Have been fishing in Port Stephens for the last few weeks. There’s been a good run of juvenile blacks all the way down to Bermagui this year and they’ve had some good days on these along with the odd striped marlin and blue marlin on the Shelf. Conditions haven’t been ideal so far for the hot striped marlin bites that Port Stephens is known for with low pressure weather events stretching from QLD through to NSW creating challenging conditions with the associated freshwater runoff and a strong East Australian current running at 3 knots down the coast.
The last couple of trips out to the Shelf looked like the current set had changed slightly and was pushing into the West which generally provides better conditions for the striped, black and blue marlin bite on the edge. There is plenty of bait – big slimy mackerel schools forming in all the known spots so it will just be a matter of time before the action hots up.
