JonD Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 So after my trip up north where almost every cast resulted in some kind of fish trying to force my arms from the sockets I thought a trip back to reality was needed. Feeling keen I was out at the reefs by 7am with a young gun legend who I also fished with up north. First reef was very quiet, with just one sergeant baker after an hour. Plan was to target gummies, so headed to a spot in 25m where it’s rare to fail. Dropped a burley cage with kingfish heads to just off the bottom using the down rigger. On the panoptics we could soon see numerous fish turning up. Watching the action on the Garmin screen soon had me turning to a shade of green given the sea conditions!!!! No problem as my deckie fished hard with every rod he could manage. No gummy’s turned up, just banjo rays and eels!! Eels were even taking micro jigs and just when I thought things couldn’t get worse I hooked a butchers testicle and ripped it right off the poor fella. It must of been from a butcher as we were catching the wrasse known as butchers p***ks. Could the day get any worse ? Well the weather certainly did and I also forgot to slide up the panoptics transducer on its sliding bracket and ripped it from the boat on the run home. At least the bar crossing was exciting with an outgoing tide, swell and a NE wind. Decided to sell the boat and see how I go without one for a while. 6 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 A disappointing day Jon - but sell the boat, surely you jest??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 In the south we practice fishing, up north they practice catching. Both are sports and require boats. No need to sell IMHO. Weather looks good 👍 Cheers Zoran 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Ct Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 Bloody Green eyes, unlucky with the bycatch. Good luck in the future, Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yowie Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 Ugly critters from the deep. Keep your boat or you will be confined to beach fishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonD Posted November 11, 2022 Author Share Posted November 11, 2022 6 hours ago, Pickles said: A disappointing day Jon - but sell the boat, surely you jest??? Im a bit disappointed with the Honda and the trailer isn't that good for long distance trips, so its actually cheaper to buy a new outfit rather than upgrade those. Trouble is upgrading means waiting a fair few months for anything new, so I will be without for quite a while. Over the past 12 months Ive barely had chance to get out on my own boat as Ive been on mates boats most weekends. I've come to the conclusion that if I really want to target decent fish I may need to travel further, the new boat I have in mind with a has far better economy and range. The coast between Eden and Malaccota is stunning from when Ive been down there working on abb boats and very few fish that far. With a fuel burn of 3.5 to 4km per litre it would be far more achievable in the boat I have in mind. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 8 hours ago, JonD said: a fuel burn of 3.5 to 4km per litre Wow. That’s an aspirational target Jon. I’d be keen to understand how that can be achieved. cheers Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelm Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 I guess to look at it another way, just think of the people who holiday in your area and think the fishing is fantastic....... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 Top report. Great photos. You will miss the boat. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big Neil Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 I've been following your adventures on Fishraider for ages Jon and believe you to be a very accomplished angler and mariner. You have had many a great tussle with all manner of marine species and are no newcomer to the pluses and minuses of boat ownership. When you say that you are going to take a particular course of action that may seem radical to some of us, I respect your vision. Good luck with your next purchase and your interim escapades. You have plenty to offer this site, with your wealth of knowledge and experience and I will defo be eager to see your updates, as they eventuate. Cheers, bn 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larkin Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 I don’t know if that red testicle thing is edible 😂 at least you gave it a shot out there, shame about loosing your transducer! Those things aren’t cheap. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bessell1955 Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 Better his then yours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonD Posted November 12, 2022 Author Share Posted November 12, 2022 14 hours ago, zmk1962 said: Wow. That’s an aspirational target Jon. I’d be keen to understand how that can be achieved. cheers Z My Suzuki 90 had very similar economy from a few years back. I kept my eye pretty firm on the nmea2000 gauge when we took this new boat out for a run. Even pushing rough conditions we couldn't seem to drop bellow 3.5km per litre in that 35-50kh range. These figures are from a 485 signature which is very similar in size and weight. Ive been looking into dyno tuning on the Honda as another alternative which could improve torque and hp to make mine a bit more snappy out of the hole. Its funny how the motor lacks so much initial take off but reaches max rpm once its up and running. Ive tested 6 props and tried every engine height. Ive heard the same from others with these motors too. Ive also found a place that can do a Dumbier loader pro trailer for $5500 but with a 7 month waiting list on them. So with more power and a new trailer in the back of my mind Im not 100% committed to selling yet even though I have two buyers in the wind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zmk1962 Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 10 hours ago, JonD said: My Suzuki 90 had very similar economy from a few years back. I kept my eye pretty firm on the nmea2000 gauge when we took this new boat out for a run. Even pushing rough conditions we couldn't seem to drop bellow 3.5km per litre in that 35-50kh range. These figures are from a 485 signature which is very similar in size and weight. Ive been looking into dyno tuning on the Honda as another alternative which could improve torque and hp to make mine a bit more snappy out of the hole. Its funny how the motor lacks so much initial take off but reaches max rpm once its up and running. Ive tested 6 props and tried every engine height. Ive heard the same from others with these motors too. Ive also found a place that can do a Dumbier loader pro trailer for $5500 but with a 7 month waiting list on them. So with more power and a new trailer in the back of my mind Im not 100% committed to selling yet even though I have two buyers in the wind. That’s dream economy for folks seeing 1.3-1.5km/l . You know what you’re doing Jon. As you told me, every boat is a compromise… so I’ll add that in my experience we keep tweaking until we are not prepared to compromise anymore. Sounds like you have identified the next tweaks already ! Look forward to the updates. cheers Z 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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