Steep/Dirk Hartog Isl
Fuck=lost 20 minutes of fking typing here again when it wouldnt allow me to upload pics straight from ipad 
Abbreviated-planned Abrolhos trip with my 2 boys for long weekend.
Windy friday so put them back in school much to their disgust at 9.30.
Lunchtime, light bulb moment 
Shark Bay...
weather wasnt looking all the flash but might be good for some exploring rather than sitting at home.
Rip some un-needed shit out of boat, grab some other stuff, fuel up the 200 and rip the boys out of school again lol.
Got away at 1700
150 k's up the road and what do I see?
A well known Fishwrecker, whose flash Colonrado isnt too flash to be passed by a 9 yr old Landcruiser haha!
Ryan C parked up in the middle of nowhere...
Rang him, all good, looked like just having a rest stop.
Quick stop at Billabong, good burger and fuel top up (the old Billabong is best by far)
Onwards to Denham, pull up at ramp at 10pm, its fkn howling, spray blowing over the carpark...
Crash out in the boat and its still blowing in the morning so a quick run to Monkey Mia after trhe boys got chased around by the Denham Emu gang...
Back to Denham, fk it lets just go...
Straight across, a bit of a look down Dirk Hartog
Straight on to Shelter Bay as the wind was picking up more.
In all the years of my commercial fishing life, and Abrolhos trip etc, I know there is no feeling like pulling up in a safe harbour/anchorage etc and being secure.
Reckon it was about 30+ plus when we pulled up. Not unexpected though.
Next morning was still howling but headed out Sth Passage for a troll and a bottom fish.
Nothing on the mackie side of things and after a rankin and some barely size pinkies we got onto some better fish-only to have everything flogged by sharks, couldnt get anything toi the surface.
After a few hrs of this we gave up and went and parked up for the arvo in 30 knots again
Saw these guys getting trowed from the bottom of Dirk back across, they were probably extremely luckily as getting blown onto the bottom of Dirk in a 30 knot sthly would be unlikely to have a happy ending...
I do like to eat ok and cook up a feed despite just on the butane cooker
Bacon and eggs
Coconut chill rankin, steamed in pan of water
Steak snags and our favourite staple, Mi Goreng noodles, hot and spicy...
The Mi Goreng always taste 10 times better on a windy night on the boat than at home and you can throw anything in them from squid to chicken etc
After a couple of days of relentless wind, and unproductive fishing in rough as guts water, the boys had the shits so it was decided (by me) to go do something else and we took off up the inside of Dirk to go exploring.
Boys had sort of had enough but we pulled into a little bay and anchored up, and I went for a walk.
Spotted whiting jumping so dragged the boys of the boat for a look.
And so started an arvo...
Mac literally dropped his hook and bait 2 meters off the shore in ankle deep water with zero enthusiasm and was immediately smashed by a 40 cm flathead.
From there the arvo continued, they probably caught 30 or 40, from 10 cm to about 35 and kept about half a dozen plus a small reef shark that came in.
Slabbed a few of them up, and had a cook up on the spot
.
Pulled the boat out at about 5pm, cup of coffee from the pub (wearing Cams thongs as I couldnt find mine 
)
Hit the road for home and home at 22.30.
Only saw one roo each way despite driving at prime time each way, luckily...
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
dodgy
Posts: 4578
Date Joined: 01/02/10
That’s living.
That’s living.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18029
Date Joined: 11/03/08
Sounds like a good trip
Sounds like a good trip despite the winds. Main thing was time with the kids having a bit of fun . Pity you couldnt get the fish past the sharks
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
Swompa
Posts: 3887
Date Joined: 14/10/12
Great report. You are
Great report. You are bringing your kids up perfectly in my opinion. Sometimes you just can't beat life experience!
Rob H
Posts: 5801
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Jeez you want to hear the
Jeez you want to hear the bickering at times, lost my voice on the first day...
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Swompa
Posts: 3887
Date Joined: 14/10/12
I know that feeling and with
I know that feeling and with one at 5 and the other at 2, I have lots of years to come.
Silver Fox
Posts: 1111
Date Joined: 19/06/14
Nice work
My best days at school were the ones when Dad pulled us out to go water skiing ( Used to love seeing him looking worried outside the class room door , kinda Like Ferris Buellers Day off ... ) It blew its tits off up here all weekend and I’m surprised that you made the dash from Denham To Hartog , gets snotty doesn’t it ? . Bread and butter fishing is the ducks nuts in my book , if it’s in it’s definitely on ! . Best results for bottom of Hartog are to get a low to no swell day with no wind ( ha ! ) and you take turns to back up to the cliff face ( one fishing one driving looking for rouge waves ) dropping for Baldies . Glad to see you had a safe trip....:)
My wife understands why I clean my rods n reels in the shower....
Rob H
Posts: 5801
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Compared to a run to or from
Compared to a run to or from the Abrolhos in similar weather (which we have done plenty) it wasn’t too bad at all.
No swell in there.
The last arvo saved the trip for the boys, they were pumped
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
dano83
Posts: 790
Date Joined: 25/05/12
It’s a sweet part of the
It’s a sweet part of the world I can’t wait to take my kids up when they are older....the sharks are getting bad though
we used to get good fish just of cape inscription. It’s hard work now though...
have a look at Whitnel point if you go again that’s an ok place to anchor at the north east of island.not as good as shelter bay though
Mitch88
Posts: 181
Date Joined: 23/09/14
Great report as always rob,
Great report as always rob, always look forward to your reports thanks for taking the time to do a write up.
Crikey
Posts: 41
Date Joined: 25/03/10
Thanks for the report.
Thanks for the report. Always good to have a backup plan.
We are going to islands tomorrow for a few days.
Weather looks better this week after cancelling a couple of weeks ago.
Rob H
Posts: 5801
Date Joined: 18/01/12
nice fresh easterly to push
nice fresh easterly to push you across this morning!
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
fuzzy79
Posts: 119
Date Joined: 31/07/10
Great report rob. Love
Great report rob. Love seeing all the photos of your boys having a good time.
t bone
Posts: 351
Date Joined: 20/04/14
as always
Nice report mate.
backlash
Posts: 335
Date Joined: 12/10/10
Great report
thanks for sharing what will be recalled as another special trip for you and the boys