Were set for an 0400 start, but the mate lost his car keys at home in Ipswich (I said it could get interesting!). He recovered to arrive at my place at 0500. Launched at MBTBC at Manly and headed for the top end of the Bay with Spotties in mind. Conditions were all but glass, but no surface action to be seen. Kept going and headed up around the Cape to find a gentle 1-1.5 metre rolling swell. No dramas and we finished up at Shallow Tempest bottom fishing. Drifted over some promising looking ground with good shows of fish on the sounder, but they refused to play the game. Dropped one good fish for the morning (oh well). Headed back around the Cape around lunchtime to see if the Spotties had woken up yet; negative. Went down to the Four Beacons then across to Mud Island, only seeing small scattered flocks of birds working with the fish way too shy to get anywhere near for as cast. Oh well, there's always next time. Anyway, your worst day's fishing is always better than your best day's working.

Cheers,
NICK.