October 2009

Email: lasue@wn.com.au http://www.murchisonboathire.com.au/
MURCHISON BOAT HIRE OCTOBER 2009 ELETTER
We are now well into the new 2 month closed season on catching demersal fish. This does not really affect
me much as I have few hires this time of year anyway. It also has given me time to do some serious
maintenance that I have been putting off in case I get a hire. Fishing is still permitted but any of the listed
demersal fish have to be returned. What’s on the list? Well during the closed season that runs from
15th October to 15th December and includes the area from Augusta to north of Kalbarri. The following species
have to be returned and cannot be landed:
Coral trout & coronation trout, cods (serranidae sp), dhufish, emperors (including nor’west snapper)
baldchin groper & tusk fish, western blue groper, hapuka/bass groper/blue-eye trevalla &
grey banded rock cod, parrotfish, pink snapper, queen snapper, red snapper, mangrove jack,
red emperor, fingermark, jobfish, stripey sea perch, foxfish & pigfish.

On the list is probabally the fish you might try to avoid! We can still catch and keep:
skippy, morwong (sweetlip) samson fish, tailor, mulloway, tarwhine, and all the other category 2 species etc, etc.

Abalone season
The abalone season started at the beginning of October, always good to get out and pick a few of these very tasty
shellfish. I got a few at the beginning of the month, and these when the next low tide and low swell coincided.

Low tide early morning, pick the easy ones first.
Jason Agrela and myself pick over the area.
Spot them first, wait for the right opportunity, sometimes this means waiting a few sets before making your move.

Its reef ledges like this that they are on, right in the holes. Some spots you just can’t get to!

Best to go with another person who also has a licence, that way you can watch each other’s backs, call out
when a wave comes in, and hold onto them when the water gets too deep!
When you find a spot with lots of big ones, it is hard to pass up. This was a good day!


Make sure you only get 20 per license holder per day; most of the ones we pick are well over size.
Season is from 1st October to 30th May, all day every day north of the Greenough River.

Wash the sand off them, cut them out of their shells and pound them with a tenderiser.

Jeremy a fishing legend
David has hired the 5.3m boat before and sent an amusing story that was in my July 2009 newsletter.
He returned early this month with friends from Sydney and hired the 5.3m again,
This is his story!

I don’t know how to make a start to write about my story this time, but my girlfriend’s cousin & her young &
passion husband, Jeremy, came from Sydney for a few days’ holidays. They never have a chance to hire
a boat and for deep sea fishing. However, I was so lucky that I am in Perth and have Laurie in order to
experience the fantastic deep sea fishing. It was a pretty good weather to go out, especially in the morning.
It’s getting summer now, and we can see the sun, even it is only 6 o’clock. My girlfriend always wants some dhufish,
we’ve never get one; therefore we decide to target the dhufish this time.

There is a particular spot which is called “trout” in the GPS that I’d like to mention again, that spot is really good,
you should never miss that one. We stopped the trout spot, after a while, I decided to move on and tried to find another
spot, at mean time, Jeremy, got a 72cm Dhufish.

It is amazing.

Moreover, 2 big pinkys were pulled out by Jeremy in the later afternoon.

The rest of people got nothing for the rest of the day, and he got 3 big monster fish in one day and in his life. The whole day will come a legend in his life.
He said he would come back one day for sure. I guess this is people’s the hunter gather instinct and I am sure he really enjoy it.
The weather was good but the wind was getting stronger and stronger, 2 ladies on board were sick seriously, as a skipper,
I decided to come back. It is only 2 o’clock.

7.8m trailer upgrade
The 7.8m boat spent a lot of time being towed up north and back again last year without incident.
The boat with a full tank of fuel and with additional stuff on board weighs over 3 ton and the twin axils are rated at 1.5 ton each.
So on return the bearings were always looking a bit tired and I don’t blame them!
Something had to be done and I investigated adding a third axle, but found the best option was to
up grade the axle to twin 2 ton Landcruiser axle and bearings with 14 inch 6 stud pattern rims.

The much bigger diameter axles. I feel more confident now.
Hope you are reading this Kevin!

Job done, much better

Small rate rise next year
It had to happen, but we are putting our hire rates up by a small percentage as from 1/1/10. We last had a small
rate increase at the beginning of 2008 and due to the so called recession kept them the same for 2009.
As last time, for those who have already paid their deposit/bond and who pays their deposit/bond before 1/1/10
will still get the old price quoted to you at the time of your booking. Some of you have bookings right up to July
next year and will be getting the old price!
I will have to be strict on this, so get your deposit/bonds in before you miss out!

Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club Monthly Comp 24th October 2009.

Some of the fish we were permitted to keep after the start of the closed season. A small sambo for Sue
and a skippy caught by junior angler Brittany from my 7.8m boat.
Sue won the senior section with her sambo and a skippy. She released a big baldchin, the stingray and a few pink snapper.
I thought I was in with a chance landing a bigger sambo but the extra species Sue caught added the necessary extra points.
I had to release a dhuie and several pink snapper as well.

Nic Bramwell landed 2 nice mulloway from the beach to win the land based section.

Popular Northern Destinations

Thevenard Island
There are new managers at the Onslow Mackerel Motel, Colin and Rosa will now look after you on the mainland.
Rosa will take your accommodation booking if you would like to visit. Phone her on 9184 6586
Colin will sort you out with a lock up storage area for trailers and your vehicle when you are at the island.
Drew is still the Island manager: 9184 6444.
This year the 6.1m and 7.8m boats are already booked for Thevenard Island but there are still spaces available for adventures in this great place.
bookings@mackerelislands.com.au
Check out the website: http://www.mackerelislands.com.au/

Gnaraloo Station
Gnaraloo contacts for accommodation:
Barbara: 9315 4809
Email: bookings@gnaraloo.com.au
Website: Gnaraloo.com.au

Game, Bottom and Beach Fishing Action
These links will take you to Youtube showing some great action video clips taken from
my boats and also a very good mulloway from the beach.
Triple tuna hook-up
Dhuie and snapper
Beach mulloway


Noel and Robyn are willing to accept bookings for my boats at Port Gregory
I will deliver the boat down there for 2 or more days hire for free.
& return it to Kalbarri for you.

Remember if you rent our accommodation in Kalbarri you get big discounts on our boats.
Have a look on my website for the details, and check out the savings.


5-day weather forecasts, http://www.buoyweather.com/ go to virtual buoys, pick the location you want.
This is the one I go by!


Big bait – big fish
Laurie