Hello Guys

[Captain Mike]

I am a new member from the states and wanted to introduce myself. My name is Michael Buffington and I am a 100 ton master charter captain in Venice, La. My mother grew up in Australia and I have heard her story's all my life. From the time I started fishing full-time one of my dreams has been to run a boat in Australia. I was hoping you fellows could tell me if my license is valid there and if not what would be required. The experience would be priceless, and I bring quite a bit of knowledge to the table as well. I would work as a mate if necessary, I really miss the deck sometimes. I am attatching my resume below and if you guys hear of anyone looking or know a site that provides job listings I would appreciate the input. Thankyou all in advance.
Captain Michael Buffington
michael buffington Job Specialty:100 Ton Master Sportfishing Captain Location: Gulf, Pacific, Mexico Resume: Mike Buffington
Job Specialty: Gulf, Pacific...Big Fish
Location: Port Aransas, Tx, Venice, La
Resume: Posted By: Michael Buffington
Job Specialty:100 Ton Master Sportfishing Captain
LocationORT ARANSAS, TX AND VENICE,LA
Resume: CPT. MICHAEL BUFFINGTON
USCG 100 TON MASTER
WORK HISTORY :

PELICAN, 70' Breaux Craft - CAPTAIN JOHN BRENNAN/DEEP SEA HEADQUARTERS/PORT ARANSAS, TX/1994-97

BUENA SUERTE, 41' Topaz - CAPTAIN DANNY GALANE/JIM’S PIER/SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TX/1997-2000

SHOGUN, 110' Long Range Sportfisherman - CAPTAIN NORM KAGAWA/CAPTAIN BRUCE SMITH/FISHERMAN’S LANDING/SAN DIEGO, CA/2000-03

LADY ANNA, 65' Breaux Craft - CAPTAIN STEVE JOHNSON/CAPTAIN ELLIOT’S PARTY BOATS/FREEPORT, TX/2003-04

SCOTTISH REEL, 54' Hatteras - CAPTAIN GARY WILLIAMS/SCOTTISH REEL WORLD RECORD FISHING TEAM/DESTIN TO VENICE/2004-JUNE2006

INTIMIDATOR, 65' Custom Bonner- CAPTAIN JOHNNY GREEN/INTIMIDATOR SPORTFISHING/ORANGE BEACH, AL/JUNE2006-AUGUST2006

TEMPTATION, 45' Cabo Express - CAPTAIN MICHAEL BUFFINGTON/TEMPTATIONCHARTERS.NET/PORT ARANSAS, TX/SEPTEMBER2006-APRIL2007

STRESS MANAGEMENT, 40' OCEAN - CAPTAIN MICHAEL BUFFINGTON/STRIKEZONECHARTERS.NET/VENICE,LA/MAY2007-AUGUST2007

AMBUSH, 31' BERTRAM - CAPTAIN MICHAEL BUFFINGTON/AMBUSH OFFSHORE/PORT ARANSAS,TX, VENICE, LA AUGUST2007-PRESENT



REFERENCES:

CPT. PASCAL TOWNSEND(601) 624-1172
CPT. FRANK LOPRESTE (619) 226-8030
CPT. ROB ROURKE (619) 993-7020


SKILLS:ALL AROUND EXCELLENT FISHERMAN WHO'S SPECIALTIES INCLUDE KITE, HELIUM BALLOON, LIVE BAIT, TROLLING AND GENERALLY CATCHING BIG FISH CONSISTENTLY.

I’M A LICENSED 100 TON MASTER. I’VE HAD A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WORKING FROM WESTERN FLORIDA TO CLIPPERTON ATOLL; THE MOST ISOLATED, UNINHABITED ISLAND IN THE WORLD. I'VE COLLECTED ALL KINDS OF PELAGIC SPECIES FOR THE MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM AND DELIVERED THEM ALIVE WHILE I WAS ABOARD THE SHOGUN INCLUDING YELLOWFINS, BLUEFINS, DORADO, POMPANO DOLPHIN, YELLOWTAIL, OPAH, MOLA MOLA, PELAGIC WHITE TIP SHARKS, MAKO SHARKS, BLUE SHARKS, AS WELL AS SEVERAL OTHER MORE OBSCURE FISH. WE SATELLITE TAGGED BLUE, BLACK, AND STRIPED MARLIN AS WELL AS BLUEFIN TUNA AND GREAT WHITE SHARKS. I KNOW HOW TO RUN A TEAM IN A CHAOTIC COCKPIT. I AM VERY GOOD WITH A GAFF SO I AM AN EXCELLENT TEACHER. I HAVE LOTS OF TRICKS LEARNED IN DIFFERENT PLACES, FROM DIFFERENT CAPTAINS, PLUS A FEW OF MY OWN CREATION. I KNOW WHAT A CLEAN BOAT IS AND HOW TO MAINTAIN IT MECHANICALLY. I’M A CLEAN-CUT, RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL WHO’S GOOD WITH KIDS. I KNOW HOW TO FIND THE FISH, ONCE I’M DIALED IN ON THEM I UNDERSTAND HOW TO MAKE THEM BITE, AS WELL AS PUT THEM ON THE BOAT. INTELLIGENT INNOVATION AND THE ABILITY TO ADAPT AND OVERCOME IS WHAT I WILL BRING TO YOUR OPERATION. IF YOU RUN A QUALITY OPERATION AND GIVE ME THE TOOLS I NEED, NOT ONLY WILL YOU FIND WHAT YOU SEEK IN A CAPTAIN, WE WILL WIN.

CPT. MICHAEL BUFFINGTON
(601) 826-3823
michaelbuffington@mycingular.blackberry.net
cpt.michaelbuffington@##########

[Scott nthQld]

Hi Michael and welcome to the site, and Australia.

As to your questions, I'm not sure if you US license will be valid here but it can quickly be verified by contact yoour new stats transport dept. If QLD, that would be Queenslend Transprot. If you are after some work as a skipper on a game rig, might I suggest Cairns (where are you located?), if you are willing to travel up there, as the giant black marlin season is just beginning, and if all your licenses are valid, youw may find yourself picking up some work pretty quick as the game boats are high in demand over the next few months (till end of Feb).

Cheers,

Scott

[Captain Mike]

posted twice, deleting

[Captain Mike]

Hi Scott,
Thanks for the information. Yes my documentation is in order. I am in Mississippi and Louisiana, depending on whether I am fishing or hunting. Our fishing is still solid but weather blows out alot of days from now on. I guide whitetail deer hunts part time when I am not tuna fishing in winter. Our fishing starts back up in May or rather our weather improves. Have you guys had an unusually rough year over there. It has been the roughest year I can ever remember, our summers are usually 2' to mirror and this year it has been 4' 2/3rds of time and unfishable way too much to make a good year of it. Who should I contact to hunt up a job, I would like to at least have a bit of an idea who to talk to and possibly email before i trek across the cobalt abyss.
Thanks my man,
Michael

[captain rednut]

hi michael i know of a position available in brisbane australia on a luxury game sport fishing boat. pm me if your interested thanks jim

[Jeremy]

reckon you would need a visa to work first. Good luck.

Jeremy

[Captain Mike]

Hi guys,
Just got done with an inshore fun trip. We got more redfish than trout, the reds were biting nails. We lost count on how many we released on topwater. I am enclosing a pic.
Michael

[Scott nthQld]

If you are interested in going to Cairns got to this webpage http://www.fishingcairns.com.au/index.html All the reputable Cairns charters are listed with contact details so you might try contact the operators direct. Here there is everything from calm inshore water through to heavy Blue water game and descriptions of the vessels. These vessels are all epuiped with GPS and Depth Sounding equipment and GPS marks where they have encountered good fish so navigation and finding fish will be a no brainer.

There are a lot of charter services in Cairns as its a more popular tourist destination than anywhere else in North Queensland and you will be dealing with vistors from all over the world (mostly Japanese tourists).

A typical day on the water up here in Summer is 1.2m (4ft) seas and 10-15knot NE winds unless of course there is a cyclone. But there are many really good days in between which allows smaller boats to go much further offshore than many would normally contemplate.

[FNQCairns]

Take particular note of the rate of pay here in OZ and also the cost of living when applied to it, no-one in the western world comes here to make money unless they can invest in some way. If the trip will be for the experience then it doesn't matter but over here without a person being the owner the wages will reflect badly when related as a whole to the US.

From memory when one relates the last census results for Queensland which is a boom mining state only a monor % of the total population was making over $45K AUD approx 40K usd. The greatest % was on around 30Kaud or below I think. Suspect that as a skipper in any of the tourist industry direction would see not much more than 36Kaud which would see you with a couple of hundred a week as true expendable income if you too it very easy.

Just some thoughts, hope you do come and check out our terrific countryside.

cheers fnq

[Captain Mike]

Hello FNQ,
I really appreciate the input as always. All of you guys have been really helpful. To answer your question, i would be doing this for the experience. I respect you guys fishing ability as well as fishing grounds. I learn something that later I cant figure how i fished before I learned every time I go to a new area. Also the further away this new place is the more I seem to get out of it both personally as well as professionally. I sincerely hope to be able to experience your unique continent as well as your culture for a year or two. I also would like to know what the hell kind of fish all you guys are talking back an forth about. I'm not used to being ignorant as to local names and ecspecially species(what the hell is a mangrove jack?). If it's not too much trouble I'd love to see some pictures fellas, I'll do the same. Those last were speckled seatrout on top and red drum or redfish below.
Cheers(I got that right I think)
Cpt. Mike

[Noelm]

I do believe our Mangrove Jack is your Snapper or at least a very close relative, and your Drum are our Jewfish, as are Blue Fish our Tailor, but most species are the same, but called something different.

[Captain Mike]

Thanks Noelm,
our jewfish are up to 600lbs and live in less than 100 or so feet and up into our bays, they are a grouper species. Are these mangrove jacks? We call them dogtooth snapper and there are some mangrove snapper as well, they live in our bays and out to about 100 feet.
Cheers,
Cpt. Mike

[mattooty]

They look very similar, definately from the same family but the picture is a bit pixelated so i cant be sure.

[Scott nthQld]

Yes they do look very similar and I have heard of Mangrove jacks being called dogtooth snapper or bream, they are an extremely hard fighting fish for their size and are great tucker too. Your Dogtooth snapper's habit certainly resemble those of our mangrove jack too, live in the bays/estuaries until they are sexually mature (about 55-60cm or just uner 2ft) and move out to deeper reefs or wrecks where they can get to 1.2m or 4ft in length.

To have a sneak preview or our fish speies and common names for them have a look at this site:
http://www.austmus.gov.au/fishes/fishfacts/index.cfm

Cheers

Scott

[Captain Mike]

Thanks for the link. O.K., our dog snapper don't get that big. That would be our cubera snapper, or a close relative. They get to 90lbs. or so. Dogs are rarely over 12lbs. Cuberas look very similar.
Cheers,
Cpt. Mike