Went for a squid session with Little Johnny today and while we were out we made the call to head in, change boats, grab his son Luke and head back out for a snapper session. I was backing up from a couple of nights ago and was keen to get into them again. Once again they were on the bite and we bagged out in under an hour with some cracker fish coming onboard. 

A great snapper session and I think this one will be hard to beat..

 Well after a bit of trial and error and spending some time out searching for the fish i finaly got onto a few nice pinks in Cockburn Sound. I arrived with a mate at our chosen ground at 4:30pm and got set for (hopefully) a good session. Wihin a couple of hours there ended up being a pile of boats in the general area and I was hopefull that we would be onto the fish with all the interest from the others. Well we waited and waited and waited. Our first couple of strikes happened at 8:15pm and we failed to hook up. My mate and I adjusted our next baits to expose the hooks a bit more and at 9pm we were both on at the same time. One busted off and one landed, stoked. At about this time the other boats had all but gone home. At just after 10pm we caught another two nice pinks and the final one came onboard at 11pm. We also dropped a couple of fish in this time and busted a couple off.

So after nearly 8 hours on the water I think we have our act together regarding rigs, drag, bait, position, how many beers to take along and certainly how to remain patient and optomistic that we will get our bag. I'm not sure if the other boats who left earlier had caught their fish or it was just time to go home but I'm happy we stayed on. I will add that I'm pretty sure my neighbours weren't all that impressed with my night out when I rolled into the small street at midnight and proceeded to put the boat away and high five the missus in the driveway after a succesful night.    

Finally after a Winter of the daughters Netball Saturdays and the boys footy Sundays we had a free weekend to head out. Which I enjoy being a part of by the way.

Great conditions on Saturday. Sitting on 30knots to and from spots of Two Rocks. 

Fishing in around 40m area plenty of Dhuies on the bite with a heap of them released. I tried fitting a little glow in the dark plastic squid skirt to the bottom hook

on my paternoster rig as a teaser along with some bait which I have not done before and they hooked up on that bottom hook everytime. I know you have more chances on the bottom hook

but I reckon the teaser helped.

Back home at lunch time with a nice mixed bag of Dhuies, pinky and breaksea a great feed while watching the Eagles win.

Talk about a day of highs.

 what a day to be out great conditions went out from mindarie around 830am got out around the 30's whales whales whales everywhere fishing was slow until around 1 oclock then we drifted over some good ground and picked up these two baldies drifted again and got another two then another two all decent size only kept two the rest where released was a suprise for where we were acually fishing... 28m deep! decided to move on do some trolling landed nothing had a yellowatil king follow the lure but turn away from the lure in the end seen some pots on some ground we already had marked dropped a little placcy and a jig just near the pot and had a double hook up i lost my fish on jig but the missus got this cracking 78cm pinky went back over the pots and dropped down the placcy again and lqanded this big breaksea cod headed back in for a quick squid -nothing then came home and watched the sunset  whilst washing the boat and having a beer was a crackin day !!

 Took my 2 grandsons Koby 8 and Jake 6 for a quick trip into Warnbro sound for some whiting, hopeful anyway, 1st drop Koby lands a 41cm KG and the last drop Jake lands a 61cm monster, 6 nice fish in between and thats our limit, best 30 minutes of fishing I have had in a long time.

 Cracker of a day yesterday off Jurien bay. Dhuies everywhere and had a surprise cobia take my jig as it was falling to the bottom, it had me guessing what it could be for about 15mins until we got it to the boat for a visual. I was convinced it was a stingray and was considering busting it off but I didn't wanna have to re tie my leader so stuck it out and so glad I did haha, went 19kg on the bathroom scales back home. Also had a horse sambo and some nice dhuies, all on 30lb gear except for the sambo which was on the 50lb.

No matter where we moved to we kept catching dhuies, so with 2 dhuies and the cobia already in the esky we figured we had enough fish and decided to head in rather then risk any more dhuies not surviving after release. Plenty of whales to keep us entertained on the drive back in.

An awesome day which has made up for loosing a horse Mackie up at gnaraloo a month ago which is still haunting me, but that's another story. 

Many years in the making this fish, not the exact one I've been chasing but still over the moon!

This one happened about a week into a trip and over 100NM off southern Fiji with Jaga Crossingham, making my fifth trip over there chasing the big ones! This day started with an early morning session at a Dogtooth Tuna haunt, which ended up being far more productive for oversized spanish instead this day, always good to know your fish tax to the local village is sorted early in the day. Following that we continued the daily pattern of filling in the less fishy part of the day by putting the lures out and trawling some of the current side reef edges for wahoo and saily's, we put a few smaller wahoo in the boat and decided we were getting enough hook ups that it would be worth jumping in and seeing if there were any big ones amongst the school.

Matt and I were first to jump in and have a look around hanging off the reef in around 100m of water waiting for something to come through, we didn’t have flashers in the water so relied on the likelihood that the fish would be curious enough to have a look at us. Sure enough about ten minutes into the drift I see the first fish in the school sneaking behind my dive buddy Matt for a look, knowing that the fish were here I frisbeed a double sided CD out in front of me and ignored the school for ten seconds or so making sure not to make any eye contact or quick movements. I looked back and could see the biggest fish of the school coming aggressively towards the now flashing CD and decided it was a good time to approach as it wasnt focusing on me, a small dive to about 5m saw the fish come right between me and the CD allowing me to put an easy shot into the back third of the fish where all the tougher flesh is. Giving me plenty of confidence that it would hold!

From there the fish took off with my float for about 15 minutes and Matt and I had to eventually get picked up by the boat as we were miles behind the fish at this stage. The guys in the boat were excited with Jaga saying he had been following the floats which were doing 8 knots next to the boat for the last ten minutes. Matt and I jumped back in a took a more rushed approach to getting the fish into our hands as the sharks were starting to get heated and keen for a meal! A Second shot by Matt at around twenty metres and we could confidently drag it to the surface! A few hi-fives and screams in the water and jumped on the boat for a photo!

Fish got weighed to satisfy my own curiosity, but I always find it much more fun to let others speculate and guess. Considering writing a full trip report at some stage soon, but its a start. 

Good old Neil Hendy . He had no fish ,after many attempts at pinks. Went back to same spot where me and Luke got 4 Dhues (2 doubles). Where andy also got Dhues and blue groper . Didn't let us down Neil got double header . I got single one . First drop again . All 3 sized kept big one ,and moved on ( left the rest for boys). Next spot . Dhues again. We came in 10 ks using small hooks , small baits Dhue after Dhue . Ended up with 2 kgs , 2 Dhues and harlequin again. Great day.

Sounded some new ground out from dawesville with the first drop landing a 630mm dhu, 10 minutes later my mate landed a double header! 530mm dhu and a black ass. I then hooked onto something BIG! Turned out to be a double header also, this time a 1m+ sambo & a 600mm dhu. Sambo was dropped boat side and the 600mm dhu released. Fresh as fresh occy doing the trick for bait.

 Headed down to Harvey Dam. Stocks looked healthy from fisheries so was hopeful of bagging a few. Certainly produced the goods with 4 bows between 2-4lb. Home for lunch. 

Decided next day, same deal with the many other fish sighted day before. 8 bows between myself and a mate, all 3-4lb. Done in time for breakfast at pinjarra bakery. 

Usual dumb X Broods, but can't complain. Flesh is still pink, and condition hasn't deteriorated too bad yet. 

Left them alone Father's Day with potential crowds.  

Cranked out the smoker and cooked up a feed for family and friends. Delish!

Hoping to do a bit more this year over demersal ban.

 Haven't been on here for a while. Thought I'd post some pics from recent trip To coral bay July/Aug which we do each year. Weather was skeptical from forecasts predicting some strong winds and medium seas. Certainly only weather that accommodates only the truly keen. 

First day, 20-25kts with 2m seas (this was the norm) . Though we stick not too far out (5km) or so. Pleasantly surprised with all 3 boats bagging out with decent reds and rankins. Plus your usually northern varieties of nw snappers, robos, trevally, cods etc. (too many to list). By no means easy with battling the weather.

second day, no fishing and decided maybe oysters were a better option. As same forecast.

Day 2: same weather patterns. But yolo! Stayed close so not to be too stupid with rough weather. Tried even a troll. Sharks were hit on any macks hooked, few barra for bait we didn't mind tho, so gave that in quickly after loosing a few hard bodies. Bottom bashing Efforts Turned up decent fish once again, same variety of decent reds, big rankins  loads of other species.

Day 3: rough...again. But big things were on the bite. Big reds (few 10kg+), big rankins (8kg+), pearlys, and pain in a%# cobia. But certainly big reds were a surprise being only 5km out.

Day 4: essentially accepting rough weather is still a the common trait with 20-25knt winds and 2m seas. Again big reds, big robos, big pearls, big tomato cod and big rankins. If it wasn't rough as guts, it would be the best trip yet over past years. 

Day 5: this was to be the day! 15knts dropping of to 0 at midday. Shot out 60k to 300s and only prehistoric monsters were boarded. Heaps of grey bands, 4 greyband were over 20kg and biggest went 27.5 on the lie detector. Rest were upwards of 15kg and a few small Ruby's to boot. We were certainly popular in town at  filleting table, lots of photos and compliments. And few offended vegans...

Not one day could we get out southern passage, but certainly was best trip yet fish, quantity, quality and size. 3 boats, 6 keen fishos, 4 days of surfing rough weather. 1 day of pure bliss and monsters.

see you next year coral bay!

Had my little Luke as deckie. We had a ball. Dhues. Pinks sharks ect . Everything bar kg, had fantastic day. Best of all got home grandson there. Apparently he isn't going to be fisherman lol. My daughter has another thing coming . No lie best day ever . Good laugh .

 Went out around 10am today drifted over some good ground and picked up this dhue and kg drifted again and picked up two more 60cm dhues both released good day out

Dhuey and a blackass from today

Well after a few months earlier in the year of catching SFA just about every session, the tide has started turning and fish are starting to jump in the boat again! After checking seabreeze early in the week I hatched a plan with joelborg92 to head out for a pinky session then a muck around on the shallow reefs to look for some tailor, but after checking Meteye the night before I changed the plans to head out wide for a sambo jig after a pinky session as their forecast was much more favourable compared to seabreeze.

Heading out under the cover of darkness the following morning I still hadn't decided which area I was going to fish, the first 5mins after leaving the ramp I was heading north, then changed back to heading south, then north again, quick check on the phone to check the wind observations then made the call to go south. First spot I sounded over and did a quick check on current direction and really wasnt feeling that confident I pushed on to an old-faithful spot from the old boat that I had not really fished in the current boat. As Joel was feeding out the anchor the screw on the shackle to the rope fell out but he managed to grab the last bit of chain as it was going through the bow-sprit. Well nearly losing the anchor and watching my $250 pair of sunnies fall from the console, bounce off the gunnel and falling into the drink just 10 minutes earlier and the sun had not even poked its head over the ranges yet had me thinking it was going to be one of those days again where I get home and feel like taking a few pics of the boat and chucking it up on gumtree! Well with the pinks smashing baits and plastics but the score being 0-5 after just 45mins, with every fish making it to the same bombie or pulling hooks I was still tossing up what price I was going to put on the gumtree ad! As Joel was re-rigging his plastics outfit his drift-bait outfit took off and urged me to grab it, this one felt much smaller than what we had been hooking previously and I steered him away from the bombie with ease.

Before not too long the score was about 1-10 with rods just constantly buckling over, few more in the reef and pulled hooks but it seemed now the taxman had also arrived and was taking his cut. Then Joel managed 2 horses cracking a new PB at 86cm, these fish taking a bait and plastic just under the surface in the burley trail and also had an epic hook-up on fly with a pink nabbing the fly just metres from the boat as he was feeding line out, unfortunately that fish didnt make it to the boat. I was dropping fish left, right and center.

Getting to the sambo grounds it wasnt looking that great with no fish on the sounder just a lot of bait showing. We were quickly proven otherwise with a double hookup on a pair of pup sambos to warm up on.

Then I completed the bag with a 650 dhu that took the plastic on the sink, not a bad sambo bycatch.

The sambos kept coming, white plastics over 7inch is my go-to for sambos, I find jigs a bit hit and miss but they'll never turn down a placcie. The fish seemed to be getting bigger with every drift.

With the Sambos really starting to fire up, starting to show on the sounder and following up hooked fish Joel pulled out the fly gear again and nailed his first sambo on fly, leaving plenty of room for an upgrade in the future.

Another dhu on the plastic, brought up nice and slow and popped up in great condition to be sent back down on the release weight.

As I said earlier, with the fish getting bigger every drift, Joel nailed another PB with this sambo on the last drop of the day. Was a great way to end the day and we skipped back in at 28knts with a complete glass off. You wont see my tub on Gumtree just yet.

Took new guy out today , who Just started at my work place. He never caught a pink in his life. Got our squid , and pinks . Plus big tiger shark , pain in ass , thought they where bronzies , not so. Hurt like a bi--h. Got it to boat in end. Swam away happy:):).

Went for swim, had to clean bottom of walfootrot hull . Thought I may as well try for occy . Seen something I have never seen. Huge occy getting eaten by hundreds of tiny occys. Swam down pulled occy out of hole with gaff( I new it was dead). Hundreds of tiny Occo eating it.( 1 cm long ones). Poked back in ,Some other holes had hundreds of tiny grape like pods with tiny occys swimming inside of pods. Water was clear ( great viz). Left whole area alone. Thousands of egg pods everywhere. Pretty cool. Went to another area , no pods just huge occys .15 big ones (30 kilo with heads off) . Heads weighed 10 kilo . I don't normally weigh them but I wanted to know. Biggest I've seen . Water was like ice. Also there is salmon in sound.:)

Few fish i caught out and around of Exmouth

Got a good feed . Job done:)

Scales bottomed out at 30kg

 Took the father in law out for a fish for his birthday.put him onto a few good ones,this one being the best.couldnt wipe the smile off his face for days.

so myself and 2 mates did a quick shoot up to SB for a 3 day weekend. left Friday arvo, slept on the side of the road Saturday morning around 2am, and left the ramp at 8am the next day, with a pepper steak pie and emu exports for breakfast. weather turned it on for us, especially on the sunday, when we were able to dive/spear one of the outer reefs well known for its XOS mackies. unfortunately there were no BIG mackies for us this day, but a few smaller models more than made up for it. we also speared some absolute HORSE baldies at this spot, one of which is now my PB, and although it looks ok in the photo, clocked in at a smidge over 7kg, and I was lucky to be able to get him away from the 200 kegger grouper that kept eyeing him off!

as always, photos say a 1000 words, so enjoy!

 This misses doing what she was born for haha 

 Have just returned from a family holiday to Denham.

First trip away with our larger boat , a 5.5 mtr Searider

The main objective was to get my wife and daughter onto some good fish and we succeeded.

Wife caught first snapper of the trip at around 75cm to the fork but daughter beat that with an 80cm to the fork.

Best fish either had caught before were usual bread and butter species so these were a good step up in size.

With a little bit of coaching both girls did a great job and no fish were lost.

I landed another at around 75 to the fork but my biggest joy was seeing the girls catch something of size.

Cheers Katman, alias Dirty Deeds

 Little Johnny invited me out for a squid session and I couldn't refuse as he also promised me a jar of pickled occy .... Got to say I did pester him over it ..... Well I manage to get it cooked up tonight as  the wife said the kitchen is all yours as she doesn't like seafood .... Great all for me so here is the lay out from start to finish and all I used is 3 squid ...... knocked it back with a couple of shooters as the chiles were hot !!!!!

Thanks little Andy missus for the pic .... talented !!!!!

Have been taking advantage of this decent groundswell at the moment and sneaking out for a few hours when the wind drops.

Last friday headed out with a mate at sparrows fart, lucky for us with a bit of light we could see how bit it really was with some of the bigger ones breaking on five fathom bank. Didnt take long for the fish to move in on the mulie cubes with us picking up 5 fish relatively quick on driftbaits and not a touch on plastics. Always pays to fish both techniques while on anchor as the week before 4 of the 5 fish came on the plastics. Launched at 630 and pulled anchor just before 9.

This was the 5th fish and released.

With a forecasted 5-10knt window for Monday morning I hatched a plan with a mate to join me and he was keen. Well when the clocked ticked 6.10am and he still hadnt arrived I knew he was still in bed and not just running late as this bloke is extremely punctual and lives 2mins up the road, I left home with the boat on tow on my own. Typical Monday morning, traffic was fooked and i was already running a bit late from waiting, first light already emerging, I was contemplating throwing in the towell halfway to the ramp as it was just looking like one of those days where nothing goes to plan. I pushed on and anchored up in a likely looking spot. After an hour of nothing I was starting to lose faith when one of the rods buckled over in the holder, nice run then some big headshakes then straight into the reef. As i was putting that rod back in the rack I noticed the sounder lit up like a christmas tree with fishing coming up to my burley bomb 3m under the boat so dropped the plastic down, while that was sinking the other drift bait took off so chucked the plastics rod in the holder and flicked the bail arm over and set the hooks on the other rod, well as you can imagine the plastic get smashed so there I am with a rod in my hands and one between my legs, get one in the boat eventually then the next and then the last bait takes off. This one a bit smaller at 70 odd which I released.

The 2 keepers went 86cm and pulled up anchor straight away, back at the ramp by 9 and home for a late breaky.

 Went out for a quick bash on Thursday. Nothing to write home about but did manage to snag my first metro baldie. Thought it might have been just undersize so back it went. I'm still looking for it's dad.

 Went for a run by myself , Murphies law eh smaller 1 went back.

 Had my two youngest babysat by the grandies and took the Mrs and my 7y old out for his first demersal bash of Hillarys.

The highlight of the day was a minke whale that stayed with us all day swimming around and under the boat and my nature loving Mrs was in heaven seeing this magnificent creature up close. As you can see in the pics the conditions were shithouse 

 Went out this morning rough as guts drifted over some ground and landed this 59cm dhu and 53cm  harliquen fish Then released two more dhus around the 60cm mark seen some tuna jumping so out went the metal slices and landed this bonito ? Mac tuna? i think could be wrong though anyway it glassed off completley as we were coming in trolled around some reefs with no luck so came in all in all was a good day out on the water didnt see the whale though but heaps and heaps of seals around