Hi all, a quick fishing update as Christmas approaches.. we figure it might be nice to see what it’s like out there on the water with us, if you haven’t been out with us already!

We’ve been loving fishing some early morning snapper trips. The morning always looks amazing no matter the weather and it’s so peaceful out there… until the reds start biting. Then it’s on! Great fun. Snapper have been a variety of sizes but fairly consistent and after we’ve gone for snapper we will usually have a fish for a few other things, all going well.

Our favourite King George whiting have been of good size and consistent. We love our whiting because there’s a little finesse to catching them and if you drop one, all their friends down there know about it for the next 15 minutes or so until they come back on the chew. It makes fishing a challenge and we enjoy being able to send our customers home with smiles on their faces and whiting for dinner, because it’s our favourite local and sustainable eating fish. Whiting tastes amazing. Ask us for some recipes!

We’ve been going well on the calamari which we often fish for alongside whiting. A few game fish around as well. So there you have it, a week in the life. If this looks like something you or someone you know might love as much as us, get in touch and make your booking! We are also taking bookings for Mornington Peninsula local businesses’ end of busy season cruises and work breakups, so if you’re from the local ‘hood consider if your workplace of up to 8 people would enjoy the feeling of some open space after the silly season has ended!! and contact us to arrange your work breakup!

It’s crunch time for Christmas gifts and we’ve got fishing trip experience vouchers for $150-200 so call Em on 0418306431 to arrange your vouchers now!

- All experience levels welcome, all ages upward from age 4

- Family fishing trips (because memories of a fishing trip last wayy longer than electronics these days!), great activity they’ll remember forever

- Private boat booking (any number up to 8 people) vouchers

- Individual fishing trip vouchers

See you on the water!

Tight lines,

Joe

JOE FARR FISHING CHARTERS is a professional bay and ocean fishing charter for small groups. Joe Farr Fishing Charters takes fishing trips bay fishing in southern Port Phillip Bay, ocean fishing in Bass Strait & takes charters in the Rip around Port Phillip Heads. Joe takes fishing trips from Melbourne’s must-see Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula and also Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula, about an hour south of Melbourne Victoria. Gift vouchers are available year round. Fishing for what’s biting best in the bay and ocean, plus sport, game and local fishing for food. Also available for private boat charters and non-fishing trips on request. Bookings are essential on 0488229752 or contact Joe online here.

Looking for a gift they’ll remember this Christmas… one they’ll REALLY be excited about? (Or, drop the hint to Santa for YOU!)

- Individual vouchers OR private boat booking vouchers

- Family fishing adventures for the whole family

- Beginners to experienced anglers; all will love fishing with Joe and John

“Been on many charters and Joe is one of the best I’ve experienced. Knows his stuff and provides an enjoyable experience for everyone. My kids loved every moment. Highly recommend the smaller numbers on the boat” Ben F., shared on Facebook

“Joe provided a fantastic days fishing for 3 generations of our family. Everyone left with a bag full of fish and some great memories. Will be doing the same thing next year with Joe.”  Ross, shared on Trip Advisor

Check out our reviews here

Call Em on 0418306431 or Joe on 0488229752 to arrange your gift certificate

JOE FARR FISHING CHARTERS is a professional ocean and bay fishing charter for small groups. Joe  takes fishing trips fishing in Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait & takes charters in the Rip around Port Phillip Heads. Our fishing trips depart from Melbourne’s must-see Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula, about an hour south of Melbourne Victoria. Gift vouchers are available. Fishing for what’s biting best in the bay and ocean, plus sport, game and local fishing for fresh seafood. Also available for non-fishing boat private charter. Bookings are essential on 0488229752 or contact Joe online here.

It’s been a while between posts again so let’s catch up with some videos from recent trips (see below). For those of you wanting to cut to the chase, call to arrange your charter or Christmas gift vouchers on 0488229752 or 0418306431 or contact us here.

Winter fishing is great here in Melbourne and the fish don’t mind the cold.. but I just loove that springtime fishing. Waiting and testing for if the snapper run is coming into the bay, warmer days, a bit of rain here and there. It’s a season of change and once the snapper are here (and they are) they’re around for months and we’ve been onto a great variety of fish including whiting, squid, flathead, trevally, Aus salmon, garfish… As always, I am aware how LUCKY we are to be able to live here and fish the abundant waters of Southern Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait. Fishing here is diverse and while we see some of the major players regularly (whiting, calamari, flathead, snapper) no two days are ever the same and that’s what makes it awesome. Here is a snapshot of the kind of things we’ve been fishing for last few months, plus a few videos created for clients of their catch with footage from our new Go Pro hire option (we’re getting technical these days!):

KING GEORGE WHITING

King George whiting… well done buddy!

This video is from a whiting fishing trip in southern Port Phillip Bay and should give you a good idea what a fishing charter when the whiting are on can be like. We cater to all experience levels so it can be great to get some mates together and book a fishing charter even if they aren’t all keen fishermen… we just might convert a few!

SNAPPER

When they’re on, it’s great fun and makes the bleary-eyed early start worthwhile! This snapper fishing video from Port Phillip Bay shows how peaceful it can be out there even when fish are on.

FAMILY TRIPS: We’ve been doing lots of private family fishing trips in the afternoons, with trips designed for families with younger kids. They are going down a treat and we get fantastic feedback from parents who tell us how much their whole family actually really enjoyed doing THE SAME THING! This footage is actually from earlier in the year but it’ll give you a good idea of what a private family Melbourne fishing trip can look like, and we are coming into a similar time of year now as when this was filmed. We do offer fishing charter gift vouchers for Christmas and birthdays so if your little ones would enjoy an adventure, get in touch with Em on 0418306431 to arrange or via the contact form HERE. Last minute is ok too.. we can email them to you!

We went OS to visit family for a few weeks this year. Of course, managed to fish almost every day for Sockeye salmon. It was nice to get away and take our little one fishing in the same spot I learned to fish when I was the same age.

Fishing with this view never gets old

True quality time

If you’d like to book in some quality time with yours, get out on the water yourself, or arrange fishing charter gift vouchers in time for Christmas give us a call on 0488229752 or contact us HERE to arrange your time on the water, doing one of the most enjoyable things in the world… FISHING! Bring on SUMMER! Tight lines, Joe  JOE FARR FISHING CHARTERS is a professional ocean and bay fishing charter for small groups. Joe Farr Fishing Charters takes fishing trips bay fishing in Port Phillip Bay, ocean fishing in Bass Strait & takes charters in the Rip around Port Phillip Heads. Joe takes fishing trips from Melbourne’s must-see Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula and also Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula, about an hour south of Melbourne Victoria. Gift vouchers are available year round. Fishing for what’s biting best in the bay and ocean, plus sport, game and local fishing for food. Also available for non-fishing boat charter. Bookings are essential on 0488229752 or contact Joe online here.

It’s been a busy summer fishing season, and it continues! Here’s a video from today’s trip, first decent kingfish of the sport fishing season. Family trips have been great fun as well – have been running a few shorter trips for first timers and families with younger kids and we’ve had some really positive feedback from happy parents who enjoyed their fish dinners and that the kids went to bed so much earlier than normal after having a blast! For trips call 0488229752 or 0418306431 or contact us here

 JOE FARR FISHING CHARTERS is a professional ocean and bay fishing charter for small groups. Joe Farr Fishing Charters takes fishing trips bay fishing in Port Phillip Bay, ocean fishing in Bass Strait & takes charters in the Rip around Port Phillip Heads. Joe takes fishing trips from Melbourne’s must-see Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula and also Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula, about an hour south of Melbourne Victoria. Fishing for what’s biting best in the bay and ocean, plus sport, game and local fishing for food. Also available for non-fishing boat charter. Bookings are essential on 0488229752 or contact Joe online here.

Christmas!? Say what now? Yes that’s right, it’s here already and you’ve probably got a few individuals you need to buy Christmas gifts for, or perhaps an entire family… Just a suggestion…. send them on a fishing trip! We’ll do our very best to make sure their experience will be amazing, relaxing and FUN, and they can bring home dinner! Book your voucher HERE ASAP  or call 0418306431 and we will send a hard copy gift voucher so you’ve got something nice to give. If you want to know more, you can read about other’s experiences to see the kind of experience you’ll be giving them here; http://joefish.com.au/others-experiences

In other news, the silly season is here already and we are loving it on the Mornington Peninsula! The sun has started showing itself a little more after a really wet winter and the fishing has been fantastic. Snapper trips are a regular occurrence for the keen anglers among us who are devoted enough to get up early to catch them, and we’ve been going well on the usual suspects, King George Whiting, calamari, flathead (bluespots are in), silver trevally, mackerel, reef fish and the occasional shark.

Catch being filleted by Joe

Bookings happen! Get in now to secure your spot for a fishing trip over the rest of December and January because the diary is filling up fast.

CLICK HERE TO ARRANGE A RELAXING TIME ON THE WATER AMONG THE CHAOS OF THE SILLY SEASON

OR

CLICK HERE TO ORGANISE A VOUCHER ASAP!

Tight lines,

Joe

JOE FARR FISHING CHARTERS is a professional bay and ocean fishing charter  for small groups of up to 6 people. Joe Farr Fishing Charters takes fishing trips bay fishing in Port Phillip Bay, ocean fishing in Bass Strait & takes charters in the Rip around Port Phillip Heads. Joe takes fishing trips from Melbourne’s must-see Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula and also Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula, about an hour south of Melbourne Victoria. Fishing for what’s biting best in the bay and ocean, plus sport, game and local fishing for food. Also available for non-fishing boat charter. Bookings are essential on 0488229752 or contact Joe online here.

Here’s a bit about what we do! This was shot on a family fishing trip and shows just a small portion of the species we target. Should give you a good idea about the size of the boat and the nature of the business! Enjoy!

Tight lines,

Joe

JOE FARR FISHING CHARTERS is a professional bay and ocean fishing charter  for small groups of up to 6 people. Joe Farr Fishing Charters operates in Port Phillip Bay, Bass Strait & takes charters in the Rip around Port Phillip Heads. Joe takes fishing trips from Melbourne’s must-see Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula and also Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula, about an hour south of Melbourne Victoria. Fishing for what’s biting best in the bay and ocean, plus sport, game and local fishing for food. Also available for non-fishing boat charter. Bookings are essential on 0488229752 or contact Joe online here.

Well it’s been a little while since the last post, and here’s part of the reason why. We’ve been travelling for the winter season visiting family and friends in far off places. From the Indonesian tropics to the beautiful Pacific Northwest of the United States we were never more than a few steps from the salty sea! What a great winter filled with boats both big and small and plenty of fishing along the way.

Our charter boat Seamphony was out of the water for her routine maintenance prior to spring fishing. I was lucky enough to spend some time in the remote Mentawai Islands, Indonesia, fishing it up every day. The place is known for its surfing which is what my mates were there for, but the fishing was what I was interested in and was lucky enough to have my own boat to cruise around and try my hand at fishing in the tropics in a different part of the world. Took a few days to figure out the area but once I had we had fresh fish cooked on board our home-base boat for us twice every day, and ate like kings!

Keen to get out on the water? FISH PORT PHILLIP BAY WITH ME by getting in touch HERE

Then off to visit family in the Pacific North West of the USA, where I was able to catch some decent salmon before the season closed and do a bit of sightseeing.

Salmon are engrained in the culture of the PNW of the USA – you see them everywhere, even in the sky!

While we were away I finally got a chance to teach my little guy the finer points of reeling in seaweed (baby steps, he’s three). He loved it! I think it’s really important that he is learning where his food comes from. He has grown up on our local King George whiting and I know that soon enough he’ll be the one bringing it home for dinner.

Family time with the little man

King George Whiting is a species close to my heart – they’re flighty and there is usually some skill involved in catching them, making them one that a lot of fishermen find frustrating but I really enjoy targeting and showing people how to catch. I think we’ve got something pretty special here in Port Phillip Bay, with amazing diversity of species that move in and out of the Bay, favourites including flathead, calamari and snapper. They’re all beautiful species, fun to catch and it helps that they ALL taste amazing!

So the charter is now back in action after a period of heavy duty boat detailing and general ship-shaping and we look forward to getting you and your crew on board to tap into the magic of Port Phillip Bay! How’s that saying go… give a family a fish and they’ll eat it for dinner, teach a family to fish and they’ll bring you dinner for life… something like that.

ARRANGE YOUR CHARTER HERE

Tight lines,

Joe

 JOE FARR FISHING CHARTERS is a professional bay and ocean fishing charter  for small groups of up to 6 people. Joe Farr Fishing Charters operates in Port Phillip Bay, Bass Strait & takes charters in the Rip around Port Phillip Heads. Joe takes fishing trips from Melbourne’s must-see Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula and also Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula, about an hour south of Melbourne Victoria. Fishing for what’s biting best in the bay and ocean, plus sport, game and local fishing for food. Also available for non-fishing boat charter. Bookings are essential on 0488229752 or contact Joe online here.

Hello! The kids are back at school and a sigh can be heard around Victoria, possibly a mix of parental relief and disappointment that the holiday season has drawn to a close. We took some awesome family trips out on the water during the school holidays and met some really cool little first time fisherdudes and dudettes who got super excited about their fishing… sorry Mum and Dad, it’s easy to get hooked for life! We look forward to seeing you every school holidays from here on in, haha. (At least dinner will most likely be taken care of.)

For those of you who are new to fishing with us, here’s what a family fishing trip can look like!

These images were sent through to us by little first time fisherman Patrick and his family along with these kind words from his Mum:

“We have told and raved about to so many peeps about you and John (what a gentleman)! Thank you Joe and John for giving Patrick such a fantastic experience. The boys had such s brilliant time. He proudly told us he caught over 30 fish including snapper, flat head and squid! Thank you for what you do, it’s such a gift to youngsters and the Young at Heart!” Thanks guys, really happy you enjoyed your trip and look forward to next time! To read more about the experiences of other families who have come on a charter with us click here

If you think this experience might suit your family then get in touch with us here to book a fishing trip!

There are a few long weekends coming up in March; 12 13 and 14 is Labour Day long weekend and the Easter long weekend 25th 26th 27th 28th March 2016. Call Joe on 0488229752 to arrange.

Quick fishing update for the busy season: Whiting, squid and flathead have been relatively consistent fishing although of differing sizes although lately both squid and whiting have been a either on the bite or completely off. Early Jan had good schools of silver trevally earlier and Australian salmon as well. Kingfish fever has struck with 100 boats in a very small area and not much reward meaning we usually prefer to go charting new ground where possible!

I fish every day and it’s awesome to see the comings and goings of the different species and follow their movements. We are pretty lucky here to have such diverse and sustainable fisheries at Mornington Peninsula’s doorstep. From now through to April is some of my favourite fishing to be had until the weather gets cold, with really good variety and nice days. Looking forward to getting you out on the wide open water!

Tight lines!

Joe

JOE FARR FISHING CHARTERS is a professional bay and ocean fishing charter  for small groups of up to 6 people. Joe Farr Fishing Charters operates in Port Phillip Bay, Bass Strait & takes charters in the Rip around Port Phillip Heads. Joe takes fishing trips from Melbourne’s must-see Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula and also Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula, about an hour south of Melbourne Victoria. Fishing for what’s biting best in the bay and ocean, plus sport, game and local fishing for food. Also available for non-fishing boat charter. Bookings are essential on 0488229752 or contact Joe online here.

Summer season is here again and it’s been mighty hot! It’s been really busy down here on the Mornington Peninsula, with fires down on the Great Ocean Road near Lorne sending many a holiday maker over this way instead in the week after Christmas, leaving the beaches packed with people from McCrae, Rosebud, Tootgarook and Rye through to Blairgowrie, Sorrento and Portsea. This translates to a lot of boating action and people enjoying themselves on the water as well, so we’ve had a mix of bay fishing and ocean fishing to step away from the hustle and bustle.

Fishing has been good with whiting, flathead, silver trevally, calamari and Australian salmon in decent numbers. As always, it’s fishing so some days it takes a little longer than others to get the job done but we haven’t yet failed to send everyone home with a feed (touch wood) and have had some stellar reviews come in. Gotta love it when people take the time out of their busy lives to drop us a line and get in touch with feedback! Cheers guys. You can read some of our recent feedback -> -> -> here. (Click!)

We’ve had a good mix of beginners and experienced anglers this summer season, quite a few families getting the boat to themselves for a family day out for something fun to do over the school holidays. It’s awesome to see kids begin to realise, hey I can do this! You can pinpoint the moment they’re hooked for life. A lot of family members are enjoying catching up with each other out on the water as well. The crew pictured here had the boat to themselves as a surprise birthday gift for one of the fellas’ birthdays, with his best mate along for the trip too. Major brownie points there, I’m pretty sure most of us would be happy with that birthday present!

A few kingies around, not too many as yet but some lucky passengers who were open minded on what they wanted to target have lucked out and we’ve got onto a school or two. Sometimes it pays to just get out there on charter and if the tide, wind and bait gods decide they’d like to work together then we’ll have a go for them among other fishing. It’s good fun! (Book a fishing trip here)

If you’re thinking about getting out on the water then get in quick, January is a busy month and I’m fielding a lot of phone calls. Contact us to enquire or book here or call on 0488229752 and if it goes to voice mail then leave a message (with your number!) and I’ll get back to you once I’m off the water

Tight lines!

Joe

JOE FARR FISHING CHARTERS is a professional bay and ocean fishing charter  for small groups of up to 6 people. Joe Farr Fishing Charters operates in Port Phillip Bay, Bass Strait & takes charters in the Rip around Port Phillip Heads. Joe takes fishing trips from Melbourne’s must-see Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula and also Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula, about an hour south of Melbourne Victoria. Fishing for what’s biting best in the bay and ocean, plus sport, game and local fishing for food. Also available for non-fishing boat charter. Bookings are essential on 0488229752 or contact Joe online here.

Let’s be honest, they are going to get so much more out of that Experience gift certificate than they are from a kettle, a book or socks and jocks! Plus they are going to remember exactly who got it for them as well! Because they get to go FISHING!

To get out on the water, to RELAX and UNWIND and spend some quality time… perhaps with you, your whole family, or simply solo because they deserve a break and a great time. Whether it be a thoughtful Christmas gift for him you KNOW he’ll love, a unique Christmas gift for her or even a fun family adventure experience you can be sure of a smile from ear to ear when they realise what’s in that envelope on the Christmas tree!

Gift vouchers are $150 and are the price of a standard bay/ocean fishing adventure so that they can use it at any time of year at their convenience.

Contact us here to organise your voucher or call Joe on 0488229752. If you get to us in time we can send you a nice hard copy or if it’s last minute, no problems! We will shoot through an emailable gift certificate for you to print out and hand to them in the nick of time!

JOE FARR FISHING CHARTERS is a professional bay and ocean fishing charter exclusively for small groups. Joe Farr Fishing Charters operates in Port Phillip Bay, Bass Strait & takes charters in the Rip around Port Phillip Heads. Joe Farr Fishing Charters departs from must-see Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula and also Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula, about an hour south of Melbourne Victoria. Fishing for what’s biting in bay and ocean, sport, game and local fishing for food. Also available for non-fishing boat charter. Bookings essential on 0488229752 or contact Joe online here.