Bill Cortens Offshore Fishing classes

[SeaHunt]

Anyone here been on one of Billy classes?
Any info would be appreciated eg.
How much (approx). ? Is it worth it?
How big is the boat?
How many on the boat at a time?
How much actual fishing do you do and do yet get bring home your catch like a charter?

Thanks in advance. 8)

[philip_thomson]

seahunt i to am interested in doing one of bills fishing classes.

not sure on the price but if it is anything like the bar crossing course it will be worth while.

the boat is a crusie craft outsider 625 its a beautfiul boat kitted out with some good electronics as well.

i guess he might take 4 or 5 people on the boat at a time proably be similar to the bar crossing no.s wise.

from what i understand you do a night theory and then head out for a full day of practicle catching the fish. not sure if u keep the fish u catch but i don;t see why u woudn't get to.

let me know if u do the class as i am very keen to do it my self in the near future.

cheers phil

[SeaHunt]

OK Phil,
I've got 3, I have to go on a particular day in May if I am going cause one is an overseas visitor and only here for a couple of days.

[skippa]

Seahunt,

From what I understand Bill actually teaches you how to fish Offshore. EG tackle, rigs, how to use your sounder/GPS, anchoring, how to use your boat (sea handling) safety etc.

Its not actually a day out fishing as in a charter. I'm sure tho, any fish that you do catch, would be yours to keep. It would be a great followup class from his bar crossing course for new/keen offshore fisho's.

As Phill said a beaut 625 Outsider; not a bad office eh.


Cheers,
Tony 8)

[Black_Jack]

Bill has a big right up on bar crossing in one of the boat mags this month,

[redspeckle]

Bill offshore fishing course is in two parts do one night of theory then when weather good go out off one of reefs of moreton or straddie for a day practical's the course in tales Offshore Anchoring,Reading Sounders/GPS,Bait Rigging,Finding Reefs how to Fish them in Shallow or Deep Water, Finding Fish Species when to fish them, And So On .
The offshore fishing course cost about $440 inc gst i reckon its well worth it if you want to catch fish and do it safely
if you have done bar crossing course($330) get to drive boat over bar again like do a refresher on the bar give you more confidence to go out offshore
i hope this is some help just remember you want to learn things in life you have to pay might sound dear but what is you boat worth its cheap bit off insurance in the long run
mitch

[phil_the_greek]

know the guy personaly! awesome boat as has been said i think bill wishes it was his permanant office and id definately say the money is worthwhile .
phil

[NQCairns]

Sorry.... and each to their own but I just dont get it ??? Where is the adventure! where is the freedom, where is the learning from the mate your fishing with this time, fishing is a pasttime, nothing needs to be technical, experience is what makes a better fisherman-whatever that actually is to some people.

Why not enjoy a fishing related 20min read before bed and plan from there. I understand fishing clinics for kids and for fisho's to enjoy on a thursady night for a nominal/no cost.

I am sure 20 years ago this just wouldn't fly :o

I am not picking on anyone I am just amazed he can fill a boat regular, certainly not what fishing has traditionally been about for me anyway, I am certainly falling behind the times :o
Bar crossing course would be good.nq

[GBC]

Fishin deep reefs in FNQ and fishin deep reefs in SEQ ain't quite the same thing. I understand someone from Cairns not understanding. Down here, to run say from Redcliffe, around Moreton and go fishing and come home easily ends up near 100nm trip for the day/night. Costs big money when after the first few trips you're still coming home with nothing, which is easy down here.
Fishin the barrier reef is a war of attrition - you'll end up with something eventually. Fishing deep here, if the bait isn't presented right you'll never get one even though the sounder says they are there.
Highly recommend the course. Used to be a pro fisho up North, and Bill taught me heaps. And he's a nice bloke to boot!

[SeaHunt]

Yes GPC you can't know too much. #8)

I mostly agree with you nq., except I think I will be dead from old age by the time I absorbed enough knowledge to regularly come home with fish. :-[

I spent 40 years in country Qld, nowhere near the coast , fished a fair bit, but hard to transfer much knowledge from fishing creeks and inland rivers to the coastal and deep sea stuff. Only had a boat for about 4 years, I try to go most weekends , but by the time you take the bad weather days and other commitments into account, I probably only average once a fortnight or less. #:'(
My last seven trips add up to one take home estuary cod. # :-[

A rep from one of our suppliers in Singapore is coming over and he loves to fish and usually shouts us a charter, I was just thinking maybe we could go with Bill Corten and I might learn a few things along the way. Especially since I don't have to pay. # [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

[Lucky_Phill]

Fair comment by all, and in particular NQ. But as the rest have said, different strokes etc.

Having known Bill for many years and been fishing with him, can vouch for his knowledge.... and patience !

Not only does Bill teach you about fishing ( the art ), but many other " sidelines ". What is required of you, is to put into practice whta Bill has ' shown ' you. You see, Bill has great, up to date and user friendly electronics, married to a fantastic offshore boat with miles of grunt.

Now, take your own 5.5 tinnie with 70hp donk, and LCD sounder with handheld GPS, out into the briney, and it is all a bit daunting.

Bill will give you the basics, but there is still a minefield of information you need to process, to make " YOUR SITUATION " work.

One of the most important pieces of info that Bill will pass onto you, is " reading your sounder ". IE;- completely understanding what you see on the screen.

How many times ( and this is directed to the experienced fisho ) have you had a deckie on board and sees a show of fish on the sounder, and asks why you are not stopping over them ? mmmmm, AS you know, it was bait fish, or another type of fish that you were not targeting. Further, stopping over what seems totally flat ground, and asking deckies to drop a line, seems to them, insane, but you know, that what you seen on the sounder showed, very hard bottom coming off sand. and from experiece, that hard bottom WILL hold fish.

I could go on, but won't.

If you believe you need to take the course, by all means ( in conjuction with the bar crossing if possible ), BUT> at the end of the day, when you go out by yourself, it is up to YOU, to put into practice, and learn ( you will never know it all ), from the previous trip, to be successful.

Cheers Phill 8)

[searaider]

I have done both the Bar Training & the offshore fishing courses with Bill . I would highly recommend both .
Fully agree with Lucky _Phil , Bill defenately knows his stuff & does everything he can to Teach you about Offshore Fishing & Boat handling . When I went with him he had 2 different sounders running at a time , one was a Black & White & the other was a Colour Unit . Both were the top of the range & it was good to see how both types of units show up hard bottom , bait , sand etc .
There were also heaps of fish caught , that were all spit up as evenly as possable to his 3 clients .
( He doesn't take any ) .
If you decide to go , I dont think that you will be disapointed ,
say geday to him for me . He will rember me as Pearlie Pete , caught a top Pearl Perch about 4 kg when I was out with him ;D

Peter
Searaider 2

[Burley_Boy]

By the interest shown in the reading sounder thread I'd say that this would be one of the biggest reasons he can fill his boat nq.
No one goes offshore without a sounder these days down this neck of the woods in any case. The next thing is to understand what that sounder shows and I guess 90% don't so thats a reasonable clientele.
I reckon a sounder video would work fantastic so for those who know their stuff get on with it because it will definitely sell!!! Theres an idea for you Steve! ;D

[skippa]

Ur right BB, damn good idea, I'd be in.

[mackmauler]

Interesting topic having lessons, 1 of the guys we took to fraser this trip had caught a couple of fish in his life and had a reputation for being bad luck as he never caught anything, the first day out he caught 2 fish despite my best tuition while we pulled them constantly around him, it took a few beers and some time to work through each error he had, we went through all sorts of drills back at camp, there were that many problems a book could be written, by the 3rd day he was into them with no stopping, catching more than his fair share of a 130 litre icebox full. I reckon you could get on a pro boat for a few cartons and learn enough tricks to keep you in fish, the price of the tuition seems a bit rich to me.

[NQCairns]

Yeah the realtime/realworld sounder reading tut has much value although the rest i dont think i will ever come at, considering al the other more fun options.
My first sounder was one of the first affordable lcd ones, daunting piece of equpment, that did not much more than read depth and display fish symbols ::) for a year or so.
In hindsight a 100 or so dollars back then would have been well spent on a realtime sounder tut.

[Lucky_Phill]

Just read your signature NQ.

the old peeing in the pants !

may I add:-

after the warmth has gone, there is only the cold and smelly sensation ! hope ya friends don't turn out like that ;D

To go further on this subject. I come into contact with many, many people that go fishing, and some are well into their later years of life. Some people, say to me, ' how do you catch so many fish ' ?

Trouble being, these people have never been shown/ taught from an early age, and consistently ' do their own thing'. They have no friends willing to ' teach', they have no interest in " reading ' or doing ' courses', they just want to stay in their mindset and ' go fishing '. You can't help these people.

I will relate this to the building industry ( tangent).

10 years or so ago, many employers decided it was too much trouble to take on apprentices, with red tape, attitudes etc. Now, as you know, this industry is in deep doo doo, and the Fed Govt is considering importing Tradies. I relate this to the fishing, in that, time is something most of us seem to have NOT enough of, and in particular, time to teach / show etc. For those who have friends, relatives, mates etc, the fishing world will open up quickly. Further, the web site ( Ausfish ) has taught, helped and promoted fishing to such an extent, I think it should be accredited TAFE status. You just have to look at the number of people going out with others, for the sake of this site, would still be doing " their own thing'.

Horses for courses, and to the folk who want to do Bill's course ( or as Rob suggested, seek out a pro ( but this is usually not an option as Pros need deckies ( assistant fishoes ), with a ticket, for legal reasons ).

Lets just look at what you get for your dollars:-

Tuition by a Mr Nice Guy of the SEQ fishing arena.

fishing technic's,
knot tying technics,
rod and reel info,
terminal tackle info,
anchoring technics,
sounder and GPS info,
boat handling,
fish ID,
legal obligations,
moral obligations,
a fishing trip, which includes a bar crossing,
a ride in the boat of most's dreams,
the chance to pick the brains of Mr NIce Guy,
weather reading info,
and so much more,

This is all compacked into a night on land and a day on the water.

What it costs is completely irrellevant, it's what you get out of the course that is important. What I am saying, is no one HAS to do a course, but if you feel that you are unable ( because of you situation ), to improve your fishing skills etc, by yourself, then at least there is that option.

Fishing is a pastime and should be enjoyed as such, not being frustrated by lack of creel contents.

Let's not forget the reason we go fishing in the first place ?

Cheers Phill