Offshore Fishing
Eight hours offshore. Whole boat only, on request.
The full day out. The drop-offs, seamounts and deep water around Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid.
Scott fishes these waters rod and reel, year round. The day is planned the same way he plans a work day: wind, swell, tide, and what has been going on that week.
$3,300 per charter
8 hours · Whole boat only · Maximum 6 guests, 4 anglers
This day is not sold by the seat. It takes the whole boat and the whole day, so it runs on request rather than to a timetable. We leave from the Lord Howe Island jetty. Send us your dates and we will work it out with you.
Offshore or Day Fishing
We run two fishing trips and they are built for different people.
Offshore Fishing is this one. Eight hours, the far grounds and the outer reefs, heavier gear, and the day planned around where the fish are rather than around the clock. The whole boat, booked to your group. If you came here to fish, this is the trip.
Day Fishing is six hours on the coastline and the local reefs, with the gear matched to whoever is holding the rod. It sells by the seat, so you do not need a group. It suits mixed parties, families, and anyone who wants a proper go at it without giving up the whole day.
If you are not sure which suits, tell us who is coming and how you go on a boat, and we will give you an honest answer.
How the day runs
Scott works out the run on the morning. That might be jigging or casting stickbaits and poppers for kingfish, live baiting, plastics over the reef edges, trolling for wahoo, or deep dropping on the drop-offs. Usually a few of those in a day.
A full day gives you the range. Depending on conditions that might mean the seamounts, the drop-offs on the outer reefs, or the water around Balls Pyramid.
Heavier gear than you would fish closer in, because the fish out here are bigger and the ground is harder on tackle.
Four rods maximum. That is not a marketing decision, it is what works when a good fish is on and everyone needs room.
Kingfish
The kingfish here are their own fish. The skin is thick enough that chefs who have worked with both cannot cut scale them the way they would a mainland fish. Under Balls Pyramid they come up jet black across the back. The old Islanders call them black backs, and they do not come up easily.
Scott has taken part in Project Kingfish, a Sydney Institute of Marine Science study that fits satellite tags to mature kingfish along the New South Wales coast and out here in the marine park. Tags from that work have recorded fish covering 1,857km in three months and diving to 475m. Researchers think Lord Howe may hold a significant share of the east coast’s breeding kingfish, which is part of why the study came out here.
Winter is the best of it. That runs against the visitor season, which suits anyone willing to come outside summer.
Sharks
You will lose fish to sharks. Hooked fish get taken here more often than they used to, and there are a few techniques we can try to avoid them. Scott will move you off a spot when it starts happening. It is part of fishing this place.
Your skipper
Scott Wilson grew up on Lord Howe Island and has fished these waters his whole life. When he is not running charters he is fishing, rod and reel, supplying the island’s restaurants or teaching his two boys how to fish. Same water, same methods, same fish.
What that means for your day is that the plan comes from being out here week in, week out, rather than from a chart.
Why fish Lord Howe?
The East Australian Current runs into the island’s underwater slopes and pushes deep water up. That upwelling is why there is so much here, and why tropical and temperate species sit side by side on the southernmost coral reef in the world.
For fishing it means variety. Kingfish, wahoo, yellowfin tuna, trevally and deep-water species off the drop-offs, in water you will not find anywhere else in Australia.
Fishing is fishing and conditions decide the day. Scott will put you on the best water available.
New to it, or been at it a while
If you have not fished before, Scott will rig you up and talk you through it, and you will be fine. It is a long day though, so if it is your first time on a boat, the Day Fishing trip may suit you better.
If you have fished a lot, you are on the boat with someone who jigs, pops, live baits and deep drops for a living, and who has tagged kingfish here for research. Tell us which when you enquire and the day gets planned accordingly.
What is included
- Rods, reels and tackle supplied
- Bait and lures included
- You are welcome to take your catch, within bag and size limits
- Bring your own gear if you would rather fish it
- Marine toilet on board
- Food and drink are not supplied — bring your own, and there is room to keep it cool
What to bring
Water, lunch, sun protection, soft-soled shoes, a warm layer, and your camera. It is a long day in the sun and further offshore than most people expect, so bring more water than you think you need. If you are prone to seasickness, take your preferred remedy the night before rather than on the morning.
Alcohol
No glass on board.
In the water
We do not offer snorkelling or any in-water activities on our charters.
Weather and conditions
Trips are weather led. Scott makes the call, and on the morning he decides whether the trip goes, whether it runs somewhere different, or whether it does not run at all. That decision is his and it is final.
Offshore is the trip conditions stop first. We do not head out in more than 20 knots or in swell over 3 metres, and Fin cannot leave the lagoon on a tide below 0.3 metres. That last one is why departure times move through the week rather than sitting at a fixed hour.
If we cancel
We will offer you another date within your stay if we can. If nothing works, or you would rather not reschedule, you get a full refund.
If we cut a trip short
Sometimes conditions change once we are out. If we come in early because of weather or a safety issue, we will work out a partial refund with you based on the time you had on the water.
If you cancel
More than 14 days before your trip, full refund. Between 14 days and 48 hours, we will refund you less a 20% booking fee. Inside 48 hours, no refund, although we will always try to move you to another date if we have one.
If you do not arrive
We wait 30 minutes past the departure time. After that the trip is treated as a cancellation inside 48 hours.
Getting to the island
Flights to Lord Howe are affected by weather more often than most, because of the mountainous terrain and the short runway. If your flight is cancelled or delayed and you cannot make your trip, tell us as soon as you know and we will move you to another date within your stay if one is available. If we cannot, the cancellation terms above apply, and for that reason we do recommend travel insurance.
A note on the marine environment
These waters are part of a marine park, and they are our home. We fish to sensible limits, follow the marine park rules, anchor on sand rather than coral, and handle fish destined for release with care. The goal is simple: these waters should fish this well for the next generation of Islanders and visitors.
Common questions
How do I book this trip?
Send us your dates and we will add you to that week’s list. On the Sunday before, you will get an email with what is running that week and a link to book. Offshore takes the whole boat and the whole day, so we set it around your stay and the weather rather than running it to a fixed timetable.
Where do we meet, and what time?
The Lord Howe Island jetty. Offshore is an early start, but the exact time moves with the tide, because Fin cannot get out of the lagoon on a low one. Your time comes with the Sunday email. If you are working around a flight, tell us and we will flag anything tight before you commit.
Can I book a single seat?
Not on this trip. Offshore is whole boat only. If you are on your own or there are two of you, Day Fishing sells by the seat at $660 a person.
Do I need fishing experience?
No. Scott will set you up and talk you through it. Tell us when you enquire whether you are new to it or fish often, so the day fits.
Can I bring my own gear?
Yes. Plenty of people prefer to fish their own rods. Tell us what you are bringing and Scott will plan around it.
Can we keep our catch?
Yes, within bag and size limits.
Can non-anglers come along?
Yes. The boat takes six, with four fishing at a time. Not everyone has to hold a rod.
Is it suitable for kids?
It is a long day offshore in open water. Older kids who are comfortable on boats usually do well. Tell us their ages when you enquire and we will give you an honest answer, which may be that Day Fishing is the better trip.
Children need to be at least four years old and at least 15 kg, because that is the smallest lifejacket we carry and it has to fit properly before we leave the jetty. A parent or guardian comes aboard with them.
What if we do not catch anything?
It happens. What we can tell you is that Scott puts you in the best water available on the day.
Will we see Balls Pyramid?
When conditions allow. It sits about 20km from the island and the run out depends on swell and wind. Scott makes that call on the morning, on safety.
More questions are answered on the FAQs page.
Other trips
Day Fishing
$660 per person
6 hours · Minimum 3 · Maximum 4 anglers
Scenic Cruises
$1,100 per charter, or $275 per person
2 hours · Minimum 2 · Maximum 6 guests
All prices include GST. Trips are weather led. Scott makes the call on the morning.