fishnfreak 0 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Hey guys, I have been on a charter on the weekend just gone, my first, and i wanted to share what went on, in hope of someone informing me of whether this is normal or satisfactory, because our group was not happy.Any way, I setup a charter with Wildfishin Charters departing Pt Hughes. I was excited as i fish Pt Hughes regularly, but wanted to see what the people who earn a living fishing the area, do to catch a feed.Price was reasonable, with it being $150 per person, and we all were more than happy to pay this for an exciting day on the water.Upon arrival we found that the skipper was not taking us out today, and that the deckie was. Not ideal, as the skipper is the skipper for a reason. But whatever, the bloke was cool and easy to get along with.Next after we left the marina, we were told the tides were crap, and that fishing would be very hard. Now I would have thought that responsiblity lies with the charter operator to inform us of this before we secured the date. But as we already left the marina, not much could be done.Anyway we started fishing, and boy, was it hard fishing. we were fishing areas that lie pretty close to where i fish in my kayak. Not much use me paying $150 for that. We fished for about 3 hours for 1 whiting. not bloody happy so far.About half of the way through the day, we were all getting pretty hungry, so one of the boys asked what time lunch was, and the deckie told us it was our responsiblity to provide a lunch and drinks. Now i would have been cool with this, but on the website it very clearly states that all food and drink will be supplied by the operators, the bloke brushed this off with a comment that it must be an old website, but it was where i found them, and got the number for them. I wonder how many people have had the same problem, no mention of us having to provide lunch was mentioned in the 4-5 times i spoke on the phone to them.Anyway, as the deckie realised the whiting were nowhere, he began trolling with paravanes for snook. Let me tell you, paravaning is the most boring form of fishing ever. Anyway, with one snook at 48cm in the chest it was time to do some squidding, we drifted for a couple more hours for a total of 9 squid, most caught on my jig. there is no excuse for using inferior quality gear on a charter, sure some might get lost, but at least the customers will catch something. i ended up handing out my own Yo-Zuri jigs to my mates, so the squid would tak the lures. 2 were caught on the boats jigs.We ended the charter early, hungry, pissed off, and bored. Got back to the boat ramp, and went home with a grand total of 1 whiting, 1 snook and 9 squid for $750Not good enough if you ask me, but as i said, it was my first charter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Del 245 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 when i caught my snapper in my avatar, we saw the WildFishin charter boat out.. and our skipper ( who was also the deckie... as the normal skipper couldnt make it) commented on them not being much good.. I just figured it was jost locals having a dig at each other.but having checked the site for them i does not say anything about providing food??? " Soft drinks Provided". this was also the case for us on Balgowan Charters. We had to supply our own food but a couple of cans of soft drink was supplied also bottles of water. its always a shame to come back empty handed... but worse when empty of pocket too!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
carps 1 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 mate i can give you the no of some really good charters if ya wanna try again it sucks when ya get a crap one..having said that it seems to be a trend of late.up untila year ago you rarely heard to many real horror stories but they seem to be becoming more and more frequent now bit of a worry really but it will make the good ones bloody busy thats for sure.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fishnfreak 0 Posted June 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 They mentioned they are going to take the website down because it doesn't reflect what they do now anyway.I see that it does only say soft drink provided, maybe i misread, so i take back my criticisation of them for that, but i am still not happy, and would not recommend them to anyone. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
carps 1 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 they prob should have done that as soon as it didnt reflect wat they do or there could be a case of false advertising in there somewhere if the right-wrong person should be let down Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Del 245 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 So it Reflects False Advertising. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kayakfisher 0 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 We fish from Pt hughes alot and sometimes we see the charter boats tearing off straight for the other side of the gulf and then the next day the same boat will just putt around the bay. Same conditions and everything. I guess they might only have a half day charter and not wanna waste too much time travelling but we always joke that they musn't like the people on board. Guess it depends on what the cutomers wanna target too. But if I spent most the day paravaning and squidding I'd be pretty pissed off. The only time the paravanes come out on our boat is if the motor breaks down and we gotta come back on the auxillary. Which has happened way too often lately. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fishnfreak 0 Posted June 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Hey Del, what charter did you go out on? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Del 245 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 http://www.balgowancharters.com.au/we all caught fish. tho was alot of smaller ruggers in some spots. and we got hassled by dolphins and seals stalking us! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MarsOne 137 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 jeez... I'd be pretty unhappy too. $150 could buy a lot of lures instead of a crap day out on a charter.They should've called you a few days before, telling you tides were lousy and offering to cancel I reckon.I've been on A1 a few times off Hughes and they were pretty good, although they've changed hands since then. The skipper offered to cancel for us before when the weather wasn't gonna be perfect, and the time before that he did cancel because of the weather. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Del 245 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Balgowan was the same with us, weather was a factor on us heading out or not... we had one of our members.. who is also a new member here... "checking the trim" a few times.. over the back and side...hahahah Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rocknev 2 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 wasnt me involved, but a workmate...he went on a charter a few weeks ago...BIG boat... 3 night charter 150kms off shore for 1500 bucks per person...and he said he had the BEST FISHING HE HAS EVER HAD.fully laid on for food and beer....infact the challenge was to get back to the ramp with no BEER LEFT ON BOARD...SOMETHING THATS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.and that couldnt do it either...and they are some serious drinkers.i think the charter was called WHY NOT...operates from coffin bay (s.a.)mate will be going again next year...this year he was very lucky and they had 3 nights of dead flat water..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YoBBo 0 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 I would be pissed off too FF. Like any industry, there are alot of cowboys out there. I take charters 3 or 4 times a year, to target species I cant reach in my boat. I am yet to have a bad one (touch wood).Word of mouth is a fantastic tool, so spread the word about these Turkeys.On the tide issue, most charter operators will take bookings whenever possible. It is up to the clients to check the tides. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tako 0 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 I wouldn't of paid him. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest SuperThahn Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Roknev I think it may have been absolute charters that you speak of. My mate ryan runs it. He sees food and beer as his minor expenses and asks you how much you want. He sees 1 carton per person per day as an exceptable amount. With out getting to pissed.Even though he is a mate i can truely say his is the only charter in SA that i have been on that i was 100% happy with.Ryan really does go that extra mile but you do have to remember sometimes they fish dont want to play ball.It is also YOUR responsablity to research and ask the charter where you will be fishing and the tides YOU booked it on. Charter operators can not tell your level of experience over the phone. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
coonta kinta 1 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 FnF, your story echo's that of mine in regard to Wildfish Charters. I have been on that boat twice and twice we caught little. Now I know that fishing being what it is that things can be down right tough, but on two separate occassions! We wanted snapper and he knew it. So what does he bring out for bait? Crappy old looking sprat tommies, probably little more than 15cm each. Thats fine I think to myself, then he proceeds to cut them in half and says there u go put em on like this WTF, I'm thinking now. Were here for some big snapper and uyour offering up this as bait This happened on both trips. The other thing that had me wondering was on the second trip when he insisted we pay whilst still 12 miles out around the Tipara light. I feel sorry for you mate as it puts a bad taste in your mouth as it did mine and detracts from the operators who are legit and true to their word. Like Tako, I would have suggested an adjustment to the price for the day. I would also reccommend that you write and sent a letter to the guy, I forget his name now, Daryl, or Dean or something starting with D, I'm sure :dry: explaining your dissatisfaction and asking what he intends to do about it. Perhaps suggesting also that you are willing to work out a compromise suitable to both parties before looking at other ways of showing your dissatisfaction. Perhaps pointing him in the direction of the many forums that you subscribe to! Another thing you may want to look at is a chat to the consumer protection agencies in view of the misleading information contained in the companies website.I hope that soem good comes out of your mishap both for you and for others and that some commonsense prevails. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Savage 297 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 I would not be happy with that service. CK i like the way you operate my mates bought me a voucher for why not fishing charters for my bday. Im pretty sure Absolute have now bought that boat as why not have indeed moved to coffin bay with a much bigger boat but the experience was one that i will take to the grave. It was $175 at the time and it was an offshore trip. We had booked for Feb, 2006 and ventured out straight towards tapleys shoal. If nothing came up in 10 mins the deckhand would throw down a burley bomb and we were all on again (there were 10 on the charter). But just an indiacation we only moved twice and that was purely moving from snapper to whiting spots. (the boat and catch attached). Try not to think that all charters are like that cos there are good operators out there. Good luck with the next one Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Savage 297 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Sorry guys the site wont let me upload the photo's. They're JPG format and too big to upload. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ranger 48 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 rocknev wrote:wasnt me involved, but a workmate...he went on a charter a few weeks ago...BIG boat... 3 night charter 150kms off shore for 1500 bucks per person...and he said he had the BEST FISHING HE HAS EVER HAD.fully laid on for food and beer....infact the challenge was to get back to the ramp with no BEER LEFT ON BOARD...SOMETHING THATS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.and that couldnt do it either...and they are some serious drinkers.i think the charter was called WHY NOT...operates from coffin bay (s.a.)mate will be going again next year...this year he was very lucky and they had 3 nights of dead flat water.....Dave Clayfield! He used to operate out of Glenelg with John Winslet. He's a nice guy too! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest SuperThahn Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Ranger i think its absolute as those prices are to cheap for dave and not sure he does 3 dayers. I also know that he does not carry that much piss as they ran out when i was there and we gave them some of our over catered grog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rocknev 2 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 SuperThahn wrote:Roknev I think it may have been absolute charters that you speak of. My mate ryan runs it. He sees food and beer as his minor expenses and asks you how much you want. He sees 1 carton per person per day as an exceptable amount. With out getting to pissed.Even though he is a mate i can truely say his is the only charter in SA that i have been on that i was 100% happy with.Ryan really does go that extra mile but you do have to remember sometimes they fish dont want to play ball.It is also YOUR responsablity to research and ask the charter where you will be fishing and the tides YOU booked it on. Charter operators can not tell your level of experience over the phone. nope...just rang him and asked...definatly WHY NOT ...heres some pics... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Savage 297 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Savage wrote:Sorry guys the site wont let me upload the photo's. They're JPG format and too big to upload.Alright, here are the resized photos. Lets hope it works this time. Cheers CK Quote Link to post Share on other sites
silaflex 103 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 It appears something bad has happened to their website Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Savage 297 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 This is it last time im trying. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Savage 297 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Bout time. Heres the other photo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fishnfreak 0 Posted June 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Although my first charter was crap, my mate and meself are already talking about the next one. We are thinking of going with Fuzzels fishing sdventures out of Arno. At least i have seen the dvds with fish caught. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest SuperThahn Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Instead of fuzzels head out on arno bay fishing adventures. Bigash from this site runs it and pleanty of info n here about it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fishnfreak 0 Posted June 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 sweet, will give him a call then. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
greeny03 0 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Yep!! Have to say the trip to Arno Bay and a trip out with Ash is great value!! Top bloke and works hard to get you onto some fish. Give him a ring and ask when the reds have been firing up and get a spot on his boat. He also will get onto some KGW if they are around but it all depends when the fish(reds) want to play. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vb4me 1 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Check out some of Ashes vids. Very impressive. Will have to book a charter one day with him. I did a charter back on the gold coast a few years back. My missus sent me for a birthday pressie (probably hoped the boat would sink ) The service was excellent lunch (cut sandwhiches) and softdrink provided, good quality fishing gear and baits. In all honesty worth what they were chargin but I came home disappointed as I had guys either side of me catchin fish same rigs and baits and I caught not a bloody thing :S Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Del 245 Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 WHY NOT is now owned by the same dude that runs a Steel place in adealide.. my freinds Maria and Sean just came back across on it.Maria works for the company that owns it... i might have to contact her.. lol.. i was with her just last week and we were speaking of this exact company!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
finatic 1 Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 Rob, I'm sad to hear you scored a bummer. I only too well know there are some good, some bad & some ugly operators out there ATM, this of course is based on what you guys tell us on real time experiences.Kangaroo Island, I can rate Gavin Solly as very good, 0885 593232.Port Broughton, Paul Sims, Snapperama 0438898179 provided me well.Arno Bay, Ash seems to get the rap.Choose cautiously locally & in busy rural centres.Finatic Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Highfly 0 Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 Sometimes the fish dont play ball Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fishnfreak 0 Posted July 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 yes, i realise that, I dont catch something everytime i am skippering my mates and family. But is was more than just the fish not biting.Thanks for the numbers Finatic should steer me towards some decent charters. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catch-nun 2 Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 We have been on 2 different metropolitan charters with both bagging out on slimey mackeral both were great for a day out though.when I wanted to catch a snapper, the web forums assisted in pointing out a winner. whyalla fishing adventures proved to be all I had hoped for.when I rang to book, steve storic picked a date for us with good tides. we rocked up to whyalla on a saturday and saw the boat limit catch of that day.our sunday charter had the same success. the skipper was enthusiastic and you could sense that he had a duty to do his best for his paying customers. we travelled many kilometres searching different drops for success. he even explained the terrain of the bottom and how he acquired the numerous locations of artificial reefs.I asked him if he ever had bad days and his response was that if the bigun's were elusive he would extend the time on the water searching for at least a feed of ruggers.a very genuine helpful fella and I haven't read a bad word about him. I believe he has his own charter business now and would be worth looking up.ps... we had lunch and drinks supplies pps.... my next charter though will probably be with Big Ash as they also show consistent success and look a friendly bunch :woohoo: :woohoo: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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