Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i Fishing World

2020 isn’t a year we’ll forget in a hurry. As the year comes to an end I thought it’s best to focus on some positives. One big positive to come from this year is the increased participation in fishing. I’ve spoken to several tackle retailers and wholesale businesses and all agree we’re in the midst of a fishing boom. The same has happened in other sports and pastimes such as cycling, bushwalking, and hunting. Practically any outdoor activity has experienced an upswing in activity. It makes sense. As the pandemic hit, with the exception of Victoria, fishing and these other outdoor activities were still allowed and getting outside is a pretty good way of avoiding the virus. Tackle retailers had people walk through the door who had never tried fishing.…

TOP End lure brand Reidy's Lures is now the owner of iconic fishing line brand Schneider Fishing Lines. Reidy's Lures' Colin Burdon said in an email announcement: "We would like to acknowledge and thank Kim and Jacki for their help with the sale and they along with their dad, mum and families have provided us with a quality product that we hope to enhance into the future. "To our customers past, present and future we look forward to providing the same level of service that you have had with the Schneider team. "Nothing will change except that all orders will be sent from our Darwin factory and we are certainly looking at adding to the Schneider brand and range. "Karen and I hope to visit as many customers as possible…

BERKLEY GULP GEL BERKLEY Gulp has been around for many years and helped drive soft plastic fishing in this country. Besides offering a large range of innovative styles and sizes - Gulp carries a deadly scent - one that really works. The scent was developed in the US by Berkley chemist John Prochnow. It was tested in the lab and in the field (around the world) on various surfaces, different species, and environments. The good news is Berkley has just released its Gulp Gel. The rub-on scent available in a tube works on the fish’s Olfactory system (taste and smell) and allows for an easy application to all dry surfaces. The boffins at Berkley say it also sticks to wet surfaces (re-applying), but dry is best if suitable. Is it…

By Tom Wilson I love reading articles about big dusky flathead. Tracking down the big girls on the sand flats of Australia’s east coast estuaries is something that I wish I could do more often. As it turns out I’m a Melbourne based angler, so the flathead I chase most are the “others”. Sand, rock, and southern blue spotted flathead are abundant around Melbourne but catching quality fish consistently on lures is something that comes with knowledge and practice. When you start catching 40cm+ flatties it will mostly be the southern blue spotted variety that you’re encountering. These fish can be identified by scattered blue or white spots intermingled with dark blotches on the body. A white patch on the bottom of the tail fin with black spots inside is…

Fishing for bream in coastal estuaries is an inherent activity for southern anglers. So many young fishos cut their teeth chasing bream and other estuary species in our temperate inlets; it’s accessible fishing and a lot of fun. My introduction to fishing when I was a kid was in a small river close to home, chasing mullet and small salmon around the mouth, and eventually bream in the deeper holes further upstream. It’s a great setting to introduce young fishos to our sport, and the level of engagement will naturally increase as skills develop. And one of the great things about our estuaries is they still represent a challenging setting for adept fishos, too. Pulling quality fish from our estuaries isn’t always easy, especially from the rivers and creeks at…

THIS holiday season will be one like no other and to say that 2020 has been a challenging year is an understatement. With global travel restrictions in place, many people will be seeking out local options for some fun in the sun and no doubt fishing will play a part in the holiday activities for seasoned anglers and newcomers alike. Fishing is an activity that rewards planning and this becomes increasingly important during the summer holiday period when the crowds descend on popular water ways resulting in increased pressure from recreational activities. It doesn’t take a great deal of effort to improve your results dramatically and the following tips should help your chances of success this holiday season noted below. SATELLITE IMAGES AND WEATHER FORECASTS Holidays are a great time…

Do you ever drive across a bridge, look down, and imagine what fish lurk beneath? If the answer is yes, you’re not alone. It’s a common trait among fishos as we travel up and down the coast. One such waterway for me was Burrill Lake on the NSW South Coast. I’ve passed over the bridge many times and peered at the shallow sand flats and channels running beneath the highway. It looked fishy! I finally got a chance to fish the area when Big4 Bungalow Park invited Fishing World to check out the productive waterway and the accommodation on the lake. I jumped at the chance and asked Fisho contributor Mick Fletoridis to come along. Mick now resides in Canberra and often fishes similar estuaries along the South Coast. “There…

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…

I first jumped onboard Arvor’s 605 Sportsfish last year. At the time Fishing World teamed up with Arvor Boats to produce a video showcasing the Sportsfish on Sydney Harbour. I’d previously been onboard and reviewed the Sportsfish 555, 755 and 905 models. Each one were very different boats in the range with various pros and cons in their fishability and handling. The 605 Sportsfish sat nicely in the middle. It wasn’t too big, not too small. It was trailerable and big enough to head offshore and small enough to fish the estuaries. Jump forward a year and I received a call from Arvor Boats asking if I’d spend a day fishing with ambassador Bobby El-Issa. Bobby from “Ride That Fish” is a well-known Sydney-based jockey and super keen fisho who…

The inshore waters along our south eastern coastline offer a variety of exciting fishing opportunities. The “inshore”, a loose term referring to the waters extending from the coastline out to depths around 60-80m includes washes emanating from headlands, the seaward side of beach breaks, bommies and islands, and areas of deeper reef and rubble. In this vast zone both reef dwelling and pelagic species can be prolific in season. While some anglers specialise on a species, there are others who are adaptable and ready to tackle anything. They fish for what is on at the time. There might be mackerel swarming over the reef or snapper schooling on the gravel. There could be tailor in the wash or a jew on a ledge. The experienced inshore all-rounder can tackle all…

PRO ANGLER ON THE BAY My kayak is a Hobie Pro Angler 12 and I find that it’s very well suited to fishing in Port Phillip Bay. It’s quite large for a fishing kayak but it is light enough for one person to load onto the roof of a vehicle by themselves. This can be a huge advantage because some of the best kayak launch spots do not allow for trailer parking. The Pro Angler is certainly no speed demon but what it lacks in acceleration, it makes up for in stability. I often brag about how I can fish from it standing up on glassed out mornings. Port Phillip Bay is a large expanse of water with not much in the way of cover so when the wind picks…

CHILDHOOD memories watching Malcolm Douglas explore the Kimberley by trailer boat, canoe and kayak really cemented that part of Australia into my bucket list at a very early age. One trip I watched Malcolm and friends spend two weeks floating, dragging and carrying canoes along the Charnley River before finally reaching the Walcott Inlet. It was here the canoes, around 4.5 m in length, were fitted with outriggers and small outboard motors and they were turned into sea going craft which travelled down to Cockatoo Island to drop of their aboriginal companions before heading back out to explore Montgomery reef and other stunning locations before making their way back to Derby. It was really rammed home to me then, you don’t need a large vessel to experience this wild remote…

Big4 Bungalow Park is owned at operated by Navy Canteens. The Canberra-based Navy Canteens offers support and services throughout Australia. It operates canteens at navy bases and owns three holiday centres in Australia. The obvious one is Burrill Lake, plus another at Forster on NSW Mid North Coast and another in Western Australia. Navy personnel and their families receive discounts on accommodation. Big4 Bungalow Park features various levels of accommodation from large cabins with multiple bedrooms and kitchens to caravan and tents sites. We stayed in one of the larger cabins. It was very comfortable and would be ideal for a family. There’s also plenty of parking for the car and boat outside. Other facilities include an activity centre, campers kitchen, wheel chair accessible bungalows, laundries, children’s playground, BBQs and…

Trailerable hard top boats are the ultimate vessel for serious offshore fishing. The versatility of having a dedicated hard top trailer game fishing boat with all the bells and whistles is hard to beat for affordability and effectiveness. Below is a sample of the best Aussie-built hard top boats in the 6-8m range available across fibreglass and plate construction. Haines Signature 680F The 680F is a dedicated offshore fishing boat and offers a modular transom design which allows one of three possible layouts so you can choose a configuration to suit your requirements and maximise the boat’s deck and storage space to its full potential. It also comes with a fully enclosed hard top option. With the hard top option, all-weather protection is guaranteed and the split windscreen, stainless steel…

After running an Elite Ti on my boat since 2008, and being very happy with it, I was excited to install one of the new Ti 2 units earlier this year. Whilst I’m not an electronics junky, I’ve learnt to use Lowrance units over the years and the inclusion of Active Imaging on the new series, meant I was in for a treat! Before I continue, I must own up to the fact that initially I didn’t install the wiring as I should have. A recent outboard upgrade resulted in the inclusion of the sonar cables smack in the middle of the outboard wiring, and whilst it looked neat in its cover piping, electrical interference degraded the performance of the unit. So, initially I wasn’t as impressed as I thought…

The installation of a Watersnake Geo-Spot Bow Mount Motor onto my 5 m plate boat has opened up a range of angling opportunities that until know I struggled with.The most obvious for me was instant success with Lake Copeton Murray cod. After 10 fishless trips, I’d decided to spend the winter months chasing large mulloway at home, rather than travel into a freezer, enduring iced runners and numbed toes for no result. True, I’d been using a rather ancient 80 lb Watersnake bow mount electric, but it was clunky and very noisy to use and I felt that I was alerting fish to my presence before I’d arrived at the ‘spot’. With the new Geo-Spot, noise and clunk are a thing of the past. This electric is smooth and quiet.…

THIS year’s Million Dollar Fish competition is in full swing. At the time of writing, late October, a total of six tagged barra have been caught across the Top End since the competition launched on 1 October, with $65,000 in cash prizes won by locals and visitors so far. There are still 95 $10,000 barra in Territory waterways, along with seven chances to win $1 million, and four double-tagged fish worth $10,000 to the fisho and $5,000 to their mate. There are also 20 $5,000 charity fish remaining, with $2,500 awarded to the angler and $2,500 to go to the winners’ Million Dollar Fish affiliated charity of choice. Thousands of dollars’ worth of prizes are also up for grabs just by registering for Million Dollar Fish Season 6, which runs…

BONE SALT FINESSE VOYAGE SPIN THE Salt Finesse series expands on the Voyage concept delivering a series of rods that will cover any light line application. With six models in the Salt Finesse range, these fast actioned, 4-piece rods are equipped with high modulus TorayCA carbon fibre layers with cross weaves, which makes the blank much lighter and stiffer without compromising strength. The highlight feature is the elimination of uneven spread of weight across the joints, achieving an ultra-smooth bend when the rod is loaded, yet maintaining the rod's durability and strength. Fuji K-Alconite guides for ultra-sensitivity, and a Fuji TVS reel seat are essential parts of the design. More info at wilsonfishing.com JARVIS WALKER X-FORCE JARVIS Walker says its new X-FORCE rod series utilises thinner profile blanks, premium quality…

With the rise and rise of stickbaits and poppers in the Land Based Game scene, people are becoming less inclined to honour the age old tradition of "drifting out a livie". And who can really blame them? Throwing big lures for big fish is great, it's engaging, it catches fish and the lures are always nice and shiny! However, if I really had to catch a predatory fish from the stones I would leave the high modulus graphite on the shelf and dust off my lever-drag. Unlike when you are throwing a lure, your bait is always in with a chance of being eaten. When you are between casts, having a drink or a bite to eat, changing lures or having a yarn to your mates you haven't got a…

I was fishing a long narrow gutter in a place I’ve fished a hundred times before. The water was relatively clean with the occasional puff of mud created by the large number of passing stingrays. This narrow gutter drained a large mudflat scattered with broken weed clumps and the furrows of outboard motors that failed to judge the depth or the tide. The Gold Coast has a wide range of aquatic environments, and when you consider the number of people on the waterways it is amazing that it manages to still be a quite good fishery. I soon had the electric motor down and began working the narrow gutter using a brightly coloured prawn imitation. There were plenty of bites to be had, with flathead from 40 to 60cm long…

Rounding the breakwater at dawn we were greeted a slight breeze. I opened up the Yamaha and we powered off towards the still sea. This is the best moment of the day. The uncertainty of what lays ahead gets the adrenaline flowing and when it's snapper season in Melbourne, it's a feeling shared by many thousands of Victoria anglers as they go in search of these wonderful fish. We followed the GPS and within 10 minutes were intently looking at the sounder for the gentle rise in the bottom that signified we were at the hump. The hump is a small hill of about 1.5 metres in an otherwise featureless part of the bay. With the tide running in we positioned ourselves up tide of the hump and let the…

As I write these very words, I sit overlooking the most superb sight any farm-boy could wish for - abundant green pastures and dams full to the absolute brim. Growing up witnessing the devastation of drought firsthand, this certainly comes as a welcome gift from recent rain. Like anything, a country lifestyle has its pros and cons. For me, one of the best aspects of living in the bush is the sheer sense of remoteness and isolation it brings. If not for the constant barrage of news through modern media combined with the fact I only travelled from the city mere hours ago, it would be incredibly easy to feel distanced from the current challenge facing both our own country and the world collectively, that is Coronavirus. As this challenge…

For those of you who have been following along my bream comp journey over the past few years, you would be well versed on what a steep learning curve it has been. I spent over 15 years away from tournament fishing and when I came back, more as a shot in the arm to help freshen up my fishing interests, I found the landscape had completely changed. Major advancements have been made in tackle and the range and variety of gear you can use is astounding. There is literally a different rod for every conceivable bream lure, reels with perfect retrieve ratios to help work a lure at its optimum speed and variety of lures that will make your head twist. It’s a mountain of knowledge to climb and then…

IF you’ve ever considered buying a smartwatch, you’d have almost certainly looked at Garmin. As a leader in the wearable tech market, with a range of GPS-enabled watches catering to every active lifestyle, the question “Should I buy a Garmin watch?” is best rephrased as “Which Garmin watch should I buy?” For those with a serious boating/fishing/ outdoors bent, Garmin’s latest marine GPS smartwatch, the “quatix 6”, is the answer. I’ve been wearing one for a while now and I’m still amazed by its capabilities – on and off the water. LIFE ON THE LAND Although the quatix 6 is part of Garmin’s marine product range, if you think it’s just a “boat watch”, think again. Like previous iterations, the quatix 6 merges design qualities and features from Garmin’s flagship…