Solo boat fishing
Submitted by joycey on Thu, 2013-01-24 20:12
Hi guys,
Had first boat for over 6 months now ( 5.3m cuddy cab )
So far always fished with 2 mates.
Heading out on my own for first time this Sunday, sticking just to Cockburn Sound.
Any tips and advice, particularly in regards to launch/retrieval and safety tips.
Cheers,
Joycey
BOOMER
Posts: 179
Date Joined: 24/01/11
Don`t forget the Phone
Don`t forget the Phone
Big hook,
Big bait,
BIG FISH !!!!!
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18286
Date Joined: 11/03/08
just remember , safety first.
just remember , safety first.
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
carnarvonite
Posts: 8701
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Mate
My tip would be to take a mate along with you.
I''m not a believer of going boating alone, too many things can and do happen.
Bruce
Posts: 527
Date Joined: 11/04/12
Have a mate there but try to
Have a mate there but try to do it by urself and if u can't quite retrieve it solo your mate can help you. Remember to be safe and take it easy
keg
Posts: 399
Date Joined: 17/07/07
i go
i get lots of week days off so am allways boating on my own.double check everything and log onto sea rescue.
sunday is probably not a good day to be launching on your own if you haven`t done it on your own before.
make sure you get everything ready before you reverse into the water and you will be right.
collin g wood
Posts: 313
Date Joined: 18/04/11
You'll be fine
Just know your capabilities, don't try heroics and don't panic, I work fly in fly out and usually only get to fish mid week so usually only have my dog as decky, I have an anchor retrieval system so I don't have to climb out onto the bow + all the safety gear on hand, have never had a drama. Launch and retrieve, just take your time and don't let other people panic you.
tim-o
Posts: 4657
Date Joined: 24/05/11
My tub is smaller (4.5m) and
My tub is smaller (4.5m) and is easy to launch and retrieve, I head out solo all the time, most times in the darkness too 3am etc, doesnt make much difference having someone on board, infact, I prefer it so I have room to put my own rods out everywhere and I can but the ice box where the passenger seat usually is. Unless you have a heart condition or epilepsy or something, you dont need your mates to hold your hand
I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.
Perry Home
Posts: 434
Date Joined: 07/10/10
Think clearly through the processes
Don't rush the processes of launch and retrieve even if people are waiting. Perhaps they'll assist. Maek sure your back trailer roller is half in the wate, have your winch cable close at hand so after you have used your bow rope to get the boat to the back of the trailer hook the cable on and keep it tight as you move to the winch - this'll keep the boat hanging off the back of the trailer ready for winching. Good luck take your time do the usual checks and balances before launch.
groper down below
Posts: 109
Date Joined: 19/11/11
get drunk early !!
get drunk early !!
Septimus
Posts: 146
Date Joined: 14/11/10
Hahahaha......
Sound advice.....LOL!!
catchalittle
Posts: 1875
Date Joined: 04/09/08
As everyone else said tke
As everyone else said tke your time and dont rush I have fished by myself quite a bit only thing I hate is at the end of the day it takes longer to clean and wash down the boat extra pair of hands come in handy there.Plus I dont think my usual deckie would be too impressed if he got left behind too often
Nathan
meglodon
Posts: 5981
Date Joined: 17/06/10
you don't say how old you are
I think what most of the above people have posted is pretty sound advise, take things easy when on the water by yourself if you are getting on a bit in age 60+ don't let the heart over ride the brain you don't need to bring on a heart attach or a stroke if it's too hard to retreive the anchor leave it with a marker and come back with a friend
Swompa
Posts: 4034
Date Joined: 14/10/12
Wear an inflatable life
Wear an auto inflatable life jacket all of the time from launch to retrieve.
We found a guy two years ago who fell off his boat...
Brody
Posts: 1025
Date Joined: 06/02/07
^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^
mr_meks
Posts: 189
Date Joined: 11/02/11
Some lessons I learnt through close calls.
Get your launches/retrieval down pat when the ramp is quite and the pressure is off.
Do NOT fall overboard.
Be REALLY careful when de-hooking fish, especially the bigger ones.
Avoid rushing when landing the boat. DEFINATELY do not jump from the boat to the finger jetty realising too late that it's still in gear!
neville hood
Posts: 51
Date Joined: 26/09/11
Lanyard to kill switch, stops
Lanyard to kill switch, stops me from wanting to move around the deck while the boat is moving.
Olliej
Posts: 155
Date Joined: 27/08/12
Hardest bit of going solo is
Hardest bit of going solo is the retrieval, especially if a bit windy. Make sure if you have a long enough bow/stern line to get from jetty to trailer whilst keeping control. If you use the windward side of jetty also means if the back end gets away from you it cant go too far.
mbusby
Posts: 88
Date Joined: 08/01/13
best advise , take someone if
best advise , take someone if ya friends are busy post in here (looking for deckie)
im sure someone will wanna come for a fish, plus talking to yaself can get a bit boring expessially if you dont like the answers.
sIttiNG AT woRK ,
tHINKing OF fISHIng
Subaquatic
Posts: 513
Date Joined: 23/04/11
At the risk of repeating the
At the risk of repeating the above posts....
Log On- Log Off, be conservative with your return times, and update if need be, rather than be generous with the return time.
"Phone a friend" at regular pre arranged intervals.
Use one of those small light PFD's. Lanyard if you are travelling at speed.
Dont do anything silly or high risk, pick your spot, pick your day.
Launch and retrieve early if possible, avoid the crowds.
Be organised. BE PATIENT!
Do a few practise runs on your own during a quiet time. Know your boat, and get good at solo retrieves before you tackle a busy Saturday morning.
Dont be afraid to ask a bystander for a hand. The VSR's at Ocean reef have given me a hand many times.
I fish Solo very often. Its my quiet time away from work and kids, Its one of things I love about fishing. Sunday mornings with Bobby Maumill has become my sanctuary ;-)
If you are switched on, and organised, you can be just as safe as fishing with a mate...most of all...ENJOY!
hezzy
Posts: 1531
Date Joined: 27/11/09
[Wear an auto inflatable life
[Wear an auto inflatable life jacket all of the time from launch to retrieve.
We found a guy two years ago who fell off his boat...]
best bit of advice yet
i fished on my own a lot over the years , it was only back about 6 years ago i bought an inflatable life jacket to wear , you dont realise how fast the boat drifts , but it would be dam hard for the average guy to swim after a boat on the sea breeze i reckon , thats if after you fell in you where still awake or didnt break an arm etc,
all the other stuff is good advice as well,
hezzy
OFW 11
evil flourishes when good men do nothing
DTrain
Posts: 486
Date Joined: 10/02/12
I had to jump overboard once
I had to jump overboard once to try and get some fishing line out of the propellor and by the time I jumped out the boat, bobbed up and turned around the boat was about 5 meters away. I had to swim pretty fast to catch it and that was in a light wind. If you fall out when your by yourself you may never catch the boat.
glastronomic
Posts: 892
Date Joined: 16/02/11
Auto Pilot and perimiter kill
Auto Pilot and perimiter kill switch!
carnarvonite
Posts: 8701
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Curmudgeon
Call me a curmudgeon or worse but as a President of CXarnarvon sea rescue and I think Iceman in his position as President of Whitfords sea rescue would agree with me that fishing alone at sea should be avoided if at all possible.
Each year there are usually 3-4 events where someone has gone missing or is injured while on their own resulting in major searches and usually with the worst outcomes.
Paul H
Posts: 2104
Date Joined: 18/01/07
I often go boating by myself.
I often go boating by myself. yep wear a lift jacket preferaby one that auto inflates and attach the wrist lanyard when mobile. I'm always extra careful when moving about and just generally takes things easy. I keep in mind if I fall and knock myself out theres no-one to come to my aid so don't do anything risky etc.
Launch and retrieve is not a problem for me it's downpat and I often do it better than those with someone else to help. If you need ask nicely and you can ussually get a hand at the ramp if needed.
Log on and off and maybe organise a regular scheduled call to confirm location/your okay
Cheers
Paul
Youtube Channel - FishOnLine Productions
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbUVNa-ViyGm_FTDSv4Nqzg/videos
br3nno
Posts: 353
Date Joined: 25/12/12
Checklist:1. Phone2. Knife3.
Checklist:
1. Phone
2. Knife
3. Ropes
4. Life Jacket
5. Water!! and plenty of it
6. Snacks
And if you have a radio dont forget to tell the local sea rescue what your doing and check out!
BC
Dizzy
Posts: 753
Date Joined: 21/02/11
I'm solo 8/10 timesVery slick
I'm solo 8/10 times
Slick on the launch & retrieve for a solo, but had my first offer of help ever last weekend - not needed, but nice to have the offer.
Perry's advice on the retrieval technique is spot on.
After some strong suggestions by my wife & family I finally got myself some auto-inflatable PFD's too and will wear one at all times.
I'll even have my 7yo boy with me sometimes, which is basically solo for launch & retrieve purposes - but he's a gun on the emergency procedure to stop the boat, call VSR & read the coordinates off the radio - and EPIRB if necessary.
derko5000
Posts: 125
Date Joined: 12/01/13
always manage to catch more
always manage to catch more fish when by yaself, but i always think i would rather be talking to a mate if we were treading water for 20 hours, if something happened
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
Your epirb / flares /
Your epirb / flares / whatever else you carry for safety gear , are no use to you in the boat if you have fallen out.
I wear a backpack with all safety gear inside when heading offshore solo. Not too cumbersome when you think of the alternatives
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
joycey
Posts: 250
Date Joined: 28/05/11
Good points
Good points
seaswirl
Posts: 268
Date Joined: 29/08/10
Personal locator beacon
Considering all the money we spend on our boats and fishing gear .......you gotta have a Personal Locator Beacon.
ResQLink the worlds smallest 406 MHz GPS Personal Locator Beacon....just keep it on a lanyard around your neck...only 160grams....www.acrelectronics.com
Big Frank
Posts: 115
Date Joined: 07/02/06
Air horn
I keep a compressed air horn in the boat - the sort used at junior footy games to start / end each quarter. Makes enough noise to attract attention if the need arises.
Pilbra Dave
Posts: 194
Date Joined: 30/09/11
Some Interesting Info on Boating Deaths in Australia
http://www.nmsc.gov.au/media/pages_media_files/files/fatality_report_2008.pdf
National Assessment of Boating Fatalities in Australia 1999-2004
People can double their chances of surviving by wearing a personal flotation
device.
Alcohol continues to be the primary risk factor.
Dinghies continue to be the most common type of vessel involved in fatal
incidents.
Alcohol and ill-health were the dominant initial contributing factors for person
overboard.
The 241 boating deaths that met NMSC criteria occurred in 196 separate incidents over the
period 1999 to 2004. Most incidents involved only a single vessel, The
trips involving those killed were mainly for the purpose of fishing (54% of vessels)
The sequence of events resulting in a boating death was initiated most often by capsize of
the vessel (19%), a person falling overboard (19%) or swamping of the vessel (11%;
Figure 7). Structural failure was rarely the initial event in a fatal incident (2%).
When all significant events were considered (a maximum of five were recorded for each
incident; Figure 8), a fall overboard was the most common event (33% of the events
noted). Capsize was responsible for 16% of all incident events. These results were very
similar to the first fatality study, indicating common problems across time.
The initial contributing factor in 74% of incidents was a human cause, mainly alcohol
(21%) or an error of judgement
Eighty one percent of the vessels were for recreational purposes and 19% were
commercial vessels, mainly commercial fishing vessels. Thirty six percent were dinghies,
17% were other open motorboats and 11% were half cabin motorboats
If you ain't Fishin you ain't Livin
Blackie Boy
Posts: 15
Date Joined: 30/11/12
I'm hanging out to get out on
I'm hanging out to get out on the water and make some new fishing mates so gimme a shout if you ever need a deckie!
wishin i was fishin!