July 2005

PO Box 63 KALBARRI WA 6536 PH/FAX (08) 9937 2043
http://www.murchisonboathire.com.au/

MURCHISON BOAT HIRE JULY 2005 NEWS LETTER

I have just got back from a short fishing trip with 3 mates up north. We went to fish the small creeks around the Point Samson area. Between Karratha and Port Hedland.
The fishing was quite awesome after we figured it all out. We are not used to big tidal movements but got into some good threadfin salmon up to 5kg before the tides turned bad again. Full report on the trip in next month’s Eletter.

Chris Clare featured in last May’s newsletter catching mackerel and was up again for another shot. He phoned up just as I was looking for some muscles to pull my FAD in for the season. So I invited him and his family, son Kevin, daughter Kirsten and wife Jac out for a fish and “FAD pull”. We went for a fish first catching a lot of blue-lined emperor with Chris picking up the catch of the day, a 7kg dhuie. While Kevin was busy with double headers of blue-lined emperor Kirsten hooked up and dropped two very good fish, probably dhuies like Chris’s below. Before the wind kicked in we went to pull the FAD. Real hard job, glad Chris and Kevin were there. The FAD has been there since January in 47m of water and the rope was covered with slime, weed, barnacles etc and cute scallop shaped, multi coloured shells like shown below. I will be cleaning the FAD up renewing the worn shackles and redeploying it again in January ready for the game season. If you want the GPS coordination just ask when you hire a boat.
Chris Clare with his 7kg dhuie
Colourful scallops from the FAD rope, among seaweed, sponges, barnacles and squirts

Sandy Sanderson dropped in during the school holidays, wanting the 6.1m boat and luckily it was available. Heading out with his family and friends fished spots north of the river mouth. After trying several of my GPS logged spots with no luck went on to another that I had recommended. It then went off for the group, landing skippy, snapper, cods, baldies etc and this huge estuary cod for Sandy. It was not weighed but would have been around the 18-20kg mark. They ended up with 22 odd fish for the day, and called it one of their best ever!
Sandy Sanderson very pleased with his biggest fish to date – estuary cod

Second time hirer James Scovell brought his usual group of 5 guys up, booked our cottage and got $75.00 off the two day hire of the 6.1m. You get this discount if you stay in our accommodation. Garry again got into a huge baldie the first day while James got stuck into a sambo. They ended up with a good bag of reef fish. The second day venturing a bit further they all got stuck into fish of all sorts and it only got better as the day progressed. Someone was lagging behind in the fish tally so took the initiative and loaded up with a big bait. Half a sergeant baker went to the bottom and within a minute pulled up a dhuie. James followed with a big bait also and within minutes was on to a fish of a lifetime. They called it for a sambo, a big cod, then a shark but eventually it came up, this big 12kg dhuie, the biggest from my boats to date!

The group with some of their 2nd days catch

James with his 12kg dhuie
James’s tailor pictured above came from a late evening session at Black Rock, casting poppers over the reef. The only fish to hit that evening! Went 3.9kgs.

John Barry phoned me one evening during the school holidays saying that the fishing charter he was booked on had cancelled and the reason he was in Kalbarri was to fish so needed a boat to get out. Luckily we had the 5.3m boat free and the following days weather was to die for. After a late start John and son Sean got down to the Natural Bridge area south of the river mouth. They got onto a spot catching a couple of nice sized pink snapper and 6 thumping hard fighting sweetlip from another spot. Better than a charter they agreed!
John & Sean with some of the 8 fish they caught

Why does the big fish always take the lightest rod?

Andrew Chan up from Perth for the school holidays hired our 4.3m boat and Locklan Bailey the 5.3m. I was going out in the 6.1m to take my daughter and son for a fish and they both followed me out. We dropped Andrew at the Sand Patch and Locklan and myself headed up beyond Baldface. We drifted in close for snapper picking up 6 nice pinkies while Locklan and crew though doing exactly the same as us in the 5.3m failed to get a fish? As the day glassed off we went deeper to try for dhuies but only picked up a few skippy, baldchin and nor’ west snapper as did Locklan. I would have expected better but some days it just does not happen. On the way back late in the afternoon Andrew was still at the Sand Patch! He was hooked up to a fish that had been on for ½ an hour. Hooked on the lightest rod on the boat Andrew eventually broke the rod in his efforts to lift it, and the fish broke off. He said he had a great day and was happy with the few fish that he did land.


I am sure most of you are aware that it is bad luck to bring bananas aboard a boat. It has been proven time and time again, catches are reduced to near on 0 when bananas are on board, and that includes lolly bananas, banana cakes, muffins etc. Don’t even try to smuggle one aboard in your stomach, don’t even eat one the day before to be safe!

Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club, Local Competition July 23rd

My sambo, one of a pair, 14.9kgs. Lee Ivey’s four fish for the day

Our local comp this month fell on quite a nice day and went searching for new ground out wide looking for those red emperor spots to no avail. We ended up fishing our normal spots after wasting the whole morning searching, picking up a few fish to save the day. I boated a 14.9kg sambo and on the very next drop picked up its twin, which had to be released as only one sambo can be weighed in. Wife, Sue, had a great day picking up her 8 fish one being a nice dhuie. Junior Lee Ivey landed 4 fish and broke off two very good fish (get that drag serviced, Lee!) but still ended up winning his division. My youngest son Jared must have eaten something bad because he spent the day throwing up over the side!

Last year in August we caught some of the biggest and most dhuies of the year and by the way catches are going it should repeat itself. You don’t have to go far as most are picking up dhuies within 10km of the river mouth. They should be around until the middle of September when they finish spawning and disperse into deeper water.
Snapper are always around and can be caught in shallow water on the edge of the reef.
We are now coming into the time when the big tailor start to show up. From now to December big greenbacks savage the reef holes for any unsuspecting bait or reef fish. Poppers and large gardies cast into the white water on a rising tide and moon just on dusk almost guarantees a fish.

Have a look at http://www.earth.google.com/ you will need at least Windows XP and have to download some software. It gives you a satellite image of anywhere in the world and you can zoom into the area. I don’t have XP but have been told it is really good. Gives me a reason to upgrade!

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



Laurie