Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i Fishing World

Electric motors are an essential item on a sportfishing boat. Greg explains why. I doubt there would be many serious estuary sportfishing boats out there without an electric motor fitted these days. I remember my first estuary boat was a Quinnie 435 Top Ender with a 40 Mariner on the back. I fished out that boat for five years and never had an electric fitted back in the mid 90’s. Looking back now, I have no idea how we effectively fished estuaries without an electric but we did and caught some great fish out of that boat. My last boat was a TABS 480 Territory Pro and one of the first things I did was fit a 55 pound Minn Kota Rip Tide up front. What a revelation for estuary…

Q HOW FAR OUT DO WE NEED TO TRAVEL TO HOOK A MARLIN? Brad e-mail A Not far at all! Most years quite a few marlin are seen, hooked, and even caught from the ocean rocks along the NSWs coastline, especially the Jervis Bay area. Predominantly most of these very in close marlin are black marlin. This species has a real affinity with travelling inside of 60 fathom depth range, though they can be found well out over the continental shelf as well. I would look for structure in the form of FADs or reef in the 30-50 fathom depth range that holds bait like yellowtail and slimy mackerel. These are the main predation items holding the fish in that area. Concentrate your effort around those locations from January to…

FISHING deeper water can open up some great opportunities to target fish that might be sitting in a hole out of the current or in the cooler and darker water down deep where they might be more comfortable during a bright sunny day. Dropping a line down deep can present a few challenges however; on one hand you want your bait or lure to quickly reach fish lurking in the depths while having to contend with current, wind or rigging limitations in water that’s relatively deeper than where you generally fish. Read on for a few intuitive tips that are often overlooked when trying to effectively fish deeper water along with a few novel ideas that can help get tour rigs down further. DECREASE BUOYANCY AND INCREASE WEIGHT An obvious…

Boat ramps are an important but often overlooked aspect of fishing. It only takes one “beach” or mud bank launch to highlight just how convenient and valuable these facilities are. There are few specific laws or rules regarding ramps, so people tend to follow guidelines sometimes known as “ramp etiquette”. These tips are included in handbooks and other resources you can find online. There are some users who through their actions make others frustrated or angry. The result can be a case of ramp rage which ranges from nasty comments to violence. These incidents can ruin a nice day out. So, with a busy weekend in mind, this is a guide to using a boat ramp and avoiding ramp rage. LEARN TO REVERSE BEFORE USING A BOAT RAMP There’s just…

What are the standout products for fishos in 2019? The standout product is the Lowrance HDS Live. That’s the pinnacle of products for everything from bass to inshore use. The features, from the 7-inch right through to the 16-inch unit have nice new bright screens, the better Active Imaging transducer, and the 12 and 16 have the the Livestream where data can be streamed direct from your phone to the screen. One of the biggest selling features of that is the family could watch Netflix on the big screen while you’re fishing! That’s the product for those really into it or looking for a unit which will last the lifetime of the boat. What are the trends for 2019? The biggest trend are the bigger screens. The bigger the screen…

Downrigging is certainly no secret as far as techniques go for hooking into yellowtail kingfish. Fishos all across the country have been adopting this style for many years with excellent results, but what makes it so successful on this highly cunning species? Well, we only need to look at the main principles of chasing kings to find an answer. It’s hard to argue against the theory that livebaits truly are the number one big king option and this is where downrigging really comes into its own. This technique allows the angler to use a weighted winch-style system to not only get his or her bait(s) down to where the fish are but also keep them in the zone in order to tempt a bite. Add in the ability to stay…

The stocked impoundments in central Queensland have had a rocky ride in the last decade. In 2011 massive floods saw water levels rise and as the water flooded over the spillways nearly all the adult barramundi in both Monduran and Awoonga Dams plummeted over the dam walls to the rivers below. At around the same time, in the middle of winter, the water temperature in Callide dam dropped to 12 degrees and this low temperature saw a massive fish kill. From what was a booming fishery in all three dams, the dams became almost devoid of anglers and very few, if any, fish were caught. This had a devastating effect on the local tourism around the dams. At its height as a fishery, it was not uncommon to have more…

ONE of the biggest changes in recreational fishing in the new millennium has been the ongoing development and amazing growth in the popularity of soft plastic lures. My fishing life was in its infancy when soft plastics were first introduced in Australia and initially they were mainly used to target dusky flathead. My first ever flatty on a lure back in the 1970s was taken on a Mister Twister orange double tail, probably the first gun flatty soft plastic to hit the country. These days the range of soft plastics available is mind-boggling and they’re being cast at, trolled past or jigged in front of every species of fish in either salt or freshwater that you can imagine. I recently came back from a fishing trip to our tropical north…

IN numerous Australian rivers and estuaries there are locations famous for producing big fish. Often these places are deep, snaggy areas with strong current. In the local area, Jumpinpin Bar and the Gold Coast Seaway are both big fish producers. Nearly every system has a “hole” either just inside the mouth or a few kilometres upstream. While big fish are a real possibility, the terrain and current in these areas can make fishing frustrating. This article is about dealing with the challenges of fishing deep-water holes. DEEP WATER TYPES There is an infinite variety of deep holes and gutters. Some are featureless mud bottom slots while others have structure to attract and hold fish. Most types fish best when bait is present. Deeper holes offer cover due to water depth…

1 Fynn Holtsbaum caught and released this awesome 85cm flathead fishing off the bank on the Gold Coast's Nerang River. 2 Austin Greer from Balnarring Victoria caught this 4kg gummy shark from Balnarring in Westernport on fresh yakka chunk. 3 A 60cm flatty for Raine Tui caught in a canal! 4 10-year-old Brydee Shanks with her first gummy shark caught at port Welshpool, Vic. 5 Josh Smith, 11-years-old, with a 3lb redfin caught at Lake Fyans in Victoria.…

IT was during 2014, that I got the shock of my life to discover that after years of believing myself to be immune to stress, I succumbed. It took some work, but I’m ok now and one of the keys was to learn to tune into my emotional life. I can now recognise stress and have the tools to actively deal with it. One of the most enjoyable stress-relievers I use is to get away for a day or so by myself, and being a bass and cod fishing tragic, a great way to go is to hit remote water solo. I’ve managed to fit in two solo overnighters of late and they certainly delivered in the stress-minimisation stakes. Both were bass trips involving camping on the river for a…

Simrad Active Imaging SIMRAD recently announced Active Imaging Sonar, a new scanning-sonar technology that provides detailed, high-resolution imaging without sacrificing range. It is a step up from Simrad TotalScan transducers currently available with GO series displays. Active Imaging Sonar provides clear views of fish-holding structure and cover with a level of detail that the manufacturers say is unmatched by any other structure imaging technology. Available in two models, Simrad Active Imaging 3-in-1 combines scanning sonar with a traditional medium/high CHIRP sonar element for easy single-transducer installation, while the standalone transducer is designed for install alongside a separate CHIRP sonar transducer. There is no difference in high-resolution detail whether anglers are operating at 800kHz or 455kHz frequencies. Active Imaging provides clear views of structure, fish and bottom composition at distances up…

SCHOOL teachers who love to fish have been weaving fishing-related topics into environmental subjects and end-of-year activities for decades, although one Australian school has almost made fishing part of the curriculum! Since 2011, November has been known as “Fishvember” at Holy Cross Catholic School, on the NSW Central Coast, where students are encouraged to get away from TVs, computers and devices and to go fishing with their families and friends. It’s been so successful, Fishvember 2018 – which concluded with a BBQ and prize draw at the school – attracted nearly 300 participants from more than 65 families, as well as sponsorship from tackle brands and other businesses, including Fishing World. With a focus on building community (leveraging fishing as a common interest), the only requirement to be eligible for…

I’m not sure if it’s a sign of old age, experience, or a little bit of both, but as time moves on I find myself yearning for longer, harder and often more elaborate fishing trips. That may be a multiday adventure using a 4WD or boat to chase pelagics off the stones in Central Queensland, targeting topwater kings for a week in New Zealand or a bike/hike/fish adventure chasing the alluring goodoo in the gorges of the New England. The draw of something or somewhere new has driven me to invest more time in planning and preparation and more money in travel. This time and money would otherwise be spent chasing local species at local spots on shorter trips, which often result in higher catch rates, but that doesn’t seem…

Each month we will select five lucky winners for our Grin & Win section. Grin & Win winners will each receive a cool Shimano cap and Squidgy DVD! E-mail your entry and contact details to: pictures@fisho.com.au Please include your name and age and details of your catch. Also provide a postal address so winners can receive their prize. Good luck! SHIMANO Visit the Shimano Junior Anglers’ website at www.shimanofish.com.au…

ANTHONY Greed is the proprietor at Shoalhaven Marine on the NSW South Coast. The keen fisho and spearo recently set up a brand new project boat, something to show off to prospective buyers. The spec’d up 4.5m Viking Bluefin features a vast assortment of clever optional extras; no stone is left unturned. Potential customers can walk into his boat dealership and make a purchasing decision based on ideas from this boat. So far he’s sold a couple boats, one almost identical to this one. The Viking Bluefin Boats offers two hull thickness options in this model – 3mmm top and bottoms, or 3mm top and 4mm bottoms. Needless to say Anthony went for the latter option. He admits he’s hard on his gear and wanted the additional weight for a…

Back in the January 2019 edition I wrote a feature about the awesome fishing available around Mangawhai Heads on New Zealand’s South Island. As part of a trip with electronics giant, Garmin, Charter operator Tony Orton from Offshore Adventures was our host. Tony runs the charter and lodge from the small town just to the north of Auckland. In short, the fishing was incredible with large captures of snapper caught during over the course of the trip. As a follow up, we promised to provide more details about Tony’s boats and marine electronics set-up. Two years ago Fisho did a similar trip and fished from Tony's larger Extreme 885 centre cab. Earlier this year Tony decided to “downsize” slightly and purchased a an Extreme 795 Centre Cab. The smaller boat…