would you expect some sort of refund from this charter

[jayvee]

hi all,
i'll cut straight to it!!

My boss took myself and another mate/employee out on a half day 3 person charter from mooloolaba that we'd talk'd him into because this charter has a realy god reputation................

in previously exchanged emails with the charter operator he asked us to email through what species we wanted to target. i reply'd with: Spaniard,wahoo,yellow tail kings,cobia,mahi mahi and amberjack and half way through if things arent lookin to good maybe target some reefies so we can at least come home with a feed!! the reply email was: all good no worries we'll leave at 4am head out jig up some livies go back in target spaniards till they go off the boil then back out to try for some mahi mahi and wahoo and on the way stop around the blinker for a try for the kings and ambo's

well we left at 4am managed to only jig up 4 livies head back in and troll them for the spaniards with 1 hit and 1 hook up but dropped witch my mate took the first strike on. ok so the spaniards are there but the decision is made at about 7am to head out for mahi and wahoo. get to a mark and there is a school of mahi there witch the operator dropped a livie down to but no interest so he sticks a plac on and says to me here throw this at them, i reply with how should i work it back to the boat which was met with "just however mate" (Good advice me thinks) i reckon all up we spent about 20mins there with the mahi then we were of again further out
pull up and he puts 4 diff lures out for the troll trying for MARLIN (i dont remember saying anything bout targeting MARLIN) we trolled lures untill 1:30pm (we were meant to be back at 11am but he stayed out cus we'd only caught 1 fish) and caught 1 small 12kg marlin in that time witch i took the strike on and bought to the boat!

so all up from from 5am till 1:30pm 8 and 1/2 hours of trolling we had 1 hit 1 hook up but dropped and caught the small marlin,never chased the kingy's or ambo's and even tho we hadnt boated a fish half way through never try'd for reefies and to make matters worse my Boss who paid for the day NEVER EVEN TOUCHED A ROD so basicaly he paid $150 for a boat ride and a sun tan

upon arriving back to the boat we were told sorry i couldnt put you ont'm fella's and that was the end of the day!

in my opinion this was without doubt the worst charter i've been on!
interested to here your thoughts
cheers for reading my long winded rant
JAYVEE

[PinHead]

You can pay for charters all you want..but there is never any guarantee of catching fish. That is a fickle part of the recreation of fishing.
I paid a lot more than what your boss did for a charter last weekend..bugger all fish but I had a great time nonetheless.

[FNQCairns]

Sounds to me like one of those days, happens. Saddly that is the gamble, he did find you fish and pack what seems a lot into the short time available, IMO I wish some of my trips would go so well and they are somtimes near twice as long, yesterday was one of them.

Personally I wouldn't ask for a refund but based on what you said I would go out again with this bloke, some days are diamonds.....

cheers fnq

[Fish'n Junky]

That's the way the cookie crumbles mate...
It sux, but it's life.
I think the Skipper was pretty cool giving you extra time.. He didn't have to do that!

[nick-o83]

..........................Nope

[finga]

I wished I was guaranteed fish when-ever I took the boat out.
Part and parcel of the past-time I'm afraid.
At least a couple of fish caught. Better then a donut :)

[jayvee]

so basically what you guys above are saying is you'd happily pay $150 each to go out on a FISHING charter boat,spend 7 hours trolling/targeting 1 species of fish you never asked to target,possibly not even touch a rod (on a fishing boat) and pull into the ramp a happy camper feeling it was $150 well spent...........might start my own charter boat if customers are as easy to please as you guys!!!

[DC]

Congrats on your marlin! I'd pay $150 to get one of them any day.

[Greg P]

Congrats on your marlin! I'd pay $150 to get one of them any day.


Spot on Dane. Sounds like he pulled all stops out to try and get you onto some fish. A half day charter that went for 7 hours ???

Did you mention your "dissatisfaction" when you returned to the ramp?

Personally I think he did his best for you but your obviously unhappy enough to come on here with a post.

[buttcrack]

I went out on a charter of noosa last weekend.the guy who took us out Paid a lot more money than your 150 per person the fuel was about $800we went 3 hours off noosa.there were 12 of us we got about 20 mixed reefies but remember there was 12 of us and we paid to go long,but we all had a good laugh at each other and just enjoyed it.Jayvee You can come with me Ill only charge for bait and a bit of fuel.

[PinHead]

so basically what you guys above are saying is you'd happily pay $150 each to go out on a FISHING charter boat,spend 7 hours trolling/targeting 1 species of fish you never asked to target,possibly not even touch a rod (on a fishing boat) and pull into the ramp a happy camper feeling it was $150 well spent...........might start my own charter boat if customers are as easy to please as you guys!!!

you asked to target a species?..why not let the skipper guide you.
Why didn't theboss touch a rod? Not the skippers fault.
Reality is..no one knows if fish are there or on the chew when yo ugo out..if you expect a charter skipper to guarantee you fish then I suggest you never bother going again..you will only be disappointed.
$150 each is inexpensive for a charter

[Horse]

Most people would be happy with the skipper who worked another 21/2 hours and burnt a lot more fuel trying to put you onto fish. It sounded like he pulled out all stops to try to get you onto fish. A Marlin would make a lot of fishos very happy campers

[Fish Guts]

did i read correctly that the charter caught a marlin ? a lot of people would have been over the moon for that alone. full credit to the skipper for staying out the extra couple of hours to try and get you on the fish. thats a fairtale compared to some of the horror stories you read on here re: charters.

i think you should have put a few tea spoons of cement in your cereal. and harden up !

fish guts

[Tangles]

Whats the charters name, reckon Id be happy to go on it,, sounds like the skipper went over and above,

mike

[Ausfish]

Sounds like the skipper did a lot of miles and changed tact as often as needed to try and get whatever was on on the day. And stayed out longer to get anything that might bite.

Even a lousy Marlin ::)


I know people that have paid thousands to try and get one, of any size, on board and not got lucky.

I would be upset if the operator just did a big drift all day and then took you back. But this guy obviously pulled all stops.



It is called fishing, not catching.

[Black_Rat]

That's fishing ;)

[choppa]

i thought the title of this post was """would i expect some sort of refund"""

you don't obviously own a boat do you,,,

150 for a day on the water,,,?????????????????????????

shut up choppa

[NAGG]

You can pay for charters all you want..but there is never any guarantee of catching fish. That is a fickle part of the recreation of fishing.
I paid a lot more than what your boss did for a charter last weekend..bugger all fish but I had a great time nonetheless.

Agree totally with Pinheads comment .......... & lets face it - A half day charter you cannot expect to target multiple species ...... with multiple techniques
The time & effort that is required to catch livies ...... needs then to see those livies focused on a set target ......... Say kingies or AJs.

Dont feel bad about it ........ we did a full 2 days at Bermagui last year targeting Marlin ....... & we raised 1 fish & landed a small Yellowfin ....... THATS IT for 20 hrs & $3000 - but no real complaints

Chris

[NAGG]

Congrats on your marlin! I'd pay $150 to get one of them any day.

One marlin could have easily turned to a couple each ........ when those small blacks are on :P

Chris

[webby]

I would expect a few more trips out of them to catch one of all the targeted species you expected to catch;D

[skipalong]

thats cheap mate i run my own boat for more than that some trips for no avail on the fish but next trip you could get more fish than you could handle and it would be a different story then, fish are a hard target species in general.

cheers justin

[dfox]

The skipper obviously lucked out on a spaniard, but still managed a few hits. The mahi mahi were there but didnt bight, they often do that, fustrating but expected.
If you managed a marlin then theres every chance that a wahoo or mahi mahi may have hit the same lures in the same area.
By now its well into the day, any bight period for reefy's is well over and theres every chance that you'd be wasting your time bottom bashing.
To garantee any Aj's or YTK's he'd need to go really wide and deep, if it was me i'd continue trolling hoping to jag a few hoo to keep the clients happy.
I think he played his cards as best he could for this time of year... foxy

[mono]

Spot on Foxy.

Cheers

[Ozie_3]

i'd like the name too.... i want a charter soon and wouldnt mind a drive up to the sunny and that sort of service... sure me n a mate can get a third along....beats the hell out of using fuel n bait in the bay for zip..(which i enjoy anyway....a feed is a bonus)

[whatscracken]

I think a refund is totally out of the question. It sounds like maybe your expectations of this charter were pretty high and its important to let the skipper play his cards to make the best day possible for all on board because after all it is their job.

[levinge]

Thats why they call it fishing, unfortunately you got boating.

Best of luck next time.

Thats why I don't go on charters anymore, If there aren't any fish onboard its my fault and nobody elses

[BR65]

Pay your money and take your chances, doesnt matter whether its a charter or your own boat.
IMO no refund deserved at all.

[lippa]

i say name the charter operator.
i pretty sure 99/100 blokes here would book him no worries.
sorry you felt disappointment mate, but thats the game brother.
ya want guaranteed fish, go to one of those farms.

cheers

lippa

[tigermullet]

Management, in its infinite wisdom, used to keep me away from any contact with the public during my working years because any encounter was never going to end well.

The few contacts made with the public generally filled me with loathing and an almost irresistible desire to choke the living shit out of them.

I can only sit back in awe of the service given by the charter operator. He must be a saint.

Tonight my dreams will be filled with pleasant images of keel hauling crew members.

[ollie1]

hi guys
i was on the boat . as jayvee said we didn't ask to target marlin, nor troll all day for em. we asked to try for mackerel , cobia , dolphin fish ,kingies and maybe some ambo's and if that wasn't going well try for some reefies so we could take home a feed!!! but as we were to find out later we could'nt do that as there was no bait (pilly's or squid) on the whole boat. i mean who takes people ona charter boat with no bait! anyway we were getting hits from the mackerel and seen another spaniard boated in one hour, so we thought it was going well but then he decided to leave them and chase dolphin fish after a bit we came across a patch and after the livie he put out didn't get hit . nor the only plastic he gave us and the one livie he did drop he siad i'll take the hit then hand you the rod .wtf. he decided to troll for rest
of the day ,we did get one marlin but never chased the reefies we had agreed on nor tried the blinker or markers for kings and ambo's that he suggested which may have been fun. thats why we left dissapointed!

[iceknight]

Do you go to the pokies.. and play.. and dnt win.. then ask for a refund?

Its the same princeable...

hows about i lend you my boat.. you can fuel it up. and supply tackle.. and ill pay you the 150 !!! :D id be more then happy with that!

[RayDeR]

G'day!

I guess the Charter Operator quickly assessed what the customers were capable of in spite of their shopping list and did his best for them. Even on the best charter, the best fishermen catch most fish. On an ordinary charter,the best fishermen still catch most.

I imagine, too, that the shoping list was so big that he thought you just forgot to put marlin on it.

Ray De R

[Angla]

I agree the list of wants was a bit long and varied. But first and foremost I think you expected too much result for the bosses money. Did you check the moon phases to see if it was a good bite period during your charter. Timing is everything to fishing, then there is the tackle, the bait, the weather and the position too.

Suck it up and have another go but maybe ask the charter operator for a time he thinks you will catch some fish from a smaller list. If you give him your phone number and he calls, then I would suspect you may get a few keepers and be happier.

What day did you go out? Were there any reports put up of good catches on that day?

No refund due

Chris

[sleepygreg]

Maybe stick to the Playstation - or the Wii, i hear they have some great fishing games on them....my niece has caught three marlin and seven wahoo this week!!!!!!........damn sight cheaper than going on charters. Or you could just bite the bullet and buy your own boat and find your own fish just like the rest of us...and join the real world of expectations. $150 gets you a trip out on a boat with a competent skipper, tackle supplied, bait for the purpose, maybe a some tucker and soft drinks.....but in NO WAY guarantees you fish. Why dont you name the charter concerned......sounds to me like he did everything he could think of on the day and with the conditions at hand to try and put you onto a fish...........and to get him to stay past his time.................that just doesnt happen...unless he is one of the 'good guys' in the industry. And as for getting you guys a marlin.....FFS......the majority of anglers on this site would give their right nut to get that!!!!!!!! Stop complaining and book this guy again with YOUR OWN MONEY and see what happens.

I get off me soap box now
Greg

[lido76]

An extra 2 1/2 hours and you want a refund what a joke! You caught a marlin and you are dissapointed what a joke! Your boss paid for the day and you thank him by saying you had a s@#t day what a joke ! you my friend are a very ungrateful person. As others have said, stick your hand in your pocket buy your own boat, buy your own fuel ,and buy your own bait not to mention the tackle, rods and reels, saftey gear electrics etc etc etc go out fishing and see how often you come back with nothing other than a crappy MARLIN!!!!!! Perhaps next year you should suggest to your boss he takes you to the EKKA cause "EVERY CHILD PLAYER WINS A PRIZE" I don't think you need to worry about going out on the boat again because the skipper will probably be booked out the next time you try to book with him. Go on a trip with some other charters and you will see just how hard your skipper worked for you on the day.... Good luck in life if thats your attitude....
Brendan

[outsiderskip]

that a cheap trip
stop whinging u got a few strikes and caught a marlin
many have gone out and payed more and caught nothing
that fishing
just name the charter operator
sounds like he is in demand on here

pete

[trymyluck]

Mate i've been on a very ordinary charter not so long ago but one thing that i didn't put on the list of grieviances was lack of fish even though we may have been disappointed with the amount we caught thats fishing.Probably more to with our fishing skills.My suggestion would be to shorten your list and target reefies early and troll out to reef and after you have a feed on board. For what you requested you would have been pushing it with a full day charter(which it appears you pretty well got).
Cheers Mark

[revs57]

G'day Jay Vee and Ollie

Guys, i'm not sure any of us are that easy to please, particularly when it comes to slow sessions and fishless trips, but I think what we are saying is we've all been out, burned a heap of fuel, spent a heap of time and caught Jack all, spent money on good charters and caught Jack all. Charter Skippers don't like not catching fish either. They rely on word of mouth advertising and the smaller operators will bend over backward to please their customers.

From what you describe, the operator tried a number of techniques and disciplines to try and get you onto fish. You don't need many livies, and if they were hard to get, it is an indication its going to be a slower session. 4 livies are enough if they take fish, he worked the grounds, tried a number of dirrerent techniques, got a number of strikes.

Your workmates dropped the fish and that wasn't the Skipper fault, If you were with me (and I'm not a charter), that would have cost an extra carton;). all my deckies know if they drop a fish its a carton for the skipper.

Hence the skippers suggestion that he would hook up a strike to make sure the hooks are well bedded then give it over. I'm not sure that constitutes a "wtf". I've paid good money where the guide wouldn't let me near the rod until a fish was on, and I love doing the lot - rigging. baiting, casting, fishing, thats all part of it for me, but I do understand when the fish are few and far between, a good operator wants to make sure a good fish isn't lost through inexperience or lack of local knowledge. An experienced fisho can almost call what the fish is by the way a fish takes a bait and what it does in those first few seconds, and some of them have extremely hard jaws - take a look at the grinding plates on a good sized cobe. Trying to set a hook can be very challenging, and that he was prepared to take the fall if he dropped the fish, what more could you ask for?

Matey you can dead stick a plastic and get a fish if they are around and chewing. Perhaps a little more encouragement with the "How to fish a plastic" could have been helpful, but as others have said, he stayed out over time to try and boat a fish - the fact that you got onto a marlin - even though not specified was a bonus and you'll pick up all the species you mentioned trolling if they are around and on the chew. I've been on charters and not boated a keeper fish before.

These days very rarely do we carry smelly bait, we've caught all the species you mentioned on plastics, they do outfish bait and if fish are around and feeding, you will catch them on plastics.

That's fishing as they say. The factors as to why the fish arent co-operating could be phase of tide and moon, barometric pressure, or just plain finicky but if you're not out there, you're not in the game. I wish I could guarantee one good fish every time I go out but I can't.

Apart from the slow fishing action I hope you had a great time on the water with your boss and workmates. Personally I think spending with mates doing what I love is what fishing is about, if you get a few - its always a bonus. Swano always say, "Lets try and get one good fish today" and it sounds like your skipper did everything to attempt to make that happen.

Some of the reports that go up here may suggest offshore is where you load up and give false expectations. There are some very talented fishos here who regularly turn in good results, but even the best have bummer trips that aren't written about.

I'm sure its not the result he wanted either and he would share your disappointment - his comment "Sorry I couldn't put you onto'm today" is an indication of his disappointment. Its not often a charter operator will apologise - it wasn't his fault the fish weren't hungry.

Don't be too hard on him, Yes, if it was me, after the day you described, I'd happily pay, and go out with him again.

I hope this helps with another perspective

Cheers

Rhys

[finga]

Who was the charter??
I want to see Dane (DC) on a Marlin....
I reckon I'd donate a dollar or two and even go on the charter just to watch him. That'll be worth the $150+donation just to see the smile on his dial.
That chair better be bolted in good and proper though :D

[Fish'n Junky]

so basically what you guys above are saying is you'd happily pay $150 each to go out on a FISHING charter boat,spend 7 hours trolling/targeting 1 species of fish you never asked to target,possibly not even touch a rod (on a fishing boat) and pull into the ramp a happy camper feeling it was $150 well spent...........might start my own charter boat if customers are as easy to please as you guys!!!


I don't think anyone would be ecstatic with the result, but most would realise that it happens that way sometimes. Do you catch fish every time you try? I wish i could. :D

Anyway, grab a kleenex off Santa as he slides by, and look forward to your next trip.
:P

[Tropicaltrout]

Sounds like you got a marlin on a charter, and wern't happy, I say but a boat....

[Apollo]

I beleive that with charters, you can complain about the service if it is wanting or not as agreed to prior. Sounds like this skipper tried pretty hard. Lack of fish is sometime part of the game and rarely the skippers fault. Want a guaranteed feed of fish - head to the coop at the end of the spit.

There aren't too many small charter operators working out of Mooloolaba, so I am guessing it is a chance you went out with Rob Smith. If it was, I can only vouch that he gave me a great day out and was worth recommending.

[preso]

NO. Go to a fish shop. Thats the only place for a list like that.>:( . Ill bet you wont cross off that list there either. Wake up to yourself.
Cheers John

[trueblue]

I don't reckon it is right to give the charter operator a list of target species. better to ask him what would be good on the day, and get a couple of his preferred options.

that way, a good operator will be able to do what he does best, and try and put you onto what he thinks will be happening on the day, rather than having to try and fill a shopping list.

If your boss wasn't first on to a strike while trolling, that was your fault - not the skippers. you blokes were on the charter, and its up to the customers to work out who is up next if a rod goes off. I know if my boss shouted a fishing charter, I'd be pushing him up and onto the first strike while trolling to say thanks for the charter.

you can't have everything - and as mentioned earlier, its called fishing, not catching.

[TimiBoy]

Poor old Jayvee got a bit of the raw end of the prawn in some of the feedback here. I'd like to know whether this was the first Charter you've been on Jayvee?

Maybe, after JV or his Boss told the skipper what they were after, the Skipper might have said something about it being only a half day? He might also have made comment on the day about the conditions, and the likelihood of success?

You know, something like this:

"Gee Guys, I'd love to target all those, but we only have 5 hours."

Then on the day:

"Wow, barometer's not so good, and catch rates have been down. I think we'll do it this way, what do you think? Marlin are about, I know they weren't on your list, but I think they're a chance, so what do you think Boys, shall we give it a go?"

Good old communication. It's a panacaea - it doesn't matter what's wrong, communication will help.

I don't think a refund is due, but I'd say that if you're not happy, learn from the day, so you know what to look/ask for next time.

Cheers,

Tim

[CHAPPY]

I take it you are not an accountant.

3 clients @ $150 = Total charter of $450;00

start time 4am finish 1.30 = 9.5 hours

which works out at $47:37 per hour

you cant get an apprentice plumber for that.

You got a boat, a driver, fuel, and all other running costs for that.

I think you owe him money

Chappy:-/

[tigermullet]

Tim is right. We were a bit harsh.

Must take notes on how to be more forgiving and charitable.

There's an excuse for me - I hate the effen public anyway.;D

[griz066]

Nothing unusual about that unfortunately.

[Just_chips]

I hope you are reading these responses Javvee and co. and not just dismissing them thinking the world has turned against you and they have got it all wrong.

There is nothing worse than convincing a non fisher about how good it is too go out on a charter and you build them up and tell them that we are going to catch this and see that and it just doesn't happen. I bet you were probably a little embarrassed about convincing your boss to pay for you guys out there and then it didn't happen like the brochure said it would.

There is no point taking your embarrassment out on the skipper of this boat. I have seen a number of posts in the last year of unhappy charter clients and quite often the hoardes on here have called for them to be named so that they can hunt them down and put them out of business. But in this instance the crowds want to know who this guy is so that they can book a trip out with them. It is absolutely awsome to see this kind of response.

I'm sorry you had a crap day but that is the way it goes sometimes.

I have often said before that being a charter operator would be the worst job in the world and you have just confirmed this once again by complaining about a bloke who works too hard. Nice job.

Kev

[dogsbody]

Sometimes the fish don't want to play and there's nothing you can do.

I'd suggest save up ten times that amount and head to the Swains for a week on the Norval. There's fish in them thar waters.

Dave

[Reel Blue]

During your 8 and a half hours of trolling, that you didn't want nor enjoy, did you ask him to take you to the blinker? It would have cost him less on fuel so maybe you just needed to communicate?

[dreemon]

I just spent 2 days , sunday and today crabbing and fishing spent about 60 - 70 on fuels, and came home with one HUGE crab !! I'm RAPT, and had a good time on the water even though the winds and chop were insane at times, even when the fisheries pulled me up they said " thats the biggest we've seen for a long time" have fun !!

[trymyluck]

G'day Jay Vee and Ollie


Your workmates dropped the fish and that wasn't the Skipper fault, If you were with me (and I'm not a charter), that would have cost an extra carton;). all my deckies know if they drop a fish its a carton for the skipper.




Hey I like this bit, thats gotta be on the list of boat rules for sure. hahaha;D;D;D

[ollie1]

reel blue, thats what he suggested himself before we left the harbour, we thought that sounded like a great idea and said sweet, as we know thats a good reliable spot to try for at least ytk's. did we ask him to take us there while out no. because we just thought that would be his plan along the way as mentioned. i know there generally small to just over legal around there, could have been a trip saver at the least. and got a feed. in hind sight should have spoke up but didn't think we should have had to. as had been spoken of already. as for the conditions it was a cracker! 8 to 12 knots till lunch time. we were going to suggest trying floating some pilly's out but obviously didn't have any. it was just a wierd trip. leaving areas we knew had fish to troll for the marlin. would have been different if we never got a touch anywhere or seen any fish but we did. heaps of boats out to. we don't expect to catch fish if there not biting. if he tried as hard on the other fish as he did on the marlin we could have scraped a feed together. in sted of what seemed waisting his time and ours.

[jayvee]

ok guys thanks for all your replys weather for or against

1st- we were asked to give a list of target species,which i wasnt expecting as i no its not the norm with charter boats

2nd- the charter op agreed to that list and said no worries to targeting them

3rd- we asked to leave after lunch but the op said no we'll go first thing in the morn to target those species

4th- the hookup when trolling for spaniards was takin by the op then the rod hand'd to OLLI1 and the fish was gone 2secs later.i took the marlin hook up as my boss was up the front of the boat at the time so in order for the boss to have touched a rod we would have need'd 3 hookups for the day but there was only 2

5th- i regularly fish on OLLI1's boat out from mooloolaba and we regularly boat
snapper and grassy's and such between 3-6kg and its costs us $30 for fuel $20 for hooks and $25 for bait. thats why we wanted to target those species and the reefies were a last resort, as we no how to target and catch reefies.We've cought YTK's and mahi and spanish (matter of fact we cought 2 mahi and a spanish fri arvy after wednesdays charter) but dont chase them on a regular basis

6th- if we werent asked for a list and were told what the plan was for the day all would be fine,but the fact still remains he asked for the list and agrred it would be no problem to target those species. maybe thats why we were all so bum'd that 3/4's of the trip was not what we were told we would be doing

As stated by a few responses maybe a lack of communication is really whats to blame:-/ . tho dissapointed with some of the replys which were obviously by some who merely have to much time on there hands and just wanted to tell me i was an Ungrateful ###### with a poor attitude etc etc.. which were of no real value

thanks anyway for most of the replys
JAYVEE

[Jeremy]

matter of fact we cought 2 mahi and a spanish fri arvy after wednesdays charter
JAYVEE
Wouldn't mind betting that you caught these at the spots the charter took you to. Wasn't a total waste after all eh!

Jeremy

[mik01]

Wouldn't mind betting that you caught these at the spots the charter took you to. Wasn't a total waste after all eh!

Jeremy

good point mate - I'd pay $150 to catch a marlin and free marks!

[Smithy]

This was written before Jayvee and Ollies last reponses but I will get onto them soon.

Yes it was me. I was alerted to this thread by a mate. I hardly get time to go into any other section other than the fishing reports so had missed this. It is simply a tail of why it is called fishing and not catching. You have days like that. It is maybe one of the first 5 questions I get by prospective customers if I can guarantee a catch and I will always tell them I probably have one dud day in four. They must have been on one of those dud days from their perspective. It has also happened for me with other Ausfish members aboard so they are not alone but that is reality.

This is how the day panned out from my perspective. First off the guys were a bit late and we all know how important dawn is for Mackerel fishing and the livies can often be on the surface when you get there if early enough. The only livebait spot I had going for me after a few days on the water looking for them everywhere and 3months up north out of the scene was in 42m of water out from Mooloolaba. Two days prior it yielded strings of 4 slimeys at a time and the day before I caught plenty of yakkas but on the day in question with fishing being fishing all we could round up were 3 yakkas and one trevally. With dawn wasted punching out into a sloppy little left over northerly sea which slowed me up even though I pushed harder than I normally would have with customers getting the prop out of the water at least twice but these were young fit guys and I was a bit annoyed at losing the twilight period only to get there and find it so hard to jig a bait.

Spaniards can often go off the bite at 7:00 or 8:00 or so and we gave it till then for the two bites and the one lost fish in a pack of about 20 boats. The day after off Noosa I found the livies on one of my other spots and went 5 from 8 on the Spanish before 8:00 so there you go, it is so dependant on being early and having a tank full of livies.

I have found a couple of FADs put out by someone by trolling around so much lately so I ran up there to use the last two livies on them going for dolphinfish only to find one boat on one already on the day in question and a school of mahi mahi on the second but not chewing, not even on livies. Livies is how I was slaying them on the SCGFC FAD back in March or whenever it was. We then started trolling around them to entice them with lures but it wasn't to be and with the sun now high in the sky trolling the baitfish grounds was my best option. Anyone who has been off Mooloolaba would have seen how much the current it ripping. It is making bottom fishing near on impossible. I was drifting 0.7knots south the other day in a SWer around 15knots which would usually see me going north at about 2knots. Reef fishing hinges on dawn a lot of times as well. If the call was reef fishing it was the option to start with but the boys were ok with chasing the mackerel so that is the way we went. The charter trip before I was 2 from 4 on black marlin, 4 mahi mahi and about 6-8 mystery strikes that didn’t connect. In the last 3 weeks out there I have also got cobia, and wahoo on the troll, an 11kg or so longtail tuna on a livey and there have been yellowfin tuna caught out there up to about 14kg. I didn’t just go for marlin because I would have run all skirts or garfish but I went with two minnows to try and pick up some food fish for the boys. It just didn’t happen. It was a generally slow day. I did hang in for the extra couple of hours because there was a tide change or solunar time after my usual cease fishing time of 11:00 on a half day charter. The tide change should have triggered a bite but it didn’t really happen for us. Maybe the blinker was an option at some stage but the drifts would have been super fast with the current out there and a NE seabreeze. I had a quick look down at my cobia spots off Caloundra the week before and there were no shows that way worth fishing in my opinion.

I also ran a bit faster than normal up around 2400-2800rpm on the troll which is anywhere from 9-13 litres per hour to try and elicit a strike from a food fish at about 7-8knots so I burnt more petrol than my usual 1800-2100rpm troll speed for gars at around 5knots where I burn about 6 litres an hour. That killed my fuel figures for the day and I did 68Nm for 108 litres so about $108 at current prices. Throw in a couple of bags of ice and a bag of pillies in case I didn’t get livies, my car fuel to the ramp, engine servicing at about $2 an engine hour over 9 hours, general wear and tear, general expenses and overheads of running a small business and this on only my third charter in 3 weeks since coming back – I am really living the high life aren’t I on that sort of profit! What are you plasterers getting charged out at?

Thanks everyone that has contributed sensible comments. Fishing is fishing. Simple as that. For the record I have now seen 56 marlin and sailfish the last three weeks getting 16 on various boats. We have rewritten the rule book on how to lose them.

[ollie1]

far from it jeremy, spaniards taken 1klm from coolum and dolphins from what do ya know the blinker. both very common areas we fish all the time, both places we didn't go near on the charter!

[DC]

Who was the charter??
I want to see Dane (DC) on a Marlin....
I reckon I'd donate a dollar or two and even go on the charter just to watch him. That'll be worth the $150+donation just to see the smile on his dial.
That chair better be bolted in good and proper though :D
Don't worry Scott, its a sure thing this season ::) ;D The chair will be bolted down good and proper and you'll hear me hoot'n & hollar'n from your place... now to get out there. Its been 3 months!
Dane

[Smithy]

Reel blue, thats what he suggested himself before we left the harbour, we thought that sounded like a great idea and said sweet, as we know thats a good reliable spot to try for at least ytk's. Did we ask him to take us there while out no. Because we just thought that would be his plan along the way as mentioned. i know there generally small to just over legal around there, could have been a trip saver at the least. And got a feed. In hind sight should have spoke up but didn't think we should have had to. As had been spoken of already. As for the conditions it was a cracker! 8 to 12 knots till lunch time. We were going to suggest trying floating some pilly's out but obviously didn't have any.


As stated above I did have pillies aboard as a backup in case the livies didn't play the game and I was going to slow troll them for Spaniards.


Leaving areas we knew had fish to troll for the marlin. Would have been different if we never got a touch anywhere or seen any fish but we did. Heaps of boats out to. We don't expect to catch fish if there not biting. if he tried as hard on the other fish as he did on the marlin we could have scraped a feed together. In sted of what seemed waisting his time and ours.


As above, by trolling faster and with minnows out we were trying for wahoo, mahi mahi and tuna. It so transpired the marlin was a bycatch and he didn't perform. Some have been like that in recent weeks, others have gone off like firecrackers.

[jayvee]

i just want to add for the record i had no intentions of mentioning who the charter operator/ name was weather replys agreed with my post or not as yes i understand they have good and bad days as i to as a plasterer have had the odd job not come up so well and wouldnt appreciate someone bagging out my buisness name and messing with my buisness and means of income like that. maybe i over exagerated the original title in askin if we deserve some sort of refund and it should have instead "DO WE HAVE A REASON TO BE DISSAPOINTED" i guess we were pissapointed because we had no idea what was goin on, which i'm goin to put down once again to lack of communication!

JAYVEE

P.S. Jeremy the spaniard was from a spot up near coolum OLLIE1 and i have named the "par5" as it is as far as a par 5 golf hole from land and the dolly's were frome a school of about 20 off the blinker

[jeffo]

What a laugh this thread is, knowing smithy as a good mate i will back him up. I speak with him just about daily as we exchange what reports we have heard through the day. He really has his finger on the pusle as far as what is going on around the area, and i would trust his judgement on what species to chase on any given day....after all he's out there pretty much 24/7.

Lately the reports have been of boats getting plenty of marlin, and HEAPS of Mahi mahi. All on the grounds you fished. Would you have complained if you had 4 or 5 mahi mahi over 5kg in the esky to go with your released marlin? i doubt it.....and in the past few weeks that was nearly a given, just not that day.

For the record we fished the same day you guys were with smithy, We did about 100nm of running at 25 knots and about 40nm of trolling at 6 knots for the same result as you guys- One marlin.

I think every one else has said everything else there is to say.

[Smithy]

Ok guys thanks for all your replys weather for or against

1st- we were asked to give a list of target species,which i wasnt expecting as i no its not the norm with charter boats

2nd- the charter op agreed to that list and said no worries to targeting them


You could have asked to go bottom bashing and we would have done that. Chasing mackerel, mahi mahi etc. was music to my ears for this time of year and knowing what was going on out there.


3rd- we asked to leave after lunch but the op said no we'll go first thing in the morn to target those species


Too risky in summer with the chance of NE seabreezes. As it was we came home in about a 18knot NEer. When mackerel came up in the conversation dawn was the only option.


4th- the hookup when trolling for spaniards was takin by the op then the rod hand'd to OLLI1 and the fish was gone 2secs later.i took the marlin hook up as my boss was up the front of the boat at the time so in order for the boss to have touched a rod we would have need'd 3 hookups for the day but there was only 2


I seem to remember me handing it off straight away and having enough time to get the downrigger bomb up before the hook pulled on a little run. That is fishing. If you get 50% on spaniards on livies you have done well. We needed 6 or so bites to get you guys one each. It didn't happen. Maybe fishing is not the sport for you.


5th- i regularly fish on OLLI1's boat out from mooloolaba and we regularly boat snapper and grassy's and such between 3-6kg and its costs us $30 for fuel $20 for hooks and $25 for bait. Thats why we wanted to target those species and the reefies were a last resort, as we no how to target and catch reefies.We've cought YTK's and mahi and spanish (matter of fact we cought 2 mahi and a spanish fri arvy after wednesdays charter) but dont chase them on a regular basis


And I bet you get them mostly in winter. Summer demersel fishing can be tough.


6th- if we werent asked for a list and were told what the plan was for the day all would be fine,but the fact still remains he asked for the list and agrred it would be no problem to target those species. Maybe thats why we were all so bum'd that 3/4's of the trip was not what we were told we would be doing

As stated by a few responses maybe a lack of communication is really whats to blame:-/ . tho dissapointed with some of the replys which were obviously by some who merely have to much time on there hands and just wanted to tell me i was an Ungrateful ###### with a poor attitude etc etc.. Which were of no real value

thanks anyway for most of the replys
JAYVEE

I still have the e-mails and can post them if need be. I don't think I am confused in what the game plan was.

Regards,

Robert

[Apollo]

Hey I like this bit, thats gotta be on the list of boat rules for sure. hahaha;D;D;D

Forget it Mark. After the other weekend, I would be handing over a brewery.:-/

[ollie1]

look smithy we just have to agree to disagree. you are a respected charter opperator on the coast, which is why we booked you! and i didn't mention names ,it didn't work out on the day! after the posts on here about your trips we had high expections of a day out with you. it didn't pan out they way we hoped so, thats how it goes , so sorry for the missunderstanding ! i whish all the best in the future!

[jayvee]

no your 100% right smithy you new axactly what the game plan was obviously it was us who had no idea what was going on as nothing was said to us about what we were doing once we stopped trying for the dolly's. As stated 2 times already LACK OF COMMUNICATION is what im putting it down to, and no we don't only catch 3-6kg snapper in winter as we are still now regularly pulling fish like that from the spot at coolum. anyway im leavin this one alone now i think enough's been said. Best of luck in the future JAYVEE

[trymyluck]

Forget it Mark. After the other weekend, I would be handing over a brewery.:-/


Sounds ok to me...............But hang on a minute..............you have your own boat now, might not be such a good idea after all.:-/

In regards to the difference in opinion over the charter all i can say is hindsight is such a marvelous thing, why hasn't somebody found a way to bottle it, i'd buy a shitload of it.
Mark

[Smithy]

Date: Sun, 7 Dec 2008 17:28:11 -0800
From: ________@yahoo.com.au
Subject: Re: target species for thursday DEC 11th
To: ______@hotmail.com

Just talked to _________ on the phone again. Let's meet at 4:00 am at the boat ramp on Parkyn Pde Mooloolaba. We'll head out and get some livebait on a spot I have in 42m just past the blinker then come back into the Gneerings to livebait for Spaniards. We'll then got back out to the 45-55m line and chase Wahoo, Mahi Mahi and Marlin once the Spaniards go off the boil. We could also chuck some soft plastics around the blinker and see if any AJs or Kingies were about.

For trolling I have a heap of Shimano TLDs on strokers, I have two Baitrunners, one on a Livefibre and one on a Traverse X, two TSS4s, one on a Silstar and we can swap reels about and 3 soft plastics outfits of Saharas and Twinpowers on Daiwa Coastals and Wilson Lightnings. For bottom bashing I have a Sealine 450H, 330 GTI Penn and a Shimano Tyrnos 20 on stroker and bottom bashing type rods. I might leave them at home though.

Regards,

Rob

--- On Sun, 7/12/08, _________ <_______@hotmail.com> wrote:
From: __________ <________@hotmail.com>
Subject: target species for thursday DEC 11th
To: info@sqcs.com.au
Received: Sunday, 7 December, 2008, 7:55 PM

hi robert,
you recently spoke to my boss _________ about a charter for next thursday aftrenoon Dec 11th and asked him to email you through what species we were interested in catching. he asked me to do this as he doesnt no to much about fishing!!!

we would be interested in targeting spaniards or wahoo (if there about), cobia , yellow tail kings,mahi mahi (if there about) and ambo's. and if that doesnt go to plan maybe some reefy's like snapper and pearlies and such

if you dont mind could you possibly email me back what rod and reel set up's you have available for us to fish with to target these species

thanks mate - _________

my email is ________@hotmail.com


I don't think I did anything different than what I said in the e-mail. If guess if we killed it trolling and had time we could have come back in early and looked at the blinker but that didn't happen of course.

[Lucky_Phill]

I think this thread is done. !!!

Closed.



Phill
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