Swains on Tasman Venture

[backlash08]

Hi Guys,
I along with a great bunch of guys returned last week from a great week on board the Tasman venture to the Swains.
The crew was first class and Lloyd, the skipper and his crew really worked hard to look after us, i couldnt have asked for a better crew. This was my first trip on this boat, but wont be my last, with 12 guys and 3 crew the living quarters are a little tight, but not too bad, the boat though is great to fish from and the dories are very well prepared.
The trip out was great, the weather for the entire week was good to very good and with a boat that cruises at +25knots you get there in a hurry. I had only returned from Japan (overnight flight) 3 hours before the drive up to Hervey bay so i was fairly tired, the plan was get to Hervey bay, load the boat, quick meal, sleep and depart at 11pm for a overnight transit to fishing the following morning. All went to plan apart from the sleep, the rum looked far more attractive and the stories got better as we drank the night away. The fishing was as expected, not crazy but a good mixed bag. We fished some 100M stuff off the big boat on the first and last day for jobbies, reds, trout, a few stray snapper, red throat, lippers, cod etc etc and fished the dories the days in the middle for the same species plus the ever fun spaniards, tuna, sharkies, GT's and golden trevs. The dory fishing was great as the weather was so kind to us, we fished the inside and the outside of the reefs and as expected smashed rods, lost braid by the klm, straitened hooks, lost lures, pulled knots and all the other very funny things that happen with 12 guys fishing for 1 week. No monsters were landed and we returned plenty of leagal fish however we still came home with a great feed. Fresh bait did a little better than SP's for the reefies and the lures did better than baits for the surface action. All in all it was a great week, the crew was excellent, the boat and food was great and the fishing time mamimized by the amount of ground you can cover in a fast boat with a skipper who really tries. I dare say i'll see the back of that boat again

[wags on the water]

Thanks for the report Clee. There's nothing better than a fishing trip with your mates, a good skipper and crew.

Wags

[backlash08]

a few pics

[chop duster]

cmon clee, surely you got more photo's than that! haha
thanks for the report! gee the weather gods were kind to you.
Is that a left handed pen GTi in the the first pic or has the pic been reversed?

[backlash08]

Hi Chop duster, yes, its a left hand drive penn, mate of mine uses them as he reckons that they are the only decent LHW overheads. have got some more pics but waiting on some guys to email me some, the weather was excellent
cheers

Craig

[jtpython]

That is awesome weather and sounds like ya had a ball mate
All things that make a trip out with mates the go
JT

[Fish_gutz]

sounds like a great trip, I have done two trips now with Lloyd and the tasman venture and every time I got home i was a few kilo`s heavier! good tucker etc and a great crew. thanks for the report.
ps. is carl still doing deckie work on the tasman?
Cheers Andrew

[backlash08]

Hi Andrew,
this was my first trip on the Tasman, previous trips were on 'spirit of freedom' very different type of boat! Carl was not on the boat, Matt was the leading deckie and pretty good as well

cheers

Craig

[ALB78]

Un Reel, cant wait!!!!! i'm heading up to the swains on the same boat in 3 1/2 weeks..... sounds like a great trip!! i've been previously on the "Australiana" out of gladstone(a few years ago now) Thanks for the report!!!!!
cheers Adrian!!

[backlash08]

Adrian, enjoy, only hope that you have great weather as well, I'm sure that the crew will look after you!

cheers

Craig

[jrf1973]

Hi Clee

Thanks for the report. Is it rude to ask the approx cost ? I just came back from a trip on the golden phoenix (parks next to the tasman venture) and we also had another great trip. We've been for the last 5 or 6 years and always enjoy it, but I've always had a swains trip in the back of my mind...

Regards

JRF

[backlash08]

Hi JRF - The trip is around 25K, that is for up to 12 people, 7 days, suggest that with fuel increases they might be asking a bit more but cant blame them for that, IMO very good value

cheers

[beachturkey]

Top trip, the weather gods look like they smacked you in the rear end with a rainbow! How much glass could you get! Fish still lokked pretty sizeable and probably tasted the same! Great report
Beach Turkey

[Smithy]

Hey Craig I am guessing you had Johno aboard on that trip? He came straight from that charter and then was in the house with us for the Fraser Comp. How keen is that and how good his missus to let him do that much fishing one trip after the other?

[backlash08]

Hi Smithy, bad luck having John in the house with you! Only kidding, he's a good guy, yep he was on the trip, off the boat, onto the barge and more fishing....next the rainbow comp.....how did you go at fraser?
cheers
Craig