DESPITE flooding and rough seas along the East Coast over summer it has been a bumper marlin season for highly experienced Central Coast based skipper Scott Thorrington.
With only a few days left of his official season, Thorrington and crewman Jay “Junior” Househam of Haven Haven Sport Fishing Charters have amassed 103 tagged and released marlin for clients. The impressive tally consisted of 101 blacks and two striped marlin.
“This year was good considering we basically shut down for three weeks,” Thorrington told Fisho as he prepared for the last days of the season from his base at Port Stephens.
While reaching a tag and release “ton” is impressive, it’s familiar territory for the Terrigal-based charter operator who’s been in business since 1987.
Last year’s season produced 124 marlin and “110 the year before” for Thorrington’s clients. On the crew’s busiest day in late March they experienced 25 strikes for an impressive 20 tagged and released marlin.
Thorrington says most of the billfish encountered off Port Stephens this year were black marlin in the 20-25kg range which provide plenty of sport for his clientele on 8-10kg gear.
Testament to the value of tag and release, he says one of the marlin the crew caught this year had been tagged previously at Mooloolaba on QLD’s Sunshine Coast by a Victorian-based boat.
While this year’s flooding caused havoc with their marlin fishing at times, Thorrington reckons the discoloured water triggered hot snapper fishing. At times when offshore run-off ran “the colour of the Parramatta River,” he says soft plastics fishing for snapper was very productive with fish in the 6-7kg range caught regularly.
For the 2013 marlin season Thorrington and Househam operated from a new 34ft Black Watch, Freedom. The pair also run a Yanmar diesel powered 30′ centre console when their operation switches to targeting winter kings off the NSW Central Coast. Thorrington says they specialise in live baiting and jigging for big hoodlums in the 1m-plus category. As a result of past successes he has a regular overseas client base with customers travelling from countries such as Japan and Indonesia each year to specifically jig for big kings.
Thorrington told Fisho he’s kept “busy all year” which isn’t too surprising…
For info on Haven Sport Fishing Charters go to: www.kingfishjigging.com
