We’re not sure if the design was named after the way he played, but what is clear is that the new Westerberg 5m centre console is a perfect fit for the fishing adventures of Mark LeCras around WA. SCOTT COGHLAN checked it out on what proved to be a memorable maiden voyage.

THE stars aligned perfectly for the maiden voyage of the new Westerberg boat of former West Coast premiership player Mark LeCras.

Lecca, as most call him, is no stranger to these pages, having written a feature article on dhufish a few years back, and also featured on the cover.

He’s even come on board as columnist, and you can check out his debut offering in that role.

Westerberg Marine is also a well-known partner of Western Angler, having built the wonderfully durable and fishable Bandit project boat almost 10 years ago, which I still love to use.

As luck would have it, Lecca and Westerberg, aka Albany’s Rhys Jones, teamed up earlier this year to build a project boat for the former, in the form of the aluminium 5m Seagull centre console, called Fish Trap.

The Seagull 5000 is a brand-new design for Westerberg, and Lecca was down in Albany to take delivery of a boat that is sure to see many hours on the water all around WA, and which will feature on his television program, The 4WD Adventure Show, over the next couple of years.

Between Rhys, Lecca and I, we hatched a plan to christen the Seagull with a fishing trip while he was down.

The only issue was that we were in the midst of a long, wet and windy south coast winter, in which offshore fishing opportunities were as rare as hen’s teeth.

However, as luck would have it there was a glimmer of hope for the days Lecca would be in Albany to collect Fish Trap.

We watched the weather closely, and amid yet another a week of horrid weather, there was a window of opportunity the day after Lecca arrived in Albany.

The wind was forecast to be gentle, just in the morning, and there was a break in the rain, so it seemed the weather gods had smiled upon us and offered a chance for the mighty Seagull to soar for the first time.

Even the swell was down, so a plan was hatched to head to nearby Cheynes Beach and launch off the sand there and head to an inshore samson fish spot as recommended by local caravan park owner Allan Marsh.

The patch of decent weather was only a few hours, so it was to be an early start as we’d be back on shore by late morning.

Lecca conveniently spent the night at the Cheynes Beach Caravan Park, and that was where Rhys and I met him just after first light the next morning for the maiden voyage of the Seagull, which some have cruelly suggested was in fact named after Lecca the football player.

As we arrived, Lecca was readying the boat for its first official outing, and I cast my eyes over the Seagull for the first time.

Being a dedicated sportfisher and lure caster, I absolutely love centre consoles due to the mobility they offer the angler on the water.

With that in mind, I couldn’t help but be impressed by my first look at Fish Trap, a boat designed with serious anglers, like Lecca, in mind.

Like all centre consoles, even in a 5m boat like Seagull there is plenty of fishing space front and aft, and there is no problem accessing all corners of the boat while fighting fish.

An aluminium console forms the centrepiece of the floor layout, with a Relaxn T-top and rocket launcher.

The console included all the electronics you’d expect, and want.

Protected by an acrylic screen, taking pride of place at the helm was a Lowrance HDS 12 unit, matched to an Active Imaging HD three-in-one transducer.

That offers down and side scan, as well as traditional sonar, covering all Lecca’s inshore and offshore needs.

Alongside it was a Yamaha engine gauge and there’s also an Icon MC200 VHF radio.

Completing the fit out was a Wet Sounds MC5 stereo, matched with two eight-inch speakers, which pumped out plenty of crisp sound.

The only problem with it was that both Rhys and Lecca are country music fans.

There are only two types of music I don’t like, country and western, actually make that three and include Neil Diamond (it’s a long story), and that was all they played for the duration of our voyage!

A comprehensive switch panel controls the lights, deck wash, bilge pumps and more, including underwater lights, while a phone cradle enables wireless charging.

A bench seat had plenty of room for two people, while there was a bait board at the transom and six rod holders on the gunwales.

On the bow was a Minn Kota Terrova 12-volt electric motor, almost an essential piece of kit on a boat these days, whether it be destined for use on estuaries and rivers, inshore or offshore, and in Lecca’s case all those scenarios.

Another notable addition to the bow, right next to a casting platform that is sure to see plenty of work as Lecca fishes around WA, was a big sounder in the form of a Lowrance HDS 16-inch unit.

While a little exposed to the elements when taking on wind and waves offshore, this will enable Lecca to watch the sounder when he is up the front casting, which will be especially useful when he’s chasing those silly metre-plus barra that he has some weird fascination with.

It certainly came in useful during the maiden voyage, as we were able to see it from all points on the boat while fishing, rather than having to step to the helm to check the screen.

Waterproof storage is provided in lockers under the casting deck at the front.

Powering the whole thing was a 115hp Yamaha four-stroke, offering plenty of power and fantastic fuel economy, while fuel capacity is 120 litres.

Although a 100 or 90 would also likely suffice for the Seagull, this size was ideal for this vessel, offering plenty of get up and go when needed.

In his voyages since, Lecca said he was able to get the boat up to around an impressive 37 knots.

The Seagull sat on a custom-built single-axle Westerberg trailer with offroad tyres.

Featuring an extendable drawbar for beach launching and Westerberg auto catch, it had a 12,000-pound 4WD winch at the front, enabling Lecca to pull the boat back onto the trailer with the flick of a switch.

There’s also retractable tiedown straps, making it ultra easy to secure the boat for transport.

Having cast an envious eye over the boat and grabbed some photos, Lecca backed the Seagull down the beach and Rhys launched it for the first time.

It slid off the trailer with ease and the Yamaha was whisper quiet as it idled in the shallows.

A light breeze was puffing from the north, meaning there was some shelter available close to the beach, and the forecast was for the wind to build so we were keen to find some action early.

Rhys went over the features of the boat with an excited Lecca as we drifted across the weed banks in the shallows at Cheynes.

Never one to miss an opportunity, I tied on a squid jig and almost immediately was connected to one of the local cephalopods.

With a drone hovering above while Chris Woods filmed for the TV show, I hauled in a little squid.

I had christened the boat with its first catch, and I don’t think Lecca was all that impressed I had stolen his thunder.

He punished me by turning the country and western music up louder.

It was a short and comfortable run to an area in 15m and after sounding around for a couple of minutes we found some bait on the bottom, with a couple of decent arches also showing on the Lowrance on the dash.

We berleyed up with mulies and soon started to see occasional glimpses of samsons below, while Rhys showed his aptitude for catching wrasse and sergeant baker.

Small fish were often followed up by samsons, but they wouldn’t commit.

Eventually we decided on a new approach and Lecca took the ball sinker off his line and drifted an unweighted mulie into the berley trail.

All of the sudden, line started peeling off the reel that had an open bail arm, and when Lecca struck it was clear he had a samson on his 18kg outfit.

As it tore off line, Rhys hooked up as well and I grabbed the GoPro and started filming.

In the shallow water, the samsons put up tremendous fights over the next 15 minutes or so, with some typically determined runs.

The ability to move to all corners of the centre console was of huge value as Rhys and Lecca did the deck dance while being bossed around by the sambos.

There was plenty of movement around the boat, before both Lecca and Rhys both had almost identical fish beaten.

In typical fashion, the two of them each claimed their fish was slightly bigger than the other.

They were solid sambos, I would say both in the 25-30kg range, and we were elated to have found them so close to where we launched.

I was able to grab some video and photos, before we released them.

While we had them on the boat, we deployed the deck wash to pump water through their gills and keep them healthy.

Both swam off strongly and then I grabbed Lecca’s rod and baited up a whole mulie.

As we fished, we regularly looked at the Lowrance HDS 16 on the bow and could see the marks indicating big fish just beneath us.

We could also see them at times, but they were cagier now, until finally the rod loaded up and I lost 100m of line in no time before the hooks pulled.

I then hooked a small sergeant baker, which was grabbed on the way up and sparked a most unusual fight.

The samson took around 50m of line before the power vanished and I was left winding in a small weight, presumably the sergeant baker, until the rod suddenly loaded up again with the line right near the boat.

This scenario played out three or four more times in the coming minutes, with a blistering run followed each time by sudden slackness, only for the rod to again load up immediately.

After yet another powerful run, the weight came off again and I wound in, finding a very battered sergeant baker hanging off the hooks.

I can only assume that one, or likely several, samsons were taking turns grabbing the fish, without any of them actually hooking up solidly.

It was something I hadn’t experienced before and brought to an end a short but very enjoyable outing to christen the Seagull.

The wind was puffing up as we ran back, but we ran in close to shore and had no problems staying dry.

As a we made our way back, we passed dozens of southern right whales lazing in the shallows, keeping Rhys alert at the helm.

When we returned to the beach, Lecca simply bolted the boat to the winch and then relaxed as it did all the work in just a few seconds to complete a maiden voyage that could not have gone any smoother or been any more fun.

No doubt Lecca will have an absolutely amazing time putting the boat through its paces around the State over the next couple of years and I am sure it is going to produce some stunning catches.

Although only 5m in hull length, like its owner when he was playing, the Seagull performs with a capability beyond its size.

It is the sort of boat that would suit anyone looking for a versatile vessel to use in local waters, or for towing to various points of WA.

It is small enough to be easy to launch and retrieve solo, while being big enough to cope with all but the toughest offshore missions.

We fished three without a drama and another person wouldn’t have been an issue.

I can see it really coming into its own when Lecca hits the northern creeks trying to find barra, especially with just 30cm of draft allowing him to get into some really tight spots.

Fish Trap was fitted with all the fruit to make it an absolute weapon, but it is available in a more basic package as well.

I’m sure this new Westerberg will be as popular with WA boaters as chips are with seagulls. Or spilt marks are with small forwards.

Just don’t spoil the experience with country and western music. Or Neil Diamond.

NUTS & BOLTS

• Model: Westerberg Seagull
• Length: 5m (5.7m overall)
• Beam: 2.2m
• Draft: 30cm
• Fuel: 120 litres
• Power: 90-115hp
• Manufacturer: Westerberg Marine; 5 Princess Royal Drive, Albany; (08) 9841 2277; westmar@iinet.net.au .
• Pricing: $148,350 as tested (base $113,500)

PROS & CONS

Pros:

• Perfect for inshore and estuary fishing.
• Easily towed.
• Easy access around entire floor while fishing.
• Capable of handling 3-4 fishers with ease.
• Raised casting deck with underfloor storage.
• Plenty of rod storage.
• Easy to launch and retrieve, particularly with 4WD winch.
• Powerful Yamaha offers impressive speeds in suitable conditions.
• Bow-mount Lowrance HDS 16 can be seen from anywhere in boat.
  

Cons:

• Best suited to inshore rather than extreme offshore work.
• Bow-mounted sounder may be vulnerable to spray.
• Stereo plays country music.