Fish dive fishing charters, airlie beach = con artists!!!

[Jonny1]

Anyone looking for a fishing charter in airlie beach I strongly recommend that you don't use fish dive charters, I booked the boat for the full day to do some sport fishing for pelagics at a price of $750!!!! First off they were an hour late picking us up, they provide food on board, basically they through a bag of rolls and fillings in a bag and you had to make the sandwich yourself, skipper couldn't be arsed to catch any live bait, the fishing equipment was very low budget and the line isn't even spooled on the reels properly, I had a few tangles, every time we saw birds diving he wouldn't get you over there quick enough 2 throw a lure, we ended up bottom bashing with old prawns what looked to have been bought from coles for an hr to only catch a few undersized cod and parrot fish, so I called time after half a day, I rang the owner afterwards to make a complaint and she was very quick to shut me down and hang the phone up, think that's me done with charters now, better start saving for my own boat!!!!

[Shark Poker]

That sounds bad but I see you are from Ormiston.
A possible solution to your frustration is to explain that you are dealing with North Queenslanders.

That is how most of them fish..... any line, any bait, whatever. " Fish catch themselves up here, mate!"

100lb handline, single hook thru pilchards guts. No knowledge of what a rush is..... you wanted to come here and now you are here. Y e a h . . . . . eh ?

That's the great thing about travelling. Its about the people as much as the place!

[jtpython]

$750 Holy Buttmonkey they ripped u Sorry mate suppose to be a good area there

[Spaniard_King]

Johnny. IMO you paid for a budget priced charter and got it.

No charter operation who has to travel any distance could survive on $750 a day.

What sort of boat did he have? How far did you travel? Was a decky supplied?

[Jonny1]

It was a fibre glass 6.5m centre console, no deckhand, we launched from shute harbour and headed towards day dream island didnt go any further than that, the operator who doesn't own the business has 20+ years experience as a commercial fisherman on hand lines, guessing by what he told me that he doesn't like using live bait or lures tells me he doesn't have alot of experience chasing pelagics, even when I got him to go over 2 where birds were diving I'd throw the popper in but he'd still leave it in gear so I couldn't even get the lure working as we were moving towards it, still think for $750 we could of got more action, if I wanted to drop an old prawn over board I could of stayed onshore on a rock wall, anyway it won't happen again

[Andrew M]

That is a shame mate, it sucks when you feel ripped off. If you do get a chance to get back up there, check out Richard from Barra to Billfish. Great guy who loves his sport fishing & knows the area like the back of his hand.

Cheers Andrew

[lbger]

I went on a charter up there a few years ago that went out of the eco resort chasing GT's.. it was such a good service, the gear was top notch and even know the fishing was a bit slow the guide tried his hardest and we did get a few fish.. It sucks getting ripped off

[Jonny1]

That is a shame mate, it sucks when you feel ripped off. If you do get a chance to get back up there, check out Richard from Barra to Billfish. Great guy who loves his sport fishing & knows the area like the back of his hand.

Cheers Andrew

Went out today with Richard, awesome bloke who does no his fishing, just goes to show that not all companies are cowboys, so to anyone who is off to Airlie beach and want a good fishing trip, ring Richard from Barra 2 Billfish, he'll do his best to please ya, caught my first jack with him today and I don't think you'll find too many guys that'll push an 8 month old 7 metre fibreglass centre console into the smallest of mangrove creeks so you can hook your first jack!!!!

[FisHard]

That is a shame mate, it sucks when you feel ripped off. If you do get a chance to get back up there, check out Richard from Barra to Billfish. Great guy who loves his sport fishing & knows the area like the back of his hand.

Cheers Andrew

Does this guy also have a 40ish foot fly bridge jobbie, that he takes further afield? I've seen the 7m longboat you're talking about, and last week off the Ribbon Reefs, saw a big boat sign written exactly the same.

[Jonny1]

I don't think he does, he never mentioned of having another boat, he does sport fishing but its from that boat, he's just won the under 7m boat bill fish comp up here and finished 2nd overall

[Bubsy]

Johnny. IMO you paid for a budget priced charter and got it.

No charter operation who has to travel any distance could survive on $750 a day.

What sort of boat did he have? How far did you travel? Was a decky supplied?

A Budget Charter at $750 a day? What drugs are you on? At that price I'd expect Kate Middleton topless serving Lamb Cutlets, and Paul Worsteling baiting my hooks.

$300 to $400 a day is a pretty standard rate up here. I agree with JT Python, you got ripped hard brother.

[Spaniard_King]

A Budget Charter at $750 a day? What drugs are you on? At that price I'd expect Kate Middleton topless serving Lamb Cutlets, and Paul Worsteling baiting my hooks.

$300 to $400 a day is a pretty standard rate up here. I agree with JT Python, you got ripped hard brother.

I don't do drugs Buby.

I was simply asking what he got for his money, why come on here with ya chest pumped up when someone asked to clarify the situation!

Do you know the charter operation in question??? it may have been a 50ft game boat

[Jonny1]

The point of my thread is to stop other people making the same mistake I did, her company is mud in town, she's been reported to the Whitsunday tourism board by the hotel manager where we are staying, they've taken down her brochures, I've told the local fishing tackle shop as well, fingers crossed the word spreads, spoke to a few other charter boat skippers and they all no about her so hopefully she either picks her game up or she doesn't get a lot of buisness

[SunnyCoastMark]

A Budget Charter at $750 a day? What drugs are you on? At that price I'd expect Kate Middleton topless serving Lamb Cutlets, and Paul Worsteling baiting my hooks.

$300 to $400 a day is a pretty standard rate up here. I agree with JT Python, you got ripped hard brother.

Bubsy, you do realise he chartered the whole boat with a skipper. Not just a "spot" on a charter boat.

Can't see how you would get a whole boat for 300-400 - when the skippers wages, fuel, boat maintanence, cleaning etc. + profit have to come out of that.

Mark

[Shark Poker]

Lets all ring them up and ask them about it.

If that doesn't wake them up nothing will.