December 2007

http://www.murchisonboathire.com.au/

MURCHISON BOAT HIRE DECEMBER 2007 ELETTER

At last we had some rain in Kalbarri, 35mm, the most we have had over night for 9 years!

The crays have come fairly slowly compared to last year and the run of the whites started on the 16th when we
started to get a few. We have been getting an average of 6-7 most days. We started off well, declined and
then picked up as follows. First day Tuesday 4th December was our first pot pull, we got 12 size legal crays,
then 7, 3, 4, 4, 3, 3, 4, 11, 7, 3, 3, 16, 9, 11, 10, 0, 5, 3 and we then pulled the pots out.

(I just don’t have any boats to go out in, they are all booked)

At the beginning of the season there were quite a few crays in “Berry” meaning they had eggs as shown
in the pic above. You can also see the “Tar Spot” which means it is in breeding condition & has to be returned.
Crays that have “Seatose” also have to be returned, that is when they are starting to come into breeding condition if they
have the fine hairy filaments on their bellies.

Bruno and Jared pull the pots. The river mouth is in the background.
So you don’t have to go far, 20 metres deep seemed to work for us.


Six or seven crays per pot. This was the average, not all of them are size either.
Sometimes a big one gets in, this one was well over size.
I fish with a mate, Bruno; we have two licences on my boat which is the max so we are permitted to pull
4 pots thus allowing us to catch 16 crays per day max. We share the crays, bait and fuel
Amateur cray licences are available on line at http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/.
You may have 2 pots and catch 8 crays per day.

First Mackerel for the season
The first mackerel of the season have already been caught! As far as I know
the first one was caught by a tourist boat on the 17th December and they got 2 more on the 18th.
The determining factor is low swell, (equates to the clarity of the water). Water temperature,
(Needs to be above 21.5 degrees). And finally under 12 knots wind speed (They don’t like the choppy stuff).
We had a troll after pulling the pots this morning the20th; the day wasn’t too bad so shot up to the Sand Patch.

Got a hit and dropped a nice mac at the boat before the Sand Patch, continued,
got a double hook-up caught one, dropped the other. Back over the area again got a hit, missed it, continued
got another double hook up, dropped another and landed the other.
6 hits 2 fish, not a good hook-up ratio, but sometimes they just don’t hit with gusto!

Brand new motor!

The 6.1m boat has been repowered with a brand new 115hp 4-stroke Yamaha!
The old one, 4 years old, had done 2450 hours, (Equivalent to 300,000 k’s in a motor vehicle), was getting a
bit sluggish and before I had any troubles, traded it for the 2008 model.
I am impressed with the new gauges that come with the motor.






The Speedo & Fuel gauge, Tacho with trim, motor temp, battery levels & oil pressure.

Best of all, fuel management, It will tell you how much fuel you use on the trip, how many
kilometres/litre you are using & litres/hour. By varying your speed you can find the most
economical speed to travel.
First day out I was surprised that it had a lot more grunt, the old one was getting tired!
Now you have a real nice new reliable 4-stroke to go out and get fish with!

Late evening tailor fishing

Incoming tide, big swell, late evening, perfect for tailor!
Chinamans firing up for a good session if you don’t get swept away!

7.8m Thunderbolt Walkaround
The 7.8m walkaround is at the paint shop so no more progress pics I am afraid.
It will be powered by twin 115hp 4-strokeYamahas, giving you 10nm offshore.
This will be a very popular Gnaraloo boat, not to mention all the other places it will be very
handy like Exmouth, Mackerel Islands and Karratha.

On the way to the paint shop
It should be ready around the middle of January.
Built with a beam of 2.5m, which still allows towing at night and without oversize signs.
Built by Kevin and son Greg of Preston Craft
Check them out at http://www.prestoncraft.com.au/
I have worked out some rates and they can be viewed on my “Hire Rates “ page

A bogged Haulpac, front wheel right down, can’t see it from this pic.
They had to bring the dozer down with a low loader, and with help from a front end loader,

a grader and the dozer they got it out.

Photos with compliments from my wife who drives a Haulpac in her spare time.
Another bogged Haulpac

Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club, Local comp 17th November.
No comp this month, just too busy with Christmas!

Gnaraloo Station
I will be up at Gnaraloo Station for 10 days or so in June trying out my new 7.8m boat.
I take over the boat from Brett & Roger Simm who will have it the week before me.
If anyone wants to take the boat after me, I will finish with it on Sunday 8th June.
It will save you the tow all the way up.
The 6.1m boat will also be up there and the hire finishes on the 28th May if you want it after then.
It will save you the tow up as well.
Gnaraloo contacts:
Barbara: 9315 4809
Email: bookings@gnaraloo.com.au
Website: Gnaraloo.com.au


Thevenard Island
This year the 6.1m boat spent a lot of time up at Thevenard Island in the Mackerel Islands group off Onslow.
Helen will take your booking if you would like to visit. Phone her on 9184 6444
bookings@mackerelislands.com.au
Check out the website: http://www.mackerelislands.com.au/


These links will take you to Youtube showing some great action video clips taken from
my boats and also a very good mulloway from the beach.
Triple tuna hook-up
Dhuie and snapper
Beach mulloway

Or go to the Adventure Bound website and view them there. Click this link.
http://www.adventurebound.com.au/news/latest/youtube_kalbarri_wa_offshore_episode.html
After a lot of effort on my part, you can now view all my past newsletters in my Blog.
I have made three blogs; you can view all of my 2005 newsletters with photos at

http://www.murchisonboathirefishing2005.blogspot.com/

And from January 2006 to December 2006 with photos at

http://www.murchisonboathirefishing2006.blogspot.com/

And from January 2007 to present with photos at

http://www.murchisonboathirefishing2007.blogspot.com/

They are quite long URL’s so add them to your favourites for later.

The caravan park at Port Gregory is under new management and a booking agent for my boats.
You can now book a boat and pick it up in Port Gregory.

Remember if you rent our accommodation you get big discounts on our boats.
Have a look on my website for the details, and check out the savings.


5-day weather forecasts, http://www.buoyweather.com/ go to virtual buoys, pick the location you want.
This is the one I go by!


Big bait – big fish
Laurie

November 2007

www.murchisonboathire.com.au/

MURCHISON BOAT HIRE NOVEMBER 2007 ELETTER

At last the fishing is starting to improve and it will only get better! The cray fishing season has
started and hundreds of professional cray pots are set close to shore all wafting out the smell
of oily fish. This usually brings the fish in from out deep combined with the annual “run of the whites”
This is when the crayfish shed their shells and hole up in a jelly form waiting for their shells to harden.
The snapper and dhuies know this and come in close to shore where the crays are holed up and
suck them out of the reef holes like jelly babies. By the time the crays shells are hardened they are starving
and also start to move out to deeper water and are easily caught in cray pots.
That’s when most of the recreational catch of crayfish happens.

A very nice baldie Amanda!

Jason Duxbury and Amanda Hosking were in Kalbarri for a short stay, called in and picked
up the 5.3m for a quick fish while they were here. It was a great day both for the weather
and the fish that Amanda managed to catch just past the Sand Patch. First drop she picked up
a size snapper and later followed it up with this very nice baldchin groper.
She said that they had “The best day”. A good catch Amanda well done.

On the same day, as the weather was so good, I went out with Lou Parker and mate Russell.
We went out wide to one of Lou’s secret spots.

That did not fire so well, but we picked up
this nice baldchin and a small coral trout for Lou on another of Lou’s spots.
You can see the difference in colour between the two baldys, mine is from 45m deep and
Amanda’s above came from 25m.


These links will take you to Youtube showing some great action video clips taken from
my boats and also a very good mulloway from the beach.
Triple tuna hook-up
Dhuie and snapper
Beach mulloway

Or go to the Adventure Bound website and view them there. Click this link.
http://www.adventurebound.com.au/news/latest/youtube_kalbarri_wa_offshore_episode.html

Doug Thomas works on a cray boat south of Geraldton, and just before the season started got together with
mates, Tim Smith, Brian Smith and Peter Hocking. They took the 6.1m for 4 days and endured
some pretty crappy weather, but stuck it out and brought some very good fish back each day.
Fishing the whole time around my spots south of the river out from Natural Bridge, they experienced
a few big bust-offs but landed fish like these shown.

Tim with his baldies and Doug holds up his big estuary cod.
You made “Bite of the Month” on my website Doug!
Part of one day’s catch of 4 aboard the 6.1m boat.
They had the usual comp among them selves putting $5.00 in each day with the person catching
the most fish, take all. Tim was winning right up until the last half our when Doug landed the cod to win.
They spent a day down at Wagoe before the hire with Tim landing a thumper snapper
on Doug’s rod and reel when Doug went behind a dune for a short spell!


Dale Owen, Dan Hearne and Clint Hearne with some of their catch. Pics on the filleting table.

Clint, Dale and Dan work on a mine site and on their break headed for a fish in Kalbarri.
They picked a very nice day and under my suggestions, headed to the Natural bridge area where they
spent the day catching loads of undersize pink snapper but a few amongst them were size.
Sprinkled among the catch were also baldchin groper, blue-lined emperor, sand snapper and a
good sized bronze whaler that was released. A great day out for these 3 from Victoria.

The 7.8m walkaround is coming along nicely.
It will be powered by twin 115hp 4-strokeYamahas, giving you 10nm offshore.
This will be a very popular Gnaraloo boat, not to mention all the other places it will be very
handy like Exmouth, Mackerel Islands and Karratha.
Here are some progressive pics of the boat.
Keel & bottom
Side plates going on
Internal below deck
Cabin and console fabrication
Nearing the paint job.

It will have a small cabin; walk right around and hopefully licensed for 7 persons (depending on the stability test).
Being built by Kevin and son Greg of Preston Craft, it will look something like the 7.6m below.
Due for completion early January depending on Dept. of Planning & Infrastructure who have to
inspect the boat, as it is being built, and can be a bit slow at getting out to inspect at vital stages
& the painter who will fit it in when he can!
Built with a beam of 2.5m, which still allows towing at night and without oversize signs.

Check them out at http://www.prestoncraft.com.au/
I have worked out some rates and they can be viewed on my “Hire Rates “ page

A couple of emails receive from last newsletter contain some useful info.
Kevin Hick had my 6.1m boat up at Gnaraloo last year and passes on the following info.

Hi Laurie,
Thanks for the newsletter, the new boat looks great.
As you may recall, we are Gnaraloo regulars, (for the last 6 years) and I thought it may be good to give
you a heads up on beach launching. This year the beach was unusually soft.
Normally it is firm enough for any 4wd to retrieve large boats.
We were even pulling out an 8.5m ali.
This year everyone was getting bogged. We got it figured out after the first day and we had to assist
many others on the beach. There has always been about 4 or 5 strips of concrete reinforcing
mesh on the beach so that you can put under your rear tyres to
stop them from sinking. Even these did not help so we had to use the snatch strap and another
4wd for every recovery. This worked fine but you do need the extra vehicle.
Conditions may be different by the time you go up there but it is always good to be prepared.
The strips of mesh were in pretty bad condition so next time we go up in 2009 we will be taking some with us.
Exmouth for us next year for a change.

By the way from the ramp you head on a bearing of about 30 degrees behind the reef until you line up with the
Telecom road and then you are clear to head straight out.
Take a big freezer as you will need it.

Regards
Kevin
Thanks Kevin, I will pass on that useful info to prospective hirers.
N.B. You forgot to send all your waypoints for the area!

Those of you thinking of heading to Gnaraloo Station next year better book now. I will be up there for a week
and a bit trying out my new 7.8m boat. I take over the boat from Brett & Roger Simm who will have it the week before me.
I booked accommodation and found it almost full already. If anyone wants to take the boat after me, I will finish
with it on Sunday 8th June. It will save you the tow all the way up. The 6.1m boat will also be up there and the
hire finishes on the 28th May if you want it after then. It will save you the tow up as well.
Gnaraloo contacts:
Barbara: 9315 4809
Email: bookings@gnaraloo.com.au
Website: Gnaraloo.com.au

This email from Jeff Bradbury describes his last few years with the 6.1m boat.
Hi Laurie,
Further to my recent email, Andrew and I have now agreed to ‘terms’ with Jason Lyons at
Dolphin Boats and Jason has committed to a pre-April 2008 completion date.
This being the case, we would like to cancel our April/May 2008 booking of your 6.1m boat.
The booking was for 16, 17 and 18 April 2008 and 29, 30 April and 1 May 2008
A glance at my fishing photos indicates that we hired the 6.1m boat in 2004, 2005, 2006 and twice in 2007.
We had a ball every minute we were on the water at Kalbarri (and Port Gregory), whether it was just having
a chat amongst ourselves whilst trolling or waiting for that special strike whilst bottom bouncing.
I remember our very first trip when after 5 hours we had nothing to show for our efforts,
when Andrew decided to anchor near some craypots down towards Natural Bridge
(the spot now known as “Hall” on your GPS) and it was non-stop action for an hour with Dhuies,
Baldies, Pinkies and Emperor. Andrew’s stepson, Michael, was hooked into a fish which, in his excitement,
he called it every species known to man as he brought it up – we have it on video, it is just so funny !!!
For the record, it was a Baldie.
We also had a great day off Port Gregory in 2006 when 80+ year old Gil was hooked into a 17kg Sambo
(big by our standards). Gil fishes with a ‘take no prisoners’ drag setting on his Penn overhead and our
emotions went from joy, to concern (for his welfare) and eventually to laughter when he was finally sitting at the
back of the boat “exhausted” nursing this great lump of a fish.
We really want to thank you Laurie for all the help and advice you have given us.
It has been appreciated and no doubt has helped us scratch the surface of what fishing opportunities the
Kalbarri area has to offer. I know. We head south too often for your liking; but that’s just us, we like it down south!!
Having our own boat and being able to go out more often, I’m sure we will head north and west as well
(but not east, as some clown advised VMR this year)!!

Anyway, we can’t wait for the 12th of April 2008 when we proudly tow our own 6.1m boat into town
(for 3 weeks) and we look forward to catching up with you for a beer and a chat (about fishing, of course!!)
Cheers
Jeff Bradbury
Good luck with the boat Jeff and Andy, look forward to seeing it when you get up here in April.

Cray Season
The crayfishing season started on the 15th November as it does every year. Last year the professional catch
was valued at $245 million dollars, slightly down from the previous year. The West Australian cray fishing industry
is one of the few sustainable fisheries in the world and very highly monitored and researched so I am looking
forward to another good catch this year. Last year as I reported we caught 180 crays over 17 days.
I fish with a mate, Bruno; we have two licences on my boat which is the max so we are permitted to pull
4 pots thus allowing us to catch 16 crays per day max. We share the crays, bait and fuel
Amateur cray licences are available on line at http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/.
You may have 2 pots and catch 8 crays per day.

Pencil Shark
Hypogaleus hyugaensis
Another entry for my fish species photos on my website

Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club, Local comp 17th November.


Brett Bain landed a nice estuary cod in the river during the comp, kept it alive tagged and released it for extra points.
Daniel Tarasek fished Frustration where the dredge is disgorging sand, worms and crushed shells so is a natural
burly spot when the dredge is working, picking up 2 nice mulloway.

I was out as well in the 6.1m boat. Chris and Craig Brookman were in Kalbarri visiting family
& as I needed crew jumped at the opportunity to go out for a fish.
It was quite a crappy day but we persisted south along the cliffs and caught a hand full of blue-lined emperor, this nice baldy for me and Chris shows his just under size dhuie that had to go back.
Craig had a go at a shark that took a balloon suspended bait that peeled 150m of 80lb braid before
biting through the steel trace! He later hooked up on what I assume to have been a big estuary
cod that led him around the boat and went under a ledge. Giving it slack line, it came out from under
the ledge, & before we realised, it had moved off and eventually bust the 150lb leader in the reef.

Thevenard Island
This year the 6.1m boat spent a lot of time up at Thevenard Island in the Mackerel Islands group off Onslow.
Helen will take your booking if you would like to visit. Phone her on 9184 6444
bookings@mackerelislands.com.au
Check out the website: http://www.mackerelislands.com.au/

The caravan park at Port Gregory is under new management and a booking agent for my boats.
You can now book a boat and pick it up in Port Gregory.

Remember if you rent our accommodation you get big discounts on our boats.
Have a look on my website for the details, and check out the savings.


5-day weather forecasts, http://www.buoyweather.com/ go to virtual buoys, pick the location you want.
This is the one I go by!


Big bait – big fish
Laurie

October 2007

www.murchisonboathire.com.au/

MURCHISON BOAT HIRE OCTOBER 2007 ELETTER
I’m not the crafty type, the only weaving I have ever done is in and out of pubs, maybe that is why
I can’t under stand the benefits of daylight saving. It is here and as if by magic the sun sets an hour later!
This is not good for country people, I don’t like it for a few reasons but one of them is that during the cray
season, BDS* we go out at first light, pull the pots, clean up the boat and get ready for the days work by 8am.
With daylight saving, we still go out at first light, but by the time we get back and clean up, it’s 9am.
Half the day is lost! Then we have dinner when it is still light! Losing more daylight!
We’ve said no twice, for Gods sake listen to us!

The dredge is back in town and busy dredging a channel for the cray boats. It will complete
the first pass by the opening of the cray season, 15th November, and then widen the channel
with a few more passes.

The green marker that went missing in a storm has been replaced, making it a bit
easier to get in and out again.
*BDS – before daylight saving.

When I lived in Perth I played a lot of competition squash and one of my teammates was Frank Cavicchio.
Frank used to play a mean game of squash but like me has slowed up considerably but still plays and sings
in a band. He tells me that age has caught up with him, he knows, as a few years ago the girls used to throw
their panties on stage, now they just throw bloomers!
He was up with his brother in law, Neil Raspa pictured above with a sambo. Neil fishes a bit and told me
about the huge tuna he caught in Hawaii, but he sure enjoyed catching this fish tucked under the
cliffs from a burley trail. The weather was less than perfect so they did not go far, but a
13kg sambo on 7kg line was a blast for him.

The abalone season started on the 1st October up here so we had a walk on the reef.

20 abs don’t look much but are easily picked. A tasty entrée for the crayfish meal that night.

We picked oysters as well, a bit over rated I recon,

and did some 4WD driving down
Suicide Hill in Neil’s new Prada. It was Neil’s first time 4WD; yes there was some screaming!

These links will take you to Youtube showing some great action video clips taken from
my boats and also a very good mulloway from the beach.
Triple tuna hook-up
Dhuie and snapper
Beach mulloway

Or go to the Adventure Bound website and view them there. Click this link.
http://www.adventurebound.com.au/news/latest/youtube_kalbarri_wa_offshore_episode.html
7.8m Walkaround
The 4.3m boat has been sold and the replacement boat a 7.8m walkaround is under construction.
It will be powered by twin 115hp 4-strokeYamahas, giving you 10nm offshore.
This will be a very popular Gnaraloo boat, not to mention all the other places you can go with it.
Being built by Kevin and son Greg Preston Craft, it will look something like the 7.6m below.

I hope to bring you progressive photos as it is being built.
It will have a small cabin; walk right around and hopefully licensed for 7 persons (depending on the stability test).
Built with a beam of 2.5m, which still allows towing at night and without oversize signs.

It will look something like this 7.6m one.
Check them out at http://www.prestoncraft.com.au/
I don’t have all the hire rates worked out yet but it is already booked out for 3 weeks at Gnaraloo next year
and for 3 days over the Kalbarri Classic. I am still fishing the Kalbarri Classic but in the 6.1m as I have to
defend my title of Champion Game Boat under 7 metres!

Gnaraloo Station

Those of you thinking of heading to Gnaraloo Station next year better book now. I will be up there for a week
and a bit trying out my new 7.8m boat. I take over the boat from Brett & Roger Simm who will have it the week before me.
I booked accommodation and found it almost full already. If anyone wants to take the boat after me, I will finish
with it on Sunday 8th June. It will save you the tow all the way up. The 6.1m boat will also be up there and the
hire finishes on the 28th May if you want it after then. It will save you the tow up as well.
Gnaraloo contacts:
Barbara: 9315 4809
Email: bookings@gnaraloo.com.au
Website: Gnaraloo.com.au

Kids Holiday Whiting Comp
Every October School Holidays, the Kalbarri Offshore and Angling Club, hosts a whiting competition for kids on each
Thursday of the holidays. It has grown to become a highlight for regular visitors and continues to grow in size each year.
We had 170 excited kids signing up the first Thursday, all ready to fish the beach from the Chinamans to the first jetty.

The crowd at the weigh-in

Some of the 170 kids and parents on the beach

Rules of the comp allow any fish to be caught, kept in a bucket and brought to the weigh-in live, weighed and then released.

We had 5 quad bikes that gave kids and their fish rides to the weigh-in and back again.
There were 16 prizes each day including 12 rods and reels each day for species, smallest, biggest, most, most unusual etc.

Two sections were competed for, under 8s and 9 to 14 years.
The quality and diversity of the species caught showed that the river is in good condition.
Each day we finished off with a lunchtime sausage sizzle and prize giving.

The second Thursday saw another 171 kids line up along the beach waiting for the 9am start.
Within minutes the blowies began to arrive, but sprinkled amongst them were good fish such as a 322-gram flounder and a surprise 3.3kg nor west blowie that took out the meritorious category.

About 850 fish were caught over the two days in four hours! Species recorded were as follows: blowies,
(lots of) whiting, black bream, silver bream, gobbleguts, estuary cod, trumpeter, flounder, angelfish, wrasse,
zebra fish, nor west blowie, buffalo bream, flathead, crabs and a sardine type fish, a total of 16 species.
Of note, missing this year were yellow-eyed mullet, tailor and mulloway that made up the 10 species last year.

Juvenile

Teenager

Adult
Pacific gull, one of the bigger gulls that hang around when fishing the beach. Very quick to
steal your bait when you are not looking! They can swallow a whole garfish in one shot.

Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club, Local comp 20th September.

There were some good catches of bream from the river this month. All bream caught
during the comp are brought in live, tagged and released.

I did not fish as the weather was pretty bad but Nic went down to Lucky
Bay and sat just behind the reef in his dinghy catching 4 good snapper and

Brett got the mulloway at Wittecarra creek.

Thevenard Island
This year the 6.1m boat spent a lot of time up at Thevenard Island in the Mackerel Islands group off Onslow.
Helen will take your booking if you would like to visit. Phone her on 9184 6444
bookings@mackerelislands.com.au
Check out the website: http://www.mackerelislands.com.au/

The caravan park at Port Gregory is under new management and a booking agent for my boats.
You can now book a boat and pick it up in Port Gregory.
Adventure Bound fishing shows are on Access 31, 7.30pm Saturdays.

Remember if you rent our accommodation you get big discounts on our boats.
Have a look on my website for the details, and check out the savings.


5-day weather forecasts, http://www.buoyweather.com/ go to virtual buoys, pick the location you want.
This is the one I go by!

Big bait – big fish
Laurie

If you would like to be included in these newsletters just send me a return BLANK email with the subject
line “subscribe” and you will be added to my mailing list.

September 2007

www.murchisonboathire.com.au/

Very very quiet month, not many hires, mainly due to the weather, so not much to show I’m afraid.
Anglers that have been getting out have struggled for a fish, but that is usual for this time of year.
It does not last and the fish will start coming back. Snapper are being caught again close to shore and as soon as the weather improves the fishing picks up.
This gold painted boat came into the river mouth late this month. Obviously unaware of the way in
promptly hit rocks a little south of its present position. It backed off and tried again getting stuck on
the sand. The dinghy that you can just see along side went out and showed them the correct way in.
The usual way in and out is completely silted up and we have to use, what is known as
Secret Passage. I have been out and placed a whole lot of yellow markers to show the way.
This Secret Passage between the reefs only became possible when the Sand Spit got washed
away in the big flood. This is what we are using at the moment until the dredge arrives.

Oddly enough there were still a few tuna around as I hooked up on a big one during the local comp on
22nd September. We saw dolphins and birds working and thought we might have a go.
Heaviest game gear we had on board was 6kg and I got a hook-up within the first 5 minutes!
After half an hour it bust off without a sighting. I think we were a bit optimistic using
6kg at this time of year as they are usually well over 25kg!

I know I sent everyone a reminder to watch Adventure Bound on Access 31 as they were going to screen
the segment shot in my boats. Well sorry but I have to apologise, they pulled it again!
Something to do with avertorial content?
So in the end they won’t show it so you can watch it on Utube. Great snapper, dhufish and tuna.
These are the links
Triple tuna hook-up
Dhuie and snapper
Beach mulloway
Or go to the Adventure Bound website and view them there. Click this link.
http://www.adventurebound.com.au/news/latest/youtube_kalbarri_wa_offshore_episode.html
“Bite of the month” goes to Murray Johnson who caught this 26kg yellow-fin tuna at the beginning
of the month. He featured in last month’s newsletter so you have heard the story.

The 4.3m boat is still for sale, but the great ground breaking news is that I am going to replace it
with a 7.8m walkaround. Powered by twin 115hp 4-stroke Yamahas, giving you 10nm offshore.
This will be a very popular Gnaraloo boat, not to mention all the other places you can go with it.
Being built by Kevin at Preston Boats, it will look something like the 7.6m below.

I had a look at a lot of boats at the boat show and some of the fishing space on some boats was
so small I hade to leave the deck to change my mind! This one is built for space, it will have
a small cabin, walk right around and hopefully licensed for 7 persons (depending on the stability test).
Built with a beam of 2.5m, which still allows towing at night and without oversize signs.
Check them out at http://www.prestoncraft.com.au/
I don’t have all the hire rates worked out yet but it is already booked out for 3 weeks at Gnaraloo next year
and for 3 days over the Kalbarri Classic. I am still fishing the Kalbarri Classic but in the 6.1m as I have to
defend my title of Champion Game Boat under 7 metres!

Now to pay for it all I have sent my wife to drive haulpacs! Well actually it was her idea!
She has been trying to get a job driving them for 2 years now and has just cracked it.
Working 2 weeks on one week off, 12 hour shifts, first week day shift, second week night
shift and then home for 1 week. Hard, lonely work but the pay will get better with experience.

Loading dirt with about 3% Zircon in it. Gives the gloss to paint, ceramics
and believe it or not, Smartie shells etc.


Thevenard Island
This year the 6.1m boat spent a lot of time up at Thevenard Island in the Mackerel Islands group off Onslow.
Helen will take your booking if you would like to visit. Phone her on 9184 6444
bookings@mackerelisland.com.au
Check out the website: http://www.mackerelislands.com.au/


Dinghy for sale
So the dinghy is still for sale.
Unfortunately after the flood last year, the river is just too shallow, so I have had to stop
hirers taking the dinghy up river to avoid damaging my new motor. Therefore hires have
dropped off and it makes sense to sell it.
So it is on the market. It is in Perth, so if anyone wants to buy it, you can view it in
Glen Forrest, just ring my mate John Hoye on 9298 9177 or 0409 098 568 and he will show it off.

New motor less than 20 hours, 25hp Yamaha 4-stroke, 2 x orange hand held flares, 2 x red hand held flares,
2 x parachute flares, epirb, fire extinguisher, 4 x life jackets, anchor, 27meg radio, sounder, spare prop, boat cover.
All for only $12.000 and built to survey, so a very strong safe boat.

Here’s a common albatross that visits the boats during the winter/spring time. Very graceful in flight.
Real name, yellow-nosed
albatross, (yellow stripe on top of bill) not nearly as big as some of the other ones.

This is one of the bigger ones, a juvenile black-browed albatross.
(Pale bill with black tip, greyish neck)

Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club, Local comp 18th August.
Good fish again during the comp.
Nic Bramwell with 2 dhuies from his dinghy and Daniel Tarasek with mulloway and 7kg snapper
from the beach. He claims to have lost a bigger snapper before this one!

After a lot of effort on my part, you can now view all my past newsletters in my Blog.
I have made two blogs; you can view all of my 2005 newsletters with photos at

http://www.murchisonboathirefishing2005.blogspot.com/

And from January 2006 to December 2006 with photos at

http://www.murchisonboathirefishing2006.blogspot.com/

And from January 2007 to present with photos at

http://www.murchisonboathirefishing2007.blogspot.com/

They are quite long URL’s so add them to your favourites for later.

http://www.youtube.com/v/USYbtyXxhvY
Short video clip of a double hook-up of big yellow-fin tuna from my boat in Kalbarri.

The caravan park at Port Gregory is under new management and a booking agent for my boats.
You can now book a boat and pick it up in Port Gregory.

Adventure Bound fishing shows are on Access 31, 7.30pm Saturdays.

Remember if you rent our accommodation you get big discounts on our boats.
Have a look on my website for the details, and check out the savings.


5-day weather forecasts, http://www.buoyweather.com/ go to virtual buoys, pick the location you want.
This is the one I go by!


Big bait – big fish
Laurie

If you want to be included in these newsletters just send me a return BLANK email with the subject
line “subscribe” and you will be added to my mailing list.

August 2007

http://www.murchisonboathire.com.au/

You always have the last word if you talk to yourself!
Another near full month without the 6.1m boat. It has been up at Onslow, anchored out at
Thevenard Island for 3 weeks. I’m glad the bungs were in tight!
More on those hires below.
Big news is that Adventure Bound, a fishing & adventure TV show, screened a segment
fishing out of my boats at the beginning of the August. I hope you all got to see it.
Due to the great interest they are screening a repeat!
Catch it on Access 31 at 7.30 on Saturday 15th September.

I came across this vast raft of floating weed. If this was sometime between
January and June I’d bet my bottom dollar that it would be crawling with dolphin fish!
Unfortunately it was late August and not a pelagic in sight!

Steve Fowler has been up to Kalbarri many times and has fish two Kalbarri Sports Fishing
Classics, so is beginning to find his way around. Drifting close in for snapper with Ian and
Evelyn Kelly in the 5.3m boat, he took a huge hit eventually landing this samson fish. The biggest
fish he has ever caught, and released, good on you Steve!

Ian picked up a small one; a bit disappointing as he thought he had a good snapper.

Evelyn however kept catching undersize dhuies. (Look how calm it was!)


Bruce Lee brought his wife, Sue and kids Jay and Venissa up to Kalbarri for a week and searched me out for the
6.1m boat. He hired the 6.1m boat a couple of years ago doing very well catching dhuies and snapper.

This time heading south, daughter, Venissa hooked up first drop to this beautifully marked estuary cod.
You made “Bite of the Month” for August Venissa.
The wind dropped right off and so did the fishing. (It does that sometimes) but they went on to pick up a variety of smaller fish
such as cods, tarwhine, lots of undersize snapper

and this respectable flathead for Bruce.

Look at these great shots of dolphins that Venissa took when they cruised up to have a look!
It is surprisingly difficult to take pics of dolphins. These are quite good.

The 6.1m boat was up at Thevenard Island for 3 weeks with 3 different hirers.
They handed the boat over to each other thus saving the towing and a days hire!
The only photos I managed to get were from Martin Bull. He tells the story from here.

Hi Laurie, please feel free to change this around in any way you want. I have 2 other photos that I will send as separate emails as they are quite big. Regards.............Martin

Eric Smith and I visited the Mackerel Islands for a week inthe middle of August. The party included four boats but only two fished on the "Murchison", which of course made it sheer luxury. Despite the fishing being a little disappointing because of strong Easterlies every morning until around lunchtime, which meant that we couldn't catch the best tides, two of the four boats caught their limits.

We managed to catch a variety of fish including yellow-fin tuna, spanish mackerel and various bottom fish (including a double header of reds! - see photo). There appears to be an abundance of cod at the Mackerel Islands including many of good eating size and many that don't even know you have hooked them.

The highlight was a very nice Sailfish that Eric caught trolling a lure on a very old Ugly Stick, eggbeater reel and 20lb line. We estimated it at 80+lb. The photos were unfortunately not too flash as we decided not to lift it into the boat, as it was pretty tired.

The Mackerel Islands are extremely well set-up for fishing folk and they look after you very well, and the "Murchison" handled the conditions beautifully. Martin.
Well-done Martin, that is the first sailfish from the 6.1m boat to date!

Murray Johnson is all the way from Cohuna in northern Victoria. He knows my brother-in-law who put
him onto me. Picking a very nice day he was out with mate Ross Cooke also from Cohuna in the 6.1m boat.
Fishing was exceptionally quiet with only a couple of wrasse, goatfish, and pigfish coming up.
The fish could be seen on the sounder but would not bite. 4 undersize dhuies did bite and were released.
But big surprise was this massive yellow-fin tuna. All was very quiet on the 3 mile when all of a sudden there was a
boil up of dolphins, sharks and what I thought was tuna. We hastily tied on a lure and the hit came as
soon as we passed the frenzy. It looked like a bunch of sharks had got a baby dolphin, tuna or one of their own
and were tearing it apart. Dolphins, tuna and sharks were also cutting up baitfish, it was a mess!
Murray grabbed the 15kg outfit and I turned the boat and gave chase to the quickly emptying reel.
Chasing it down we found that it had rejoined the bait school and was continuing to feed while still hooked up!
This has happened to me before but when we got close we had a glimpse of it before it burst away and
went deep for 40 minutes. We were debating whether it was a shark or not but the early tuna shaped sighting gave
me confidence. In the end it surfaced with the lure front hooks snagged in the gills and the rear hook totally
ripped from the lure in the corner of the mouth!

Ross and Murray hold up the fish, Ross also had a session with it and both were exhausted in the end.

Weighing in at 26kg, this is a fish of a lifetime.
As this fish was caught early September, it does not qualify for August “Bite of the Month” but I am sure it will make September’s.
Well-done Ross & Murray!

Never ever fart in your wetsuit!!!!!!

Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club, Local comp 18th August.

I was in Perth for this comp, so missed out and the weather was perfect after so many bad ones. Damn!

They caught some nice fish from the beach and river. (Photos, taken by Cheryl Eley)

http://www.youtube.com/v/USYbtyXxhvY
Short video clip of a double hook-up of big yellow-fin tuna from my boat in Kalbarri.

The caravan park at Port Gregory is under new management and a booking agent for my boats.
You can now book a boat and pick it up in Port Gregory.

Adventure Bound fishing shows are on Access 31, 7.30pm Saturdays.

Remember if you rent our accommodation you get big discounts on our boats.
Have a look on my website for the details, and check out the savings.


5-day weather forecasts, http://www.buoyweather.com/ go to virtual buoys, pick the location you want.
This is the one I go by!


Big bait – big fish
Laurie

If you want to be included in these newsletters just send me a return BLANK email with the subject line “subscribe” and you will be added to my mailing list.

July 2007

email: lasue@wn.com.au http://www.murchisonboathire.com.au/
Never, ever, ever take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night!
A very difficult month to report on anything as all the boats have been out of town nearly all month! The 5.3m boat has been on hire in Port Gregory for 3 weeks this month and the 6.1m is currently at Gnaraloo Station after being up at the Mackerel Islands (Onslow) & a week in Kalbarri. No one sent me any photos after promising they would (Except Kevin Hick, thanks Kevin) and the kids from the Port Gregory hire took the camera sand boarding only to return with it clogged with sand never to work again! However the fishing has improved remarkably with good catches from the beaches. It has been rumoured that someone caught a 1.05m tailor from Black Rock over the school holidays. That is a seriously big tailor! No photos available that I know of so might just be a rumour!
Mackerel & tuna are still being caught but that won’t last!

Adventure Bound fishing shows are on Access 31, 7.30pm Saturdays.

Here is an unusual pic. Took this two weeks ago. Some sort of inversion. Cloud or mist flowing
over the Sand Patch and out to sea on a very gentle easterly. I know I should have been out there!

A spectacular sunset over the river from the dinghy boat hire. There have been a few good ones this month.

During the School holidays we luckily got a free day and I shot out with my two sons on a
relatively nice day. We went searching for new spots and came upon some nice looking ground
south of the cliffs.
First drop resulted in a double hook-up of rankin cod and estuary cod for me, followed
by a nice baldchin groper for son Ben. It went very quiet for a while and then the wind shifted swinging the boat on the anchor.

Both Ben and I hooked up at the same time with both of us landing these big estuary cods!
Both of them were over size (longer than a metre or more than 30kgs) so we had to release them. Mine went down easily without problems, but Ben’s struggled. Release weights are just not heavy enough and in the end we had to puncture it’s air bladder with a spike and it swam down itself.

Ben trying to release his cod. We could have used the spare anchor to lower it down but
I feel that by the time we set it all up the fish would have died.
I feel that spiking the air bladder may be fatal but there is not much you can do!
We need to be more prepared, but we don’t catch fish like this all that often.

Close up of the eerie green eye. What are they thinking?

Ben went on to catch one of the biggest sand snappers that I have seen.
They are actually called Painted Sweetlip after the very ornately coloured juveniles.

Whales are around in numbers again this year and they will be here for a few more months yet.
Last year we had a mother give birth in the estuary entrance and she stayed around with her calf for about 6 weeks.

Kevin Hick sent me the following details of his 7-day trip up to Gnaraloo Station at the end of July.
This is his story.
7 Days of Madness and Mayhem.
The sixth annual trip to Gnaraloo Station was better than ever in July 2007. Ten keen fishermen, all members of the Gnarly Gnobs Fishing Club escaped the wild Perth weather to wet a line just south of Coral Bay. Those on the trip were: Kevo, Macko, Micko Roberto, Bobbo, Collo, Davo, Krisho, Jeffo and Chappo. I know, not original.
The first 3 days resulted in great catches and the reds were abundant and good size.
The best red of the trip was Roberto’s 10.5 kg monster.
We needed a good solid fishing platform and Bulawayo Boy proved it was up to the task, as the swell was up to 4 metres on some days. This fishing is not for the faint hearted, as Gnaraloo Bay can be tricky to navigate through when the swell is up and there is a high tide. The “washing machine” as it is affectionately called, lived up to its name.
Species caught were red emperor, spanish mackerel, northwest snapper, rankin cod, spotted cod, baldchin groper, spanish flag and golden trevally. Friday was a complete wash out which allowed the boys time to ease the aching muscles and lubricate the throat.
Saturday and Sunday resulted in further good catches so with our bag limit reached we headed home to count the number of sleeps until Gnaraloo ’08.
These are his photos

Getting there was wet, good thing they had a boat! The Gnarly Gnobs Club at the Blowholes Sign.
It was mostly reds, reds and more reds says Kevin, the biggest being 10.5kgs
Filleting and photographing the days catch.

Out from Gnaraloo Station in red emperor country.

One of the golden trevally at the filleting tables

Patrick Heroux emailed me regarding a trip out fishing in one of my boats. He is from Canada and has been working here in Australia for the last couple of years. A visit from his dad and mate both French speaking Canadians, but also spoke quite good English, spent a week waiting for the weather to clear. They stayed in my accommodation and took advantage of the discounts on boat hire when staying there. They managed to get two days out in the 6.1m boat
and the 5.3m. First day they went south and totally blanked out! Second day heading north the water as a lot clearer and they were into fish straight away. Nothing big, no dhuies but a splattering of baldchin groper, breaksea cod, samsonfish, tarwhine, silver drummer, wobbegong, pink snapper and a surprise mackerel for Patrick!

Silver drummer for Daniel Nadeau (fight like hell but no good to eat)

and Denis’s samson fish

Patrick Heroux with his baldchin groper

and August 5th, surprise mackerel

We catch these now and again. They are called grinners, Saurida undosquamis, and grow to about 45cm. They have this enormous mouth, capable of eating big prey for their size.
This makes the 61st species photo that appears on my website page “Species you are likely to catch” Have a look, all are caught in Kalbarri; there are some bizarre ones!

Great Skua. They are a bit of a pest but entertaining to feed. They can make your day miserable by stealing your drifting bait that is carefully positioned under a balloon at the back of the boat.
So it is best not to feed and encourage them.

Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club, Local comp 30th June.
Weather was a shocker again and no boats went out. I had a fish for tailor at Chinamans, but just on dark the rain started to hammer down, I’d had no hits and feeling like a drowned rat went home. Daniel turned up 10 minutes after I left and nailed these two with the biggest at 4.95kg or 80cm! I know I should have stayed! But there was beer and pizza at home!

http://www.youtube.com/v/USYbtyXxhvY
Short video clip of a double hook-up of big yellow-fin tuna from my boat in Kalbarri.

The caravan park at Port Gregory is under new management and a booking agent for my boats.
You can now book a boat and pick it up in Port Gregory.

Remember if you rent our accommodation you get big discounts on our boats.
Have a look on my website for the details, and check out the savings.

5-day weather forecasts, http://www.buoyweather.com/ go to virtual buoys, pick the location you want. This is the one I go by!

Big bait – big fish
Laurie

If you want to be included in these newsletters just send me a return BLANK email with the subject line “subscribe” and you will be recieve one each month.

June 2007

PO Box 63 KALBARRI WA 6536 PH/FAX (08) 9937 2043
http://www.murchisonboathire.com.au/
A good month this one with some good fish being caught! But not much to report towards
the end as all boats are up at Gnaraloo Station and Tamala Station. July is going to be worse
as the boats are away for most of the month at the Mackerel Islands and Port Gregory!

Andy Hall and mates had a ripper of a trip at the beginning of June, landing mackerel and good
bottom fish over their 3-day hire with the 6.1m boat.

Andrew shows off his big baldchin groper and Jeff with some of the catch.

Jeff tells it via an email and enclosed photos.
“Go south young man” was our approach (again) over the long-weekend and we did reasonably well – despite a persistent
north-easterly (which was at its worst on Sunday).
Our fishing party was Andrew Hall, Jeff Bradbury and Andrew’s two mates Eddie and Bevan.
We did try the Sand Patch and 3 Mile on Friday morning to no avail. We then headed to familiar ground down
Natural Bridge way and returned with 3 nice Baldies and 3 Pinkies. Andrew’s Baldie went 5kg (see attached photo).
The plan on Saturday morning was to head straight to Wagoe and troll for spanish mackerel.
The first Mack (10kg) was gaffed at 7.24am and we had two more Macks (12kg each) in the boat by 8.20am.
All three were caught on Gardies. A fourth one was ‘dropped’ soon after hook-up (on the ‘dog turd’ lure).
The water temperature was 20.8 degrees – but the water colour was great.
I will send photos of Eddie and Bevan with their Macks via a separate email.
After the Mackerel run was over, we headed to our usual spots
(staying in reasonably close to get some protection from the nor’easter).
We picked up another 3 Baldies and 3 Pinkies and a couple of Breaksea Cod.
We also had some fun with a school of big Skippy, all of which we released.
I found out the hard way how hard a Spanish Mackerel’s head is. A violent head shake (whilst laying on the deck)
connected with the back of my right hand, splitting open the middle knuckle and leaving bruising
and swelling as if I had been hit by Brett Lee!! There were subsequent benefits though, as the injury
prevented me from assisting with anchor pulling duties on Saturday and Sunday (but it wasn’t bad enough to stop me from fishing)!!
On Sunday the weather was not great. The forecast was for a 23 knot ENE and it did not let up.
The swell was also up to 2.5 – 3.0m. Anyway, we followed the same routine as per
Saturday and returned with a Rankin Cod and one Pinkie. That’s fishin’ …and that’s why we can’t wait until April 2008!!!
Cheers,
Jeff Bradbury

Bevan with his gardie caught mac, (note the end of the cliff south of Kalbarri)

Eddie with his, trolling at the end of the cliffs

Rangers burning off in the Kalbarri National Park. It looked quite spectacular in the evening light so couldn’t resist a photo.


Now here are a couple of guys who struck it lucky. Michael Ford and mate Dean have been fishing together
For a while now, going to different places in search of the big bite. They are from Point Lonsdale in
Victoria and have been to various States lucking out on fish and weather. Picking WA this year they came
across my website, saw the boats, fish and accommodation all in one package and went for it.
Hiring the 5.3m boat for 7 days, which is ideal for the two of them, they started slow and then came home with the
goods on the second day.

Dean landed his first mackerel

and then followed it up with an 18kg fish a couple of days later.

Michael Ford also got himself an 18kg specimen, releasing two others that day

Dean and Michael show off their pair of 18kg mackerel.
They also released three others that day and released 5 the day before.
You guys made “Bite of the Month” check it out on my website

My underwater camera captures Michael’s biggest snapper he has ever caught.

They really really wanted a decent sized tailor, so one evening when conditions were right
We had a short fish in the entrance.

Michael picked up this fish on a Roosta Popper, and
Dean dropped one at the same time.

I estimate that it went about 4kgs, easily the biggest he has ever caught!

Dean was well pleased with this one, easily the biggest he has ever caught but shame on you, Dean, and it’s only a baby!
Good thing we released them all to grow bigger!

Keep well clear of the pointy ends of mackerel; wait till they stop kicking before you try to remove the hooks!
It’s also the reason we use wire trace.

I have had a lot of family and friends visit this year, and so it was again with my sister arriving in town for
a 10-day flying visit from Chicago, Illinois. She brought her daughter with her who has never been to
Australia before. They are not into fishing much but said that they would like to have a go!
I took them out sure that we would be back sooner than later with them all sea sick, throwing up over the side.
But surprisingly not! We had a troll at the Sand Patch on quite a stiff easterly, when a mac ignored
the 4 lures and hit a trolled gardie at the back. I handed the rod to niece Gabbi while the rest of
the crew (Sue, Jared, Rebecca) got the teasers and lures in and watched as Gabbi battled a 13kg mackerel to the boat.

First, biggest, best, only, fish Gabbi has caught!

A couple of days later we went south. 15kg plus big-eye tuna were going ballistic just off Red Bluff.
We trolled for a couple of hours, watched another boat land one, but we failed to hook-up!
We then headed in under the cliffs and set a burly trail.

A short cast into the trail out the back of the boat with my
14lb light flick stick and this sambo hammered the squid bait. My sister Barbara had her
work cut out for her spending half an hour battling this 13kg fish around the boat twice, doing
a very good job eventually bringing it to the boat for a quick photo.

I took them crabbing up river only to find the crabs were around the marina!
It took Gabbi a bit of time to get her head around catching, killing and eating them.
Where she comes from everything comes out of a plastic bag, packet or tin!

We visited the Coastal Gorges.

Trekked the River Gorges at the Z Bend

Went 4WD down sand dunes (They crapped themselves).

Went sand boarding
They fed the pelicans, saw some dolphins up close, visited the seahorse sanctuary, watched the sunset most
evenings and were surprised the sun came out each day! (They are from a cloudy-cold-snow-rain type climate)
They went to Geraldton, Port Gregory and Ajana.

Wilson’s storm petrels picking up bits of burly at the back of the boat

Sea lice, they live in the nose cavity of dhufish and samsonfish and crawl out when the fish is removed from the water. Look awful but they have a place in the ecosystem.

Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club, Local comp 30th June.

Real crappy weather forced a deferment of the local comp to the following Saturday but it was not much better and only the river and beach anglers fished.

Of note was the two nice mulloway caught by Daniel Tarasek from Frustration.

Featured website this month is http://www.youtube.com/v/USYbtyXxhvY
Short video clip of a double hook-up of big yellow-fin tuna from my boat in Kalbarri.

The caravan park at Port Gregory is under new management and a booking agent for my boats.
You can now book a boat and pick it up in Port Gregory.

Remember if you rent our accommodation you get big discounts on our boats.
Have a look on my website for the details, and check out the savings.

5-day weather forecasts, http://www.buoyweather.com/ go to virtual buoys, pick the location you want.
This is the one I go by!


Big bait – big fish
Laurie

If you want to be included in these newsletters just send me a return BLANK email with the subject
line “subscribe” and you will be added and recieve one each month.