Innehållsförteckning för September 2020 från Fishing World

THE release of the September Fishing World usually coincides with the AFTA trade show. Unfortunately this year the show was cancelled, for obvious reasons. The Australian Tackle Trade Association (AFTA) made a sensible early call to put the show on hold for 2020. While necessary, it’s a shame. The AFTA show was something to look forward to each year. In the past, trade shows like AFTA offered a first glimpse at never seen before gear. Walking through the doors was a big deal as the latest and greatest tackle was revealed. Before Covid came along there was already a shift in the way tackle shows were held and the latest gear unveiled. The instant access to information online via social platforms made it difficult to keep products under wraps. Major…

MOST of us have kept a feed of fish, be it fresh or salt water. Personally, I love grilled fish over the coals of a camp fire or fillets fried to a crisp golden brown in the camp oven. Besides fish, the rivers, oceans and beaches, and their surrounds can supply so much more. Crustaceans form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimps and prawns are all delicious eating. On a recent trip north from my home in Central Western NSW to escape the cold of winter, my preference of travelling the off the beaten track back roads meant relying a lot on what we could catch, forage and gather to feed ourselves. After two days travel and we made our first fishing…

Q WHAT IS THE BEST BAIT FOR SNAPPER? SIMON E-MAIL A Snapper are very opportunistic feeders and do not seem to be too discerning about the next meal. I have seen everything from jellyfish, crabs, lobsters, sea urchins, limpets, cunjevoi, squid, octopus and all types off fish in the stomachs and mouths of snapper. Location probably has a factor on what the common forage is; for example in deeper water will most likely be yellowtail, slimy mackeral and other fish. Very shallow water would be crabs, limpets, sea urchins and squid. This might make the choice of bait seem daunting when in fact their opportunistic feeding nature makes it a whole lot easier. I personally find, squid, slimy mackeral, bonito and yellowtail the best especially if caught fresh. If you…

ANGLING is a sport that remains in a state of constant flux from all angles. Not only do technology and techniques continually evolve, the fish themselves keep angler’s wondering. For me and I suspect many more anglers, the p ast 12 months has been unpredictable in terms of whether or when our favoured species would turn on the action. Environmental factors have a huge effect on fish numbers and the recent past has been a period of extremes. Drought has plagued the inland and the lack of freshwater inflow has been disastrous for many inland waterways. I hope we have not forgotten the catastrophic fish kills that held the media’s attention for a protracted period. The lack of rain and the associated reduced flows of freshwater downstream will have definitely…

WHEN my kids were little we spent a lot of the school holidays staying at Yamba on the NSW north coast. That was over two decades ago. During that time we fished the Clarence River and the local beaches catching bream, whiting, tailer, dart, flathead, a few mulloway and quite a lot of bass. It was a fantastic place for kids to holiday, and I have many fond memories of the times I spent there. I caught my personal best flathead of 984mm there a long time back on a trolled green bomber on 2 kilo mono and while I’ve got very close to it I still haven’t beaten it. But kids grow up, life gets hectic and somehow a few decades passed before I made a return trip. The…

WE’RE going to talk about bucket lists this month. I’ve never really thought about bucket lists in my many years of fishing but it was pointed out to me the other day that I’m actually a closet bucket lister. What the hell does that mean? I always thought of a bucket list as a dossier of experiences or locations that some old fart wants to enjoy or visit before he dies. There was a movie about it from 2007 with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. Now I’m not that old (yet) to be even thinking about things I want to do before I die. Apparently, my bucket list is the result of a lifelong addiction to fishing and wanting to travel to exotic locations and catch big fish. When it…

1 Seven year old Luke caught two tailor in Newcastle with his Dad. 2 Eight year old Melissa with a 81 cm kingfish caught at Drummoyne in Sydney Harbour. 3 A very proud Arlo Knight with a solid bream at Lake Cathie, NSW. 4 Five year old James Vickery caught his first tuskie at Sunshine Reef, Noosa. He patiently hooked it himself, with mum helping to reel it in. He was so stoked – fist pumping across the boat!…

SARAGOSA SWA THE Saragosa SW has built a reputation across the globe for remarkable cranking power and unmatched durability. The latest evolution – the Saragosa SWA – has been upgraded with Shimano’s latest reel technologies and is now available in two additional sizes. Adopting the same Infinity Drive technology as Stella SWC, the Saragosa SWA has improved pinion gear support and the main shaft has been treated with a special skid coating to provide even greater and smoother cranking power. Additionally, Shimano’s X-Protect water resistance system has been incorporated into the line roller, increasing durability to an IPX8 standard. Saragosa SWA also houses Shimano’s super strong and reliable Cross Carbon Drag system that has proven itself against some of the biggest, meanest fish on the planet. The Saragosa SWA continues…

SALMON ON THE PLATE The eating qualities of Australian salmon have been at the heart of many arguments between anglers. A lot of fishos don’t rate them on the plate; but a growing number of seafood fans are starting to see them in a new light. For me, a freshly caught, well-looked-after salmon is more than adequate table fare. It’s not quite up there with flathead or whiting, but it’s definitely tasty. The key is to bleed them immediately, put them on ice straight away and eat them on the day of capture. My mate John, who is one of the best amateur chefs I know, is a big fan of salmon and has kindly provided the following recipe. AUSTRALIA SALMON TARTARE Ingredients • 200 grams Australian salmon • 1…

CHOOSING the most appropriate hook for any given fishing scenario might seem relatively straight forward however hook selection is often taken for granted. There are many features that anglers often take for granted in fishing hooks with variations in hook points, eyes, shapes and finishes catering for different fishing baits, lures and species. Understanding these variations allows you to tailor a specific hook for a specific fishing scenario which can dramatically improve hook-up and hook retention rates ANATOMY OF A HOOK There are many unique sections and features of a hook starting with the pointy end! The point is created by mechanically grinding then chemically or mechanically sharpening to achieve a fine and relatively sharp tip to penetrate the fish’s mouth. Just behind the tip is a small protrusion called…

In a relatively short space of time southern calamari have shifted from an occasional target with limited following to a popular species with widespread attention. I suppose it was throughout the eighties when fishos cottoned on to the seafood potential and relative abundance of this unique cephalopod, and the species started gaining interest. As a fishing target calamari are pretty cool. They are aggressive feeders, have widespread distribution and can be actively targeted by fishers of all ages. On the table they taste pretty darn good and I think it’s fair to say that most predatory species around our country won’t pass up a meal of calamari either. WHERE TO FIND THEM In this feature I’m going to concentrate on our southern calamari. Some of the same rules and methods…

A few years back who would have thought large pelagic fish like marlin, yellowfin tuna and XOS size kingfish would be fished for, let alone landed, on threadline reels? I was recently paid a visit from local Nowra fisho Barry Preston. Bazza was after a custom heavy stick bait rod so he could get among some of the yellowfin and southern bluefin tuna that hang wide off the waters of the Shoalhaven. Barry had just purchased a new 10,000 ATC Duel Drag reel and needed a rod to pair with his new pride and joy. To be honest, this was the first time I’d been asked to build such a rod and was “at sea” (Pardon the pun) as to what blank I could build the rod on. I made…