Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2018 i Fishing World

It’s quite a few years since seafood retailers were required to display country of origin on their product, so buyers could tell if their barramundi for instance came from Australia or Indonesia, or their snapper from Australia or New Zealand. Retailers were also required to use the correct name for fish, so what had been sold as “Pacific dory” became basa, which is a Vietnamese catfish. But retaurants, pubs, clubs and cafes weren’t so compelled, so buy fried “flathead tails” and you might get local flathead, or maybe South American flathead, an unrelated species which is not in the same class. The NSW parliament recently voted down the Food Amendment (Seafood Country of Origin Labelling) Bill 2017 which would have changed the situation, and the Labor opposition has been vocal…

THE Northern Territory Government intends to introduce blood alcohol limits for boat drivers. According to an article in the NT News, Health Minister and Attorney-General Natasha Fyles said people in control of boats will have the same blood alcohol level restrictions as motorists and anyone caught in control of a boat on the water with a blood-alcohol level of more than .05 will be penalised. The changes were announced at the same time as as a floor price for alcohol was introduced. “We have taken into account the recommendations of the Reilly review,” Minister Fyles said, referring to the review by former chief justice Trevor Riley, which is ushering in the biggest changes ever to the Northern Territory’s alcohol policies. “It is my understanding the floor pricing will not affect…

I RECENTLY borrowed one of the newly released Penn International 30VISW reels to put through its paces over the 2017/18 game fishing season. Spooled with high visibility Gold Stren 15 kg IGFA monofilamewnt line, and secured to a 15 kg Penn Power Curve rollered game rod, it certainly looked the part. After tying a double in the mainline,and connecting a wind-on leader, it was over to the pull scales to set the strike drag pressure. The way you adjust the drag has changed from the previous models; there’s now no need to push in and turn the drag dial, just turn it clock-wise for more drag and anti-clockwise for less. There’s a re-assuring incremental click with each adjustment, which I liked. Once strike drag was set, we pushed the drag…

THERE'S an air of anticipation during the lead up to any fishing trip, especially one which promises wonderful fishing, breathtaking scenery and great camaraderie. An invitation to fish with good mate and gun skipper Carl Muir saw me booking flights and counting down the days to relive some of the spectacular fishing New Zealand is renowned for. Carl had been busy devising and planning a new fishing comp called The Trifecta run out of his home town of Tairua. The comp was emphasised as being a social affair to have fun and celebrate three awesome species that grow to immense proportions in NZ; hapuka, kingfish and snapper. Points would be awarded based on the longest snapper and kingfish photographed on a measuring mat with a 100 bonus points awarded if…

Crabs are on the menu for many different creatures. One of the main offenders is the old travelling grey nomad with the tinny on the roof; they just love crabs, and of course, the crustacean loving bream. More often than not, crabs are buried deep in structure to protect themselves from predators, but the need to feed themselves and move camp brings them out into the open, making them vulnerable to big blue-lipped monsters. For this reason it makes complete sense that a crab imitation lure would be an effective asset for any keen estuary angler to have in their tackle box. Recent advances in lure designs - both hard-body and soft plastics - has meant there’s now a great range of crab lures on the market for fishos to…

The new WA Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly has approved drafting of regulations to allow anglers on boats to pool their catches, as long as they’re actively involved in fishing. Sounds a bit self evident, but at the moment for instance a licensed recreational rock lobster fisher can only retain eight lobsters from a pot with their gear ID attached. The proposed changes would allow more than one bag limit to be retained from a single pot provided there are other licence holders onboard accessing that pot. So four anglers on one boat could also retain four bag limits of a fish species, such as whiting and herring, as long as that number is not larger than a boat limit, if there is one, with the combined catch going into a…

BIA has offered Fishing World readers a 10 per cent discount on their Advanced Skipper Course. We recently brought you news of the Advanced Skipper Course in the February edition of Fisho, an online course built by the BIA. It’s a course designed for boaters who already have a boat licence, and who are looking for a refresher or some additional training. The course takes boaters through the most common types of boating situations, from putting your boat in the water, manoeuvring through a busy channel or waterway, enduring storms or foul weather, and mooring or anchoring your vessels in various situations. The student is assessed during the scenarios, rather than at the end of a chapter, and has the option to see how their decisions play out. Essentially, the…

I’VE been using Gerber’s new 7.5” Magnipliers for a few months now. They’ve mostly accompanied me on trips where I have been casting big lures for pelagics such as GTs and kingfish – fish that require strong braid mainlines, thick leader and large heavy-gauge hooks. A pair of strong, compact and light-weight pliers with a heavy duty cutter is essential for this style of fishing to cut through 200 lb+ leader material and be on-hand ready to remove big hooks from strong jaws. For this reason, I like to have a pair of pliers attached to my gimbal or fighting harness strap while fishing, which is where I have kept the new Gerber Magnipliers. They come with a nylon sheath and coiled tether which makes them easy to attach to…

The nation’s capital is on the doorstep of some of the best trout fishing on the mainland, with Lake Eucumbene less than 90 minutes away. And a similar drive in the opposite direction will have you on the banks of the majestic Clyde River, one of the fishiest estuaries in NSW. But there’s some terrific fishing on offer much closer to home. In fact, in recent years, one of the best locations has been right in the heart of the city. Walter Burley Griffin probably never imagined that the centrepiece of his design of the nation’s capital, Lake Burley Griffin, would turn into such a brilliant little fishery. Canberra born and bred, I’ve been fishing Lake Burley Griffin (or LBG is it’s referred to by locals) since I was a…

Flathead are a cool fish, and regardless of where you live around Australia’s coastline there is likely a species or two nearby. Here in my home state of South Oz we have the southern bluespot flathead as the dominant species, and like most flathead they’re quite aggressive and will take a variety of lures. I get a real buzz from targeting our local flatties, especially flicking small lures in shallow water for them. Seeing the silhouette of a flathead emerge from amongst scattered rock and zeroing in on your plastic or hard body lure is pretty cool, especially when the fish have a bit of size to them. I was flicking some soft plastics recently along a sheltered beach in a nearby National Park. This particular beach is quite shallow…

SAPPHIRE Cove is a new master-planned residential development in the popular NSW game fishing hotspot of Bermagui. Comprising over 24 hectares, Sapphire Cove will be a great spot for keen fishos looking for a sea change close to the popular fishing port. Sapphire Cove has the potential for over 200 residential dwellings, most of which offer views out to the adjoining golf course or the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. Located a short 5 minute walk from Bermagui Country Club and Bermagui Harbour, and a 10 minute walk from the main street, Sapphire Cove provides all your daily needs and outdoor activities right at your doorstep. More info at sapphirecove.com.au.…

PRECISION FISH MEASUREMENT HOUSED in a robust heavy-duty canister, the SoftGaff’s AccuMat is a UV-stabilised non-wrinkle mat that has been confirmed for accuracy by precision engineers and is available in both metric and imperial formats. With a flip-up nose plate for big fish, the AccuMat allows for quick measurement of fish up to 150 cm in length. Retracting smoothly into the canister after each use, it prevents the creasing and wrinkling inherent to other mats (which distorts the measurement), to deliver a precise measurement fish after fish. An app to automatically record details of every catch has also been released. The AccuMat’s assured accuracy will be of great advantage to measurement-based fishing tournaments, such as the Flathead Classic, Barra Nationals, BASS Australia Nation’s barra series, and others. More info at…

A lot of anglers buy boats for offshore and have an interest in setting up for game fishing, often with the aim of catching their first marlin or big tuna. This isn’t as easy as throwing a few lures out the back and hoping, and is, in general, quite an expensive business. The following is an overview of some of the basics as far as kitting out your vessel so you can successfully chase big pelagic game fish from inshore species up to larger marlin. Once you’ve got your gear sorted out, from the boat through to the lures, you’re ready to try your hand at catching huge fish in the open sea. Most game fishing is done by trolling, using either lures, dead and live baits and teasers that…

Longtail tuna and yellowtail kingfish were once considered less desirable land-based game targets during the halcyon days of ‘80s and ‘90s. Back then, yellowfin tuna and Spanish mackerel reigned supreme. These days, however, the decline in yellowfin and Spanish numbers has brought about a boom in popularity for “kings” and “blues”, and for good reason! There’s no question longtail and kingfish are formidable opponents on spin tackle from the rocks. Pound-for-pound there are few, if any, fish in the sea more powerful. Tuna and kingfish have contrasting fighting styles and require different tackle and technique to consistently land them. However, both species are neck-and-neck for pound-to-pound power! DISTRIBUTION Longtail and kingfish will occupy the same temperate waters at certain times of the year, but your best to focus your time…

MERCURY Marine has unveiled its latest range of 175hp, 200hp, and 225hp four-stroke outboards. Fishing World attended the unveiling at the Miami Boat Show where the US outboard giant launched the latest 175-225hp family, which will replace Merc’s 3 Litre OptiMax, 2.5-3 Litre ProXs and the L4 Verado. This product announcement is great news for Australian fishos, adding more choice to a much-sought-after engine segment for offshore trailerboat users. With a modern design and long list of impressive features, the new models are built on Mercury’s new 3.4 Litre V6 platform. The engines are light, compact and fuel efficient, and according to Mercury Marine president John Pfeifer, set a “new benchmark” in outboard technology. “We see ourselves as product leaders ... we have one intent, that is when we’re finished…