Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2020 i Fishing World

SOMETIMES the best fishing lessons come from adversity. As fishing obsessed teenagers, my mates and I kept things simple. We didn’t have boats, cars or expensive tackle. We did however have time and an abundance of enthusiasm. The local bass were a perfect target. A short train ride from home and a steep descent into bushland was a productive piece of water and many fishing lessons were revealed while catching these fun natives. The area was heavily fished and one thing quickly become apparent, the need for some type of boat. Boats in those days were simple; kayaks, cheap blow up tubes from Kmart and an old 10 foot flat bottom punt. It didn’t matter what the boat looked like, or whether it was leaking and unstable; what mattered was…

THERE have been several outbreaks of white spot virus from imported frozen prawns in Australia in recent years that have almost ruined prawn farmers in some areas and threatened wild stocks. Now there’s a new threat re-emerging, the decapod iridescent virus (DIV1), first identified in 2014, which can cause above 80% mortality in some species of farmed prawns. The virus has recently infected prawn farms in parts of China and Vietnam and has been detected in wild monodon shrimp in the Indian Ocean, where farmers have sourced their broodstock in the past. It appears to have got into Vietnam via imported blood worms from China, used to feed the farmed prawns there. It can kill a full pond of prawns within two to three days from first infection. As with…

I watched the rhythmic sway of the rods in the holders over a lazy glass-like ocean. A message on the phone broke the ambience and I looked away to check it. However the unmistakable sound of creaking graphite and braid sizzling through the guides quickly had me scrambling to wrestle a bent rod from its holder with a serious fish connected to the other end. These early moments of a battle with a big red will keep you coming back time and again. Landing the prize only breeds an addiction that’s hard to shake. The aesthetic appeal of a solid “red” as I prefer to call them is impressive, as I’m sure most would agree. A snapper’s attributes have made them a perennial favourite along the eastern seaboard for many…

For most anglers living in southern Australia, fishing in estuaries, freshwater and on the coast is best done using finesse, careful presentation and light tackle. The commonest species targeted in these areas include bream, flathead, snapper, mulloway, bass and trout. To catch these species successfully requires as light a line and leader as possible. And while this type of approach is well established in the colder part of the country, the brutal tropics is a brave new world when it comes to terminal tackle, leader and line. The following article is about preparing for trips to the tropics where you may target barramundi, mangrove jacks, Giant trevally, queenfish, mackerel and plenty of other tough tropical species well capable of busting you and destroying lures, hooks and leaders. “Despite their relatively…

After the stress of a missed flight and last minute rearrangements it was nice to be greeted with a cold beer and and positive attitude. “No problems, only solutions on the Cannon,” said Captain Benny Sambrooks as we climbed aboard. And that succinctly summed up the ethos that goes with a trip on Cannon Charters. I’d been on a Cannon trip before where we had fished the western edge of the Northern Territory and its creek systems – a wild and remote area where the barramundi are at times ludicrously abundant. But this trip we were going one step further – leaving from Darwin we were destined for the Kimberley, with our travelling happening at night and every day being spent fishing with our guides at a new location. To…

If the first half of 2020 has taught us anything it is the need to be adaptable to life and the changes it can bring to our norm. Isolating from one other and modifying our behaviour, and expectations, have all assisted in the reality we faced. For some it was a massive life experience and for others it is, merely, the way we fish. Often, we loath seeing other people where we fish, and apart from a mate fishing away from us there were no issues satisfying the strict implied rules. Rock fishing in the cooler months can be a challenge for many. Cold, windy mornings and deserted coastal fringes serve as a reminder and contrast of the Summer months not too long ago. It isn’t just the weather and…

The NSW Sapphire Coast is aptly named. Stretching from Bermagui in the north to the Victorian border in the south, it’s a slice of sparkling coastline that well and truly loves up to its moniker – it’s a true gem. Lying roughly half-way between Sydney and Melbourne, and less than three hours’ drive from Canberra, the Sapphire Coast attracts a rich mix of visitors. It’s especially popular with Victorians, who are happy to haul their caravans and boats the six to seven hour drive up the Princes Highway to stay and play in this pristine pocket of the south-east. “Serious anglers will have ball, weekend fishos and beginners are well catered for, and there’s plenty to keep the non-fishing members of your family occupied throughout your stay.” But in the…

1 Nine-year-old Wil Marsh couldn’t believe it when he caught this monster 57cm pearl perch off the coast of Tweed Heads. 2 Archie Halliday with a nice St Georges Basin bream. 3 Harry Kurtz, 11-years-old caught his first bream – 44 cm in length – off the beach at Manning Point, NSW. 4 Charlie Kurtz caught his first flathead on plastics in the Manning Rive, NSW. 5 Ashley Kurtz caught this Moses perch at Jerseyville Bridge South West Rocks on holidays with her family.…

THIS is the skill we all have and the one that nobody wants. It appears at the worst of times, causing disappointment and even self-loathing. It’s more common with larger fish yet it’s a possibility every time we hook up. In case you haven’t twigged yet, the skill I’m referring to is losing fish after the hook-up, and if my recent record and past monumental stuff-ups are anything to go by, I’m more than qualified to discuss the subject. Take this year’s northern NSW meagre mackerel season as an example. When the water really heated up one weekend I couldn’t fish because I was working and by the time the run of large swell subsided sufficiently to tackle the river bar, I was chaffing at the bit. Bait was near…

What boats do you run and what electronics are onboard? We are lucky enough to have two boats. Number 1 is Murrifin. She is a 39ft Game Fishing boat with twin C9 575hp Caterpiller diesels we built from scratch. She has two Simrad Evo 3 screens in 12inch, a S5100 sonar module running a R509LHW transducer which is wide beam 1kw High Freq Chirp and 3kw Low Freq Chirp, 4G radar and a Nac 2 autopilot. Number 2 is Murriweeni. She is a Grady White Seafarer 228 with a single 300hp Yamaha v6 outboard. She has two Simrad Evo 3 screens one 12inch and one 9inch, a S5100 sonar module running a B275LHW in a custom fairing block mounted in the keel, and a Nac 2 autopilot. What do you…

OUR commercial fishers’ associations and regulators have rushed to assure us that all’s well with our local fisheries but exports and high end sales to restaurants, hotels and catering businesses have dropped off alarmingly. Internationally it’s been that much harder, with ports closing, crew changes becoming difficult, supply chains being disrupted and access to cold storage being restricted. The impact is particularly hard on small-scale operations in countries that, unlike Australia, are not able to provide economic assistance to unemployed seafood industry workers through programs such as Job Keeper and Job Seeker. Restrictions have led to the complete demise of some local seafood markets overseas, but not in Australia, where supplies to fish markets appear to be fine….witness Easter, Anzac Day and Mothers’ Day queues. Seafood restaurants, though, have done…

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…

WHILE many think the United States is dominated by big fibreglass fishing boats, aluminium boats actually represent 70 per cent of the outboard-powered recreational boat market over there… and, not surprisingly, that figure is even greater here in Australia. From Tassie to the Top End, Australia’s harsh marine environment is unforgiving on equipment. As aluminium boats are relatively light to tow, economical to power, easy to maintain and very durable, “tinnies” have been popular among Aussie anglers for generations. Over the past 20 years, the old-school mindset of an aluminium boat being good for freshwater/estuary fishing and a fibreglass boat being required for offshore work, has given way to the rapidly-increasing plate boat market. “...plate boats are now the most popular trailer boats among hardcore fishos – both here and,…