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
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