Lord Howe Report

[Femininefisher]

Got out yesterday to the north on Noctiluca with the amazing captain Jack Schick. Pushing 15-20, mostly 20kts from the north and a strong southerly current so it stood up a bit but picked up some really good sized livies on the way. Had a great half day. Weather closed in now for a day or two may get out again on Friday or Saturday. More details when I return.

[crazywalrus]

shame about the weather I hope it comes good for you. Good luck with the rest of the trip

[robtarr]

everyone should fish Lord Howe at least once in their life....it's an amazing place

[tikki169]

I'm heading there on Sunday so hopefully the weather hold out for the week. I want some Kingies

[tikki169]

Got back Sunday and had an excellent time out on Greenback fishing charters

My 18 Kilo Kingie [file/]

[daveylad]

I used to work with a bloke in NSW who's brother had a charter boat on Lord Howe saw some great films of their catches and sharks nicking their catch, Blokes name was Beaumont looked like a great boat.

[tikki169]

The only problem I had with the charter we were on is that they killed everything that came aboard. I had to sneakily "lose" a kingie about 20 kilo cause if it came aboard they were going to kill and keep it and I had already caught a heap of kings and 2 over 15 kilo so didn't see the need to take such a big one. Skipper wasn't happy at all. Also only got given about 1.5 kilo of fish after I caught about 50 kilo on my own, seems a bit unfair and it wasn't a cheap charter at $160 for 4.5 hours

[Eug]

hope the charter operator looks back when the fish are all gone one day.

good fish kev, been a while since i saw that mug of yours.

[robtarr]

it's a shame the skipper didn't respect your wish to C&R but you may find the fish were kept for local consumption - and to pad out his wallet hence his reaction. I don't think you'll find any commercial pressure on the kingie stocks so they're probably pretty safe from over fishing.....there are tons of them and the weather would help keep the take to a sustainable level

[robtarr]

forgot to add....great fish

were they jigged or did you find live bait

[tikki169]

Thanks Eug, feel so loved

The skipper owned a restaurant and was selling fish to the locals hence his reaction. I think for the price I should be able to do what I like with the fish. There may be heap of them there but if they keep it up and take everything then there'll be nothing in 10 years time, especially if you're taking the big breeders. I'm all for catching a feed but not to feed the whole island. The weather being sketchy is definitely a big saver of the stocks.

[dhess]

So let me try to understand this.

The charter operator was charging you to do some pro fishing for him so he could take the fish and sell them for a profit.

[robtarr]

I fished LHI a couple of years ago and it was the same story. The guys from the bowls club had a Melb Cup function on - they came down to meet the boat, weighed the fish and handed over the cash before we'd even collected our gear. We had a heap of slimies left over and even getting our hands on them for land based bait over the next couple of days was a struggle.

[ellicat]

I don't see a problem with it.

Maybe he should just charge $195 for the charter and then let you release them. Nothing wrong with getting a discount to $160 if he gets to keep your fish.

I also disagree about the effect on stocks using this method. If the food demand is there and they don't get supplied by the charter catchers they will just be caught by a commercial catcher.

[kriso]

when i go on a charter i reckon i have paid to keep what ever fish i catch not heres 1.5kilo's and i keep the rest.

[ellicat]

It's like house rules at a poker game I think Kriso. They certainly wouldn't get away with it here though. But Lord Howe has it's own set of standards like Norfolk I suppose. When in Rome....

[kriso]

yeah spose so still i wouldnt be forking out that coin if i didnt get the option to keep what i caught .

[robtarr]

I found the locals on LHI to be great people but they do view the place as theirs and you a visitor - everything's on their terms so better to just enjoy the paradise that LHI is and accept your hard earned $'s are supporting their island economy so it's there to enjoy again - I reckon you get great bang for the buck considering it's location and limited resources.

[waldo]

Any charter opperation you have to ask how things like C&R and caught fish are divided BEFORE you pay. I have heard of the same being done by some gold coast charters.

Can't remember the name but there is a Friday night fish fry in one of the restraunts, the tastiest YTK I've ever tasted so might be going to that also. There used to be 2 charters and they only get out when the whether is good so I dont think they are going to do much damage

[tikki169]

There are a couple of charters now, not too many but still think their attitude is a bit backwards, rather keep good stock and release the bigger ones and the tourist will keep coming for the fishing.