Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2017 i Fishing World

Most of us grew up fishing with bait. As a youngster, heading out with a packet of frozen prawns or freshly dug-up worms was the key to success. Things were simple then; the size and species of fish didn’t matter. All that mattered was we were having fun and catching fish. Unbeknown to me at the time, days spent on the water learning the fundamentals of fishing would prove invaluable in later years. Most of us moved on from that stinky frozen servo bait. The appeal of lures and high tech gadgetry was too much of a temptation. Fishing became more focused and of course the fun continued. My personal journey included an obsession chasing natives on lures, saltwater fly fishing and an urge to catch anything from trout to…

SINCE this year’s AFTA tackle show I’ve been testing the newly released additions to the Samaki Vibelicious and Thumpertail ranges on my home waters of Lake Macquarie on the NSW Central Coast. In the space of a few weeks the newly released colours of Midori Mullet and UV Squid have proven to be highly effective on jewfish, big dusky flathead, big bream, tailor, Australian salmon and even a solitary leatherjacket. Both these new colours feature fish attracting UV additives, with the UV Squid providing a truly realistic imitation of the wonderful cephalopod that is the favoured food of so many predatory sportfish species. The Midori Mullet on the other hand features a vivid lime chartreuse colour scheme which is a time proven fave finish with flathead fanatics, but works equally…

HERE in South East Queensland we're nearing our summer pelagic run of fish, so I thought it would be a good time to build a nice 10kg trolling rod. This rod will be great for the little black marlin that are migrating past and will also be a useful rod for mackerel, wahoo and mahi mahi, which are all present in the warmer months. The USA built Sabre brand is a respected and quality blank that has been on the market for many years and I've used these to build 100s of rods for customers over this time. Typical of the “stroker” style blank, the sensitive tip section folds away with a fast action to a solid butt section. This gives the angler a powerful position when that stubborn fish…

Garmin reaches out OFFERING global coverage via the Iridium satellite network, Garmin’s inReach SE+ and inReach Explorer+ units can send and receive text messages with any mobile phone, email address or another inReach device, so users can be outside of mobile/radio range and still keep family and friends up to date with their trip and expected return home. The inReach SE+ and inReach Explorer+ also have an interactive SOS, which triggers an emergency response from GEOS, the 24/7 search and rescue monitoring centre. After the SOS is received, inReach users are then able to communicate back and forth with GEOS about the nature of the emergency, and receive confirmation when help is on the way. inReach devices are impact resistant and have an IPX7 water rating. A built-in high-sensitivity GPS…

“Mid-winter cod trips make for great stories when chatting back at home… although adding in the metre-plus cod we caught would be better!” We all know that guys with no hair, or only a thin smattering, are the cool guys, and that younger anglers in their prime secretly want to be like us. But there’s another plus in the hairless stakes; and that’s when we don’t catch a fish, we don’t have any hair to pull out. This is lucky given that I’m in the midst of “fishless joy”, in fact I’m sitting on the shore of Copeton Dam as I type this up. I’m on my fourth trip to the dam, and apart from some massive surface hits in 2016 that didn’t connect, this, my third trip this winter,…

GONE Fishing Day returns this year on Sunday October 15. Gone Fishing Day is an annual initive aimed at growing participation in fishing by getting people on the water and promoting the sport of rec fishing. The Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF) is behind the day and has organised a number of family-orientated events across Australia. The annual event is also a good opportunity to show political leaders how important rec fishing is to Australia. And best of all, it’s a great excuse to put other commitments aside and simply go fishing. More info at gonefishingday.org .…

PELICAN Products is renowned for its durable and waterproof protective cases. These bullet proof cases are well known amongst hardcore fishos, divers and outdoor enthusiasts wanting the best protection for their gear during transit or on location in remote and rugged places. Pelican has now extended its protective range to include a couple of high quality, tough and insulated drinkware products; these include the Pelican Traveler Bottle and Pelican Traveler Tumbler. I’ve recently been using the 32oz (945ml) Pelican Traveler Bottle while fishing in the boat, on the kayak and also carried along in my backpack while fishing the rocks and trekking up river chasing bass. So far, I’ve been impressed by its rugged and compact design; it’s less bulky than traditional insulated bottles and very light. But most importantly,…

Tackle shops are always tricky places to negotiate. They can eat up your credit cards, remove all the cash from your wallet, and for many of us, leave some serious explaining to do on the domestic front when the bills come in. I'm surrounded by several tackle shops, and each one has a different character to it. Even on purely social visits I’ve spent a lot of money in weaker moments, and when I watch how some of the cleverer tackle salesmen operate you can clearly see they have you in their sights the moment I walk in the door. They achieve their goal when you spend money on expensive stuff that you don’t need! When I was at University, Tim Simpson was running the Compleat Angler store in the…

Q Why do some fish float when we catch them from deep water, even though they’re not deep hooked? Amy via e-mail A The fish may be suffering a condition called Barotrauma. Some fish are more susceptible to this than others. Fish that you have caught suffering this are most likely to have a low survival rate if they are being released. There is several ways to prevent or alleviate this problem: 1. Try to bring the fish slowly to the surface so they can adjust to the changing water pressure; 2. Using a release weight may aid fish being released to get back down with some chance of survival; 3. Limit your catch to what is needed only then move to shallower spots or fish for other species; 4.…

FISH FACTS: PAINTED SWEETLIP Fishos targeting snapper and other reef fish in the north half of the country, after hooking up a good sized fish, can be forgiven for being a little disappointed when that much expected red materialises as a pale gray colour and turns into a good sized painted sweetlip (Diagramma pictum)... ● By Dr Ben Diggles ENVIRONMENT: MORE THAN SCIENCE Sitting in a pub in Annascaul recently recovering following the second leg of a trek around part of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. Got talking with Ray, a local tradie, who told us that his dad and grand-dad had both been fishermen in the port town of Dingle, our following day’s destination... ● By John Newbery…

SHALLOW SURF THE DAM Costa surfcasting reel is designed for fishos who appreciate a shallow spool for relatively thin lines and effective casting. The reel is equipped with seven double sealed, Japanese ball bearings and one anti-reverse needle bearing, it has an ABS-graphite body and rotor, AVS rotor, WormShaft oscillation system, long cast aluminium spool, thick stainless steel main shaft, machine cut screw-in left/right handle, and multi-disc front drag. The gear ratio is 4.3:1 and the spool can hold 390m of 0.30mm mono line. More info at adoretackle.com . MANTIS SHRIMP COLOURS THE Berkley Gulp Mantis Shrimp was created and designed to look like a shrimp. It has a slender body, feelers at the front, and tiny legs that wriggle in the current or when moved. This…

We spend a lot of time trolling the wide grounds off the Gold Coast. On slow days, the conversation ranges far and wide; travel, family, work, current affairs and food are typical and it’s fun to apply these subjects to the job at hand. After hundreds of hours, a little blue water madness has crept into these conversations. Sport and fishing is a rich source of mixed metaphors. Days are divided into “sessions” and lures are given starting spots or time on the “bench”. Fish catchers get “test” level status while duds are often up for contract review. New tackle such as a bright orange mirror teaser or revolutionary hook arrangement is examined at length for “commitment”, putting its body on the line and match fitness. Some lures are named…

“The great advantage of using the snood is that it allows you to accurately position the top hook in the rig on your leader.” FOR those who enjoy soaking a live or dead bait for popular species such as mulloway, snapper, yellowtail kingfish or dusky flathead, the ability to make up a two hook bait rig is an essential skill that has the potential to vastly improve your results. There are quite a few variations of this versatile rig and it can be used for a range of angling techniques such as fishing unweighted floaters in a berley trail, slow trolling live baits or in conjunction with a running sinker on the bottom. This rig is often used by anglers fishing live squid baits for jewies or kingfish, but is…

MOST fishos rely heavily on their boats. Be it a basic 4-metre knock around tinny or a 7-metre full blown ride, boats are an essential component of the sportfisher’s armoury. Of course, we can’t all afford boats and many of us are happy to be boatless and fish with mates who have a boat or fish land based. Many of us own boats and are fanatical about how they’re set up, how they're powered and what they're capable of. A lot of our expendable income is spent on our boats and keeping them running or up to date. Scott Thomas has recently taken ownership of a new Bar Crusher 535XS centre console that is a very tidy rig and I’m currently looking at upgrading my TABS 4800 Territory Pro to…

I love fishing early mornings and late afternoons, however, commitments and other circumstances can often lead to the only available fishing window being the middle of the day. Over the years I’ve spent many hours on the hard fished waters around Sydney with the sun blaring directly overhead, and whilst it’s not ideal to fish during the middle of the day, there are still plenty of fish to be found. I don’t balk at fishing with the sun high in the sky these days and take every opportunity I can to be on the water, with the following pointers guiding me if going for a fish around lunch time. FISH DEEPER During the middle of a bright sunny day, underwater visibility approaches peak levels. As you get deeper, light levels…