Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2023 i Fishing World

Is fishing a sport or recreation? It’s an age-old question and one that pops up frequently. The evolution of fishing as a sport started over 50 years ago and most of that has been documented in the pages of this magazine. At the time, fishing gear was evolving rapidly and competitive fishing through clubs and tournaments accelerated our skills and knowledge of fishing. Nothing has changed. Tournament fishing, whether you like it or not, is still the best way of developing your skills as a fisho and those skills inevitably trickle down and influence everyone’s time on the water. That sounds like a sport to me… Yet, even before competitive fishing commenced and the sport fishing movement took hold, anglers enjoyed fishing as a recreation. It wasn’t always about sustenance,…

Trying to manage a fish species sustainably without knowing its lifespan is a tough ask. There’s a wide variation with some surprises, such as the orange roughy, which lives to 150 years and has been severely impacted through the harvesting of spawning aggregations on seamounts. The CSIRO and Curtin University have recently developed a lifespan predictor for fish which uses the density of certain DNA sequences in the species’ genome, using a tiny piece of fin tissue, and a computational model also developed by the CSIRO to predict lifespan in mammals and other vertebrates. The model was developed using fish species with known lifespans and can now be used with the genome of any species. This allows researchers to estimate sustainable harvest levels, extinction risks and the invasion potential of…

SHIMANO’S 2023 STRADIC FM SHIMANO unveils the all-new 2023 Shimano Stradic FM. Experience unrivalled stability and precision with the ANTI TWIST FIN, a cutting-edge innovation borrowed from the legendary Shimano Stella FK. Say goodbye to line twists and tangles as this remarkable feature ensures flawless line management, allowing you to focus on what matters most – reeling in big fish! Unleash the power of the new Shimano DURACROSS high-density felt washer, combining the smoothness and sensitivity of traditional felt with the remarkable durability of CROSS CARBON DRAG. This ground-breaking advancement guarantees superior drag performance, enabling you to effortlessly control the fight and conquer the toughest opponents. Embrace the future of gear design with Shimano INFINITYXROSS. Featuring wider teeth that offer an 50% increased surface area compared to its predecessor, the…

AS a first-time boat owner, selecting an electric motor for my 4.8m aluminium side console boat, was a task I needed to consider carefully to ensure the motor would fit the boat and my needs. The boat will be primarily used for river and estuary work, a small amount of impoundment fishing and on inshore reefs when the weather allowed, estimated at 20% of total usage. My list of ‘must have’ features included battery use efficiency, ease of deployment, good GPS compatibility with anchor lock function, enough power to hold position in up to 4 knots of current and wind, precise control through a foot pedal or wireless remote, quiet operation and be designed for saltwater use. After consulting with experienced fishers and doing some thorough research, in the end,…

I’ve been a land based lure fisherman for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest childhood fishing memories involve tossing small Wonder Wobblers at Lake Tabourie tailor from the bank back in the early ‘70s. Ten years later I was a mad keen land based game spin man. We cast small metal slugs and white barrel sinkers at bonito and frigate mackerel using 2 kilo mono on ABU baitcasters. I also spent a lot of time casting chrome half by quarter lures and Irons off a 621 Seascape for tuna and kingfish. Back then I had no option but to be land based. I couldn’t afford a boat and all my gear was built for land based fishing. When I finally could afford a boat I still…

Coastal estuary systems start as freshwater streams high above the salt. This downwards flow of freshwater flows into and mixes with saltwater at some point, creating a zone of intermediate salinity known as the brackish zone before being overwhelmed by salt. This water with its intermediate salinity is somewhere between freshwater and saltwater, and is called brackish water. To be exact, salinity is the measure of dissolved salt in water. Saltwater has on average about 35 g of dissolved salt per one litre of water i.e 3.5% salt, whereas, freshwater is classified as having 0.05% salt or less, with the main salts being sodium (Na +) and chloride (Cl −) ions). The advantage of fishing in brackish water is that you have an opportunity to catch a variety of saltwater…

PORTLAND, the town that built Sydney, has some exciting new developments happening but none more so than the influx of wild trout from the nearby Winburndale Dam and Winburndale Rivulet. Portland was a cement making town and provided much of the cement used in construction of the buildings in Sydney. The limestone rock which is used in the making of cement powder was here in abundance. The limestone was quarried from the bowels of the earth and the infrastructure required to convert the raw material into Portland cement was soon flourishing at Portland, NSW. The brick kilns tower over the landscape and the array of buildings that are now privately owned have been renamed, The Foundations (thefoundations.com.au), These buildings now host local twilight markets and the huge four silos onsite…

GIVEN, that ours is an outside pursuit, it comes as no surprise that anglers encounter wildlife in one form or another on at least a semi regular basis. Whether these encounters are a positive thing is dependant on the species being encountered and the situation in which the meeting occurs. I’m a bird lover and I appreciate the birds I come across, be it a flash of blue and a splash as a kingfisher feeds on a bass river, the raucous call of a pair of oyster crackers or a fish-snatchingswoop of a bird of prey. All are preferrable to the Pelican pooing I received as a 12-year-old. Imagine, sitting in a tinny chasing crabs when a Pelican opens the bomb doors, Watching with increasing horror as I realise there…

THE RISE Fly Fishing Film Festival returns for its 15th annual season, now part of the world Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T). The film fest features a captivating selection of short films that will ignite your passion for fly fishing. Experience thrilling achievements, camaraderie, and exciting giveaways as we embark on an adventure-filled journey across international and local waters. Rise is sponsored by Costa, and Tour Partners: The Flyfisher, YETI, Simms Fishing Products, Manic Tackle Project, Scott Fly Rod Company, Waterworks-Lamson, BUFF, Prime Rod Co., and Airflo Fishing. Australian event dates: • Cairns, QLD - Tropical Sportfisher - Cairns - August 18, Cairns Performing Arts Centre (CPAC)• Melbourne, VIC - Classic Cinemas - August 21• Melbourne, VIC - Sun Theatre (Yarraville) - August 23• Bowral, NSW - Empire Cinema -…

ALMOST anyone fishing offshore will have had trouble with shark depredation, particularly in northern locations. To have a cobia, queenfish or GT just about played out and ready to boat and be hit by a shark at the last minute is infuriating, but to have a marlin mutilated is even more distressing. Having released fish taken by sharks also seriously undermines size and bag limit regulations and is personally upsetting to anglers committed to good C&R practices. Anecdotally, it’s supposedly happening more often and in response the FRDC has held two national workshops over the past year aimed at assessing the scale of depredation and to explore mitigation options. Spanish mackerel appear to be the most impacted and the effects on them are being explored in a specific FRDC project,…

I recently spent a month in the Northern Territory on the Daly River and fished two major tournaments, the Barramundi Classic, run by Darwin Game Fishing Club, and the Barra Nationals, run by Palmerston Game Fishing Club. Both events involve five 10-hour days of fishing. I fished 25 days in a row on the river this year and caught hundreds of barramundi. The wet season this year was a big one with plenty of water running off the extensive flood plains, and the country was green and covered in knee high grass for our entire 3500-kilometre drive. Unlike previous years it was a time of plenty. This article isn’t about the Daly River or the tournaments, it is more a reflective piece about the lessons I learnt in the time…

The Coffin Bay National Park, on the southwestern tip of the Eyre Peninsula, is a wonderland of sand and surf for the adventurous traveller. The park has contrasting sheltered bays with clear and calm water, along with high energy surf beaches and rocky headlands on the exposed south and western coastlines. The park is largely 4WD accessible only, so if you enjoy combining camping, four-wheel driving and fishing, then this park will be right up your alley. The Coffin Bay Peninsula was relinquished to the South Australian Government back in 1972 by local farmer Geoff Morgan and was declared a National Park thereafter. With difficulties in accessing the peninsula, along with the marginal soil made it a challenging plot for agriculture. Covering an area of 309sq kilometres, the park isn’t…

Since I was a kid luderick have remained with me. I’ve held up my bat to acknowledge the half-century, and now in my 50s, the fish I catch (and now also release) more than any other is my purple-hued, stripey vegan buddy. I say he’s vegan but that’s not entirely true. Every year in spring when the days here in Sydney start to reach the mid 20s again, I resume throwing lures around like an idiot, for more carnivorous targets. Yet still, as if he can’t get enough of me, my luderick pal appears and eats those, too. That time of year also coincides with the emergence of young prawns, together with squirt worms who dance to the surface in the sandy shallows to propagate. The blackfish quickly fatten up…