Tabla de contenidos para March 2021 en Fishing World

FISHING is meant to be fun, but like most enjoyable activities, there's a cost involved. I'm not talking about a monetary cost (although there's plenty of that), I'm talking about hard work and discipline. While that hardly sounds fun, being organised and ensuring your gear remains top notch and your next trip goes ahead without any problems, is something we should all be doing. RETURNING FROM FISHING What you do after returning home from a fishing trip is crucial. Regardless of how long or short your fishing trip was, now is the time to get organised for your next day out. The idea is, upon returning from fishing, boating, or whatever outdoor activity you enjoy, don't relax until everything is washed, dried and packed away ready for next time. If…

FISH FACTS: SHIFTING BASELINES AND REEF HABITAT IN OUR ESTUARIES THE term “shifting baselines” was first coined in the mid 1990s by the prominent fisheries scientist Daniel Pauly, who used it to describe the slow degradation of aquatic ecosystems that is difficult to notice, because it occurs subtly over several human generations. ● By Dr Ben Diggles ENVIRONMENT: KINGFISH QUESTIONS THIS column doesn’t usually start with a website reference but today it does. That’s because some of the issues and proposals it contains are based on a Fisheries Resources & Development Corporation study into yellowtail kingfish stocks conducted in 2018. ● By John Newbery…

SHIMANO GAME TYPE J THE new Game Type J series is Shimano’s latest JDM jigging rod to hit Australian shores. This impressive series features improved blank technology, available in five spin and two overhead configurations from PE2.5 to PE6 line ratings. The 2020 Game Type J features Hi-Power X and Shimano’s patented Spiral X Core carbon construction to reduce weight and increase strength. Spiral X Core is Shimano’s most advanced blank technology and is built into the core of the rod using Nano Alloy technology, providing up to two and a half times greater strength and improved flexibility. Paired with Fuji K Stainless SiC frames, a mix of Ci4+ or Fuji reel seats and an EVA split butt configuration for comfort and lightness, the Game Type J range is purpose…

Callide Dam, located near the town of Biloela in Central Queensland, is the ugly duckling of Queensland’s stocked impoundments. The dam is the water source for the nearby coal fired power station that forms the backdrop for most of the fishing in the dam. The banks are uninteresting, and the scenery isn’t breathtaking. The dam is small, with the average boat taking about 10 minutes to go from the dam wall to the upper reaches. I hadn’t been back to Callide Dam since around 2011. Prior to that time, I’d enjoyed quite a few trips to this dam, catching plenty of big barra up to 118cm with my son. We used to stay at Biloela and we only fished the place in daylight hours. At that time the best lures…

AUSTRALIA is the world's only island continent and as such we are surrounded by water and sandy beaches. If we’re boating on water or driving on sand we want to stay on top of both elements. Boating is quite easy, we just have to be floating on the water not sinking down into it and driving on sand is essentially the same principle . Driving on sand can be tough work for some, while others do it with ease, often with a boat or camper in tow. A trip to a 4WD mecca such as Fraser Island and one can see the difference between a seasoned sand driver and a newbie who has little or no idea. Inskip Point is notorious for getting bogged in the sand as 4WD-ers try…

Growing up reading old issues of Fishing World, the stories that made the biggest impression were the pioneering trips to the Coral Sea on the boat, Seafari. The trips were an expedition to the final frontier. These reefs took days to get reach and the fish were large and plentiful. The tackle was destroyed almost as soon as it saw water. A trip like this seemed next to impossible to plan and undertake back in the late ‘80s and ‘90s. Nomad really opened up the outer coral reefs during the turn of the millennium with fully guided trips, while Big Cat Reality is offering a more DIY alternative over the past 10 years. The good news is the fishing is still just as good. The sheer distance from the mainland…

2020 has been a year in which we have probably valued our fishing more than ever. COVID -19 has stolen lives, restricted movement, and cost wages. Keeping mental resilience has not been easy for some and getting out on the water has been extremely valuable for many. The loss of my boat was a headache, however, canoes and kayaks have saved the day as my summers are heavily consumed with canoe trips chasing bass, big flatties, mangrove jacks and wild-river cod. Although, this summer has been haywire as droughts almost emptied some of my favourite spots and then floods kept them unfishable for weeks on end. Low river levels meant many of my more usual bass spots were low on flow and high on sediment. Usually flowing rapids were shallow…

I have a boat and a kayak but sometimes the only way to access a fishing hotspot is to get your feet wet. Before I could afford my tinny and Hobie, I used to wade the NSW south coast estuaries all the time. It was a cheap and effective way to get into fishy water and target species that lived in the shallows, along the weed edges and in the channels. While wading rarely afforded access to the deepest holes or snaggiest backwaters, it was a reliable way to target flathead, whiting, bream, trevally, tailor, salmon and the like on lures and bait. In fact, I caught heaps of fish while standing knee deep in some of my favourite creeks, rivers and lakes. But when you get a boat or…

THE iconic Melville Island Lodge and associated business Tiwi Islands Adventures have been offered for sale by their Tiwi Island owners. The lodge was initially established as a tented camp by well-known NT barra guide Les Woodbridge, who subsequently built the basis of the current infrastructure at Snake Bay and the Johnson River. In 2007 Les sold the business to keen barra fisho Mike Baxter, who over the following few years expanded the team of top-quality guides, expanded and refurbished, bought new boats and established a great reputation for the quality of accommodation and food. The fishing was excellent, as readers of this magazine would know from the many articles and video clips featuring Melville fishing adventures that have appeared over the last 20 years or so. In Mike’s time,…

I’VE lived on the Gold Coast for over 30 years and marlin fishing has always been one of my favourite forms of fishing. In summer, usually in early December, the East Australian Current pushes south and brings a huge number of pelagic fish with it. The inshore run of black marlin are generally smaller fish from 15 to 30 kilos, and out a bit wider get mixed in with bigger fish from the next couple of year classes that top out at a bit over a hundred kilos. In the 1990s we spent most of our time trolling dead baits and lures in water depth of around 25 to 50 metres. There were often huge schools of pilchards and slimy mackerel on the close grounds, and further north spots such…

In this article I want to express that all fish species should be regarded as premium seafood and the label “premium” be used as the degree of care taken to dispatch, store and prepare the species instead of a commercial industry marketing tool. The website Seafood Source labels premium seafood as being “seafood that contains attributes that drive product preference above normal demand”. Through research they have concluded that premium seafood is a marketing term that can reflect attributes including price, sustainability, branding, harvest method and origin. Consumers dictate significance depending on a species cultural or historical use; and popularity greatly differs based on consumer cultural heritage. It’s completely acceptable that everyone has a favourite fish species they prefer to eat. When you make the decision to harvest your own…

These days, it has become much easier to find a car to suit the fishing and boating lifestyle. Gone are the days of owning a cumbersome, truck-like 4WD to tow your boat. Over the past decade we’ve seen so many options for comfortable, spacious and powerful cars with all the bells and whistles. Plus, these models also feature world-class safety standards and impressive towing credentials. The perfect example is the latest range of Isuzu D-MAX. The latest D-MAX joins a long list of models across this ultra competitive market. Crew cabs (Dual cabs) have become so popular over the past few years for all of the above reasons. They’re functional, comfortable, and double nicely as a work vehicle. As a fisho and boat owner, the towing credentials are most important,…

VARIOUS religious prohibitions on the eating of shellfish seem to have originated out of historical public health concerns. An experience with a bad oyster or mussel, or contaminated prawn or crab, is not forgotten easily. WA has issued a warning at the beginning of the blue swimmer crabbing season in the Swan and Canning Rivers to remind fishers to remove the top shells, guts (mustard) and gills from crabs they catch prior to freezing, cooking or eating. For the last several years there have been toxic algal blooms in the rivers and the algae responsible, Alexandrium, can produce a paralytic shellfish toxin which bioaccumulates in crustacea and mussels. The toxin can be dangerous and even fatal in extreme cases. If you’re uncertain as to how to clean your blue swimmer…

Nothing’s a sure thing in fishing but when the best laid plans pan out it makes the pre-trip effort worthwhile. This was the case recently when Pat Brennan and I managed to get away bass fishing for a few days after weeks of planning and hoping. While I had a work deadline to navigate, Pat was on extended leave and only had to fit a bass trip with me in between other fishing adventures he had planned! We eventually locked in a four-day window and found ourselves hitting the road for a six hour drive to the Hunter Valley, tinny in tow. It was around 39 degrees when we finally started setting up camp before our planned evening assault on the lake’s bass population. Going by past experience the hot…

GETTING baits or lures deeper in the water column can be challenging for the uninitiated. Not only can the depth pose a challenge, but environmental factors also such as wind and current can create further issues for anglers wishing to fish down deep. It should be remembered that the term deep water is a relative one and rigging for deeper water than usually fished can be enhanced with a little thought, some practical tools and understanding the hydrodynamics at play. HYDRODYNAMICS AND STREAMLINED OFFERINGS The first strategy to optimally fish deeper water is to streamline your weights, baits, lures and line. Larger objects and surface areas have a greater drag coefficient resulting in increased resistance when falling through the water. Fishing line is a key contributor here; the thinner the…

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…