Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2020 i Fishing World

FISHING World has featured an eclectic mix of covers over the past 50 years. These days we’re more conservative. We’ve worked out a winning formula and the “grip ’n’ grin” hero shot features more often than not. This month however - you may have noticed - is very different. No, the out-of-focus angler and fish wasn’t a mistake… Rather, the intention was to take “focus” away from the end result - the fish - and instead focus on the all-important habitat. After all, without a healthy waterway, there won’t be fish! The idea belongs to OzFish, a growing not-for-profit group making a big difference to the future of healthy waterways, fish stocks, and therefore fishing opportunities across Australia. OzFish and the great work it produces wouldn’t be possible without the…

MANY of us are spending more time at home in isolation in a collective effort to protect our communities and workplaces from the spread of COVID-19, so the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is encouraging us to make the most of that time by: • Updating beacon registration details; • Checking beacon battery expiry dates, and; • Disposing of any old beacons responsibly. Log-on to amsa.gov.au/beacons to updateyour beacon’s registration details , including emergency contacts and other vital information which will help coordinate a fast and effective search and rescue, if the worst happens. Updating a beacon’s registration details can easily be done online anytime. It’s a simple and quick thing to do while you’re at home in preparation for your next outdoor adventure or voyage. Check the battery expiry…

HANDMADE BLACKFISH FLOATS WHEN I started luderick (blackfish) fishing back in the 1960s there weren’t a lot of quality floats available commercially so most of us made our own. We used cane stems, or sometimes porcupine or bird quills, fitted them with wine corks or balsa we shaped with sandpaper, then finished them with paint or lacquer and fluoro paint up top. My old dad was still making floats into his 80s, and I’m lucky enough to have two fishing mates, Alastair and Mike, still sending some of their classy products my way. Some tackle stores, even back then, were lucky enough to have local floatmakers supplying them with floats for sale. These guys were generally older, made their floats primarily for their own use, and used the “extras” to…

All fishos use knots. They link your line to the reel, line to trace and trace to terminals. We use them on anchor lines, tents and tarps. Some get by with just one or two favourites while others use a wider range of lashings. We have all had a knot failure at some stage. Sometimes it’s on a snag or while casting but the worst are when you are fighting a fish. Recently I was at Lake Awoonga. The day bite was slow, so we went into night mode. This involves anchoring near a weed bed and throwing cast after cast…all night. My fishing companions boated a few nice barra, so I knew persistence would pay off. The second night I connected with a big fish that boiled, jumped and…

Queenslanders have been able to fish throughout the restrictions imposed by Covid-19, providing the purpose of fishing was to catch food for the table. This restriction changed in early May when the waterways were opened to recreational boating if social distancing rules were observed. In this interesting period anglers fished for food, and most changed their catch and release formats to an esky full of ice. For me, it has been interesting to get back to basics fishing options targeting tasty fillets. Catching a feed of fish is something that is an established part of Australian culture in most coastal communities. Over the coming months it is likely that there will be a lifting of some restrictions, and hopefully Victorians will be able to resume fishing. One of the interesting…

In the face of recent challenges for fish and before COVID-19 arrived, Australia has been battling droughts, fires and floods and there is no doubt it has impacted water quality, fish habitat and our fish. Not to mention this follows over a century of destruction through “progress”. To overcome these challenges there is now a group of recreational fishers who, like you, love fishing but have been quietly going about fixing our waterways to create better fishing opportunities for the future. The nation’s only recreational fish conservation movement and the outcomes it is achieving is a remarkable story. Established in 2014, OzFish Unlimited and its members are kicking some serious goals. The idea behind OzFish was if they looked after the fish and their habitat, the fishing would look after…

HOW TO TAG GAME FISH Last issue we covered off on the history of the DPI Game Fish Tagging Program, what it does and how it works. This time we’ll go into detail on the process of tagging fish and why it’s so important to do it correctly. For tagging to be effective, the fish must be tagged in the correct location and with the correct tag. There are three main tag types - a billfish tag, a shark tag and a general pelagic species tag. The use of the wrong tag and incorrect tagging techniques can lead to tag loss (“shedding” - a similar process to human tissue rejecting a splinter) and can potentially harm the fish. The following info will maximise the success and effectiveness of your fish…

Situated 60 kms to the north of Darwin, Melville Island is the largest of the two Tiwi Islands and home of the Tiwi people and Tiwi Islands Adventures. With exclusive access to 100km of coastline containing an extensive array of fish rich mangrove-lined rivers, creeks, flats, bays, inlets and coastal reef, all abundant with marine life, this is an unspoiled angler’s paradise. A recent visit to Melville Island courtesy of Tiwi Island Adventures was the best fishing I’ve ever experienced. The fishing was mind-blowing and the way the crew operated was amazing. If I had to sum up the visit in a sentence, I’d choose “seamless perfection in a wild pristine environment”. From the moment we boarded the light aircraft at Darwin for the 30 min flight to Melville, until…

SPIN REELS LINE ROLLERS Line roller bearings can cause no end of frustration and are arguably the most frequent point of failure on spinning reels. High end reels are not immune this either and I’ve spent many hours replacing or protection those precious and frail little bearings after hearing that dreaded grinding noise when retrieving line. There are a few modifications to fix this, the simplest is to pop open the line roller then and oil and grease the bearing. You’ll need to do this every month or so to keep it protected. The second option is to replace the bearings once they fail with an aftermarket ceramic hybrid bearing with specialist bearing shops like Plaig being a good place to source them. The final option is to remove the…

WE’VE all been spending more time at home and I could not think of a better time to begin building a custom fishing rod. Now you have the time, my job is to give you the ideas and knowledge of the basic equipment to get you started. Firstly, you will need to choose what you would like to build. There are some great kits available from Samurai which make your initial build very straight forward. The kit comes with grips, reel seat, guides and winding checks. Search rod building kits online and you will find many styles. The only other material to go on the rod will be thread and epoxy and both these can be purchased from a local tackle store. If deciding to build a non-kit, then it…

SINCE 2011, WA has carried out a recreational boat fishing survey every two years to compare catches over time. The next survey commences this year but some of the results of the 2017/18 survey are particularly interesting. While rock lobsters, blue swimmer crabs, squid and other crustaceans and molluscs made up 53% of the reported recreational catch, the other 47% was finfish (1.3 million) from 186 scalefish species and 18 shark and ray species. The top two most commonly caught pelagic finfish were Spanish mackerel (10,000 caught, 45% released) and samson fish (8,000 caught, 79% released). For inshore and offshore demersal finfish, pink snapper (116,000 caught, 73% released) and West Australian dhufish (68,000 caught, 59% released). For nearshore and estuarine finfish, school whiting (259,000 caught, 24% released) and Australian herring…

OKUMA MAKAIRA 10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION OKUMA Makaira 10th Anniversary Edition Lever Drag Reels are built on the 4D concept that has seen the Makaira tested and proven globally by bluewater anglers, including billfish and long range tuna charters. To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the world renowned Makaira, Okuma has released a Special Edition Series, finished with a tri-anodising of two different blues and silver for a standout finish. The Carbonite Dual Force Drag system maximises high-end drag pressure, efficiency and overall smoothness. While the over-sized handle and lower low speed gearing, versus the original Makaira, serve up extreme torque for the Makaira 10th Anniversary Edition. Features include a yellowfin tuna etched into the sideplate. Frames have been machined out for increased clearance between spool and cross bars. Lower…

One of my earliest memories involves rock fishing at Malua Bay on the NSW south coast with my grandfather. As a six or seven year old I was catching silver bream (sweep) on a kids’ fibreglass rod and red plastic sidecast reel. It was an exciting experience for a youngster and many years later I still remember being fascinated by the soapy water those fish came from. Being part of that wild dangerous environment left an impression that set the pattern for a later fishing life – I’ve been drawn to wash zones along the NSW southern coast ever since, chasing fish that call the suds home. Up until recently though it’d been sometime since I’d fished the rocks, but after a couple of trips close to home I’m wondering…

PERSONAL water craft are the best-selling watercraft on the market and are getting more and more popular. Whether you love them or loathe them, jet skis are here to stay. Jet skis, or personal water craft (PWC), have even started to invade the fishing market. And why not? They are very quick, can handle the rough stuff and can skip over 20cms of water. Compared to your average fishing vessel, they are also cheap as chips. Take them into the shallows to hunt flathead or whiting or take them out wide to chase snapper or mackerel. They are incredibly versatile. But standard, they are no fishing machine. Set them up right and they are fantastic to fish from, as long as you have no friends and don’t mind being open…