Hello

Post by **nmgar** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 2:45 pm

I've been lurking since November so I thought I should introduce myself.

I retired a couple of years ago and needed a hobby so I decided last year that since I had always enjoyed fishing, even though I rarely fished, I would give it a try.

I had a couple of outfits from last century so I've spent more than I should and have bought 2000, 4000 and 6000 sized reels with appropriate rods. I also received a Shimano Exsence baitcaster with a Zodias rod as a gift. (If only I had an educated thumb, it is a lovely outfit). It is a JDM outfit and I am having great difficulty convincing Shimano that they should provide me with documentation in English rather than Japanese (reel) and Chinese (rod). It is in fact illegal to provide a warranty card not in English but Shimano don't seem to care.

I started off last year by going on a few charters. I had mixed feelings about them; they were great on putting the boat onto fish so that you had good opportunity to hook up. However none of them had an ice slurry to put your fish in which amazed/offended me. I caused a ruction when I brought along my own ice so that I could keep my catch in good condition. I won't be using charter operators again unless I can be sure they have one.

I don't have a boat at the moment but I plan on buying my first sometime this year, stock market permitting (I'm a self funded retiree). As I am not at all handy and somewhat clumsy, I will be looking for a new plate boat and will be starting a thread seeking assistance once I have done some more research.

I had been doing some research on sounders/GPS and until I joined here Furuno hadn't been on my radar. I'm still not sure if it is as it seems that they don't have CHIRP technology. Am I correct in that, and if so, don't you guys rate CHIRP highly?

Currently I am fishing shore-based, WPB piers and Eildon the most common. If anyone is looking for unskilled crew during the week before I get a boat I am available and eager. However I must admit (with great embarrassment) that at the moment I'm feeling bullseyed by the cliché "All the gear but no idea". I'm not used to feeling incompetent, but I tell myself that things will improve in time so long as I practice and that it is good for my soul to experience humility (humiliation?). My theoretical knowledge is OK but my practical skills need to improve.

Post by **Lightningx** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 3:23 pm

:welcome: to the site mate

Post by **yepi'mon** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 3:26 pm

Ahoy Nmgar!

Sounds like you have jumped straight into it and given it a good crack!

I have to agree with you RE the ice slurry on charters. In fact it still amazes me the amount of people who simply throw caught fish in a bucket and let it sit in the sun for the rest of the trip. Why wouldn't you want your fish in the freshest condition possible?

In regards to a boat I have two parts of advice:

A) I'd consider buying something used in good condition with a few marks and scrapes on it. Navigating a boat isn't to hard but things can get tricky when you get impatient, are under pressure, caught by surprise or are simply learning... There is no doubt with a new boat and not much experience you will mark the boat, spill some stuff, break some stuff etc etc. Rather than damaging something brand new (which will no doubt infuriate you) there are great second hand boats out there that are more than suitable.

B) There is a great magazine out there called "Fitting Out For Bay and Coastal Fishing" which would provide a lot of great info prior to buying a boat. http://www.jeffwebster.com.au/baycoastal.html

We have a Furuno sounder on our boat and it's great..... the main thing is that it's installed correctly (with transducer) and that you have your settings right. It's then a matter of learning to read it properly (never ending process) and then being able to actually catch the fish. CHIRP might be great, but it's not going to catch you any more fish at the start....

Most of all, good luck and enjoy yourself!

Post by **hornet** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 3:30 pm

WELCOME to the site ! Try golf if you fail at fishing .. :rofl:

marckyg123 · Post by **marckyg123** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 3:36 pm

Welcome to the site mate :cheers:

Post by **one2three** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 3:51 pm

:welcome: :welcome2:

Enjoy the fishing...

Post by **nmgar** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 4:07 pm

yepi'mon wrote: Why wouldn't you want your fish in the freshest condition possible?

My thoughts exactly; I was at the market today and KGW were $40/kg as whole fish. I ended up not taking any fish off the charter boats they were in such poor condition (bait quality only).

yepi'mon wrote:In regards to a boat I have two parts of advice:

A) I'd consider buying something used in good condition with a few marks and scrapes on it. Navigating a boat isn't to hard but things can get tricky when you get impatient, are under pressure, caught by surprise or are simply learning... There is no doubt with a new boat and not much experience you will mark the boat, spill some stuff, break some stuff etc etc. Rather than damaging something brand new (which will no doubt infuriate you) there are great second hand boats out there that are more than suitable.

I've come to the same conclusion and have been looking at the Trade-a-Boat site for some time but haven't seen anything which jumps at me. My concern is that if anything goes wrong with the boat I won't be able to fix it; a few dings in the boat from ramp or trailer mistakes I can live with. However I realize I am probably underestimating the reliability of modern engines. The last time I spent much time on boats was 30 years ago when I was a mad scuba diver. We always went out with multiple boats when diving near the heads due to engine unreliability.

yepi'mon wrote:B) There is a great magazine out there called "Fitting Out For Bay and Coastal Fishing" which would provide a lot of great info prior to buying a boat. http://www.jeffwebster.com.au/baycoastal.html

I have that as well as Fishing and Family Boat Guide from the same publisher. Useful though they duplicate each other somewhat.

yepi'mon wrote:We have a Furuno sounder on our boat and it's great..... the main thing is that it's installed correctly (with transducer) and that you have your settings right. It's then a matter of learning to read it properly (never ending process) and then being able to actually catch the fish. CHIRP might be great, but it's not going to catch you any more fish at the start....

Everyone here seems to be a furuno fan so I will look hard at them but no Side Scan or Structure Scan and the need to purchase a separate GPS unit I see as negatives.

Post by **nmgar** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 4:09 pm

hornet wrote:WELCOME to the site ! Try golf if you fail at fishing .. :rofl:

I used to play but stopped due to injury. Wonderful game but so frustrating.

Post by **dazz999** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 5:30 pm

welcome mate i new here too there is some great info to read

Post by **Boonanza** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 6:06 pm

Welcome to the site Fellas we are having a cod trip in March everyone is welcome :thumbsup:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=17142&hilit=cod+trip

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