EP 2. Northern Bluewater OKUMA Azores & ZMAN Lures

When we heard that hardcore Buzzerfish anglers Robbie and Sue Wells from Sun2Sea UV Protection and Jeff Wilton were going to be in the same location for a fish, we thought what a perfect time to kick off filming for the Buzzerfish TV Series. This series will revolve around our Buzzerfish Pro Team, their fishing adventures and what works for them in their region.

A quick flight and we were catching up with the guys, rigging rodsand planning the following morning's adventures. We would have twomornings on the bluewater, before heading south to chase a barra and JPwith Buzzerfish Pro Angler Vinnie Versfeld.

An early start and a few surprised looks from other anglers as Robbiedrove the 7.7m Sealegs out from the cabins and down the boat ramp tokick start our adventure. This boat is a true adventure machine that quickly transfers from land to watercraft and we were comfortable with five of us fishing and moving around the vessel.

Robbie kicked off proceedings with a cracker PB nannygai on a ZMan 3"Scented Jerk ShadZ in Pearl, rigged on a TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jighead,and this fish was destined for the BBQ later that night. A few smallerfish followed but the magic hour of the morning was being swallowed by arising sun and it was time to move wider in search of trevally, cobia,mackerel and whatever else we could find.

These slender baitfish imitations are dynamite on a wide range of species from the estuaries to deep offshore. They have little built-inaction, with the angler bringing them to life via twitches and lifts ofthe rod tip. This lack of built-in action makes them especially effective in deep water and fast currents, where they sink much quickerthan plastics with built-in action, while their slender design also makes them ideal for distance casting.

The day before our arrival the guys had a whale shark loaded with cobia cruise under their boat, resulting in multiple hook ups, including a triple that created mayhem. 'You should have been here yesterday'sprung to mind but we were confident of finding a few fish. Andrew the cameraman would have loved the opportunity to capture the whale shark onfilm... but I'm sure this amazing country will offer up some morespectacular filming opportunities.

The move wide and a quick search on the Simrad produced almostinstant hook-ups, however the guys were met with a procession of unstoppables and sharkings. After losing a few to the structure and afew more to that dreaded dead stop and then powerful run of a shark, itwas time to sneak back in closer, before packing up for the morning.

A closer mark produced a variety of smaller species, with Jeff rounding out the session with a bludger trevally, followed by a beautifully marked gold spot trevally, fishing a ZMan 3" Scented JerkShadZ in Electric Chicken colour in thirty metres of water, rigged on a1oz 5/0 TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jighead.

Okuma Azores Blue spinning reels are designed specifically for heavysaltwater fishing. With the proven power features and the patented interior design, Azores are much more durable, strong and smoother thanother reels in their class.

It had been a great morning on the water and despite losing the bulk of the good fish to structure and sharks, we had bent some rods, landed a few and had a big red fish in the fish bag that would feed all of us onthe BBQ tonight. Stunning surroundings, great people, plenty of laughsand some screaming drags... just a few of the things that fishing isabout.

Reels that we've been used: Okuma Azores Blue 5500 and 6500 Spinning Reels spooled with 30/40/50lb braided line.