I aint going to lie to you mate, its blokes like you that scare the shit out of me...

I know a keen fella that lost his life on his maiden voyage because he was silly enough to fuck up on the day he bought his new tinny...

If i were you i'd be chasing crabs in the harbour or going for a muck around down Augusta way in the blackwood until you have a VERY GOOD feel and understanding of the way your new titanic handles...

In saying that, even asking about swell/sea state when you live in Bunbury is also a little concerning for a couple of reasons - A - Because Bunno is in what i would call a semi protected area ( kinda still tucked behind Cape Nat from SW swell ) and B you should know the way your coast runs and understand how the wind/swell affects it...

So....... Moral of that story is, you need to get an understanding of the boat & you need to learn about wind/swell/swell period and direction/forecast/tides etc etc

I'm not trying to be a cock here but a 12ft tinny in Winter waters with a novice ( i'm assuming you have little experience as i see you are also looking at doing your rec skips tik ) sounds like a recipe for disaster to me...

Dont try n run before you can crawl, you'll get loads of enjoyment mucking around on flat water learning the do's and dont's...

Good luck and stay safe

Plenty of good fishing to be had launching from Old Dunsborough boat ramp where you'll be protected from the swell. My cousin regularly take his 10 foot Finns dinghy to the 4 mile off Abbey and off Forrest Beach but he is an extremely experienced skipper who also has a 6.7m boat that he takes around the Cape.

Would be good if someone with experience could go out with Damo for a couple of times.
Most of my boating was done down south, learned the chop of Perth has square edges. very different to what I was used to.

I reckon  10 knots wind max  and 2m swell or less is what you want

Start in perfect conditions then work your way up from there and always have a back up safety plan for when (not if) it all goes wrong. 

I use to take my 4.2m quintrex out to the shelf off Albany and now 90odd km offshore to the outer great barrier reef but you need everything to line up to be safe. With my trips its usually a week of planning and prep, from watching the weather (i like having at least a day of good weather either side of my trip) working out the distances I'll travel to ensure ive got enough fuel, making sure all my batteries are fully charged and electronics are in working order etc etc. 

Put the time into learning as much as you can about your boat, weather and location and youll be fine in most places. 

 When i started out Damo i would tow my dinghy down to Wonnerup just before Busso. zYou can practice yr beach launch , fish for crabs , squid , pinkies and big K G in close. You can still fish the four mile out from there as well if conditions r good. 

That thing would be feeling pretty darn small out the 4 mile if the wind swings n blows!

 I used to take my dinghy all over the 4 and 8 mile, 4.2 Stacer and 40Hp Johnno on the back, could get me back quite quickly if the weather started picking up.

 A mate of mine just took his tinnie with 30hp outboard all the way out from Carnarvon passed Bernier island! 55 odd kms.

was a glass off day but geez crazy. 

‘Came home will red emperor, coral trout, cods etc and burnt 30L fuel for the trip haha

absolute mad agents.

 i would be very cautios for a while fishing in close then as your confidence grows you go a bit further out. with my first boat it took me about 4 months to progress out further than the 5 fathom bank out of rocko and that was an 18 footer. dont be in any hurry to venture out too far, there are some good fish to be had in the shallows. as far as swell goes i feel 2mtrs is too much for that size. 

Timboon has offered some very sound advice a nice gentile walk before we run is very sound advice. I had a 12 ft tinnie and I think tackling a 2m swell is a big step, as others have said there is plenty to catch in semi protected waters and you will have much fun in doing so. As your experience grows with your boat handling and on the water experiences then you can take a small step up the ladder of confidence and have a most enjoyable day on the water.
Hope to see some pictures of your catches up on the site in due coarse.

damo

you have got good well intentioned advice from timboon , willo etc

id offer similar

if you have a 4by , beach launch at places , like , biningup , minninup , huts, peppy, forrest and wonnerup , you can fish the geo bay area as well such as port geo , siesta, quindalup , eagle bay

i would say chase , squid, skippy, herring , whiting etc , try close inshore reefs and you well also pick up better fish like snapper etc

tow your boat to as close to your chosen fishing spot as possible , then launch , this reduces the travel distance you will need to make if the wind /weather changes and picks up , much easier to come straight in , than have to travel longer distances on the water , id say dont go out over a few kms max till you get to know the boat and conditions etc

look and learn the weather around bunbury and the geo bay area, get to understand that a 15knot south easter off bunbury will be blowing in your face at say dunsborough , combined with a swell what will conditions expect to be like etc out on the ocean say 2 km offshore there ??whitecaps and rough in your tinnie
if your launch is calm , what should you expect the retrieve to be like if the wind /weather changes

study the weather sites and follow them during your non fishing days as well as when you plan to fish , this will get you familiar with what a online forecast , plays out to practically on the water

i would avoid headign out from bunbury harbour too far other than crabbing inside koombana bay as it is exposed once your out past the heads in that older style and size tinnie , wind more than anything else will cause the sea to pick up and give you issues in that boat so head in quickly once you feel the wind pick up or change direction

get yourself all the top safety gear, epirb etc , make sure your motor and gear is well serviced and checked ,a good anchor and long anchor rope ,oars etc dropping the pick if your motor fails and being uncomfortable on the pick at say 2 km may well keep you from drifting much furhter out and being swamped or in deeper shite quite quickly at say 5km out

take minimium gear, dont overload it with fishing gear you dont need or have space for ,

lastly while you hear of lots of blokes taking tinnies out far and wide , at the end of the day they are still tinnies and are very vulnerable to taking water over the side , either at nose or stern in rough seas and are not designed for out wider in most conditions or dealing with whales , large sharks chewing on your burley pot etc

poeple will call you mad etc if you go out wider and get back without help with or without fish and it might be a laugh if your lucky and get away with it

, but if it turns ugly , you will rightly be condemmed for it , putting your life and others at risk is never worth a fish in such vessels beyond their capabilities

hezzy

 Thanks for the advice everyone. I have been picking my days and i follow the weather .. i  visit  the beach to see how that weather /wind / swell combo plays out even if im not fishing. I have been launching from a few differentg spots and fishing a few different depths, ranging from 3m to 15m, with mixed success. 

If anyone is looking for a deckie then please hit me up. Im always keen to wet a line and i think it will help build my experience.