The 18 Hour OVERNIGHT Deep Sea Fishing Charter.
These 18-hour charters are a true overnight deep sea fishing trip, and a great way to experience a very different kind of fishing adventure! Aside from the massive amount of time spent actually fishing, these charters are designed around a number of key elements.
- Making sure we get as close as we can to the best Moon cycle!
- Getting to the first fishing location to het the Sunset period.
- Fishing reefs known to work well for true late night fishing.
- Moving to another reef for true Sunrise fishing.
- And of course making the best use of the tide changes!
We recommend this length of trip to those highly experienced with Deep Sea Charter Fishing, or those wanting to get such experience. In general we travel up to 35nm offshore on this charter.
Overnight charters include a dinner, breakfast (Both commonly prepared on our BBQ aboard) as well as snacks, soups and nibbles.
There is sleeping accommodation for up to 6 people at once. (This charter is not designed for a lot of sleeping! ;-) ), so we recommend doing this trip with a friend or family member so that you can each work out who gets to have a nap when. (This is known as “hot-bunking”). Its also not uncommon for people to bring a sleeping bag or swag as they prefer to sleep as close to their rod as possible!
With just 12 passengers on a boat, designed to be comfortable with 23, you have a massive amount of room. All designed to provide a really special experience!
Overnight Deep Sea Fishing Charter dates are made available in May for the winter of that year.
Book in advance to avoid disappointment!
The biggest difficulty with, and impact on, overnight charters is the weather. The team here at Sunshine Coast Afloat do absolutely everything possible to avoid and minimise this affecting our customers. Unfortunately this means that in up to 50% of the cases we cancel the trip as we feel the weather is likely to impact negatively on the trip. These trips are designed around the customers enjoyment, and that means ideal conditions! This is the main reason we only run these trips during the winter months.
In summer the Queensland weather is “unpredictable” at best. Afternoon sea-breezes tend to be far stronger than we would like. And a summer afternoon or evening storm is almost common place! Not the conditions we want to take our customers out to sea in! This means that we really only have 4 months to work in – June, July, August & September. We look at October as a 50/50 proposition and make a call in late September if we feel it will work or not.
Operating in just the Winter period has two massive advantages.
- The weather tends to be a lot more predictable and pleasant.
- Winter time is big Snapper time, and this species LOVES to feed at night!
So we plan our trips according to the 2 key moon phases each month.
- Three to four days before and after the night of the FULL moon.
- And then as a backup in case we have to cancel, Three to four days before and after the night of the NEW moon.
Each of these trips may be slightly affected by already established bookings and we then work around those as best we can.
Step 1 from there – usually late March to Early April – we set the dates and inform our regular customers and any potential customers that have requested early notice. (Click the form on the right to ask for early notice). With so few trip and spots available for these trips this is we believe the best and fairest way to look after those people.
Based on the timing, you would think that, everything going perfectly, we could run 4 trips a month = 4 x 4 = 16 of these trips…… Not so much. Reality is we cancel as many as that proceed. So that then drops to 8 trips per year at best. Often one of the 2 trips in the month will then fall into mid week which can often be a touch difficult for most. So reality is 4 to 5 trips, at best, per year. Multiplied by 12 people per trip leaves just 48 to 60 spots every year!
We can take more people out on a single weekend with standard trips! Thats why these trips are SOOOO Special!!!!!!
Of course we always have Crusader 1 properly prepared for night fishing!
Proper night lighting – Both on deck and underwater “squid lights”, comfortable clean sleeping accommodations, and every season a few other new surprises continue to make sure our night charters are something very special indeed!
We have set a departure time around 3 to 4PM and a return time of around 9 to 10AM. Making this a massive, 18 hour long, deep sea fishing charter!
We have a number of (closely guarded) locations that have, over time, proven themselves as fantastic night fishing locations. These charters will be targeting Snapper in particular, but large Pearl Perch and other night predators are certainly in our scope as well!
Booking restrictions:
As already indicated, these charters are far more restricted in passenger numbers than “Normal” charters. We want to make sure you have a massive amount of room when on deck and if needed can have a very comfortable rest/sleep in quality onboard accommodation as well!
As such, 12 passengers is the absolute limit on these charters.
Bookings are recommended by groups of at least 2. Because of the much longer time frame of the charter, and the fact that the the sleeping accommodations are of course shared, we feel that this charter will work much better with people that know each other. Also with sleeping its always is more comfortable to not have to share a bunk with a stranger!
Inclusions:
A hot BBQ evening meal is included, as is a substantial breakfast, espresso-coffee, tea, and even hot soups! (It is winter-time remember). As always water and soft drink are included, as well as other snacks throughout the charter to ensure your stomach never distracts you from the fishing! We will have a full crew complement on for this trip (1 more than we would normally have for 12 people) to ensure you are looked after properly. And of course as always all bait, tackle, use of rods and reels is included.
There is no crabbing on these trips. This is aimed at true fishing enthusiasts! (And the traps would be down WAY too long to catch anything anyway)
Cost:
At just $540.00 per person it is about the same as the hourly rate per person for a 5 hr charter but with only half the number of people on the boat!
The costs are based on the number of people per trip (being 12) and the amount of time out on the ocean (18Hrs). As we are taking only half the possible passengers on these trips the hourly rate Vs a standard day trip is a little higher but the value for money more than makes up for that we feel!.
All legal fish are your to keep, return or share. Kept fish will be “Gutted and gilled” for you by our crew, and put on ice.
So call us now or click the booking button and book your group for an unforgettable night of deep sea fishing at it’s very best!!!
Please note- These charters are a winter option only, and available a max of 6 x per year. No Spanner Crabbing on these trips!
For a detailed “itinerary” for this charter and to see what is and isn’t included please click on the “Itinerary” tab.
- All legal fish are your to keep, return or share.Bag and size limits obviously apply and are strictly adhered to. All kept fish will be “Gutted and gilled” for you by our crew, bagged and put on ice for you to take home at the end of the charter.
- All legal (size and gender) spanner crabs caught are cooked, iced and shared between passengers interested in trying them!
- Use of fishing equipment and bait is included (you are of course welcome to bring your own if you prefer).
COVID Safe Charter Fishing – for detailed information on how we’ve adjusted our tour to be COVID Safe and for updated terms click here.
Please note that other impacts such as phone and agent bookings, weather and other unforeseen things could impact on the availability at the same time as you are requesting the charter online. Our Terms and conditions are available on this webpage ( Click here to view them now ) and will also be emailed to you as part of the booking confirmation.
The “BRIDGE SEAFOOD ” Pontoon (located at the rear of the restaurant),
209 Brisbane Road Mooloolaba Qld.
For a GPS use “Bridge Seafoods” or “209 Brisbane Road Mooloolaba Qld”. In iPhone Maps “Bridge Seafoods” is far more accurate.
Please DO NOT park your car here on the service Road, but rather in the FREE public car-park next to the BP service station across the road.
The location is the corner of Incana Court and Brisbane Road. This parking is free and unlimited in time, and only a 2 minute stroll (100m) from the departure point.
Once parked please wait near the top of the ramp until instructed by the skipper that it is safe to come down the ramp and board the vessel.
1
Departure
Please arrive 20 to 30 minutes PRIOR to your noted departure time. The vessels will depart on time should you be late and we have note heard from you!
Ensure you have enough time to find a car park if needed.
Please DO NOT bring empty eskies aboard. The crew will bag and ice your fish and your crabs (separately) for you so that you can take them to your can and easily place them in a waiting esky there.
Please do not wait on the pontoon itself as the crew will be mooring the vessel on its arrival and we safety is paramount for all.
2
Boarding
Once securely and safely moored, the crew will ask you to board the vessel. Make your way up towards the cabin, placing any bags in the locker seat that will be open and waiting.
3
Registering
We are heading out to sea so each and every person aboard must sign in on the ship register, and marked off by the crew. To this end see the skipper (at the cabin window) and he will indicate the passenger log for you to complete. Have a balance to pay for the day? This is where and when you do that part too.
4
Relax
Once the paperwork has been done for you, grab a drink from the drinks esky and have a look about the boat to get comfortable.
5
Safety First
As required by maritime legislation, the crew will have to do a safety briefing before we hit the open ocean. Much like on a plane any time you fly, we do need your attention for the couple of minutes it takes. We all hope and expect the information we are providing never to be needed, but its always best to be forewarned and prepared.
6
Pushing off
One of the few times we need you to be seated, out of the way of lines and other items. Just until the crew have cleared them away and the skipper is heading forward.
7
Crossing the Bar
Recognised in maritime as one of the potentially more dangerous things that happens aboard a vessel, this is the 2nd time the crew will ask everyone to be seated. Once through (It only takes a minute or 2) the ocean conditions will take effect.
8
First Location
On an 18Hr trip the initial “steam” is normally between 30 and 90 minutes. No spanner crabbing is done on these charters as the traps would be down WAY too long. The first fishing location is determined by the crew based on the time of year, fishing reports and recent results and the likelihood of the Sunset period’s fishing success. As such this will change from trip to trip.this first location is normally where you will be fishing for the all important Sunset period. The crew will provide everyone will a quick demonstration of how to put bait on, how to drop your lines and other relevant areas of using the fishing equipment. Just in case this instruction is needed. Of course if you are still unsure just ask for help! Thats why we have more crew that most other charters aboard!
9
Next Fishing Location.
The next of what will normally will be 4 or 5 different locations is an area the skipper(s) have determined will be the best for the late night fishing efforts. During the steam out to this area the BBQ will normally be fired up and dinner will be prepared and served. YUM!
10
Fishing various marks
Moving about between marks is a normal part of fishing. We try to minimise this as much as possible, and with just 12 passengers the impact on our marks is far less than with 22 of course!.
11
Sunrise Fishing
This is one of the very few charters that offer you the true opportunity to fish the outlying reef structures for those crucial hours before, during and just after Sunrise. Again the exact location will again vary from trip to trip, but its far more common to still be on the Barwon Banks or Hards for this period. Enjoy this super rare treat!
11
Heading Back home
Once the sunrise activity dies down, or if it stays strong when the skipper determines he has to set off to get back to port in time, the BBQ will be fired up again during the trip back and a lovely breakfast of Bacon, ham, eggs, hash-browns, toast, coffee and tea will be prepared and served. Just the perfect way to finish an amazing deep sea adventure! Of course as we re-enter the bar, and during the mooring of the vessel, the crew will ask all passengers to be seated again for safety. Once moored securely, the crew will retrieve the fish caught, and hand them out based on the tagging done at the time of catching them. All your fish will be in plastic bags with ice to keep them cold. Once you have your seafood bounty you are free to disembark the vessel.
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