Hi Harry

I too had a smaller boat until just recently , 4.7 mtr Baron , so I know what you mean about being scared when venturing out a way.

I still have days in my 5.5 mtr boat that make me think twice.

Best advice I can give is take your time getting used to what your boat can do , if it feels unsafe then it probably is.

Just pick the better days for when you are heading out a bit further.

I caught my first Dhuie in only 12 mtrs just off Scarborough a year or so ago so it does happen.

Theres also some good ground out of Mindarie , only 3-4 km out that can turn up dhu , snapper , kg , baldie.

I would also suggest getting a copy of How to read your echo sounder by John Adams , it will help you understand what your sounder is showing you .

Finding good ground will help you find the good fish , sometimes it takes a while but stick with it.

Cheers Katman

 Hi, I have had small boats like yours and find them easy to work with.if it is too rough for a 4 metre it is not going to be pleasant in anything.I would suggest keeping inside the sound,

carnac area.I live in beaconsfield and would be happy to go out with you from woodmans point.I have a few marks and if you stay of the bottom you will not get wrassed out so bad

 and yes using those contour lines is a good start to zig zag along looking for "tails".

Its a big area and subject to delve into with so many variances that can be added together to make a certain area good or not so good fishing ground.

JMIO

And welcome to the site.

 Have a look around the five fathom bank about 5km maybe a bit more out. Good place to start as there is ground everywhere but alot of pickers too. Anything from 10-20m in that area should hold fish, as for "structure/ground" this can mean anything that holds fish. If you see a lump that sits a meter off the bottom fish it, if it comes 10m up fish it, if there is small lumps from as little as a few cms fish it, etc. Also Anchoring and burleying on likely ground can be a great way of bringing the snapper to you. Keep moving and trying different spots eventually you'll understand what areas to fish for certain species

Thanks for all the advice so  far everyone!

 Ive had a 4.5 mtr Quintrex for 21 years & love it.

It fits in the Garage, i can launch & retrive it easily by myself. 

Have caught hundreds of crays, crabs, and some magnificent fish 

The kids came with me many times when they were little and had a ball

Currently in Mandurah and catch a few dhuies - up to 13 KG

Like you I watch the weather and err on the side of caution

Thats the down side to a small boat but the Dhuies here are only 6 - 7 Nm out  

Easy peasy on a good day

You will become more confident over time and get to know the ocean

Cant help you much with reading echo sounders - Im hopeless with that 

You dont always need much structure for Dhuies though - just hard ground 

Despite years of experience with fishing - i continue to learn from this site

95% good people - 5 % knobs (just have to put up with them)

Hey Harry,

It's no secret that between now and October will be your best chance of getting into the Pinkies in Cockburn Sound.

From Woodman's Point you can be on productive ground in 10 minutes and in relatively safe waters for your size boat - but don't be fooled - Cockburn Sound can still get pretty messy at times.

There's a drop off that runs roughly North/South from James Point up to Woodmans Point that goes from about 6-7m down to 17-18m. Fish East of this drop off and you'll find structure (basically anything that interupts a flat bottom) in places coming up to as shallow as 4 - 5m - ya need to put the hours in however to find the choice spots.

In the lead up to the closure you'll have no trouble finding the spots as they are easily identified by the 50 - 70 other boats congregated within 500m of each other - bring your patience but at least it's unlikely you'll get done for pingin'. I was very fortunate to have a neighbour move in who had been fishing the Sound for Pinkies for about twenty years and was happy to 'enlighten' me on how it was done - probably saved me a good couple of years of groundwork - and I'm still learning.

http://www.fishinglessons.com.au/images/Pink%20Snapper.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AfR9KoA11w

I remember thinking when I made the transformation from land based to boat fishing, yeh now we're gonna get into 'em, but it was like beginning fishing all over again - fishing from a boat is a whole new ball game again. 

Best thing I did was buy a couple of charts - the Ocean Reef to Cape Peron chart for example covers the Three mile (know nuthin about this area) down to Cockburn Sound and out to Rotto - yeh it's old school but I find being able to sit down and and study a chart gives you a great perspective on potential areas - only cost about thirty bucks.

Good luck and stay safe.

 Hey mate, welcome to the site.

I've been fishing in our small 4.6m runabout out of Hillarys for the past couple years and it really took a while for me to start getting an idea of what produces fish given that the only source of learning I had was this site and actually being out on the water. 

I would suggest launching at the same place for a good few months and covering as much water as you can out from that ramp before moving out to try new areas. 

Try everything that pops into your head or you read about; trolling, using jigs/plastics, ballooning, live baiting, etc. and figure out what works for you, the results will more than likely surprise you. Figure out your target species and start relatively basic (for example target herring or whiting) and apply the same principles for other species.

I use Navionics on my phone for navigation and whilst it has basic contours, just being out on the water sounding around and marking ground will find you more specific spots.

That said, spend an hour or two at home just scrolling around on Navionics, zooming in, marking a few spots that look likely (contour/depth changes, etc) and then give them a go out on the water. 

My number one tip would probably be if anchoring use burley, it makes a world of difference and you will be surprised what can turn up. As a basic burley mix I just add some tuna oil to pollard and water for use out to the 3 mile and beyond, brings in species like skippy, herring, etc which in turn attract larger fish. If you happen to catch a good fish and fillet it, freeze the frame and hang it over the sidenext time you head out, slashing it up to disperse extra scent. Otherwise go to an IGA with a seafood section, they will generally be more than happy to give you some used frames.

If you are keen to head out from Hillarys in tandem some time just flick me a pm and we'll see what happens.

Cheers

Hutch