Just got back from a few days on a live aboard charter out of shark bay with Apache charters running along dirk hartog island.

weather was pretty average the whole time, but was an unbelievable trip and would recommend them to anyone thinking of doing that sort of thing.  Skipper worked hard to continuously put us on fish, moving regularly when things got quiet.  Lots of baldies, rankins and pinkies caught with a dozen or so reds as well as few Pelagics.

cook did great with the food, plenty of fish, and the decky was brilliant.

again would throughly recommend them to anyone

 As I don't know how to add a pic to a post had to do this. Been using this for the past 4 years, reinforced it today as it was flexing the gunwhale a little to much for my liking. I don't remove the winch as it doesn't get in the way when fishing. Don't use a topper, have just installed the blue slides to protect the boat from the pots.

 So after 2 years and a fair few dollars i manged to finish this project. Boat is a Pride 22ft which had the old volvo 6 cylinder in with triple carbs, and 270 leg. After a few runs out when i bought it we figured it was probably wise to repower to get good reliability.

Picked up an engine and leg from a guy who was going outboard to gain more deck space. Motor is a 350 mercruiser and bravo 2 leg. We replaced carby with 600 Holley. Full rewire, All new cables and forward controls. Volvo to bravo adapter plate. Repainted hull which was the old mustard colour. Ive Wrapped the boat in vinyl print to update it and finished most of the interior with white and brushed alluminium panels i use for signs. Trailer got a birthday with springs, bearings, brakes, mudgaurds and wheels. Just need to paint it galv silver now. Had the boat out a few times on the river, putting in at Maylands and cruising down to freeo and back, done a couple of trips into the sound without to much luck. We caught a load of skippy and herring but nothing bigger. This was a few months ago.

Boat would do 21 knots flat out with old tired Volvo and now hits 39knots if needed. Cruising at 25knots at approx 3300rpm. Ive done a few runs to test range as it only has 130 litre tank. Last run on river saw 88kms on gps and we refilled, took 85 litres so not to bad.

Im pretty new to the boating scene as i moved from UK 7 years ago and this is my first one. Was looking for any info or recomendations on fishing in WA waters. Not a fan of the sharks but as long as i keep afloat that shouldnt be a problem lol.

I have a decent fish finder which im figuring how to use and navionics gol on a tablet which i use to keep clear from any reefs etc.

Any tips, advice or info would be greatly appreciated. Few pics of the boat to date.

Thanks in advance, George

 still heaps of deaf pinkies. Out right now and there is a whole Line of dead ones riding the current. Very sad to say the least

Gents

After snapping an envy black late last year I replaced the tip and turned it into my light inshore weapon for pinkies/salmon/skippy etc. Been heaps of fun and has claimed some really good fish this year. Unfortunately my 8 year old steez is battling to keep up with the punishment so I'm toying with the idea of retiring it and buying a new reel.

Had my heart set on a replacement Steez but the production on them has been binned so I'm looking for ideas on something which is going to stand up to some punishment. Thinking either a fi stella or an exist (steez is a 2500)at this stage - the things which are concerning me is the smaller line capacity of the stella and the flex in the exist.

Surely some people on here will be using some similar setups and without starting a shimano/daiwa debate, which reel is going to hold up better?

Cheers

Not before time I reckon, the behaviour of a good 25% of skippers up around Guildford and Bassendean is nothing short of disgraceful and on a public holiday there are ripped up reeds and mud from the banks all throughout the water. I was initially concerned that it would lead to reduced patrols in the upper Swan until I remembered that on the 30 or so 2-4 sessions I had on the dinghy up there I've never seen them once.

www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-25/cameras-planned-to-catch-bad-boat-behaviour-in-perth/6974504

 Was just doing a bit of work on our new website (still under construction) and came across a few photos I had forgot about.

 Below is a photo of a Goldband that as far as we can tell must of broken its back early in its life and still managed to survive and grow to quite a good size. Really quite amazing that with all the competion down there fish like this can survive and live long enough to get that big and then be unlucky enough to be caught by us.

We often catch fish that have had these type of things wrong with them, or have truly amazing thing that you would not believe unless you see, just dont allways think to get a photo of them. We recently had a punter drop their rod over the side only to have another person pull it up an hour later (with 4 fish, double header on his and double on the lost rod!) in 100+M of water. Also had a Rosy Jobfish with an old hole through it (billfish maybe) that you could just about poke your finger through but was doing just fine.

Anyway this got me thinking that there must be plenty of these type of captures stories out there that would be a bit of fun to read. So if you have a amazing story or photos of a bizarre capture post it up and I look forward to someone bettering mine. I know this type of post may have been up before, but I'm sure there are plenty of recent or forgotten stories. It's got to be a better read than grown men having a school yard whinge at each other or endless speculation over dead fish (at least untill we find the true cause of it). Got to have something to entertain me now the Block is over?

 Hi

I am going to dwellingup on the week end i was wondering what lures work best there. I have already caught fish in teh murray but not very successfully. so could any one give me the heads up of what lures work best.

Hey
Would anyone have a 70mm tow ball & tongue I could borrow / hire for the day...
Just need to tow a trailer from Jarrahdale to Mandurah.
Cheers

 Ok Will be checking pots for the next few weekends before the ban lifts. If we score a really good day the boys want to go and jig for Sambos. Question is we could catch Dhuies or other demersals as a by product. What's the go with this even though we are not targeting them? Cheers

With my daughter turning 10, she has been able to attend the MAAC Juniors on Sunday mornings.  This is an awesome morning for the kids with a great venue and equipment for swimming, diving, boating, pool, table tennis, beach volleyball and other ball sports, and the list of things to do goes on and on.  Backed up with a Committee and volunteers that do a wonderful job, it is really a good well managed experience for the kids.  The method that I particularly like is where the groups of kids get to choose, from the large range of activities, what they do for a few hours under supervision.

On the first day of MAAC Juniors a few weeks ago, I was asked by a parent if I could take her daughter for a fish on the beach (where they came and watched of course).  Weedy, swelly, and with “beach worn” gear, it was a challenge.  Lots of pickers but the young lady did manage to catch a fish, although very undesirable, and it was her first ever.  Kids don’t care, it was a fish that she caught and that was the best thing – never seen that much happiness over a blowie.

I found out a bit later that the person that used to help the kids with their shore fishing had recently died.  Apparently the Club lost a real character that will be missed by many.  What could I do, “yeah ok I’ll help the kids with the fishing this season” when it was explained and I was asked.

I haven’t had the hornet out for a couple of months so it was in need of a run.  I watched the Juniors dingy navigate a path through the inshore reef to the Club so knew there was a way in and out (very swell dependent though).  The Sunday weather forecast was for fresh easterly winds dropping off throughout the day, with 0.5m swell.  OK, let’s see if some kids want to go out and give it a crack.

Instead of fishing the inaugural MAAC Rock & Beach comp on Saturday, YPM’s (although he is 16 and doesn’t fish anymore!!) footy team kids and dads end of season trip to Rotto was on (booked months in advance).  One of the dads has a 6 month old 52 foot Riviera that has to be seen to be believed. My schoolboy error was to plan to get up the next morning bright and early to do all the things I had committed to.  It was a quality day for  the “boys” though.

I must say that I was very disorganised.  I had none of my burley, nothing rigged up and the boat hadn’t been used for a while (and it was the first time I had taken it out of the garage at our new place).  Get it out, start the engine, check everything, hook it all up, go to the shops, go to the MAAC to pick up anything helpful I could find, and launch at a busy ramp.  The highlight, in hind sight, was that I could scab out 4 stale bread rolls from the bin at the shop for burley – my wife was embarrassed for me when I told her I did this.

The daughter was not happy that I asked her to come to the ramp and hold the boat as I knew it would be busy (potentially missing time with her friends, and dad was going off fishing when she didn’t want to) but we did get to the Club on time.  What do you know, 4 young fellas came down the beach and hopped in.  A quick safety briefing and off we go.  We stayed close first up and the highlight for the boys was undoubtedly their first experience in seeing what the Minn does on spot lock (no anchor?, how does it hold us?, I want my dad to get one of these!).

Unfortunately, my disorganisation meant we had to waste time rigging up but while I was showing them knots and rigs the conversation was really good with the young fellas being very knowledgeable for their tender years, and their fishing stories were great.  I must say I missed my burley as the spot we went to had never failed me in the past, but it did.  After trying for a while we had no choice but to go out a bit wider to Terry’s Pike Spot, which is a noted performer.  Although I have the mark, it can be located by lining up landmarks and it was good to explain to the boys about this – the old pre-GPS tried and tested method.  I dare say they will be able to fish this productive area for many years to come.

I then remembered the rolls.  These were the only form of burly that actually worked and after a while we had a heap of herring boiling at the back of the boat – happy days.  The boys were all over it and everyone ended up with fish – I told them we would only keep a dozen (3 each).  Lots of bites and lots of action with hook-ups, drops, leaping herring and the skill needed to get them on the boat without a net (no need to net the herring).  The double and triple hook-ups were an absolute classic.

The only downer was that while one boy who was standing on the back raised deck was asked to move so a recently caught herring could be put in the live bait tank.  He stumbled and dropped the rod into the drink (lucky it was a “beach worn” model and not one of my combos – I would have been swimming for them).  That’s the second rod to go over the side recently (sarcasmo – I hope the new one works well), and I hope this is not the sign of a trend.

Time was moving on so we relocated and gave a sand whiting spot a quick go.  No luck but no matter as it was time to go in.  Dropped the boys back at the beach safely and then had to get out through the reef with not much prop in the water, not much keel on the hornet, 15+kn winds trying to blow me onto the reef and all the legend MAAC fisherman watching on from the weigh in for the Rock and Beach.  Anyway, it was close but I learned more about the reef passage that will be useful for the future – my method was critiqued back at the presentation.

What a great day.  It wasn’t about getting a big bag of fish, it was about taking kids out and trying to teach them a few things.  The smiles on their faces as they showed off their fish and walked out with the fillets made all the effort worthwhile.  I certainly look forward to doing it again when conditions allow – and being a bit more organised.

 Hi all,

I am headed to Onslow for work in January, and on my way I want to stop in at exmouth to do a bit of fishing.

Just wondering if there are any good land based spots to catch some using reasonably light gear.

I have heard of people walking out on flats and having some good fun with trevally and queenfish.

Any help is appreciated :)

Cheers

 Hey fellas just wondering if you still get Crays in pots on a full moon or is it a myth ? 

 Hi I'm looking at getting a new light reel I'm looking at the Stradic 1000 but have see the quantum smokes and they look nice was wondering if any one has used them both and which one you would pick 

 Gday everyone,

I just received this photo from a mate. Seems like some kind of worm of some sort has come out of the crayfish. He said the cray looked normal before he dropped it in the pot, boiled it whole for 8 mins, strained the hot water out of the pot, filled it back up with ice water and left to cool down. Come back 5 minutes later and all that crap was floating on top of the water. 

Any ideas?

He said the flesh looked fine and presumed it has come out of the head of the cray. I've done some googling myself but couldn't come up with anything 

 Hi guys,

Does anyone know how to keep the boats current position in the centre of the Lawrence Elite 5 chart when riding around without a waypoint destination?

I have to zoom out, find my location and put the crosshairs on the position of the boat and then zoom back in - there must be a centre boat position function available?

Looked at the manual, and only reference I can see that may change this is the COG or North Up Option?

Appreciate any help on this..

Thanks,

 My 27 meg radio is out of action - can't figure out whats wrong

So may need to get a new one - again (the boat has had two already) 

I think one of the reasons the radios keep failing is because the little 4.5 mtr tinnie get bashed about in all but the calmest of seas. The radio gets shaken up.

So its a general question - grateful for any info 

What are the differences between VHF & 27 meg?

Is a VHF more likely to be damaged by the shuddering?  

Is a hand held any use or is the range too little? 

as the subject saids...

Have garmin plotter.

cheers

brett 

Just a heads up to those who don't follow Alan Hawks website, a corrosion issue has arisen with some high end Diawa reels that may affect some Fishwrecked members.

Linky: www.alanhawk.com/reviews/news.html

Hi Guys

Question is, how hairy does the crayfish endopodite need to be before it is classed as setose?

Every female I have caught this year has some sort of hair on the claws, very very minimal though. Do you throw these ones back?

I have caught one other which had slightly longer hair, so this was easily different.

I rang fisheries to ask, and they said as soon as there is any hair, throw them back. He said it needs to be bare bare. Is this true?

Anyone have any photos to show?

Thanks

Taking my boat up to Exmouth for the last 2 weeks in December to fish the flats and also deeper water pelagics on fly. Any one up there during that time with similar interests and keen to catch up for a fish send me a pm.

I am wondering whether anyone knows who is looking for an additional angler for an international tour eg: Vanuatu sports fishing package.

Dat tother one is getting too big!

LOL

Neels

 My sister took this today . Hundreds of blowies washed up. Stinks apparently. Old ones no dought. On the bright side seen no new dead fish last few days.( unless all gone). All old stinky ones still about.:):) 

 Does anyone know much about tattoo boats in particular the abalone series?

thanks

Even though its a full moon on thursday night do most of you crayfishos put your pots out for the weekend or is it not worth it - thought i heard a few days after the full moon is bad for crayfishing.

was just wondering does anyone pot for crays at binningup/myalup. looking for some different ground to try a bit closer to home.hopefully its not the same as peppy beach lots of crays but wont go in your pots for some reason.
thanks

Fish Wrecked People,

Myself & a Mate are planning on going on our first dive for crayfish this coming Saturday.

With no pre-determined marks or experience, our rough plan is to head out towards the FFB and spot an area worth diving using our sounder and the presence of others cray pots. 

The question I wanted to pose is how close should I dive to other people's pots? is there any other unwritten rules I should know about. 

Cheers

In todays land of poor service I thought I should share a good story.

I bought the 5.6" 100lb fin-nor OH rod (yea that long ago it's successor has been discontinued). I paired it up with the Talica 16II. figure it would be a beast to chase those big sambos and the odd shark.

spooled the reel with 80lb braid and then, due to work commitments (FIFO) never got the chance to use it.  So I packed it away.

Anyway I uppacked it last month pending a sambo  session and decided to replace the leader. holding the rod at 90 degrees I peeled the line off and the rod splintered between the 3rd and 4th eyes and then broke.

Now it gets good

I sent the pictures to Fin nor with an explantation and stated that I knew it was out of warranty and wasn't expecting a replacement, but rather, I was looking for reasons that the rod failed. (in the advent that it was how I stored it,etc. so I could ensure it didn't happen to my other rods)

After 3 weeks of "techncical review" Fin-nor concluded that it was a manufacture default and even though it was "way out" of its warrantly period they are replacing the Rod.

Go figure

Nice one FIN NOR, take a bow.

hi guys

looking at going to Exmouth for 10 days can any of use give some advise of best months for weather.

cheers