patterns with many fine days with above average daytime temperatures. This in turn has the desired effect of lifting water temps, however slight, it's these small changes that have seen Snapper around the 5-6kg bracket in both Western Port & Port Phillip Bay.

The vast majority of Snapper landed in recent weeks have been during gentlemens hours from mid morning onwards, particulary nearing a tide change. As the season heats up so to speak, the early morning bite will increase, especially during the first few weeks of October. Often the bite period can be short lived, so it pays to have everything organised & be on the water well before first light with baited lines in ready....

Here's a few pics of some quality fish landed over the last two weeks out of both of Melbournes favourite Snapper haunts.

I first met up with Robert Johnstone at 1.30am at a service station while fueling up Think Big after a Gummy Charter a few weeks ago. He approached me on a motorcycle & was pretty stoked & keen to tell me of the Snapper he'd landed earlier that day. This area is around the Silver Leaves through to Observation Point & is a mecca for many thousands of Snapper every year. It's also an area where that 'grey-white-pointed nose speedster' aka the School Shark is often hooked but all too often lost mid battle or nearing the end when boatside....but more on that later....

Youfish TV Fan Matt Callus found this handsome Snapper a couple of weeks back while fishing Western Port. Unsure of bait, but from the backdrop view off a pilchard dangling of an outfit, This may have been the bait of choice.

Our long time friend snorey Pawsey also found some quality action a couple of weeks back in Port Phillip Bay, fishing in 18mtrs, He along with good mate Joshua had some fun with Snapper to almost 6kg. Again this was a late morning bite.

Fruits got out in Port Phillip for an exploratory trip & had this nice early season opener of 4kg off Carrum in 18mtrs. Fishing with an old school friend Pat from Whittlesea who also happens to be a member of the Mr Fisho website, He was stoked to see a new season Snapper !

This was taken on a single circle 5/0 Gamakatsu with a tail section of Silver Whiting. Down sized flesh baits seem to work well during these earlier times, with full blown larger head baits working better as temps slowly increase.

Regular weekday client Khalid snuck out early Tuesday morning of this week & found what he always had wanted, a plump fresh hard fighting Port Phillip Snapper. At just on 4.5kg, he was pretty stoked & later informed me it was a task to fit in his fridge at home!!

Fruits with a Snapper from Port Phillip Bay this week. This fish took a fancy to a freshly caught Salmon chunk. The Salmon had been caught less than 24 hours before, little things like this will always help find better hookup rates. 

The New Moon in September will see a rise in Snapper activity in both Western Port & Port Phillip Bay, so pace yourselves everyone, as it's still early days yet & will only get better towards October onwards.

Gummy Sharks Continue on Throughout The Port!!

The ongoing action on these tidal cruising hound sharks with spots continues on very well with consistent catches on pretty much every single charter. Some of these Gummys have been large too!!

As always the best fishing has come with the use of fresh baits aquired prior to settling in on an area.

Now here's a true genuine Great Grey Sub!!

Kurt Emmerson who's a regular client on Think Big! has an uncanny knack of being present when 'Big' things happen. This big grey girl at a conservative 25kg's was a subtle take at first & didn't really perform as hard as we've seen similar sized Gummys perform, once netted this was easy to understand however as she was fairly bursting at the seams with a very full belly of future gummys for everyone to enjoy. So after a quick few pics & revival boatside, she was soon off none the worse for the experience. Well done Kurt, again you've seen some special stuff.

 Jamie from Pakenham arranged an rdo charter along with a few other work mates and possibly picked the best glassed out mild to warm day weather wise we had seen in a week or so. After some fresh bait collection we set off & soon had a few undesirables in form of draughtboards & port jacksons...par for the course of fishing reefy areas in winter. As the tide primed up we had this sporty male Gummy engulf a bait and create a bit of fun for Jamie. Nice way to round out a lovely day on the water.

Recently we had Alan Heib of Southside Marine Services out with us for an evening Gummy Session. Around an hour or so into the session we had this creditable Rock Ling take a yakka chunk bait. At 2.5kg it was a nice size Ling & more importantly, possibly one of our Southern Waters finest eating species. Rating highly on the menu & commanding a good price all year round, it was a little bit mouth watering when Alan showed me a pic of the finished result & mentioning it was up there with the best eating fish he has encountered yet.

 Don't think there's much that can top a feed of fresh Rock Ling & Gummy Shark with a side of Salad & Chips...Did I mention Gummy Shark ?? Yes Alan was later to add Gummy to his menu with the capture of this good sized model later on.

This Gummy took a small chunk bait of fresh Yakka and woke up mid fight & really got going.

Here's a close up of one of the marine worlds most efficient & sensitive sensory systems. All over this part of their heads hundreds & hundreds of tiny scent & vibration receptors enable these to sniff out crabs in the sand from long distances.

School Sharks Are On The Move & Proving Elusive As Always!!

Yes those speedy grey,white pointy nosed Sharks are beginning to show their presence.

Just a day or two back our very own YouFish TV Camerman Joe Fernand, saw his Uncle Tony down within the Western Entrance of Western Port in hope of a Gummy, however a sizeable School Shark showed up & was almost, almost.....landed...Unfortunately as in many other cases leader failure in the closing seconds was the link in the chain that caused the loss....

Below is a fleeting glimpse of this enigmatic species that is just that much harder to boat within the boundaries of typical Gummy Shark rigging.

The next few months will see many more of these excellent sportfish hooked, We are going to be giving these our best shot in the following months so stay tuned...

Big Squid Are On The Prowl

Once again as we move into Spring proper, so to do we see huge increases in the number of larger & larger Cephalopods in both Port Phillip Bay & Western Port. Thes actively growing Squid all have one thing in mind, Eat & Grow Fast!!!Lay Eggs, Spawn....Then die....They increase there size and weight at a huge rate this time of year & are often quite aggressive towards an artificial or baited jig.

Recently we have found some good fishing in some of the deeper regions of lower Western Port. These areas aren't as well suited to the current growing fashion of shallow water EGI techniques, however it's a style of fishing that doesn't require high end 'egi style rods' etc, with a common Whiting or Soft Plastics outfit more than adequate for these Squid, These methods will be outlined soon on an upcoming segment of YouFish TV. We also have charters available over the next few weeks on Squid where many methods are explained & shown on these trips.

Just checkout the booking calendar link or call Shaun direct on '0423 696 061'

Here's the sort of calibre Calamari that not only near wrenches the rod from your hand on the strike, but also takes a good deal of line before being boated. It's also possibly the Number 1 BIG! Snapper Bait you could use when seeking larger Snapper in any location in Victoria.

Salmon Aren't Always On The Surface

A recent bait collection trip to the Sthn areas of Port Phillip Bay showed the effectivness of slow trolling deep diving minnow lures, despite no visible surface activity. All too often many anglers want to see the obvious surface signs of fish busting up & Terns & Gannets wheeling and diving signifying Salmon.

By keeping a close eye on the sounder when in depths of 5-8mtrs, especially around structure, these Salmon can sometimes be found schooled up on these areas as they pluck off baitfish at will. Slow trolling by this, I mean walking pace with lures around 20-25 mtrs behind boat can find the action your after. It's also worth mentioning that the old style Paravane some anglers may have seen is also another proven way of finding these Salmon & also Couta & Snook when in a similar scenario.

Here's a chunky Salmon landed on above outlined techniques by a balaclava wearing Khalid. Yes it was a tad chilly this morning, but well worth it with Salmon of this size on 2kg outfits, Lots of fun & even better as a fresh Snapper bait as Khalid was to find out, when he turned this into a 4.5kg Snapper the very next day.

 'Matt addicted to most fish Squiddy' with another quality Salmon landed on the Deep Diving Tilsan Bass Minnow, also adding that "These are one of my absolute favorite fish to land" Couldn't agree more as Salmon have been way underated for too long now & are slowly gaining more popularity as a sportfish that is well worth targeting.

In the coming weeks we will have more to report on & will be Thinking Big! as always

Until then stay safe & enjoy life for what it is.

Cheers,

TBC

Think Big! will be out in search of these Early Season Snapper very shortly & will be reporting on this as the season unfolds. There is still time to book now & save for your Think Big! Snapper Charter with a 10% saving if booked between now & 15th September. These early season Snapper are generally a lot more shy on the bite than Snapper later in Oct-Nov & can test any anglers patience, especially when you know your sitting on a hot set of marks you've sounded up !! Fresh bait & patience is the key to landing these Snapper in Western Port, just two of Think Big! Charters items to success.

Since the last report, We've had some very consistent charters on Gummy Sharks of all sizes ranging from 6kg up to 17-18kg & also quite a few med to large sized 7Gill Sharks around the 45-90kg range. As the title suggests we have had some memorable charters both during the day as well as during the darker hours.

Squid too have moved in in reasonable numbers & have been found in many areas from Flinders all the way up to the Quail Bank off Warneet. Good weather patterns are the key to better succes on these cephalopods. The next few weeks will see huge numbers move inside to Western Port proper & with it will be an influx of many other species that all go hand in hand with Snapper fishing.

There is still also some very good quality Whiting- aka Spotted Bones or 'Fumphas' as we call them available in the lower reaches of the Western Entrance. At over 45cm's they are very popular when found. Not always available in large numbers at this time of year, it's more a thing of quality over quantity. There's also been some large colorful leatherjackets mixed in that also make for great table fare.

Here's a run down on recent charters with some quality fish landed.

      Clint from Altona was pretty suprised when his turn came along and a nice Gummy raced off into the night.

Clints pretty stoked with his first Gummy Shark from Western Port 

Close up profile of a night cruising crab hunter 

  Matt 'Squiddy' who's recently admitted a serious addiction to night time Gummy Shark fishing holds another fine Gummy landed recently.

Nick, 'Squiddys good friend' also had a bit of fun with this smaller model the same evening.

Benny Lo & co recently chartered Think Big! for an extended 8 hour trip on all facets of Gummy Shark fishing. After bait collection we set off & had been at anchor for around 45 mins when we had this terrific girl of 17kg plus engulf a bait & race off as fast!!! A good team spirit amongst the clients had them share the rod around throughout the fight. Eventually we land this girl and after this pic it was soon safely back & swimming strong after a short revival boatside. These guys were so happy with their initial success that spirits were quite high for a while.

Later as night moved in they also had some fun on solid Gummys of 8-9kg rounding out a top charter.

  Cliff 'The Boss', with a good Gummy Shark.

Benny Lo with another night time Gummy Shark.

Davey & work mates from CMV Trucks in Westall booked a trip recently and had the best of both worlds with perfect weather conditions & some quality Gummy Shark fishing also.

This solid fish of 10kg plus was a good way of opening up Michael's experiences with Tidal Gummy Shark fishing in Western Port. 

Megan added Gummy Shark to her list of preferred captures recently on a windy and chilly day on Western Port.

Here's something I'd not seen until recently, Client Edwin here is locked in battle with a big gummy of 17kg's or more, the rod he's using is a 'GIPANG', a high end Japanese rod capable of serious fishing, although its rated way above what is required for Western Port, it was a good test for this lovely tough little rod.

Quick Pic before gentle release.

 Swimming into current to ensure proper revival.

Kelly & Sien also had a great charter recently & hold aloft a darker kelp hugging Gummy prior to release.

2 weeks ago we had Winga aboard with Youfish TV fan Sonia Lawford celebrating her 50th Birthday as a suprise present by husband Jim, & funny too, as Winga was celebrating his 40th Birthday also.

After securing fresh bait, we set off in search of a great grey & found what was required...

Here's a short vid of rough quality, taken quickly with a mobile ph in some windswept conditions recently. If you turn up speaker volume you'll hear the braid racing from the spool as this Gummy raced off. This fish was around 17kg and had the last laugh by rolling from net & off the hook, still it was to be released at any rate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbAlbOvo2CU

Squiddy with another solid fish landed recently while out on Think Big!

Another recent Gummy addict is Matt Leeson who has had several successful charters.

Yep those huge grey bait stealing Sharks the 7Gills drive everyone a bit loopy!! This one was released soon after pic. Some folk reckon these dont give much of a fight, Having asked this to all clients recently who've just landed one, they seem to disagree.

Whiting are Just as Inviting & Exciting when Biting in Winter !!

Yes there is still a few good sized Whiting to be caught in Western Port, traditionally at this time of year with temps just starting to rise after pretty much bottoming out, the lower reaches of the Western & Eastern entrances are prime areas to have a go for the spotted bones. As these fish are nearing their maturity & will soon depart the bays & ports for an oceanic existence, they are often of a good size.

45-50cm is normal for these fine fish and they really go well on light tackle. Best baits at this time of year are tenderised Squid, the fresher the better & also Pippi's, however with the current price of Pippi's still sky high, I'll stick to using Squid. Depth from 12mtrs on slower tides down to 5mtrs during the runout tide have seen the best results. Ventnor through to the small bays inside the Knobbies are likely areas to try for these excellent fish. Calm conditions are also a pre requsite for safe fishing here as ocean swells can be hazardous after strong winds offshore cause rising swells to build.

Patrick here holds a quality Spotted Bone landed amongst a mixed bag recently.

Benny Lo with another good example of Winter Whiting on tenderised squid strips.

Often in these areas there is also a fair bycatch in the form of very good sized Leather Jackets of many varieties & colours as well as the prized Blue Throat Parrot Fish. In recent years these fish have been seen as a sought after species that not only fight well but also are very good on the plate.

The next Think Big! report will have some fresh new pics & news on Snapper so stay tuned for it's going to be a very good season !!

Check out our Charter Booking Link for all the latest Snapper charters available in coming weeks.

Cheers & Thankyou to all recent & ongoing Think Big! Charter Clients.

TBC 

Trying to time some fair weather inbetween these deluges has been the trickiest part so far this Winter !! When we have received stable weather, We've seen some very reliable fishing for our beloved Western Port Great Grey Submarines the Gummy Shark. Many sessions have produced high numbers of good quality Gummy Shark from 7kg up to 12kg on average.

We've also had some bigger girls turn up, sometimes when we've least expected it!! These trophy sized Gummy Shark have given 17kg a nudge & have provided not only a fantastic thrill for our clients but also these oversized Gummys are often clients Personal Best's for that species weight wise.

Many times recently we've had very satisfied clients who, upon landing a Gummy Shark & inbetween smiles say "Yes!! thats my personal best Gummy". With School holidays on we have also had some charters with younger clients aboard with their parents. This has made for some real funtimes when seeing younger anglers do battle with a hot running Gummy Shark!!

It's a great feeling as a skipper to hear people say this as you can see they are genuinely elated with their success!!

Here's a few pics from recent trips out on our premier Melbourne based Charter vessel 'Think BIG!'

Fresh Bait & Gummys Go Great even in Vic's Wintery State !!

Long time friend from way back during 'school days' Scott Quirk holds a nice 7kg Gummy landed during an afternoon session with Fruits a few weeks back. This turned out to be an action packed few hours with 4 landed all up. 2 were kept for the table & 2 released.

Nice when you can wear a T-shirt during Winter.

 The results from a frantic 15 mins of having 3 rods go off within seconds of each other. This trio of grey hounds came through & caused a lot of laughs & fun for reg client Dr Khalid Raffoul & a pair of other clients recently one evening.     

Regular Think Big! clients Kurt Emmerson & Gordon hold a very pregnant female Gummy of better than 17kg's taken during a daylight arvo session. This big girl absolutley nailed the fresh Yakka chunk bait it found in the current & screamed off into the tide. It was released very quickly after a few pics were fired off. Too precious to catch & kill for a feed at this size & with an advanced belly full of young Gummys inside her, it just makes sense to release quickly.

Herman who is another reg client holds a typical sized male Gummy Shark of 6kg landed while fishing on a wind swept afternoon. These male Gummys often hit & run very quickly and often change their direction many times during the fight, makes for a lot of fun keeping up with them running back towards the boat against the tide.

Big Bait Benny lives up to his name again and found this 50kg or so 7-Gill a bit of a handfull & had to rope in the help of Scott Quirk & Kurt Emmerson to hold it for a pic. Ben was pretty much stuffed by the time we had it boatside & secured it via a tailrope. Fight time was over 20mins for this despite a serious amount of drag presssure. Everytime I hear people say they don't fight, It's experiences like the one above & many others I've seen that beg me to differ. On typical Gummy fishing tackle, 7-Gills can produce a fairly good fight that is often overlooked by many anglers.

No sooner had the 7-Gill ordeal finished & Ben was on again, this time to a nice 8kg Gummy that performed well in the fading light of the day.

Kurt Emmerson has been active lately in between a few health scares that have since been attended to. He's also fallen in love with Western Port Gummys & has done a few trips recently & had some great action on Gummys to 12kg. Kurt also reports on some commercial catches on Gummy Shark from the Bass Strait region off Lakes Entrance.

Where there has been quite a few occasions lately of commercial shark boats returning to port a few days after leaving as gummy quotas have been filled easily. This is an obvious sign that there is good stocks present in Bass Strait at the time of writing. This can only be positive for our inshore fishery as many of these Gummys will eventually find their way into Western Port. Ongoing Strict quotas put in place by the commercial sector of Aust Fisherys should see this very important species at a sustainable level for both commerical & recreational sectors if it continues to be managed properly. 

Get Well Soon Kurt!! from all of the Team at Think Big!

Matt 'Squiddy' Stewart also had some good action on Gummy Sharks & holds a nice 7kg model.

My good brother Danny, with another nice size daytime Gummy landed on a fresh chunk bait while out with us on a fairly good weather day recently.

Jarred Evans along with his good mate Michael Duclos recently learnt a whole lot more on Western Port with a well rounded out charter that first started with the gathering of prime fresh bait, then moving on to an area to sit for some gummy action. Wasn't too long in the waiting before familiar bounces of a rodtip began.

Here's Michael ' Ducky' displaying a lovely 10kg plus Grey sub that was a real highlight for his Gummy efforts recently in Western Port, Well done Michael, they'll come easier & easier with time.

 Ian added Gummy Sharks to his preferred list of targetable species in Western Port recently

Young Cade who turned 14 the week of this charter celebrated it out on Western Port along with his father Jason. With a good bunch of Squid during the early part of the charter, we also secured some good fresh bait in the form of yakka's enroute to some Gummy areas. Cade was pretty stoked to land a nice Gummy first trip out, but I think his father was even more happier & proud, well done guys. 

Daniel is quietly brimming with joy, even though its barely noticeable here in this pic. He moved West a few years ago, way west all the way to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, where he is an electrician within mining operations. Although a Melbourne based fisho, he had yet to lock horns with a sizeable Gummy Shark, so for his birthday he organised a charter with mates & family. This very well proportioned male Gummy Shark easily over 10kg was a definate highlight in amongst some other Gummys landed that evening.

Here's a good size Gummy boatside with a very visible couta chunk bait on the side of its jawline. I never tire of seeing them come sliding up through the darkness to be seen at the surface, all of their markings vivid in the torch light, beautiful...

'Pecker', funny name, great bloke, holds a nice eating size Gummy landed that evening also.

Yes, average pic I know, Iphones at night aren't the best...Now this is young Wade from Healesville who recently stayed at the Somers Holiday Village with his parents & just happened to have a charter organised by his parents. Well we had a great time showing them how to obtain bait & soon turned this into a good pair of Gummys for the clients.

Somers Holiday Village:

93 Camphill Road
Somers VIC 3927
(03) 5983 5538

Is a great family orientated resort that is very well situated with around 40mins travel time from most Melb areas. They have many different types of affordable accomodation & are willing to cater for many of peoples needs during their stay. Recently Jason has had many Bali Style units built & with more planned it will be a very special place to stay at or perhaps indulge in a weekend with that special partner. It would be unfair of me if I didn't also mention the fantastic food Jason often puts on for the guests of a weekend including BBQ'S & Spit Roasts. With a large games/community hall located centrally in the park it really is a well designed & friendly atmosphere to be a part of.

You can also organise a Think Big! Charter through Jason & you'll receive a special rate (ph for details) 

Here's the 5 star inside comforts of one of the Bali Style Units currently being built for this upcoming Summer, Great way to unwind & relax from the working week.

For more information please give Jason Ferguson a call on the above ph number for more details.

Here's young Gummy Hunter Leah, with her father David, at first wrestling an active Gummy Shark that just wouldn't sit still for a quick pic...Before it settles brielfy for a bit better pic.

Leah is just 12 years old, yet could name many species of common angling targets, knew a lot on baits & tackle also. Both Leah & Dad are huge fans of YOUFISH TV & will be back soon by all reports.

Charter Info & Upcoming Snapper Season Offers:

We still have bookings available for the next 6-8 weeks on Gummys with Squid charters also available on request. These are well priced at the moment & will be until Sept 15th.

Don't forget, Now!! is the time to consider pre booking your Snapper Charters with Think Big!

With a 10% discount on peak season rates, it makes sense to save a bit where possible. Once September is halfway through we expect bookings will be filling many favoured dates. So don't miss out. Book Now!!

Until the next report, Stay Safe, be positive & enjoy life.

Cheers, TBC

I will do my utmost to bring reliable, quality fishing & boating reports as often as time allows throughout the season. Winga will also have plenty to report on as always & this will also help our clients to receive an informative up to date report on whats happening locally & interstate also.

With this in mind, lets have a look at what our clients have been up to on recent charters.....  

The ever changing seasons have brought with them some memorable fishing sessions & fun filled times for the clients aboard Think Big! Charters.

Great Grey Subs Continue to Please Everybody !!

Avid Think Big! Fan, Adam or 'Kiddy Fisha' stretches out and gags at the lovely female Gummy Shark he has just landed after a great fight just on dusk.

These Gummy Sharks have caused many clients to go weak at the knees when fighting them & later seeing them surface boatside, pretty special stuff for many clients, as it is often their first real Big Gummy Shark!!

These big girls really are special creatures & are far too precious to catch once.

Around 99% of our clients are all for releasing these Gummy's after a quick pic.

We have witnessed some pretty hot sessions over the last few months on these Big Gummy Sharks & have also seen many smaller eating size models around the 7/10kg mark.

These smaller models often out perform themselves with some really huge runs and antics going on boatside.

Here's a selection of pics from some very satisfied clients during some hot sessions on the Gummys.

Young Abe travelled with his Father Damien from Trafalgar to enjoy a great night on the Tidal Streams.

10min's after baits were in we had this big girl arrive & had the client ask as he was watching it scream off braided line, ' Is it always this good ?'....We all just smiled as sometimes it can be & better !!

Blood mark on head of this Gummy was caused during initial boating of her & is infact blood from the bait she had rolled on while she was being unhooked, she was released promptly after pic & shot off like a rocket.

 Never tire of seeing these lovely sharks boatside on a dark night, just magic !!

Lance along with his two sons, Brandon & Mason, came all the way from Queensland to take a closer look at a Coota Craft Big Ram & after speaking with Mark at Coota Craft, they soon arranged a trip with us whilst in Melbourne.

Brandon with a good fish that was closely followed by brother Mason finally landing his first quality Gummy Shark.

Mason couldn't stop re-living this moment for hours after the capture, He really did enjoy it !!

Was a great family session with a top crew.

Often, we've had multiple catches at the same time on these sportier 6-8kg models, great fun seeing two, three or more rods fold over and race off !! Clients often say it's like Snapper fishing.

It's not just a night time affair though as we've also had some very reliable daytime sessions too!!

Think Big! regular client Corey Ferguson from the Somers Holiday Village has a good reason to be so happy as this was his first Gummy Shark !! He also learnt they fight a lot more than Whiting !!

Well done Corey, plenty more to come yet :)

This big girl was another first for a lucky Adison who had the luxury of glassed out weather & a lovely autumn afternoon to boot.

Adison is a well travelled angler who has landed many different hard fighting species in countries such as Brazil & Argentina. He made mention several times of how hard these Gummys' go & that a few sessions in the Gym may be in order to strengthen up his arms :)

Gordon also got amongst the Gummys recently & here's one that was destined for the table.

At this size these are arguably one of the tastiest species to swim in our waters.

Tuition/Guide Sessions are providing clients the methods & techniques required to be more successful, more often!!

Recently I was out with a local Flinders fisho aboard his petite 4.1 mtr Seejay Aluminum Runabout.

Gummy Shark was a highlight after some time spent on Squid & Whiting.

Here's 'Hillis' with a quality Gummy taken on a fresh Yakka chunk bait during an ebbing tide.

For many clients a guide trip is a way of not only fast tracking future success's it is a very good way of learning the finer points to fishing in a tidal situation & provides many many points of fishing knowledge such as baits & rigs along with detailed breakdown of using sounders & GPS to enhance your skills & overall boating knowledge.

For anybody who has an interest in these guide trips, please contact either Brendan or Shaun for further details.

Portland Tuna, What a Terrific Fishery This Continues To Be !!

Recently I spent a few weeks chartering at Portland & was blessed with good weather for the majority of my stay there. The Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery here is absolutely mind boggling with very few days for anyone without fish action. Put simply this region is packed solid with many tonnes of tuna of all size ranges, from mild 12-15kg school tuna to wild maxi size barrels over 150kg !!

True world class fishing right on Victoria's doorstep & within easy travelling distance to all keen fishos.

These pics are a snippet of some of the action experienced by clients while down there.

 Daniel with some solid school sized Southern Bluefin Tuna

Smiles all around from Regan & crew after a great day on the Tuna

Client Gordon (again) & Regan (top deckhand), with his first Southern Bluefin Tuna, taken on a Red/Black Tuna Feather Prestige Lure. These lures soon become increasingly watched by all as they continued to catch many many Tuna over the next 2 weeks of fishing.

Darren had a big two days of action with some better Tuna of near 25kg's showing up.

Daniel had such a blast the first trip, he soon arranged a second after his original second day trip had to be cancelled due to bad weather closing it down for a few days.

Once again he wasn't disapointed with another bag limit catch of these top sportfish.

Reg Clients, Darren & JP had some crazy action during their trips & haven't stopped talking about it since.

Fruits & Client 'Colonel Gaddaffi' better known as Damian hold a chunky Southern Blue that smacked a small Pakula Uzi Lure, These lures also proved to be a top choice here as they match the local whitebait & anchovies that are here in massive shoals.

This brightly hued Mahi-Mahi or Dolphin Fish was not only a top way to start the morning as it was within 5 mins of placing the lures out, but also was a first for me in the years I've fished Portland waters. Great aerial displays by these excellent super-fast growing gamefish.

This fish was swooned by a pink Black Bart Tuna XXX Lure & having spoken to friends & other seasoned charter operators in Portland it seems, Pink is a popular lure colour these fish are landed on.

Top marks go to client Damian "Colonel Gaddaffi" as he had picked this lure when setting up the initial lure spread to be trolled.

 Yet another Southern Bluefin Tuna landed on the Red/Black Tuna Feather :)

While our Big Ram is not surveyed to work commercially in an offshore environment, there just maybe some future upgrade to enable us to offer Portland Charters in seasons to come, You'll just have to stay tuned.....

Back on the local tidal streams, The fishing continues to please!!

Yes & while it was great at Portland, there has & still is plenty of quality fishing close by in both Port Phillip Bay & our beloved Western Port.

Whiting are still providing the exciting biting & fighting they're renowned & loved for !!!

Yes those spotted bones are still available & in good numbers too if you know where. The lower reaches of Port Phillip Bay near Mud Island and further west at St Leonards are just two such areas that have seen good reliable fishing when conditions have been settled. Both tides have seen action, however for myself the favored tide has been the ebb or run out tide.

Often squid can be taken in the same areas as the Whiting making it a hard decision sometimes as to wether to use the squid for bait or to take it home & enjoy its excellent eating qualitys.

Reg Client Jeff loves his Whiting fishing & is no slouch at getting a good bag each time

Mr Fisho reg client ' John 'Silverfox', shows he's just a cunning fox when it comes to bagging the better sized whiting amongst typical school fish, nice one mate ;)

My daughter Jazz & reg client Jeremy had a field day a few weeks back with a big day on both the spotted bones & calamari while down at Sorrento.

Heiby with a typical Port Phillip schoolie sized Spotted Bone...more speckled at this size, but just as much fun and as demanding to hook as their larger brothers.....

Nice results for a trip to Sorrento 

Winter Squid Are On The Prowl Right NOW !!!

Jem with yet another quality Cala he landed off Sorrento, you'll be a gun angler real soon mate ;)

Jazz, show how easy it is & keeps the rest of the clients on their toes with another nice Calamari.

Regular Think Big Client 'The Good Dr Khalid' with a sample of squid taken recently while deep drifting some new areas during a quieter period.

Some very reliable squidding can be achieved in depths well over 8 or 9 mtrs, attach a small bomb style lead half a metre or so above jig on a small loop in leader. This will have the jig hold longer in the deeper sections & is a very good way of finding pods of squid when in deeper areas where the bottom cannot be seen readily.

Think Big 'Field Team Member' Peter 'Its Gotta Be Red' Ferguson has been producing some very good quality Squid for both himself & friends recently. Pete is an avid Top End of Western Port fisho & has had Squid to over 45cm's hood length just last week.

Here's one good mate Luke (Nbeach from Mr Fisho) latched onto whilst drifting a bank edge near a tide change fishing with Pete.

So as you can see there is still plenty to 'Think Big!' about at the moment & on through Winter.

These Big aircraft sized Cephalopods will be active until at least the end of June & with this in mind we are offering some pretty good deals for clients wanting to experience & learn from a Think Big Squid Charter.

Please check Charter Booking Calendar for 'Special Winter Pricing' & available dates.

Oh & Just one last item...

Its just over 12 weeks or so until these will be in the minds & hearts of many fishos across the State.

We as always are Thinking Big & Looking Very Forward To Another Snapper Season Here in Melbourne!

Stay Safe,

Cheers, TBC