not many ford boys around this year!!

Gday people heard a rumour there has been some salmon been spotted around garden island is this true also going to get a feed of crabs tomo are they still runnning ?

went out at 4.30 this morning in the new jackman and berleyed up at garden island until 7:00. caught a few skippy and gardies...(good bait!) we then decided to head out through the islands. we sat on 5 for 10 minutes deciding what to do. we headed out to the southern fad. there was 2 other boats out there and we trolled for a good 3 hours but all we caught was little tuna(like 40cm). didn't see anything else and we worked it for quite a while before calling it quits. 

Has anyone else had some luck at the fads? i heard so far that it has been a pretty bad season?

cheers

Jack 

Hey guys, my friend and I think it's a KG, but not all too sure about it. Please verify.. cheers!

hi everyone where looking for 3 fisher people for a fishing charter to the abrolhos islands, where using the rat patrol. The trip goes from the 8th to the 12th of April. We are all serious fishos so its going to be mainly based on fishing.

http://www.abrolhosislandcharters.com.au/ the site has all the info on it

pm me if you have any questions.
our group is called the Scantlebury group call the guys on +61 08 9964 9516 or on there mobile 0427 386 307 to book

thanks for your time
Ethan

The weather looks calm and some pretty dull conditions. I'm looking at an afternoon run at the office. Anyone else planning on a run or are there any reports/predictions for the weekend?

Hope I don't put the moccas on it but here goes...

How good does the weather look for today and tomorrow?  I can't get out today but am gonna get out with the old boy tommorow.  It's gonna kill me when I take my boy down to surf babies at Cottesloe this morning.  Chance of some glass out there this weekend maybe?  I just hope PaulG was wrong about the strong current keeping the bottom fish away.  I'll be happy just to get out there anyway if the winds stay as predicted.

For once, all three forecasts I use, match up.  Windfinder, Seabreeze and Willy Weather all point to very light winds.  Yey!  So good luck to all who get out.  Hope to see some photos up soon?

While out today I stumbled across the secret loacation of the DROP ZONE.

Not sure about all this structure Andy says the fish reef him in as was very flat with not real structure around. See attached shot which shows the bottom detail.

If anyone wants to check it out for themselves they can find it at 31 56'53.23      115 53'59.60

has any one been down to peppermint grove beach ,as we are heading down there for 3 days  camping next week. any one know what the fishing is like more to the point!?

Hi fellas,

Just wondering if anyone has eaten western sea wrasse and the brown spotted wrasse, if so are they any good, or should i use them for crab bait.

Cheers Hemi

i will post some pics later tonight

Hello

Was looking around for a relatively cheap bream rod around the $50 mark also if anyone has one second they don't mind selling. looking for something between 5'6" to 6'6" and 2kg-4kg line class and a light action class.

Thanks.

Hey guys has anyone heared of any mackies being caught of the west end yet

Sorrys Guys in BALI and every time I try to upload pics PC freezes   be back in two weeks

I hope it is alright with everyone, but I thought it may be easier to keep with the action by starting a new post.

According to today's West, the salmon action is starting to hot up around Albany, a big school was seen between the Capes and someone caught a heap of salmon at a Perth beach.
So it is all starting to look a bit more promising.

With the boat out of action for a couple of weeks I was lucky enough to jump on board with Harro yesterday for a fish. The day started by catching a few herring for bait. Once we had enough bait we were on our way to try and find some bottom fish. As we were rounding the cape we went past what I think is the Young Endevour.

After a short trip we reached our first destination. Conditions were not the best with an eastly wind and a strong current running but Seb managed to land a nice dhuy. 

After a few more drifts and not much luck Harro decided to have a look at some ground further south. Once we reached the ground the conditions had improved heaps. With a bit of searching around, managed to find a couple of dhuys on the sounder. Down went the lines and within a few minutes I was on to something solid and just a short time after that Harro was on as well. Minutes later we had two identical dhuys on board. Harros was in better shape, so it was released and mine was kept.

After reaching our dhuy boat limited we decided to try and target some pinkies. The boys down sized their rigs and I chucked on a jig. We headed out a bit further and found a nice flare up on the sounder. Down went my jig and after 5 or so jigs the rod loaded up and I was on to something solid again. First called it for a sambo because it hit the jig 10m off the bottom and went hard but after several minutes fighting it I realised it was probable another dhuy and that it was. Stoked first demersal on a jig and it was a cracker.

The jig was a Shout - Stay in what I now call the wrasse colour (red and gold). After a quick snap the fish was released. No release weight was needed as the fish was in excellent condition (maybe becuase it was caught on light tackle and not skulled dragged up). After a couple more drifts we had bagged out on demerals. I managed my second demersal on a jig, a PB nanni of 58cm.

Thanks Harro for an awsome day. Its good to let someone else do the skippering for a change. Managed to achieve one of my goals for this year in getting a demersal on a jig.

Cheers

Brendan

5 salmon was caught in trigg beach this week?

my mate just send a message to me.

hi i was wondering what you thought of the shimano aquatip for flick lures out anywhere please let me know

Hi

Can some please tell me what bottom bashing is, have seen it mentioned heaps?

Managed to head out to Toothfish Reef yesterday. The wind was up a bit from the North East, blowing at 15-20 knots. It made for a bit of excitement out wide as we over ran the waves with the bow digging in to a few on the way down the face. I said to my Mate with a grin on my face and my needle point teeth showing “Do you think anyone is following us to Toothfish Reef?” Travelling at 25 knots neither of us was game to turn around and look cos you couldn’t take ya eye off what was happening in front of ya for a split second for fear of getting splattered on the deck when we landed.

Short of getting a solid wheelhouse there has gotta be a better way of staying dry when ya take a bit of water over the bow and it runs up the windscreen cos bugga me I reckon it should run over the top of the canopy and not under it. Those push studs that join canopy and windscreen just don’t cut the mustard. My biggest beef is not getting wet, it’s when ya dry out and ya get salt crystals in ya jocks. LOL

The forecast was for the wind to swing to the SE and drop a bit which suited me cos the Toothfish Reef Dhuies don’t go for that Northerly much, well not the decent size ones anyway and we didn’t want to be releasing 6 and 7 kg fish all day.

Me mates Missus had put in an order for a couple of pan size Red Snapper cos the ones we got a few trips ago she reckoned were terrific. My parting words as we left that morning were that she better “go and get a bigger pan”. 

Well getting the Dhuies was no big deal as we managed two of 10Kg, well me Mate did and that’s enough said about that..... Bastard! 

Gotta protect this valuable resource on “My reef” so we betta go an get ya Missus a couple of Snapper.

Well who do ya think is the gun fisherman and can go and “Fish To Order”? Yep I reeled in two magnificent Red Snapper a double header no less! Well if only the Fisheries would adjust the minimum size then all me Mates Missus would have to do is get a smaller pan!

Well the focus of the day was two Red Snapper or KG’s or Cod or any bloody thing that was gunna fit in the pan. I gotta say that the magnificent Cod that I battled with was a sensational fish and had me scurrying for the Fish ID book because its Movie Star good looks had us both baffled. Turns out it was a huge Black Arse who was that pale that it looked as though it hadn’t seen the light of day ever. Catch of the day in my book. Anyone can catch a couple of Dhuies on Toothfish Reef!

Time to move again to catch those bloomin Reds so I put me nose into the wind and got the sextant out and plotted a course to........ X.  I’m now using all my cunning and guile to tweak the knobs, buttons and dials on the sounder.  I’ve found the spot so I carefully calculate the drift to put us on it.  Well, “Fair Go Mate I’m still at the helm, the engines not even switched off yet and if those Polaroid glasses are not made of safety glass then when that rod snaps in two ya gunna lose both eyes and probably ya head”. “What the hell have ya got on the end of the line, ya rod looks like a U bolt?” I don’t know about Fishing for the Future Mate I reckon ya “Fishin Fa Ya Life”

We had our two Dhuies for the day and we had made a pact that we would bring up anything else ultra slow and even give it a decompression stop when we first saw colour (great advice Andy Mac).            I reckon I was gunna have to give me Mate a deco stop on the way back up cos I reckon he wasn’t far off goin over the side. Anyway after huge amounts of encouragement I persuaded me Mate to not get dragged overboard cos it was too much explainin to his Missus. He was swearin on the Bible or the Bourbon (I can’t remember in the excitement) that he had a bloody huge great Snapper that was trying to drag him over the side and drown him. He reckoned the head shaking was rattling his fillings out. “Toughen up Princess”.

“Maaate what sought of fisherman do ya call yourself”. “That’s not a Snapper that’s the biggest bloody Dhufish that I’ve ever seen”. “We’ve got a couple of 10 kg’s on board, we caught a 15 kg a few weeks ago, this thing looks like 20kg+”.

We didn’t bother to bring him on board and I had the duct tape in me hand and was in the process of taping the release weight to the reef anchor when there was a huge splash and me Mate has copped a face full of water as this thing has turned tail and headed home. It’s as if he was saying “I’m the old man of Toothfish Reef you can’t catch me”. We stood on the deck and saluted him under the fluttering ships flag as he quickly vanished to the depths. It was truly one of those blokey and fish moments. For the record me Mate is saying that it was not a tear in his eye and that it was sea water rolling down his cheek. Yer right!

At that moment I’ve seen movement in the corner of my eye and I’ve realised that we’ve been followed. Damn, someone has sent the Merchant Navy to ping our spot. A 50,000 Tonne live sheep carrier is bearing down on us but we have taken evasive action and we move into stealth mode. I push the throttle down and head for home reminding my mate that he has to have his blindfold on within five nautical miles of Toothfish Reef.

As if on cue the Nor Easterly drops and swings behind to give us a fair wind home after another great day.

Toothfish

ive been taking them down ocean reef marina on the little beach but theres no fish there and they loose interest.Id like a nice clean spot to catch anything but dont want to take them on jetties or groins just yet because they cant swim.cheers

to all the boat owners out there that leave their boat and trailer outside the house or on the lawn,do u guys lock it up in any way?as ive been seeing heaps of boats on front lawns etc and wonder,isnt anyone just gotta drive the whole lot away?makes me wonder ,is there anyway to lock it,if i do get a boat in the future,and i would have to leave it on the lawn as theres no space in the garage or somewhere that i can lock the gates up

Hi guys just wondering what sort of rod I should get for my Penn spinfisher 950ssm, Im looking for a boat spin rod around the 6.6 to 7 foot mark and fairly heavy duty (15-24kgs) or something like that around the $100 dollar mark

A few spots left for the Abrolhos trip up in April with Saltwater Charters. Will be from the 9th to the 12th of April.

Theres also an option of leaving on the boat from Hillaries and fishing the Thursday before the trip if you want an extra free days fishing (hoping Dongara or maybe even Turtle Dove Shoal).

So make sure you grab a spot before its too late. It'll be an awesome trip.

hi i was wondering where you catch good fishing at ocean reef im going there oin sunday night and what bait to use lures or bait and what do u catch there

waiting on some nice yellow braided line. this will be dedicated to only shark/mulloway/jigging fishing. cant wait to use it. I hear that carbon tech washers are the way to go with these reels. can any one help a little fella out?

A work mate is having an issue with 98 Falcon. Thanks all, Colin

How much 80lb Tuf-Line XP Indicator Braid will I get on my stella 20k???

should I buy the 600m spool? or should I go the 65lb, or 50lb for maximum capacity?

 p.s. has anyone got any pros or cons for Tuf-Line Xp Indicator Spectra line???

Recreational fishers face paying a land-based fishing licence after Fisheries Minister Norman Moore refused to rule it out yesterday as an option to save fish stocks.

Mr Moore said while the State Government had previously decided not to go down the path of imposing such a licence fee, he would look at every option when research into shore-based fishing stocks was completed by the end of the year.

"I don't want to speculate on the future but if the fishery is under threat we will have to look at every option that relates to making sure that the fishery is sustained," he said.

"If those fisheries are under threat, then we will take the necessary action to save them."

A $300,000 research program was announced by the State Government in December to assess the effects of shore-based fishing.

The Government said at the time there was evidence that a two-month recreational fishing ban from October 15 on demersal scale fish such as pink snapper and dhufish had caused some fishermen to switch to shore-based fish targeting species such as herring, whiting and tailor.

Recfishwest executive director Frank Prokop said while such a fee would be unpopular, he wouldn't oppose a move by the Government to introduce a land-based fishing licence. But he said he preferred a general fishing licence of $20 to $30 for all adults who wanted to fish from both boats and the shore. Ben Patrick, spokesman for the Australian Fishing Trade Association in WA and a local tackle manufacturer, said the licensing system was a "dog's breakfast".

Mr Patrick said if all the other licences were abolished, a land-based fee would be worth looking at.

But he said no recreational fisher in WA would be happy about a land-based fishing fee until the recreational community had a say in where the proceeds were spent.

A spokesman for Mr Moore said a general fishing licence had been considered in March last year as one of a range of options.

He said money had been allocated for this year from the newly introduced recreational boat fishing licence fees to management, compliance, research and licensing within the recreational fishing industry.

Earlier this month, it became law for all recreational fishers using a powered vessel to have a recreational fishing licence, which costs $30 a year.

Edit:  PHILIPPA PERRY, The West Australian March 10, 2010, 6:15 am

Great....

Just thought i would let you guys/girls see it on here.