barker Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Hello all, after reading all the recent Sydney YFT reports, my mate and I decided if the right conditions presented themselves, we would have a go getting out to Browns to get amongst it ourselves. Firstly, I've gotta say this wasn't some foolish whim for the sake of some fish. Having been to and caught my share of good fin in bigger boats, I know its no walk in the park.With his newish 520 Top Ender stocked with all the required safety gear, extra fuel and food/water provisions - we figured the conditions forecasted for Wednesday to be the go. We also promised ourselves, regardless of the fishing, to head back early in the afternoon before the predicted late front. Tuesday probably turned out to be the better day condition wise, but the going was okay and we got to the shelf in about an hour where we put out a couple of skirts. After a half dozen stripeys the next was a double hookup and after a better fight, a small fin was at the boat. Some dubious decisions saw him go back and we kept trolling to the mountain and beyond to the east for a few miles. The current and temperatures looked the goods around the eastern and southern areas a few miles out, so we stuck to that. Another hour or so trolling for zip and it was time for a change. A fair few boats were out, mostly drifting, but not looking like the afternoon bite had come on yet, so we headed back to where we had hooked up earlier to cube. No more than five minutes of cubing than some eight to ten kilo models were up and about. We were onto our first of four in an hour of fishing, the pillies ran out and our promised arvo return was on. The going on the way back was a bit tougher, however with the front showing we made good time without bashing ourselves about. Back through perfect smooth Botany with some lightning and light showers was pretty much perfect timing. All up it was really satisfying to get amongst what is obviously some great fishing off Sydney without feeling outside of our safe comfort zone. Regards, Barker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 not a bad haul at all mate! how far short of browns did u cube?? thats a nice looking stripey. how much did it weigh?? ill be back out wither saturday or sunday.. cant wait Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james7 Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Congratulations Barker on a safe and successful trip. Great colection of fish, although they sure look weird in those photos. I have a mate who is very keen to do what you have done. He's got the the boat, all safety gear etc etc. However, we've never been past the FADs. We are both very safety conscious and never take any chances, but we'd love to get our first fin while they're out there. We will have to try it in the next few weeks if we can. Any advice from you would be very welcome. Great report Cheers Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcampbell Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Excellent haul for a first go, i am curious what is the guy doing in the background of the photo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt11n@hotmail.com Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Unreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 looks a bit sus in that pic, Nice fish penguin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregL Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Couldn't the dude in the back ground find the bathroom! LOL That's some great fish out of a smallish boat! Well done. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 hey peter if ur safety concious u should get out b4 monday arrives.. unforunately a big southerly coming through and gonna make this now perfect conditions a mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk1999 Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Hello all, after reading all the recent Sydney YFT reports, my mate and I decided if the right conditions presented themselves, we would have a go getting out to Browns to get amongst it ourselves. Firstly, I've gotta say this wasn't some foolish whim for the sake of some fish. Having been to and caught my share of good fin in bigger boats, I know its no walk in the park.With his newish 520 Top Ender stocked with all the required safety gear, extra fuel and food/water provisions - we figured the conditions forecasted for Wednesday to be the go. We also promised ourselves, regardless of the fishing, to head back early in the afternoon before the predicted late front. Tuesday probably turned out to be the better day condition wise, but the going was okay and we got to the shelf in about an hour where we put out a couple of skirts. After a half dozen stripeys the next was a double hookup and after a better fight, a small fin was at the boat. Some dubious decisions saw him go back and we kept trolling to the mountain and beyond to the east for a few miles. The current and temperatures looked the goods around the eastern and southern areas a few miles out, so we stuck to that. Another hour or so trolling for zip and it was time for a change. A fair few boats were out, mostly drifting, but not looking like the afternoon bite had come on yet, so we headed back to where we had hooked up earlier to cube. No more than five minutes of cubing than some eight to ten kilo models were up and about. We were onto our first of four in an hour of fishing, the pillies ran out and our promised arvo return was on. The going on the way back was a bit tougher, however with the front showing we made good time without bashing ourselves about. Back through perfect smooth Botany with some lightning and light showers was pretty much perfect timing. All up it was really satisfying to get amongst what is obviously some great fishing off Sydney without feeling outside of our safe comfort zone. Regards, Barker. Firstly congrat's on getting away with and surviving going to Brown's in a boat that's definetly not designed to be 50klm's off the coast. Weather report's can't be relied upon and believe me there's no where to hide if you get caught out there in a westerly. Nz's your next option. I have fished Brown's many times in my own boat which was over 8 metres and many other bigger boats up to 17metres and punching back can be a very scary thing, the sea condition's can change very quickly with short sharp chop of a couple of metres coming at you from the west which will literally break over the top of the flybridge and dump in the cockpit. In a little boat that's not self draining you would fill up very quickly. Please don't endanger yourselves or the lives of the people who have to come to your aid if something goes wrong, or encourage others to go out in boats inappropriate for such a long run. Let's keep our sport safe. Cheer's Rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewgaffer Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Good work out wide Barker. You showed planning and common sense with the come home time !! Good fishing going back ahead of the front to where you had already cubed and hooked up earlier . Cheers mate. Jewgaffer Steve, the way my back's going right now I'd probably have trouble passing the gaff. Alex's has a broken wrist and was telling me the mackeral are on off the Gold Coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 i disagree tomahawk.. ur never gonna get a 30knt wind come up from no where without a rough indication! yeah it could get uncomfortable! but even a 2m swell and 20-25knt wind punching into it can be ridden as long as u take it easy! i went 2 browns 2 weeks ago in a 5.8 sportsfish, the weather was blowing 20knts from the south and was on a 2.5-3m swell. dont get me wrong it wasnt comfortable but it definately wasnt dangerous... took us just over 2hours 2 get there... weather u are 5miles out or 20miles out ur boat handles the conditions the same... id be more worried about ppl going out with unmaintained engines/boats.. even if ur boat is a 50footer when she dont start ur next stop is NZ.. if ur lucky that is Firstly congrat's on getting away with and surviving going to Brown's in a boat that's definetly not designed to be 50klm's off the coast. Weather report's can't be relied upon and believe me there's no where to hide if you get caught out there in a westerly. Nz's your next option. I have fished Brown's many times in my own boat which was over 8 metres and many other bigger boats up to 17metres and punching back can be a very scary thing, the sea condition's can change very quickly with short sharp chop of a couple of metres coming at you from the west which will literally break over the top of the flybridge and dump in the cockpit. In a little boat that's not self draining you would fill up very quickly. Please don't endanger yourselves or the lives of the people who have to come to your aid if something goes wrong, or encourage others to go out in boats inappropriate for such a long run. Let's keep our sport safe. Cheer's Rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk1999 Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 i disagree tomahawk.. ur never gonna get a 30knt wind come up from no where without a rough indication! yeah it could get uncomfortable! but even a 2m swell and 20-25knt wind punching into it can be ridden as long as u take it easy! i went 2 browns 2 weeks ago in a 5.8 sportsfish, the weather was blowing 20knts from the south and was on a 2.5-3m swell. dont get me wrong it wasnt comfortable but it definately wasnt dangerous... took us just over 2hours 2 get there... weather u are 5miles out or 20miles out ur boat handles the conditions the same... id be more worried about ppl going out with unmaintained engines/boats.. even if ur boat is a 50footer when she dont start ur next stop is NZ.. if ur lucky that is Hey spikey, I don't want to get into an argument but if you get into the gamefish scene sooner or later your going to encounter weather that no one predicts and getting caught out there aint something to take lightly. Remember the Canberra comp of only a few week's ago when a boat and a life was lost. Those guy's we're experienced game fishermen who just ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time, they had all the right gear and a tragedy occurred. All I am saying is that we shouldn't encourage people to take risks especially when others have to endanger their own lives trying to effect a rescue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Now now boys ,please dont get into it on this guys post about who is safe and who is not. If you want to chat about the rights and wrongs start your own thread. All skippers must make sure that they do not put thier vessel or people on it in harms way. Accidents do occur and it does happen to even the best of em(Titanic ring a bell) Regards Swordfisherman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick 10 Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 nice fish well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shefford Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Nice fish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g.t. Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Ripper catch! Very jealous indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barker Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 Just to clear a few things up, yes the photos look weird as with trying to get them good enough to list there is a lot of contrast put on and with the late low light and showers around, the flash had to be used. As for my mate - well you know when all your concentration is on skippering and when you get back the pressure is off... and with a few showers about... On a serious note - this topic was never meant to encourage foolish behaviour as can be felt by the composition of the words concentrating mainly on planning, safety and preparing for what may be. The fishing really was a bonus to what we previously discussed between ourselves as the primary objective - having a go with caution. Please do not see this report as anything other than a window of chance taken and enjoyed while we could. Barker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barker Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 (edited) Oh yeah, have a look in the first photo, there is our safety brief sign and the drum of fuel we had in reserve. Told you we were well prepared... my mate is just checking how much we used. Hello Byron - as you would know we did everything in our power to feel safe, and if the unexpected came - dealing with that would be paramount. Good to hear from you mate, hope you are feeling better soon. Edited May 29, 2008 by barker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big-Banana Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 i disagree tomahawk.. ur never gonna get a 30knt wind come up from no where without a rough indication! yeah it could get uncomfortable! but even a 2m swell and 20-25knt wind punching into it can be ridden as long as u take it easy! i went 2 browns 2 weeks ago in a 5.8 sportsfish, the weather was blowing 20knts from the south and was on a 2.5-3m swell. dont get me wrong it wasnt comfortable but it definately wasnt dangerous... took us just over 2hours 2 get there... weather u are 5miles out or 20miles out ur boat handles the conditions the same... id be more worried about ppl going out with unmaintained engines/boats.. even if ur boat is a 50footer when she dont start ur next stop is NZ.. if ur lucky that is Silly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Great effort on the fin. Nothing but admiration. Now the last thing I would want to do is highjack a thread.... but If we're saying that 50 foot boats can and do get caught out by unexpected weather, what is considered a safe, non-suicidal sized boat to go out in???? I would be interested to hear what size boat guys here regularly take out to browns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomahawk1999 Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Great effort on the fin. Nothing but admiration. Now the last thing I would want to do is highjack a thread.... but If we're saying that 50 foot boats can and do get caught out by unexpected weather, what is considered a safe, non-suicidal sized boat to go out in???? I would be interested to hear what size boat guys here regularly take out to browns. Steveo, Please go back and reread the posts as you have misinterpreted what has been said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 (edited) Steveo, Please go back and reread the posts as you have misinterpreted what has been said. It's actually a genuine question for the more experienced boaters out there - is it safe to head out (conditions and maintenance permitting of course) in a 20' boat? I should add that I like many others no doubt have been tempted to have a crack at these yellowfin however I've never quite been game in a 17 footer. Edited May 30, 2008 by steveo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barker Posted May 30, 2008 Author Share Posted May 30, 2008 (edited) steveo, mate that is a good question that can only be answered by you. Nobody has a big boat first up and experiences learned in smaller craft slowly increase your seamanship. Each step up in boat size and sea conditions changes your comfort zone (for better or worse) and increases your skippering abilities. Primarily you get to know your boat better, both mechanically and for its seaworthiness. Just to put things into perspective a little. I have fished Browns on a number of occasions with a couple of very capable mates in their 38 footer. Nine times outta ten we have cruised out and back in varying conditions and felt fine. Once we had a nasty trip home due to an unexpected weather change and it was another experience taken in with caution, and we learned a lot more of the boat and our capabilities. Another trip saw us lose an engine and the ensuing actions to get organised and back gave us more knowledge of the disabled boat and its workings. We regularly fish The Banks, The Peak and other offshore locales in a 17 footer. Having done this many times in the same boat and other smaller craft, we really understand how each boat behaves in varying conditions and more importantly, the mechanical condition of all the engines. In each and every occasion the real message is - get to know yourself, your boat and your engine and be honest with yourself and your mates. If you feel uncomfortable, say something. Saying all that, I feel very happy going to Browns in the 38 footer having seen and experienced the varying conditions that have prevailed SO FAR. Personally - a noted seaworthy hull on a twin powered 21 footer would be my guess as to the least I would prefer to be out and about in unexpected conditions with similarly capable friends. Please remember the original report concentrating on the exceptional window of opportunity presented and our obvious caution and preparation leading to another experience taken onboard. Regards, Barker. Edited May 30, 2008 by barker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildfish Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 the 1st photo actually looks like hes just topping up the emergency fuel drum!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAfisho Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Good catch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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