Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2020 i Fishing World

SUMMER is a great time of year to fish. Most species are on the chew and there are no cold mornings (in most places). At the time of writing (mid December) the opportunities were endless. Inland the cod season just opened, the estuaries were teaming with big flathead and surface chomping pelagics, and I knocked back a trip to the Top End chasing build-up barra. The latter is an all-too-common story during the silly season. Christmas parties, last minute shopping, deadlines and life in general gets in the way of what’s most important... fishing. Worse yet, social media pages are full of images of big fish and ear-to-ear grins from lucky fishos. There has to be another way! Well maybe there is... Time poor fishos have a couple of options.…

NEW SQUIDGIES BIO TOUGH 2019 sees the return of the classic Squidgies favourite “UV Jelly Prawn” in the Grubs, Crawler and smaller Fish, & Wriggler models. The black grub is a staple lure in many angler’s tackleboxes – and the new UV Black Onyx is now available in the Grubs & Crawler. Shimano says the new colours perfectly imitate bottom dwelling critters including yabbies, crabs, nippers and shrimps, as well as all manners of other creepy crawlies living in salt and fresh water. More info at shimano.com.au BIGFISH’S AUS CAMO WIDE BRIM HAT TRADITIONAL wide brim hats offer the very best in sun protection, but can often be hot and cumbersome to wear. Bigfish’s Aus Camo Wide Brim breaks that mould with a lightweight and durable, vented wide brim hat.…

The windswept plains of the Snowy Mountains is like nowhere else. It’s unforgiving; a place not fit for humans, at least not for extended lengths of time. These high plains are stark. There are hills void of trees, miles of grass tussocks, snakes, brumbies, wild dogs, and small rivers or creeks. It’s uncomfortable, unpredictable, yet surprisingly beautiful. The trout fishing in these parts can be equally tough, but always rewarding. While the Snowy Mountains has its fair share of productive lakes, it’s the small rivers on these high plains which keep me coming back year after year. The fish are often smaller in this high country, although they are equally fun to catch. WHERE Trout will live in the smallest rivers and creeks and they enjoy cold and consistent flowing…

I guess I’m one of the lucky anglers who commits to some exotic fishing experience every year. I like to pick destinations that allow me to catch species of fish I haven’t caught before. For me, catching something new in a new location is what drives me on my fishing journey. What’s interesting is I rarely ever write about these trips. I guess it’s very much a personal pursuit and many times reading stories of fish caught in far-flung places around the world which can be out of reach for many anglers isn’t as compelling as it should be. Recently though I got to experience a trip that I must share. If you can commit to one trip in your lifetime, this should be the one. As happens, the best…

SEND YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOS AND A DESCRIPTION OF YOUR CATCH TO PICTURES@ FISHO.COM.AU FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN. 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! Visit the Shimano Junior Anglers’ website at www.shimanofish.com.au…

Formosa’s SRT 550 Centre Cab Classic is a sleek head turner that exudes a sense of class usually reserved for larger and more expensive vessels. However, don’t be deceived because this is a boat that’s 5.7 m in length (including the bow roller), and it has not been designed as an indestructible heavy-weather tank, but then what 5.7 m boat is. Formosa is an established plate boat manufacturer who up until this year produced a wide range of boats with an array of options, which was great, but I expect confusing to some prospective purchasers. So, in order to streamline the experience, Formosa has fused the popular Sea Rod range (and the options available) with the established Tomahawk range to come up with one range, the SRT. The SRT 550…

As someone who spends a lot of time on or around water – boating, fishing, dog walking near creeks/beaches, bushwalking, etc. – I’ve never found a single pair of footwear to cover all these activities. So mid last year I started researching online for some new aquatic wear style shoes that would suit the bill and perhaps also double for everyday casual wear. They also needed to provide more foot protection than outdoor sandals or open Croc-styles that let in dirt and sand or worse, allow your feet to get badly sunburnt as has happened to me in the past. A big ask? My research led me to the Astral Brewer 2.0 shoe, the second model to the highly successful original Brewer – both received glowing reviews. At first glance…

NASHY’S CUSTOM LURES The Australian lure industry is a fickle one but with a very long history. Many keen fishos have had a go at making lures on various scales of production. Many backyard operations have folded and decided it wasn’t worth the hassle while others have gone from strength to strength and even been sold to overseas interests. I’ve fished a lot of lures over the years. Some have been experimental freebies from aspiring backyard lure makers to some of the best production lures available anywhere. I fish lure and fly exclusively for everything from whiting to marlin so you can imagine how many lures I own and how many I put in the water over a 12 month period. One lure that has gotten me very excited over…

MAHI Mahi, more commonly called dolphin fish, are one of the most interesting fish encountered by anglers in all of the tropical oceans of the world. They look spectacular, fight hard, are great to eat and when landed are one of the craziest potentially dangerous fish you will ever bring onto a boat. They are arguably the fastest growing fish in the world, going from the size of a guppy to over 9 kilos in less than a single year. They are voracious eaters, swim in schools, are attracted to floating objects and will vigorously attack trolled lures. At times they are nearly suicidal in their attacks on baits and lures, but often, particularly around floating objects, can become quite cautious and hard to catch. Male fish, commonly called ‘bulls’,…

Life is becoming busier with work and family commitments and many anglers don’t have the time to put in full, or even half days offshore. But what of I told you 90 minutes was all you needed to catch some quality fish? Big fish are closer than you think, often near the ramp, and quick trips can result in success. This article explores the art of wash fishing from a boat while maximising your time on the water. LOCATION Fishing the wash areas near coastal headlands or islands is not only one of the most productive forms of fishing, it’s also very exciting, not to mention cheap. Usually only a few litres of fuel is required. This form of fishing has the added bonus that these sessions can be very…

BAITCASTING reels are popular with anglers seeking enhanced casting accuracy and greater line control. The ability to readily free spool a bait or lure along with having the added sensitivity of direct contact to your line tick more boxes in their favour. The challenge that most people have when using baitcasters is casting and more importantly, how to cast without getting a backlash or overrun which tends to put many experienced and novice fishermen off using baitcast reels altogether. There is no doubt that repetition and practice is a sure fire way to lessen your chances of an unwieldy backlash however reel manufacturers have installed a number of useful braking systems to further assist with casting with some of them so good that a beginner can seemingly cast like a…

Garmin is best known these days for its popular range of fitness watches, while fishos would know it as the brand behind a range of innovative fishfinder/GPS units. Yet the brand does so much more with products ranging from hunting to cycling. The interesting thing is the integration available between all of Garmin’s products. They all talk to each other, and that, depending on what product is a mighty useful feature when choosing between competing brands. For example, the watches work with its fish finders, the portable GPS and satellite messengers work with the watches and fish finders, etc. It’s more useful than you think and a great selling point for anyone buying their products. That’s why it was no surprise when Garmin earlier this year announced its Force electric…

AUSTRALIA imported $1.65 billion worth of fisheries products in 2012-13 (the most recent available yearly figures), and produced around $2.4 billion worth from the wild-caught and aquaculture sectors, half of which it exported. Essentially, it imports lower valued products such as Vietnamese basa (catfish) and African Nile perch (a barramundi relative) and exports higher value species like Southern bluefin tuna and coral trout. The the imports are subject to food safety inspections by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture. Initially, 100% of new seafood consignments are tested against a list of potential hazards including micro-organisms and contaminents. Once five consecutive consignments have passed inspection, the inspection rate is reduced to 25% and after a further 20 consecutive passes the rate is reduced to 5%. If any consignment fails inspection, the…

The announcement by Minister Whetstone to protect SA’s iconic snapper for a period of three years has shocked a lot of fisho’s and businesses here in our home state. It wasn’t a decision taken lightly given the compounding implications, but Minister Whetstone stood up and made that tough call when the previous government tiptoed around the subject for years. The snapper biomass in SA – especially in our two Gulfs – has been on a downward spiral for years and something needed to happen. There are a lot of disgruntled fishers across our state, from recreational and charter to commercial fishers and yes, it is going to impact us all. We still have some numbers of fish over select grounds and given a couple of successful spawning seasons and recruitment…

THE recent bushfire events along Australia’s East Coast had been hell. In NSW alone, 2 million hectares of land had burnt by early December with lives, homes, buildings, pasture, stock and bushland all being lost. The long-term damage to the environment will take decades to repair. Megafires devastate landscapes, and not just by destroying what we see above ground, the impacts of fire on forest ecosystems can enact less recognised, long-term effects, including damage to soil and river basins that provide shelter and food to a wide variety of organisms. Huge landscape-scale bushfires (megafires), are not new to the Australian Continent and seem to related to the severe and sustained droughts driven by positive phases of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and El Nino events. Whilst the initial effects are obvious,…

Living in Hervey Bay has many advantages. Yes, the fishing is very good but it’s also a boaties' heaven. Every weekend, weather permitting, there are numerous serious sportfishing rigs launched at Urangan Harbour. Everything from full on flats skiffs to 7 and 8 metre sportfishers with twin motors and tens of thousands of dollars worth of electronics. Some of those boats are local but many travel from Brisbane and even interstate and it really is worth just grabbing a coffee and watching some of Australia’s best sportfishing rigs get launched each morning. Most of the locals know each other’s boats and there are some very nice rigs based here that are owned by serious fishers. When a new local boat turns up everyone wants to have a look and ask…

Q What type of kayak do you own and where do you mostly use it and for what species? A Hobie Compass. I bought this kayak specifically for use in estuary lure fishing for dusky flathead, jewfish, bream, tailor, snapper, and whiting. It's also used for freshwater fishing impoundments and river for Australian bass, Murray cod and yellowbelly. Q How important do you think a fish finder is to your kayak fishing? A Critical to success in the type of fishing I do which includes a lot of deep water fishing with soft vibe and soft plastic lures. The ability to find fish holding bait schools and structure is essential to maximising your chances of success, particularly on hard fished waterways. Also I find the sounder essential when lure trolling…