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
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