Why an over-nighter? – By John Boon

It’s one of those rare occasions when the weather decides to drop out for multiple days. Consecutive days of 5-10 knots gets the anticipation nerves jingling. You turn to the minister of fun and finance and she just gives you the nod because we all know that being trophy husbands is bloody hard work.

There’s no emails to return, no work to be done – it’s now just strictly fishing business. One of the questions that comes up regularly is if you should do a day trip or go all in and do multiple days. There’s pros and cons to which ever choice you make and we are going to have a good look through this very subject.

Regardless of when or at what time you’re going, the number one factor you should be thinking about above all others is safety. If it all turns to crap for some reason you should have controls in place to let someone know of your whereabouts.

Staying in radio range is considered safe but what if the radio doesn’t work? Investing in a satellite communication system is a good idea. These can get very expensive and not practical for the amount of money to keep a subscription each month. I researched and found a cool little gadget called a Garmin Inreach.

This is a text messaging only satellite system. I went this way because my offshore wide trips have significantly reduced. I keep it in a water proof bag so if we do end up in the water I know that water isn’t going to kill it and I can still type messages through the bag.

Another great feature about the Garmin Inreach is that you can activate and pause the plan when needed. The subscription is about 50 bucks a year and when you activate it, it costs about 25 bucks for the month. The hand piece to buy outright can range from $400-$700. It was the most cost effective way I could find to still have satellite communication if all else fails.

Boating hazards come in all shapes and forms. If you’re planning on leaving before the sun comes up then make sure that you’ve got a good quality spot light or light bar installed on the front of your boat. If you don’t have one and are looking at getting one then my advice is to install it as far forward on the bow as you can. If you place it further back towards the cab you run the risk of getting the light reflecting back into your vision.

Most people worry about floating debris that you can hit at speed and rightly so. Keep your eyes open especially at night. If travelling at night then I suggest taking it steady. I have found that 30-35 km/h still gives you plenty of time to dodge something in front of you.

Whales are another one to keep an eye out for. Whale season here on the Capricorn Coast runs from about August to October. During these times we try to limit our night time travel.

Let’s have a look at the advantages of a day trip. If you’re time poor like me then day trips might be your only option. Even if you’re only fishing for one day the entire process generally takes up at least two and a half days.

By the time you pack the boat the day before, fish all of the next day and look to clean the boat and fish on the third day it’s a very time consuming process. If you’ve got no commitments then this issue is null and void but when you’ve got three kids and life is extremely busy then time is of the essence.

When day tripping, finding that extra time to go searching for new ground may not exist. Depending how wide you’re going then travel time to and from will take a big chunk out of your day.

If I’m doing a day trip then I rely heavily on sounding at speed to locate new marks. A couple of hours of scanning usually doesn’t happen on a day trip. I’ll pick the direction I want to head and then pick a selection of marks to try and that’s generally the plan. I do adjust this plan accordingly if what we are doing isn’t working but I won’t stray far from the same area because it just chews up too much time.

There is one exception to this rule and it will depend on how much fish we have in the freezer. If there’s no pressure to bring home fresh fillets then I will dedicate a day to just searching. It’s a good feeling to head wide and not worry if you put fish in the esky or not. To win these days it’s all about finding new marks.

So what about over night fishing? Obviously the biggest issue with this is time. As long as you have the time (or a very understanding wife) then overnight trips can be far more successful.

One advantage is that your fishing time doubles. Having twice the amount of fishing time should help to put those quality fish on the deck. Not only do you have two full days but you will also have the option to fish at night. Some of the best reef sessions we have had have been during complete darkness. If your trip coincides with the full moon then this is worth extra points.

When fishing an overnight trip the best factor that I like is that you get a second day to replicate the bite from the day before. There might be a spot that fires on a particular trigger and if you’re onto it you can make sure you’re back on that spot again the next day for the same timing.

I can remember one overnight wide trip we did a few years back where we cleaned up on both red emperor and large mouth nannygai. Due to commitments we didn’t get on the water until midday on the first day. We fished a few spots on the way out for some reasonable action and put a few tasty critters in the esky.

It wasn’t until late afternoon when the full moon was about to rise that all hell broke loose. It was a bite that dreams were made of. The entire bite madness went for a solid two hours before it shut down.

After the bite ended we searched for a few more hours and ended up anchoring on top of a shoal for the night. We were able to keep a steady stream of sweetlip coming over the side on and off throughout the night.

The next day was spent spot hopping and searching for new ground. The days effort was pretty average but we were all aware of what happened the day before. We got ourselves in position a bit earlier on that same spot and right on cue when the moon started to rise the red fish come on again.

The action wasn’t as intense as the day before and I believe it was due to the pressure the spot got the day before but we did finish our bag limit off and then turned the nose of the Cruise Craft South West and headed for home.

One critical safety factor you need to be aware of when doing an overnight trip is how quickly the weather can turn foul. Storms can spring up out of nowhere and turn a red hot day into an absolute nightmare.

If I had to outline one of the biggest issues with fishing wide of Yeppoon it would be the lack of protection. Once you get out past the Keppel Island group you’re pretty much exposed. If you head east south east about 90km you have North West Island but anywhere north from there then you’re out in the open.

I’ve never had the experience of being caught in a storm nor do I ever want to be. We generally stick to the Winter months when planning an overnight mission. Summer months can be a big gamble and just remember no fish is worth your life.

If storms are likely then either postpone your overnight trip or make sure that you’re fishing close to decent protection. We have still done overnight trips during Summer but have fished relatively close to North West Island just for that peace of mind. We will also use the protection of the Island when we anchor up at night for some well earned shut eye.

While we are on the subject of staying out over night why don’t we take a look at fishing at night. Sometimes it can be a bit more tricky than fishing daylight hours. Those marks that look fully loaded during the day can be barren at night. Reef guru Greg Lamprecht said in one of his Wicked Fishing DVD’s that a lot of the bait goes into hiding at night and I fully agree with that quote.

On one of our last offshore missions we were fishing some fern country. When we pulled up on this mark it looked like there was only a small layer of fern and nothing else. If you had found this mark during daylight hours you might not even drop a bait on it. At night there were no solid fish returns or bait showing.

The only reason we fished this mark is because it was proven. Red emperor to 12kg have been caught at this spot in the past. We spot locked with the trusty Minn Kota Ulterra, got the weapons ready and went into battle. The bites weren’t fast and furious but we had our first legal red in the boat within the first 15 minutes. Over the next half an hour we had a plague of juvenile red emperor with each one between 45 and 54cm.

It did take us a while but we did manage to pull two solid reds both around the 10kg mark and also some other mixed reef. It was still an hour before sunrise yet the mark still looked barren. It wasn’t until we got that first bit of light that the sounder started to show some life.

I guess the biggest lesson with night time fishing is to just have a go, especially if marks have proven themselves in the past. Not all spots are going to look barren at night. We have still seen areas absolutely lit up with life and fish chewing their heads off. It’s just another tip to consider when fishing in the dark.

If you’re a lure fanatic and want some ideas for night time fishing then grab some lumo plastics and jigs. They have made a huge difference. Heavily scented plastics are another go to night time tactic. Berkley Gulp would be up there with being some of the most reliable. Squid Vicious and six inch nemesis to be exact. I will always start with white but will change it up if what I’m using isn’t working.

Well, you’re either well educated or more confused about planning an overnight reef trip. I really hope it’s the first one. No matter when you’re looking at fishing the reef or for how long just make sure you do it smart.