Where to start in the ocean!?
Submitted by Brendo on Mon, 2008-12-15 10:34
Hi everyone,
Just picked 18.5 footer on the weekend and started out on the river over the w/e having a bit of fun an getting used to the boat itself.
Havent had to much experience boat fishing on the ocean and am wondering where to start and what to chase. I will be using the hillarys boat ramp mostly when i head out to sea so any help for areas around there will be great. I have a furuno sounder and GPS on board but not sure how to use them 100% yet so i guess ill be learning as i go!
Any direction and help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Brendo
Dickie
Posts: 5
Date Joined: 12/11/08
Hey Brendo...Simple tip
Hey Brendo...Simple tip mate...head west and keep an eye out for cray pots...if you see a long row of them cruise up and down the long line checking out the bottom structure and mark the way points for future reference...would recommend the dvd by Rick Huckstepp...sounder tips
Kev
Posts: 65
Date Joined: 08/12/08
Congrats on the new boat
Congrats on the new boat Brendo!
I'm exact same as you, (new boat, not much experience fishing from one and have no idea where to start looking!)
The guys on here are super helpful and am sure they will throw a lot of tips your way. Another way to start off is check the net for coords. There are a few sites out there, dedicated to GPS coords (if you trust them of course!) Hopefully they will put you onto some fish. Maybe some of the guys on here have tried them before (I havent yet), and can comment if they are any good.
Good luck
Bodie
Posts: 3758
Date Joined: 05/11/07
Just remember around the
Just remember around the cray pots, is that some do have long ropes on them.
So always drive on the correct side of the float, which is down wind side.
3 mile reef is pretty good for skippy, KG's and some other bottom species.
Good time to learn on the ocean this time of year, very little swell about (Well atleast for now)
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
Good one bodie but also
if you do get snagged on a cray line & have to cut your line off, remember to tie a bit of cloth on the rope, as its a unwritten rule for the deckies that when they pull the rope attached to the cray pot, they know that there is a hook coming up & maybe a good size sinker. Where we go in Leeman if you do fish near or around cray pots 9 out of 10 times you'll get snapped of with or bring up nor west blowies (boltcutters). We don't fish near them just put the spot on the gps for out of season, as usally they are on good ground.
SPEWIE LEWIE
Cockburn Power Boat Member
Ginger Tablets Rock
carnarvonite
Posts: 8705
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Cray Floats
Now is the "white crayfish run"and you had best check your sounder before marking the pot locations as the pros will just run lines in front of the anticipated run of crays.
Later after the whites have finished they will drop the pots onto lumps,then you look for a couple of pots close together as an indication of a lump/edge/bit of coral that may hold fish.The white run usually finishes mid/late Jan.By then most of the pots will be in the 70-80 fathom areas,mid to late Feb will see the reds run and again you will see the pots back inshore,their run lasts for 5-6 weeks,after which they pot lumps again.