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Well great reports from the commercial fleet off Sydney over the last couple of days & with the full moon approaching it should only improve. The yellowfin will be the better fish to target but there is the odd bluefin still amoungst them but with the yellowfin showing up the albacore will also turn up.. often in great numbers.

Check the charts it's not to hard to work out where the fish will congregate its just about being in the right place at the right time. Get out there guys while the weather is great & find those temp breaks & cubing could be the best option or sinking deep livebaits.

Cheers

Damo

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Damo

Still paying my dues this season. Was out Monday for zeroes. Saw the temp break wide of browns today and it looks great. Now how do I convince the missus to let me fill up the boat again....hmmmm

Johno

That's the challenge,
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We fished yesterday around the southern canyons and managed one yellowfin around the 60kg mark. Were marking fish deeper on the sounder but as Damo says hopefully the full moon might encourage them closer to the surface. Also makes cubing an option. A couple of warnings particularly for those in smaller boats and there certainly have been a lot of smaller boats out there. Of late we have been experiencing some varying weather where wide of Browns has been blowing and way rougher than in close. Weather forecasters give general forecast and they're often been variations as people are fishing generally wider these days.Yesterday we also saw a large log the size of a telegraph post semi submerged. With people broadcasting co-ordinates and suddenly 30 boats steaming towards the marks a log like this will do some serious damage and most like sink any boat that hits it at speed. There's a lot of people new to gamefishing searching wider and wider and lots of boats in small areas at times. Be aware and expect the unexpected as no fish is worth some of the risks we've seen at times lately.

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Great advise boattart. We were out at browns on Tuesday with some pretty small boats and based on the forecast it should have been fine but the actual weather/wind would have seen a few of them struggling making the trip back!

Cheers scratchie!!!

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ive seen some small boats, but one shouldnt judge them without knowing the skipper.

the evolution of the trailer boat (stability/reliability/fuel economy etc) means we are seeing more small boats go farther out than ever before.

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I've been in seas when 40ft was a small boat. My point was beware and expect the unexpected. When I first started fishing the Peak was a long way out and only went there when the weather was perfect. These days with modern electronics anyone can type in co-ordinates and go anywhere. I remember seeing a post on a forum a year or so ago from someone saying they just bought a boat and were new to fishing and asking for co-ordinates for the 12 miles and Heaton's Hill. Odd's are Heatons shouldn't have been one of his first targets. Many years ago when they used to run a car race through the Northern Territory with no speed limits a couple of rich Japanese guys in a million dollar Ferrari lost control at a check point and killed themselves and one of the marshals. I remember seeing a quote from Dick Johnson at the time that there were a lot more 300km p/h cars on the road than 300km p/h car drivers. I'm not judging ability on the basis of boat size but I'm suggesting given the sharp rise in the number of smaller boat venturing further and further out that the experience levels probably don't match the increased numbers.

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Thanks guys .. I have a Haines 530 Breeze, would you guys consider that too small to head out to say browns ?

On the right day I would say it would be OK. I'd also add that a vigilant inexperienced person would be safer than a gung ho know it all.

Edited by boattart
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Thanks guys .. I have a Haines 530 Breeze, would you guys consider that too small to head out to say browns ?

I have the same boat only a bit smaller. I wouldn't take it to browns. The conditions can vary too much. But I always err on the side of caution.

A good saying: know your boat, know your limits!

If you are asking whether you go or not, you've probably already answered your own question!

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Anything under 6 metre is probably a bit small, unless you have a very experienced skipper and ideal conditions. I've seen a 470 breeze at Brown's it looked very small in sloppy conditions.

I used to work at a tackle store had a new customer come in who had just bought a boat he wanted to know what gear he needed to fish Brown's as the " salesman" had said this boat could easily fish out there. It was a 5 metre runabout. I tried to convinced him to start at the peak and forget about Brown's for now, I hope he listened, but he seemed annoyed that I was trying to counter what the salesman had told him.

It's a long way out, build up experience with trips to the peak, 12mile , fads in all sorts of conditions before considering a wide trip.

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Thanks guys. I guess if I'm asking, I probably shouldn't be there :)

Great advice !

Build your experience up and confidence.

Partner up with someone experienced, find another boat to run with the first time.

Oh and I know the owner of the 470 very well, took him 4 hours to run back from Browns 2 weeks ago, after he got out there and then blew up.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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Hi Guys I thought I could offer up whatever little wisdom I've picked up this year.... I recently purchased my first ever boat in March this year it's a quintrex renegade 460. The salesman told me I could reach "the shelf" in an hour and with an 80 litre tank I could do some trolling.

It was around that same time that I had just joined Fishraider and I can say without any doubt that some of the advice and knowledge shared on this site probably saved my life. As an absolute newb I spent countless hours reading chats and spongeing off others advice.

Despite what the salesman has told me I haven't been further out than the FaDS and on all occasions I've organised a peer or mentor on a larger boat to go with me. Don't always take a salesmans advice as a guarantee.

As some of the more experienced guys have said above fact is if you have to think hard about whether ur boat can handle it ur probably safer erring on the side of caution.

The way I see it, these big game fish don't hang around all year so for guys like me with smaller boats, your better off spending some dollars and joining a trusty charter such as reef magic where the knowledge and safety come together . Also your probably going to spend the same amount of money by the time you buy the tackle, the kilos of pillies and fill up petrol.

That's my 2c !

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#1 rule before buying a boat is doing some research of the said boat, especially on forums/websites for what ur gonna use the boat for, ie fishing, skiing, recreational. this will give you an idea what others are doing in the same boat. ie conditions they are using it in, how far offshore they have been

no salesmen can tell you the right answer.

your own experience will carve your knowledge of what u can and cannot do in different boats and different conditions

some people will fish offshore in anything, some people want to be comfortable, the person that wants to be comfortable will have a different opinion of the person that will fish any conditions.

everyone has different standards, opinions and risk tolerance/perception, but boats have loads more variables than cars (if u wanted to compare), so really the only right answer for each person comes from their own experiences. unlike a car where most peoples experiences are the same, ie flat roads, speed limits, traffic.

As other have mentioned. Baby steps. Start with the cliffs, then inner reefs, then FADs, then PEAK/12 mile, then u will have a better understanding if u can go farther and what risks are involved

Edited by kulch
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Start by taking your boat out one day when there is a 30knot wind blowing and you are prepared for it, and then think I am only 1 mile offshore, can I do this if I get caught 30 mile offshore and I am unprepared.

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Start by taking your boat out one day when there is a 30knot wind blowing and you are prepared for it, and then think I am only 1 mile offshore, can I do this if I get caught 30 mile offshore and I am unprepared.

I agree with this and the previous post.

When I first started taking a small boat out, I did this and built my confidence up, made it a lot easier, more confidence, the first time I got caught out with a 25 knot guster.

I still run out of Port Hacking now, into a swell to keep my skills and confidence up.

There was an excellent book written about 20 years ago by a guy from South Australia, I think he was a maritime officer, Navy officer or something. I read the book several times from cover to cover.

Rough water powerboat handling by Mark A Robinson

I think Maritime NSW also had a DVD out at one time.

Also worth being aware, most of us are far less skilled than the ability of the boats we own, think someone said this similar in a previous post.

But to back this up.

Hans Tholstrup went from Sydney to Tokyo in a Haines Signature 540, you can still find some of the log on the web, it's worth the read.

Also many many years ago the Leyland Brothers (yeah yeah I know) went from Darwin to Sydney or similar in a Quintrex 16'r

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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Thanks guys .. I have a Haines 530 Breeze, would you guys consider that too small to head out to say browns ?

I have a 5.6 ally runabout and get out to browns atleast once a month.. It all about picking your days and being willing to pull the plug on the first sign of bad weather. Be prepared for it to take 4-5 hours to get back in should the wind pick up..

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Wow great reading, I know it is not a fishing report but some excellent advice contained within the posts, I guess no matter how much care we take big or small boats there is always some risk and we should alway be careful.

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I'm more than likely the bloke out there in the Haines Hunter 470, but I have seen another one out there before.

I have set it up for a small game boat, riggers, live well etc. but I am also very safety conscious. Auto and manual bilge, ebirb, life jackets and other usual safety gear.

I pay attention to weather forecasts and also keep an eye on the weather while I'm out there. I consider my self a quite experienced person when it comes to offshore fishing, in the summer months I'm regularly out there solo at the FADS or marlin fishing. People seem to think that because your boat is 5.5m or over 6m that there is a magical line that cant be crossed.

It all comes down to whether your boat is seaworthy and that your engine is in working condition but most importantly, experience.

Yes I did get caught out 2 weeks ago, I was east of the canyons in 800fa when it got rough and was a long wet ride home.

If your new to offshore fishing take it bit by bit, as suggested go to the peak for some kings and dollies in summer, I even tagged 2 black marlin in march off the peak. Then work your way out, preferably with someone more experienced,

I joined a club when I first started and had blokes on my boat teaching me everything, from trolling the cliffs to trolling out wide.

I will be out there this weekend chasing mako's so say hello

Two C's is the boat name,

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