We hope this newsletter finds you all well and we thought we’d give you a bit of an update on Gone Fishing Charters.
Well we’ve spent the last few months preparing ourselves for the busy period ahead, getting our boats and staff ready and rearing to go!
The fishing so far has seen plenty of squid and whiting on the bite, however the weather has been a bit limiting this month, with high winds particularly over the weekends has led us to cancel a few trips. Let’s hope with the weather warming up there will be plenty more opportunities to get out and fish!
Over the years we have operated our two vessels at two different departure points, however as of October we now have Masai residing at the Harbour also. We have given Masai a bit of a refresh with a new coat of paint and a few little extras just to keep her looking fresh and new.
As we’ll have both boats now operating at the Queenscliff Harbour, this will make everything a bit more streamlined for us and hopefully for you all. We feel the harbour is an impressive back drop as a departure point and hopefully you’ll take the opportunity to enjoy what the harbour has to offer.
So that’s about all from us at this stage and let’s hope for some great weather and even better fishing ahead!
It’s been a while since our last Blog and a lot has happened since then!
Our new vessel ‘Poseidon’ is finally on the water!! She is a 10.5m custom build, allowing up to 12 passengers and 2 crew, giving us greater comfort and capacity.
She took longer than expected and we (well by we, I really mean Chris) had to do a lot of work to get her to completion, luckily, he’s quite the handy man with excellent welding skills!!
Having just the shell of the boat, he spent day and night slowly chipping away. Sometimes the enormity of it all became overwhelming and at times his labour of love became a nightmare. Somehow through perseverance, persistence (maybe the amount of money spent) I don’t know what kept him motivated to keep going and finish off another job on his daily to do list.
Some days even became a family affair, I would head down with the kids in toe to clean up, sweep, vacuum whatever was simple enough for us to do. The kids proved to be the perfect little helpers, being small enough to get in under the floor and help put the foam in, take it out, back in, then out and finally back in again, suffice it to say, we don’t want to see that foam ever again!
We have been lucky to have some good friends help us also (you know who you all are, and a massive thank you!). An especially big thanks to Geelong Marine World for giving us the space to use for the fit out and for hooking us up with the Suzuki engines and Deon for the trimming, thanks Jake! Also, a huge thanks to Mick, Isi and Thom from Maritime Survey Australia, they have been so helpful and easy to deal with from the planning stage to final sign off, thank you for all your help guys!
Finally, after the literal blood, sweat and tears, it was with great relief our vessel was finally on the water. Watching Chris’s face was the best part for me, seeing his dream come to fruition and the pride I’m sure he had (and if he didn’t, I did), knowing that he fit out the boat himself, it was a big day for us.
Poseidon is down in Portland now chasing the Blue Fin Tuna. It’s been a great season so far, with multiple hook ups (even a 9 way, footage on our facebook page). Once tuna season is over Poseidon will take her place at the Queenscliff Harbour.
In Queenscliff, our ever reliable and still in great condition Masai is operating. The whiting and gummy shark has been going strong and will provide the family with a good feed. Customer pick up for Masai will still be at the Queenscliff Boat Ramp.
We have had a ripper start to season! Catching plenty of good sized gummy’s out through the heads and the squid are keeping us entertained in Port Phillip Bay.
We have found the snapper are making an appearance in Bass Strait in good size and numbers and now with summer approaching we can expect to see the king fish and mako shark grace us with their presence. It was a good season on the kingies last year, however they can be a bit fickle, so it will be interesting to see how they fair this year.
Gone Fishing Charters News
Our new vessel Poseidon has been progressing along, so fingers crossed it’ll be on the water by Christmas! Oh speaking of Christmas don’t forget to grab a Gone Fishing Charters gift voucher which you can purchase online https://www.gonefishing.com.au/product-category/gift-cards/
Starting off slow, however with some hard work and effort we still managed to get our bag, it just took time and patience.
Around mid-May the tuna started moving in closer to shore. It was on, the Portland action packed days we were accustom to where back, making 3 and 4-way hook ups the norm again!
However, our final week in Portland was tough. Green water had moved in and seemed to have turned the fish off. It took a week for the water to move out again, by then it was July and our time to head back home, of which marked the end of an era for Gone Fishing Charters, with it being Masai’s last tuna season in Portland. Our new vessel will be well and truly run in by next year and ready to take on the Southern Blue Fin Tuna!
Being out on the water all day chasing tuna is an exceptional experience, but when you add a great group of people to the mix, it can provide a day full of laughs and plenty of entertainment. So, a big thank you to all our customers who made our day that much more enjoyable!
Queenscliff Fishing Charters
We are back running our Queenscliff Fishing Charters, which for those who don’t know can also pick up from Portsea, to accommodate those living on the other side of Melbourne. At the moment, we are chasing gummy’s off shore (Bass Strait) with great results and we are anticipating the snapper to follow within the next month.
What’s new at Gone Fishing Charters
Our new vessel, whose name is yet to be revealed, of which we are getting mixed reviews from family and friends, but we like it, it has a great meaning behind it, so we are rolling with it.
We have also been asked to give our Queenscliff fishing reports on Reel Adventures with Aaron Habgood and Patrick Dangerfield. That’s been a different experience for us, getting out of our comfort zone, but we think we did well, they have asked us back, so that’s a good sign, we think!
You can keep up to date with regular fishing updates and the build of our new boat on our facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gonefishingcharter/) and Instagram (@gonefishingcharters).
It’s been a busy month on our Portland tuna charters so far!
We headed down to Portland in mid-April, being a few weeks earlier than the norm for us. We heard mixed reports on the tuna, however still the consensus was that the tuna fishing was slow going.
Our first week was great. We managed to bag out most trips or just a few short off our limit. It was not the fast-paced triple hook ups we’ve been accustomed too, however plenty of hours and hard work was needed to get the results.
As the season has progressed the tuna have moved in closer and we are finding 3 and 4 way hook ups are becoming the norm again. Now being mid-season, it is prime time, the tuna fishing is awesome!
With so much tuna around we have been eating tuna a plenty, from raw sashimi, pickled, crumbed and BBQ, you name it, we’ve probably tried it.
Fishing for the Southern Blue Fin tuna is the best game fishing Victoria has to offer and now is the time to hook up and feast on these beauties!
For more info about our Portland Fishing Charters, call Gone Fishing Charters on – 0409 007 068 or email info@gonefishing.com.au
