Jay88 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) Hi All, Hope everyone had a great weekend. Unfortunately, my weekend was okay… only because my mate took me to the Hawkesbury (land based) and I could fish peacefully (even though nothing worthy of keeping) The Gladesville and Parra river are like 20 minutes from my house, but the land based spots get ripped apart by massive crowds (which is fine, I don’t own the water), but there is NO RESPECT for anyone. I always pick up my rubbish, I always try to not disturb other fishos. And these guys are screaming, cheering, casting over my line and everything :/ As I am from West Sydney, it’s very difficult for me to find a land based spot without drama. For e.g. I went to a land based spot in Mosman… I spend hours trying to get live bait and then go to a fishing spot… After only an hour, 7 guys rock up… within a few mins on a small ferry, each have like 2 rods, there was 8 rods out at a time :/ , could not even walk on the wharf. Then one genius decided to climb onto a roof and cast from there wtf man…this is why well behaved fishos get banned from fishing areas… Bait everywhere, no one bothered to pick up their mess (me and my friends picked their s**t after they left… I spend a lot of hours trying to improve my fishing and I am consistently now catching fish (mostly with soft plastics or slugs)… and I tend to get ZERO when so many people rock up and make a concert on the wharf… So I have come to the conclusion of maybe getting a small tinny… now the questions I have are below: I don’t tend to fish off shore (I have zero boating experience) I want to fish the Gladesville river, parra river and Hawkesbury, so to be secure in these areas would a tinny suffice? I don’t have my own house, so is it possible to secure boats on the footpath right outside my house? I see TONS of people in my area do it with very expensive boats and outboards. I plan to get a boating license as I don’t think 5hp outboard would be adequate I am not the BEST swimmer…like I can swim from point A to B, but not the best at walking water (lol), so YES life jackets is something I always have on, even if im rock fishing in clam waters. My budget is 3-4k (for now) please feel free to show me boats you think are okay to handle these river systems. Sorry to be a pain guys, but in my situation is this worth it? I love land based fishing, but when I have two great water systems close to my house (I usually release the fish I catch), and every wharf has 20 people on it… I can’t always drive 50 minutes to the Hawkesbury and walk 30 minutes through the bush to fish peacefully L Thank you. Edited November 22, 2015 by Jay88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macman Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Hi Jay, Why don't you look at getting a Kayak, that way plenty of better spots are open to you. You will have to learn to fish a bit differently, but you will enjoy your fishing a lot more. Plenty of spots for you to access and plenty of species. Sadly a large percentage of fishers are morons, you just need to find the best ways to avoid them. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefish Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 yep, its worth it and you can do it. get on ebay and boatsales and see whats out there. promise yourself you wont buy anything for at least a little while. remenber theres that many tinnies out there people are trying to sell so its always a buyers market in the cheap boating area. tinnies are cheap to own, you have trailer rego boat rego boat licence insurance, less than $20 a week, it is a boat so it will cost you $$$ at some point. a 12 footer will do all the things you have asked, a 14 footer will open up the harbour proper, broken bay and out the front a little bit when you are ready and you wont fall out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameldownunder Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Do it. I did, and reading posts like yours, remind me why I did it. Before I had an iflatable ( Zodiac Style ) 2.8m and a 4HP. I dropped it at Balmoral, Clifton and Spit Bridge. It was a bit heavy and required some lifting, which was not a problem at the time. Being inflatable I did not need insurance / rego / license ( because it never went fast ). Downside of course was that I never really ventured out far ( As an example, I never went to the wedding cake near Clifton ). I did not opt for the Kayak as I dont feel condifent / balanced enough. And the car was too small, did not want to buy kayak rooftop. If you decide for the boat, get a wheel lock. My area is rather save, but otherwise I would drill and insert a big ( eyed bolt ) and chain the boat. Do not leave anything of value int he boat. And if you spend the money, get a self inflatable life vest. I always wear one, even if I dont have to. It's really not annoying me anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekD Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Hi Jay, Firstly, I share your frustration at cleaning up after others. I get that some things get dropped or forgotten but if I did that sort of thing deliberately as a kid my father would have set me straight very quickly. I've always wondered what the mindset is of people like that but I don't particularly like the idea of getting into a fight by trying to correct their behaviour. I usually end up shifting locations to avoid the grief. As for the second part of your query, I have a boat, a kayak and do a lot of landbased fishing. Landbased - I don't like crowds and have multiple places in particular areas to get around this issue. Get out the street directory and have maybe every 4th weekend as a reconnaisance exercise. You'd be amazed at how many viable fishing spots you end up with over the years. Boat - The great thing is you can take a mate or two. If an area is not fishing well it is easy to change without having to pack up the gear. I store mine in a back street near my place. Just put some consideration into where you put it. A trailer is a registered vehicle so it can be parked on the street but some owners assume the bit of street in front of their house is their own private property and take action accordingly. Rego for boat and trailer is about $130 per year. You will need to wear a life jacket at all times if it is just you on the boat. If you stay under 10 knots you do not need a boat licence - boat horsepower does not factor into the licence. Still worth knowing the rules for safeties sake. Boat ramps can get busy and there are some dos and don'ts too. There will be maintence. Had my engine rebuilt and the cost was more than the engine, boat and trailer when we bought it second hand. For the many outings I have had I don't begrudge the cost. Kayak - I store mine in the garage. My fishing buddies store theirs in racks by the water. It costs them $300 per year. It cost me $50 for the hoist. I have a Hobie mirage drive kayak but it costs around $2,500 but I consider it worth it as the peddle drive keeps my hands free for fishing. Very stable and covers lots of distance. My neighbour bought a new kayak for about $500 a couple of weeks ago. I was impressed at how well it was decked out for the price. Due to the weather it has not been out on the water but I am looking forward to seeing how it handles. I can launch in more areas than I can with the boat. As it is so quiet it does not disturb the fish - have been fishing in a school of fish for over 3 hours once. Enough areas you can fish without getting in the way of the boats and you do have rights on the water but the random power boat driver will forget that. No boat licence required but seriously recommend you read the boating rules. Don't rush into it but seriously worth getting some sort of boat - especially that the pelagics will be coming into the harbour in bigger and bigger schools over the next month and generally into late March. Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay88 Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 Great! Thank you all for the awesome feedback and encouragement. Just booked my boat licence course for this week. And, some swim school sessions (figured id also try and get this out of the way), I am fine with freestyling but not that confident with treating water as I have said. lets see how it goes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossfire63 Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Exactly the reason I fish the beaches late at night.........No crowds........no dramas. And the other blokes you meet on the beach are fisho's not yobbos more intent on creating mayhem than anything else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smasher Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 The problem I had with a kayak was that I found it difficult to find parking at the waters edge anywhere around Sydney. Especially on weekends in afternoons. I don't want to lug the kayak and all of my gear a few hundreds meters if I can avoid it. Unless there's secret spots I don't know about? Rarely use it now that I've got a boat but it would still be good to be able to go out in on my own (for the exercise and the solitude) occasionally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamski Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Kayak - I store mine in the garage. My fishing buddies store theirs in racks by the water. It costs them $300 per year. That's very interesting, I'd be very tempted to get a yak if I knew I could just keep it near the water's edge and it only cost $300 a year (I can't drive). Do sailing/boating clubs tend to have areas where you can store a kayak? There are quite a few around the areas where I fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Unfortunately jay I hear the same thing from Sydneysiders all the time. It's also unfortunate that we can't teach common sense. If I was you, I would get myself a tinny and open up your fishing experiences to a whole new world. Not a 5hp either. Something with maybe 25-40hp and that will open a few more areas as you become experienced. As for swimming, I'm not a strong swimmer either, that's what life jackets are for! I regularly go to the shelf, so swimming in from there isn't an option! Lol. Don't let that deter you! As I said, it's all about common sense! Good luck with your decisions! Cheers scratchie!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blood Knot Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Consider taking up soft plastic fishing - and start accessing the flats and foreshores of the rivers you intend to fish instead of the wharves. There is endless miles of accessible fish holding water beyond what you can access from wharves. Cheers Blood Knot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekD Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I have 4 of my friends with Hobie mirage drive kayaks stored on the club racks. One of the guys talked to someone from the club and received permission to use the spare slots for the last 5 years. Used to be $100 then $200 and now $300 but still good value. The money goes back into the club for the kids activities and we have somewhere to store the kayaks. Also have a jetty there so very easy for us to launch. I call it a win-win. Worth talking to the local councils. Have found them to be pretty reasonable on prices. Talk to the local boating clubs too. If you go down the kayak path then you get to fish, see places you wouldn't easily get to and get some exercise. We started looking at kayaks when we realised we couldn't always get to the pelagics which were busting up over the bays during the summer months. The plastics these days should be UV stabilised and it will be years before you should see any sun damage (if ever) but I prefer to keep mine in the garage. Mine is also a little more decked out than some as I have a fishfinder on it (the head unit I can switch between the kayak and the boat). In summer you won't need it as most of the action is on the surface. When you can buy a new paddle powered kayak for $500 with oar, seat, fishing rod holder use it for a year or two and sell it for $200 or $300 if you get bored I call that a pretty good deal. Be warned if you get the pedal powered Hobie they are addictive. I put my retired mother on one and within half an hour she was scooting around the bay like she'd been doing it for years. Wouldn't take the hint though - she kept coming back and I kept pushing her out again (BTW I actually really do luv her). If you get a kayak please take the time to learn some of the boating rules. You don't need a boat licence but it is for your own safety and that of others. There are times out there when it is a bit like the bicycle versus car situation which can be frustrating as there is plenty of room on the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanmouse Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 Hi All, Hope everyone had a great weekend. Unfortunately, my weekend was okay… only because my mate took me to the Hawkesbury (land based) and I could fish peacefully (even though nothing worthy of keeping) The Gladesville and Parra river are like 20 minutes from my house, but the land based spots get ripped apart by massive crowds (which is fine, I don’t own the water), but there is NO RESPECT for anyone. I always pick up my rubbish, I always try to not disturb other fishos. And these guys are screaming, cheering, casting over my line and everything :/ As I am from West Sydney, it’s very difficult for me to find a land based spot without drama. For e.g. I went to a land based spot in Mosman… I spend hours trying to get live bait and then go to a fishing spot… After only an hour, 7 guys rock up… within a few mins on a small ferry, each have like 2 rods, there was 8 rods out at a time :/ , could not even walk on the wharf. Then one genius decided to climb onto a roof and cast from there wtf man…this is why well behaved fishos get banned from fishing areas… Bait everywhere, no one bothered to pick up their mess (me and my friends picked their s**t after they left… I spend a lot of hours trying to improve my fishing and I am consistently now catching fish (mostly with soft plastics or slugs)… and I tend to get ZERO when so many people rock up and make a concert on the wharf… So I have come to the conclusion of maybe getting a small tinny… now the questions I have are below: I don’t tend to fish off shore (I have zero boating experience) I want to fish the Gladesville river, parra river and Hawkesbury, so to be secure in these areas would a tinny suffice? I don’t have my own house, so is it possible to secure boats on the footpath right outside my house? I see TONS of people in my area do it with very expensive boats and outboards. I plan to get a boating license as I don’t think 5hp outboard would be adequate I am not the BEST swimmer…like I can swim from point A to B, but not the best at walking water (lol), so YES life jackets is something I always have on, even if im rock fishing in clam waters. My budget is 3-4k (for now) please feel free to show me boats you think are okay to handle these river systems. Sorry to be a pain guys, but in my situation is this worth it? I love land based fishing, but when I have two great water systems close to my house (I usually release the fish I catch), and every wharf has 20 people on it… I can’t always drive 50 minutes to the Hawkesbury and walk 30 minutes through the bush to fish peacefully L Thank you. Like yourself I am land based and sick of picking up after grubs, did a post on that issue myself. I fish along Canada bay plenty of foreshore to be had and plenty of parking to be had and you won't have to jostle for a spot, bait shop on Lyons Road to boot. Give it a go you might be surprised.Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzza416 Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 hi there, just keep in mind also that street parking rules have been changed in NSW.....but good luck in finding a suitable boat,,it took me 7 months to find my one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay88 Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 Consider taking up soft plastic fishing - and start accessing the flats and foreshores of the rivers you intend to fish instead of the wharves. There is endless miles of accessible fish holding water beyond what you can access from wharves. Cheers Blood Knot Hi Mate, I fish more with soft plastics than bait usually, thanks to DerekD for showing me the ropes. I have also consistently caught more fish on plastics than bait. I usually use bait when I am going for jewfish at night (and this is where hell breaks lose, everyone wants a jewfish land based). I have my boat license test tomorrow and my mate Mick has been kind enough to take me out to complete my log book. I will need a few months just to clear the car off. I decided I might just get a decent boat instead of a small tinny to have options for off shore. So need to get my finances in order. Also, booked in some swimming lessons to bring me back to shape with swimming again lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 That's very proactive Jay, The swimming lessons will benefit you in other areas as well. Just a quick tip on the boat test. I've only known one guy to fail and he basically didn't study the material at all. My boy did his a few years ago and basically the guys running the course will take a look over your shoulder as you are doing the test and before you finish and take it up for marking just quietly ask them " what do you reckon" and they will generally say something like " You sure about questions XYZ ? This way you can quickly fix before submitting it. From memory you have to get the first 15 questions correct and then 20 out of 25 for the rest. If you fail then they get you to do a different set of questions next time. Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffb5.8 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 All the reasons you listed are why I bought my 4.1mtr tinnie, I fit myself and 3 kids easy and can fish in little bays up and down the harbour and Hawksbury. Makes life easier and my boat all up owes my $4k after having it all serviced and new bearings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay88 Posted November 25, 2015 Author Share Posted November 25, 2015 All the reasons you listed are why I bought my 4.1mtr tinnie, I fit myself and 3 kids easy and can fish in little bays up and down the harbour and Hawksbury. Makes life easier and my boat all up owes my $4k after having it all serviced and new bearings. Oh thats pretty good. I have had a discussion with mom...I think instead of buying a tinny, I should maybe wait a bit longer to save up for something that is more stable and if the need arises could take me out of the harbour. My test is today, and my Mick (fellow raider) said he would help me with the log book and practical experience if I get my license tonight haha I better pass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Incredible Hull Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Hi Jay, I've owned my boat for around 4-5 years now, 4.2m Dory, great boat, don't plan on upgrading yet, don't see a need to. PM me if you want details on: 1. How to pass your boating theory test 2. How to purchase a boat Tinnies are awesome, there's so much less stuff that you need to maintain compared to a bigger boat. Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smasher Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Just a quick tip on the boat test. I've only known one guy to fail and he basically didn't study the material at all. Ha. My mate failed twice even after studying the book, just one question wrong in the section where you cannot get any wrong. You get to re-sit it straight away, they charge you $30 each time (though they waived it for him the third time). This is at the RMS so there's nobody there to give you tips. IMO you need three boats. 1. Tinny to be able to launch it yourself, take into shallow estuaries, and be able to drag it up onto sandbars. 2. 5 - 7m trailer boat to fish comfortably with a couple of mates in bays and offshore on good days 3. 10m+ moored flybridge to spend weekends, have parties with all of your extended friends, take far offshore for game fishing. But unless you have unlimited money, go for 1 or 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay88 Posted November 26, 2015 Author Share Posted November 26, 2015 (edited) Ha. My mate failed twice even after studying the book, just one question wrong in the section where you cannot get any wrong. You get to re-sit it straight away, they charge you $30 each time (though they waived it for him the third time). This is at the RMS so there's nobody there to give you tips. IMO you need three boats. 1. Tinny to be able to launch it yourself, take into shallow estuaries, and be able to drag it up onto sandbars. 2. 5 - 7m trailer boat to fish comfortably with a couple of mates in bays and offshore on good days 3. 10m+ moored flybridge to spend weekends, have parties with all of your extended friends, take far offshore for game fishing. But unless you have unlimited money, go for 1 or 2. um yeah..can only dream, id be happy with a Quintrex Renegade Edited November 26, 2015 by Jay88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooker435 Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Hi Jay, it sounds like you made your mind up on purchasing a boat. As mentioned it is a buyers market if youre looking for a cheap boat but dont be fooled sometimes cheap is also nasty. A tinnie is a great start if you are wanting to fish the estauries also with a tinnie you wont need a massive tow vehicle, as you go for a bigger boat you need to consider the tow vehicle aswell. My first boat was a cheap fibreglass 14ft, great boat but very heavy and difficult to launch solo due to not having the right trailer. I eventually sold it and bought a Qunitrex 375 Dart, a very basic rig but a absoloute dream to launch, tow etc. I am in the process of fitting it out so stay tuned ill put up a post when its finished possibly early next year. The other advantage is smaller boats dont not need alot of power to get them going so less fuel consumption aswell. Best advice is go to a couple of boating shops have a look at a few different rigs and see what you like and ask on here if anyone has that rig and try to find out the pros and cons from actual boat owners and not salesman!!! one last thing is work out a budget and allow about a grand on top of that for extras as previously mentioned here B O A T = Bring on Another Thousand!!! if you need any help dont hesitate to flick me a PM and I am sure plenty of other raiders will be more than willing to help, There is also a mobile mechinic not sure of his name who is one of the sponsors here that could help you with the pre purchase inspection when you get to that stage. Regards, Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macman Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 I recommended a kayak earlier on in this thread, but I also own and love a 3.75m tinny with a 15hp motor. I wouldn't take it outside the heads, but I have spent plenty of time around the harbour, middle head, cannae point etc and it is perfect for inland lakes and estuaries. The big advantage of a smaller boat is that you can launch and retrieve by yourself in any conditions, they are light and can be used as a box trailer when you go camping etc. I have an Allycraft with a Yamaha 2 on a dunbier trailer, you need to put in a bit of maintenance, remember to add couple hundred dollars a year for maintenance. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad_tate Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 I am also in favour of a small tinny. Our first boat was a 3.8m Stacer and it did me proud with a young family for many years. We've now upgraded to a larger boat, but small is definitely the way to go to start. Good luck with your boating license and I certainly recommend getting that. The knowledge you will pick up is invaluable. I also strongly recommend swimming lessons in general - yes wearing a jacket always is good but nothing beats being able to swim. Good luck with it all! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffb5.8 Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 (edited) I bought this boat for near $3k, then did the trailer bearings, rego, outboard service, bimini, rod holders (soon to do the floors). all up it cost me about $4000 and i have now upgraded the motor to a newer 25hp mercury. My tip is buy the best tinnie you can afford with the newest motor with documented service history, i have sometimes bought a cheaper item thinking i might save a $$ or two, but by the time i service it or get it home it costs me the same as a better model or item. http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/jeffb5ltr/Boat3_zps836c4ca4.jpg http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss76/jeffb5ltr/Boat_zps11bf6daf.jpg Edited November 26, 2015 by jeffb5.8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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