I took the boat out for the first time in months yesterday, more so just to check it still works! Me and a mate were pissing around off Gage Roads/Freo, around the cargo ship anchoring berths, chasing whiting. we got a couple of tidlers, but half way through our little session a big Pilot boat came charging towards us, and when he was just about on top of us said "you cant anchor in Gage Roads", to which I replied "I'm not anchored, we're drifting". He then said to us "you cant fish here either, you need to leave this area".

I kinda took his word for it, upped lines and moved a few k's away. I've researched the hell out of it today, and cant find anything, anywhere, about not being able to fish at Gage Roads. the only thing I can find about it is on Navionics, where it states there's "ANCHORING PROHIBITED AREAS" inside the Berthing areas and shipping channels, which I have no problem with. 

can anyone confirm if this is a no-no? or is it just the Port Authority being assholes? 

 Hey all, 

I am after an ali welder for a job on my quintrex. The boat is currently upside down off the trailer so they would have to be able to come to me. 

It is in a large workshop with power and possible access for a car if needed. 

Any help is appreciated. 

Located Hamilton Hill. 

Cheers. 

 Had a little spin today in close 

very quiet same as last weekend . 
seems too have shut down a little 

mat moment managed a few good 

sized squid and sight casted a 60cm 

tailor .. went great on the squid 

gear . Cheers pirate..

Hi Peeps. My friend Lynda and I are in Coral Bay until Thursday (heading home Friday) our fishing charter for tomorrow got cancelled. Thankfully we got in one charter last week (photos below… not as sucfessful as I hoped). We tried to get a charter in Exmouth but all are booked too. Does anyone have any good spots around Coral Bay that are good for land based fishing and if so where and what sort of setup would you use. I brought a beach rod and a few flicky rods. Thanks everyone.

 I highly recommend this line.

From my bench testing, and the winching up of this 65cm PB after reefing me in a cave for at least 2 minutes, I highly recommend this line for demersal fishing.

 Caught this little tacker in coalstream national Park by hand. What a cutie. Was a bastard to fillet.  Any ideas what it is?

Enjoy 

 Hey guys, 

Just wondering if anyone could shed some light on the FADs off of Cape Naturaliste. We do a fair bit of fishing in the area and I've being trying to read up on them a little with the intention of heading out there. I can't seem to find much information about them apart from a few news articles and the coordinates. Has anybody fished them or know people that go out to them? When are they out? 

apologies in advance for my lack of knowledge on FADs not somewhere I've fished in the past.
 

 It looks like the 2nd battery on my boat has failed and now the decision to either get a new 2nd battery or buy a lithium jumpstarter to carry.  The boat is only 5.2 metre pressed ally and  has both battheries on the starboard side making it one sided when just the skipper is aboard.  Also I go remote prospecting during the winter months so a lithium jump starter would be handy while out bush.

Has anyone removed the 2nd battery and just bought a jumper pack as an extra?.  I know a decent lithium jumper is going to be a bit more cost than abattery but it will have more uses than just sitting in the boat.

TIA.

 Went out with a couple of mates from down south of the river, conditions weren’t great, we got a dozen nice skippy on buck trail jigs a few small pinks, a nice tailor for the wife, then Grant gets a nice dhu 58 cm, then 30 mins later a another dhu at 80cm?, then I had a spew, so we came in, all in 8 meters of water, can’t wait for cray season and more fishing.

I'm trying to get some figures on tidal water volume that flows in/out of a marina for a project that is required to try and fix an environmental disaster. The opening is 103mtrs wide and average depth is about 4-5mtrs (will get more accuracy when I know the formula for the maths). It's midwest coast tides and I need the volume of water from low tide to high tide as it passes the entry point. Would anyone in the Fishwrecked brains trust know how to calculate that? Cheers.

 After two tries and god knows how much time spent the internet getting refunds for flights I finally got back to Perth last night. I've got the mandatory two weeks self isolation to knock on the head then I'm right to get back up to C'von and get back into playing with some nice boats once more. Can't wait!.

Enjoy 

 Hi,

Im heading up to Shark Bay for the first time in a couple weeks and was hoping for some help on land based fishing. I have a good 4wd but will have the family so anything too adventurous would be out of the question. Anyone familiar with the area and could tell me where I could start?

Thanks

 Looks like I'm flying back to West Oz on Thursday night after five months and two failed attempts to get back in, I won't count my chickens until I hit the ground...... 

If this trip is successful then I finally get to bring the big duck ( 8.5m Bruce Harris Sharkcat ) home to Thursday Island and I can start doing some long range missions out to Ashmore reef during the monsoon to chase some XL Doggies. 

Here's my dilemma. I've got to travel 370 Nm from Cooktown to TI on 700 litres. It's not going to give me a good enough buffer for safety and I want to have an extra 300 litres to do this leg and I'm wondering how to achieve this?. I know you can get fuel from Lockhart river but I want to be completely self sufficient in case this is an unviable option due to no fuel or whatever. It would also be good to be able to spend some time out on the reef fishing and spearing on the way up opposed to just steaming up and not to have to worry about the fuel burn. In a perfect world I would like to leave the rear deck space free from drums, jerries and bladders so we can cover that in fish blood instead....:D 

Options.

Jerries up on the flybridge roof / rear deck hardtop. Not too happy on this one for weight being up so high, yet perfect for storing empty jerries. 

Under the deck in lockers....... Fuck that for a joke. I'm planning on not trying to make the news on this trip!. 

Store em on the rear deck ( not really ideal yet I'd consider doing this ) and get them into the tanks ASAP and empties up on the roof to avoid deck clutter.

Get a dingy and tow it behind the boat with excess fuel in that, we can mothership it out on the reef too. We're not going to be setting any speed records and will more than likely travel at less than 10kts so we can safely tow it and troll and keep the fuel burn at a slow rate for a greater range. Only downside to this is having a dingy sitting in the middle of ones spread. Yet the tow line can be ditched and the boat picked back up after landing fish. 

Any suggestions?. 

Here's the said big duck.

 Has our Premier forgotten the lesson of Troy. 
It is almost certain that Delta's Trojan Horse into WA will be the hosting of the AFL finals should that occur. 

It only took ONE case in Sydney to get NSW to its current position. 
It is inconceivable that given the history of security breaches already documented that WA could hope to keep out every single dedicated football follower regardless of their COVID status. 
 

Is this not a case of McGown + AFL finals = Hubris = Delta introduction into WA. 

Hi

Weather prediction for tomorrow inshore is 10 - 15 SW. Can anyone advise what that would be like in Cockburn quite close inshore. Still thinking of squidding tomorrow, preferred it earlier when it was variable. Cheers

Enjoy 

 Gday everyone,

im looking at making my own burley.

the idea is to freeze blocks of minced up fish frames Chook pellets etc,

My question is what mincer is the best for this? Brands and types if anyone has any advice or experience of what to look at?

cheers

 Hey guys I'm not a lazy bugger asking for your coordinates, I'm fishing inshore from my 375 dart and want to find my own spots, I've spent hours and hours (launching from quindalup) searching and can't find anything apart from the known spots marked on navionics that just get smashed. I've got a lowrance sounder and using traditional down scan and I've been looking from 10-20 m between the swan wreck and geo marine park. Not sure what I'm doing wrong but I've spent hours searching at 5 knots with next to no luck. Feels like I'm just wasting my time now. Any advice will be greatly appreciated and if there's any locals on here im more than happy to take someone with me and supply all the gear and beers in turn for some knowledge. Cheers

 Hi guys, just wondering if anyone on here has the new twinpower and am after thoughts on them. Just want to see if it's worth the extra cash over the saragosa. Cheers 

 delete

 Been seriously looking at afew boats lately and found something I liked today. Haven't got it yet just waiting for money transfer to go through, can't wait to take her out. Everything in good nick needs up to date electrics but has new floor and deck wash and only done 188 hrs. 

I read with interest the recent post by Black Gen regarding his inability to find good quality mulies that do not deteriorate when defrosted.  I also noted the thread comments, and thanks to those that mentioned the quality of Shore Catch products. 

I am not a fisheries expert however thought I would set out some relevant considerations when purchasing mulies and scalies.  Over the past few years we have sold 18 tonnes of mulies (WA Pilchards – Sardinops sagax) as retail products.  In comparison, over the same period, we have sold 4 tonnes of scalies (Tropical Sardines, Scaly Mackerel - Sardinella lemuru) so that gives some idea of general preference in the recreational fishing community. 

If you are interested about the biology and other factors regarding these species, the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has published a report for the federal government titled West Coast Purse Seine Managed Fishery and Development Zones (2019) which can be found at:  https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/consultations/8169d8ac-4f79-43a2-93b0-35a49089adf5/files/wcps-wto-application-2019.pdf.  In general, mulies and scalies are small pelagic bait fish that are purse seine netted in schools by a limited number of commercial fishermen.  The fishery is currently recovering and the raw products are of a very high quality, being exported throughout Australia.

“Fish is very perishable due to the presence of high moisture, protein and highly oxidizable poly-unsaturated fatty acids, making it vulnerable to various biochemical, physical and microbial forms of deterioration throughout the production chain.”  I was doing some research about this matter and came across a scientific paper, where the above quote came from, that set out the various processes regarding fish spoilage and I have included a link to that text below for those that are interested. https://medcraveonline.com/MOJFPT/packaging-interventions-in-low-temperature-preservation-of-fish-a-review.html#:~:text=be%20available.27-,Spoilage%20of%20fish,for%20prolonged%20period%20various%20preservation%20methods%20are%20being%20employed%20worldwide.,-Fish%20preservation

The key issue regarding the quality of the product is that fish rapidly deteriorate once caught (this was once a significant constraint to the mulies and scalies industry) therefore the post capture handling proceedures are critical.  Fresh fish must be stored at close to zero degrees from the time of capture until sale to ensure optimum possible quality.  Freezing is a preservation method, amongst others, but cannot reverse the degradation that has already occurred.  Importantly, storage temperature when frozen must be maintained at minus 18 or lower and if the products are partially thawed and refrozen then rapid degradation can occur through that process.  Mulies and scalies are small fish, so in general degrade more rapidly than larger fish (shelf life at zero degrees is really only a few days at most).  Note that fish also have limited freezer shelf life and are subject to dehydration over time (freezer burn), with smaller fish likely to “burn” in a shorter time frame.

There is no doubt that individually quick frozen (IQF) fish are better quality than those that are frozen in block form as the freezing process is much faster and the fish has less time to degrade.  In general, blocks take time to freeze and the small baitfish can lose moisture before becoming frozen resulting in the fish being preserved in liquid waste products.  This inferior technique inevitably leads to a high potential of the fish becoming “mushy” once the block and associated liquid defrost.

Given the above, the following questions are relevant when looking for the best quality mulies and scalies.

1. Was the fish immediately chilled on capture, and was near zero temperature maintained when fresh?  Generally speaking, all licenced fishermen will appropriately chill the fish on capture so this is not really a determining factor.
2. Is the frozen fish in IQF or block form?  As noted, IQF fish are generally of a better quality although if the individual fish is allowed to partially thaw during the secondary packing process then quality is diminished.
3. How long has the fish been frozen?  This information is not readily available so it takes a keen eye to determine the extent of freezer burn.  Sometimes retailers will heavily discount “old” fish in order to gain some return for a substandard product.
4. Has the fish always been frozen stored at or below minus 18 degrees?  Again, this takes an experienced eye to determine degradation level prior to purchase but is easy to know once the fish is defrosted.  The common cause for poor quality by partial defrosting is a freezer being left open or failing, and then the products are refrozen when they should be discarded.

With all of this in mind, the best mulies and scalies will be purchased from a business that looks after its products at all times and has a high throughput so that freezer time in secondary packaging is minimised.  Your local reputable tackle shop will, in all probability, have higher throughput and staff that are vigilant in relation to the freezers so is clearly a better option than service stations or low bait volume stores. 

The bait industry currently has no obligation to show capture date or best before date therefore the consumer is at a general disadvantage in assessing quality at retail purchase.  It is however bait, which if frozen and stored appropriately should have a shelf life between 6 and 12 months.

Anyway, for those that have read this far I hope you found the information interesting.

Mick

 Hey all, 

I have recently purchased a project tinnie and am looking at sanding it back and painting it. 

Just looking for general tips/ tricks of anyone who has done it before. It is about 20 years old and has white paint on the exterior. 

Any info on best paints to use, how to go about it, what not to do etc. 

Cheers.  

 I'm sure I've seen a thread on trailer builds but can't find it by the search function.

Any suggestions of who to go to for a really solid off-road trailer for a 4.5m plate ali dinghy? Don't have weights etc. just looking to provide some names.

Cheers

 Been having a bit of a bream fish in the murray lately and have been thinking about how much effect the heavy fresh water load coming downstream has on the bream. At the peak of the flow the water was well over the banks in the yunderup area and the amount of water flowing downstream was something to see. This makes me think that for the entire length of the river right down to the mouth at the estuary has got to be completely fresh with zero salinity. I was thinking this may displace the bream from the river onto the flats surrounding the river mouth in the estuary where there maybe favourable salinity. Just wondering what others thoughts on this are.

 Did a trip too Harvey yesterday.

good day with 9 rainbows and a 

Redfin on bait . With 2 of them being

close too 40cm . All on spinning celtas

Weather held out for the day ,

cheers pirate 

 Hi

In my last 2 trips out wide, I've lost / dropped 4 good sized fish.

1 failed at the crimp, 1 was a broken swivel, 1 a hook break off at the knot and 1 came off close to the boat when I had to stop due to a tangle with another guy on the boat

Questions are

1 - broken swivel was a 1/0 - 1 which I believe is rated at 200 plus lbs and 160 lbs on the smaller side. Is this big enough. I have upsized to 2/0 - 1/0 swivels for the next trip out.

2 - is there a definitive table as to the best size crimp for a given line size. I always used to try get as close to the line size as possible, but I now believe that the crimp might cut into the line if too small

3 - Use a nail knot at the swivel and snells at the hooks

I've been using black magic leader, but will try a korean brand next. Has a smaller diameter than black magic so can use heavier line.

 Hi

Thinking of squidding in the sound this weekend. Can anyone down that way please advise if the water clarity has improved sufficiently

Cheers - Eric