michaelrdoyle@gmail.com

Hi all I'm not sure it has been mentioned yet - but it needs to be! Transport NSW (Maritime etc) are doing some surveys to hear what people think about boat usage - make sure you have your say! http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/engagement/nsw-regional-boating-plans Mike

Mate....... I love boats. I love fishing. And I love your enthusiasm. But I'm going to act like a wet blanket - sorry! Buying a boat will be the worst financial decision of your life. They say the best day in a mans life is the day they buy a boat - and the day they sell their boat! It's a depreciating asset. It will cost you big $$$ to keep it going. Petrol. Servicing. Repairs. Insurance. And you'll only end up using it a dozen times a year. And in 10 years it will be worth - much much much less. $75k would go a long way to buying a house, paying off a mortgage, investing in shares or an apartment, or something like that - and will keep going. The blunt truth is - spending that money on a boat is bananas. And there are alternatives - if you hire a $75k boat a dozen times a year at $300 a day (say Boab Boats) - it will only cost you $3.600 pa - which will be less than the insurance and upkeep of a boat by itself. Over 20 years it will cost you $75k - whilst your own $75k has appreciated at 5% per year - and is now worth well over $200k. however....... just to throw a little bit of light - and stop being such a negative nancy.... Owning your own boat is a lifestyle decision - not a financial decision. If you fully realise the real costs and the opportunity costs - which is big money - and you say "it's worth it" - then go for your life. Don't have regrets. Get the baby you're after and enjoy it! (I speak from a relatively privileged position of borrowing a family members boat - and dreaming of my own boat!) Mike

As requested - here are some of the pics. 98cm Mahi Mahi (Dolphin Fish) One of the few Kingfish that was actually legal. First catch of Dolphin Fish - lots of fun. Sunrise on the last day. It looks rougher than what it was. A 67cm Dolphin Fish (Mahi Mahi) on my kids rod. Lots of fun on very light gear. A great last day - 18 Mahi Mahi, some snapper, flathead etc (a mixed bag)

nice work. Very nice work.

Good to hear the mackerel are around! They weren't when we were there (was hoping - but it is early in the season). I've heard rumours of a decent amount of beakies being around to. Looks like a good summer.

A couple of weeks ago headed to SW Rocks for 5 days of fishing. Wonderful time. A few highlights: Fish Rock. Lots and lots of kings. Mostly undersize - but a few legal. Some snapper, trivially, and other fish. Found it hard to find snapper - but eventually hit a spot on the last day for a mixed bag of snapper, jewfish, flathead etc. Fished the FAD for the first time - lots and lots of fun. Took home lots of Mahi Mahi. The last day we took home 18! (and for every one we kept, we returned 3 that were undersize). Biggest was 98cm. Lost several bigger ones. that's one intense bar. Crossed it every day in a variety of conditions. Gives a shot of adrenaline. Interesting enough - the last day the weather conditions were meant to be rubbish, and we crossed it at low tide both in and out - and both times it was the easier cross of the week! Great place up there - and really appreciated the good coverage of Marine Rescue Trial Bay.

I just wanted to say a public thanks to Shimano I have a Shimano Spheros 12000FA reel with some serious pitting and corrosion around the spool. It's about 7 years old. I went to their Taren Point service centre to buy a new spool - worth about $70. They replaced it for free - which I certainly wasn't expecting. High quality products. High quality customer service. thanks Shimano! Mike

We headed there two weeks ago - had a great weeks fishing. We were in a 4.8m Quintrex Bayhunter. A few thoughts: Lots of dollies at the FAD (about 13km from the river entrance). They were taking pink skirts, floated pilchards or squid, soft plastics, and knife jigs. Yes - anything you threw at them. We also picked up kings at the FAD - but all undersize. Fish Rock - head south around the point. Lots and lots of kings. Most undersize, a few of size. Be aware that anchoring with 100m? and bait fishing within 200m is banned. Grey Nurse shark protected area. There were also shark, snapper, and other interesting fish Heading 10km north to Scotts Head - heaps of reef spots heading out to at least 80m. Locals told me they are getting snapper when the current is running in 60-80m. We didn't score. Got a range of snapper, flathead, jewfish at some reef about 2km north east of fish rock (can't remember the name of the mark - but a standard one). The bar crossing is challenging. And scary. But we handled it fine - even with some pretty big breakers. It's all about timing and hitting the whitewash head on. But be careful. Have fun. Mike

wow! Thanks for the great tips guys! Really appreciate it! The Jewfish possibilities look great (I hand't even thought of Jewfish). Great photos. We're also hoping to head offshore (when the weather/bar is good) - hoping to target snapper, Kingfish, Spanish Mackerel, and whatever else is running (if they're running).

Heading to SW rocks next week - with a 4.8m quintrex. First time fishing there. Any suggestions for spots? Or techniques? Any other info I should know about the area? Where to get bait and gear from? Fishing techniques? Anyone heard of anything going at the moment? thanks Mike

Fished down their last weekend - 72 take home fish in 4 days :-) A few things: Couldn't raise a squid. Flathead everywhere - especially south head Snapper on middle ground Loads of Kingies off Currarwong big bommy - mostly undersize, but a few off size. Wouldn't tough a live bait (slimy or livie), but would take dead bait - fish, prawn, squid ect. Old and frozen. Couldn't understand why. Have fun. Mike

I'm heading down to fish on Monday - would also love to hear any reports of what's happening.

Hi all Wondering if anyone can recommend a mobile outboard motor mechanic down Culburra (Nowra) way? Also need to get some boat electrics down (some re-wiring and testing for a short). Can anyone recommend anyone? If you could PM me - I don't think you're allowed to post names publicly. thanks Mike

that's great to hear! What an encouraging encounter. Good to know people are looking out for each other. Mike

very very nice! Ive been dreaming of a bar crusher! so - tell us the stats! What size? What fittings? Where did you get it? How long did you look? Why the bar crusher? How long between ordering and getting it? And of course - we all want to know....how much? Mike

nice work - sounds like a productive session. Where were you in JB? Mike

Sounds like you had a great day. I really enjoy the snapper snatchers - very good, very easy. However, I'm a little reluctant to use them as they're expensive, and with leather jackets, sharks and snags the cost starts adding up! Mike

Heading down for a fish next week at Jervis Bay, Crookhaven Heads or Currawong. Anything happening down there at the moment? Any kings off the banks/mud? Any snapper around? Mike

Hey Jimmy I just spent 5 days camping at Port Douglas - I highly recommend the Tropical Breeze caravan park (sweet when you're paying $20 a night for your family to stay - right next to people pay $500 a night!) In terms of fishing charters, you have a choice of "Reef" fishing (going out to the Great Barrier Reef to fish) or "Estuary Fishing" - fishing in the estuary. The Estuary fishing is much closer, and will cost you about $130 pp. However, it is catch and release, and just fishing the estuary. The guides (so I'm told) are good - but you'll just be fishing from a tinnie, and only have access to what you can easily get access to yourself in a hire boat. Mind you - they'll also know best baits, times, places etc. The Reef fishing will cost you about $200, and take you out to the outer barrier reef. Likely to get bigger fish - but no guarantee. There are a few options, one being Bianca, which is who I went with. Bianca was good, and lots of fun. They put me onto some good fish. However, their gear was pretty old and disappointing (I wish I had brought my own), and I note they've only been operating in the area for a few years. We also hired a tinny to fish the estuary. It cost about $35 an hour - 10hp motor etc. That was great fun - and we fished near several of the Estuary charters. We caught a couple of little fish, and a decent size mud-crab. We also saw several crocs (one being quite big - 4m or so). We had lots of fun. It didn't look like anyone on the charters did much better. Have fun! Port Douglas is a great place. Mike

Hi Elite I have no idea of the cost of having it installed - but it's not too hard to do it yourself. I did it a couple of years ago, and I'm hopeless when it comes to mechanical stuff. Mount the fishfinder on the dash, mount the transducer on the back of the boat, run the cable from the transducer to the fishfinder, run the power cable to your fusebox. Measure twice, drill once. With luck you'll be able to use the old fishfinders fittings or screwholes. Doing it also helped me get a better overview of how everything in the boat works, which has given me much more confidence with fixing and fiddling with stuff. Even installed my own live bait pump. Mike

Hi dicko I've had this happen on our setup - after we got a brand spanking new big sounder about 6 years ago.. It's happened for several reasons... The first time it was because the solinoid (I think) on the motor was wearing out and drawing too much current when starting. The second time was because the batesry was dying - easy fix Third time was some dodgy wiring that had corroded somewhere Good luck! Mike

How much is it worth? You should google it. I have no knowledge myself, but a quick google suggested the boat could be worth $15,000 - $20,000. How much is it worth to you? That's a hard one. Upkeep, insurance, maintenance, storage, etc all cost money. Significant money. Do you have the funds to be able to pay for the upkeep of the boat? Also - is this boat is right for you? You want a boat this size? This style? This hull? Where will you be using it? If you bought a boat yourself, either new or second hand, you'd be doing a lot of research into what boat is right for you. Since you're not getting a choice for this boat - it may not be perfectly right for you. It may not fit you like a glove. It may annoy you, and be a pain for you. And so the value is less for you. How much should you offer? Depending on your circumstances, how much money you have, and how keen your family member is to "keep it in the family", you might consider offering $5,000, which is significant money, but still token, or (if it's really worth $20,000) - offer $15,000, which is close to the real value, but a significant discount. Good luck! Mike

Hi Stan I'm towing a Quintrex Bayhunter Caprice 480 - about 500-600kg with a 2010 model Ford Falcon XR6 automatic. It's rated for up to 2300kg, and I've put the 2300kg tow bar on it. It's great - hardly notices the boat on the back. I just upgraded from a 1998 Ford Falcon Forte AU - which also towed well, though the suspension was a bit loose for my liking. I've noticed that on the big 6 cylinder cars, the tow capacity of the manuel is less than the automatic. I'm not quite sure why. Mike

Actually - isn't it a navy base? And it's on the other side of the bay - heaps far away. The beecroft Peninsula is used for army exercises on occasion - but it's not a base. Mike

good job. Did you remove any of the under-floor floatation? Mike