Table of contents for January 2021 in Fishing World

FLATTIES are such a popular fish and nothing triggers a heated response more than debating flathead rules and regulations. Fishing World recently posted a video of a flathead release and asked our social media followers for their opinion on size and bag limits. It's hardly a new topic... In fact I covered this very subject in my editorial not too long ago. The question posed was whether flathead in NSW deserve similar bag and size limits to Queensland. As it stands, in NSW, fishos are allowed to keep 10 fish with a minimum size limit of 36cm and one fish above 70cm. Over the border in Queensland the rules are different with a possession limit of five fish and a slot limit between 40cm and 75cm. Respondents on social media…

The ABC has reported that a WA company, Wild Barra Fisheries, has bought more than 70% of the NT’s commercial barramundi licences. It initially bought one licence which had been on the market for some time but was then approached by other licence holders wishing to sell up and exit the industry. The company, first registered in May 2019, is working with the NT and Federal Governments to try and get the barra fishery accredited for export. The fishery catches currently between 300 and 600 tonnes of fish annually depending on the season but has had difficulty competing with cheaper imported barra in recent times, with reports in 2018 of local operators going broke with barra still in their freezers. While the NT Seafood Council is excited about Wild Barra’s…

Time… One short four letter word with so much meaning and power. It runs our lives and the world with most of us not even being aware of its impact or presence. Just about everything we do each day revolves around time. Every decision we make and task we undertake is done so with time as a contributing factor. We go to work and finish work by the clock, we watch television by the clock, we plan our leisure time on weekends or holidays by the calendar and clock. Time is a very crucial factor in so many parts of our fishing. It’s always on the march and weekends never seem long enough to fit family, leisure, house work and fishing in. When it does we have to pray that…

Murray cod are one of the true icons when it comes to native Australian fish. Up until the past two decades the species was generally considered to be in decline, and in the past generations of anglers pulled in thousands of big cod throughout the whole Murray Darling basin. I’ve seen plenty of old photos of multiple big cod strung up by the gills on poles with their captors smiling at their success. Once considered an inland delicacy and heavily commercially trapped, cod numbers were in huge decline for decades. Rivers were often strung up with dozens of set lines. European carp caused massive bank erosion and had a big effect on cod habitat. In more modern times excessive irrigation, often related to cotton farming, greatly reduced river flows and…

GETTING accurate measurements of the fish you catch is important for a number of reasons. First up, you need to ensure any fish you keep are within the legal size limits. Most commonly targeted species in NSW are subject to a minimum legal length (or MLL). Taking undersized fish is against the law so it’s vital you ensure any fish you take for the table measure at or above the MLL. This is easy when the fish are obviously well over the limit but it’s a bit more complex when they are borderline. Other species are subject to slot limits, meaning you can only take fish between certain size parameters. The Murray cod fishery is a good example of how a slot limit works. For example, you can only take…

“The most important thing with friction knots is ensuring the braid is under tension and keeping the wraps tight.” WITH summer now well under way many anglers focus their efforts on heading wide to chase gamefish. There are many different techniques and systems that you can employ when rigging up to chase a few gamefish and it’s important to also consider rules and regulations governing leader lengths and hook placement to keep in mind if you intend to fish competitions or chase records. Almost all my fishing nowadays is social with a focus on rigging that optimises practicality, success and simplicity. TOP SHOTTING Fishing gear in general is becoming smaller, stronger and more versatile with gear used for game fishing being no different. Rather than using larger game reels which…

A popular word these days seems to be “mojo”. What’s mojo some may ask? Well, mojo is described as good luck, charm or a skill that seems to come from something magical or supernatural. I liken mojo to the old-fashioned good luck but on steroids. In other words, when everything goes right and the planets align for a certain individual. I’ve been blessed in my life to have had some very good mojo and not just in fishing. The list of my mojo fishing moments is quite extensive and includes some great fish caught on light line and/or under extraordinary circumstances. There may have been a small amount of skill involved in a few of those captures but most would agree that mojo was the contributing factor in most cases.…

Q WHAT IS THE BEST LURE FOR GOLDEN PERCH? Chris E-mail A As lures come in and out of vogue the consensus seems to change so very often on what is the best lure for golden perch. In all honesty some of the out of vogue lures will still work and catch them very well. Of course fish do wise up to reaction style lures or lures with very loud rattles quite quickly, especially in an impoundment scenario. A few must have lures for targeting golden perch would be small metal vibes like the Ecogear VX 35-45s, small plastics such as Berkley’s Gulp jigging grub 3 inch in black colour rigged on a 1/8th -1/4 oz jighead and a soft vibe in the 70-100mm size and 15-20 grams in weight.…

THE Boating Industry Association (BIA) has launched a new website to help boaters ensure they have the right lifejacket information. The BIA developed and built the site on behalf of the Australia New Zealand Safe Boating Education Group who identified a gap in information for the boating public relating to care and service of lifejackets. The website www.lifejackets.org.au, is dedicated to providing boaters across the country with a single source of reliable information, especially regarding inflatable lifejackets. The website offers access to several resources and tools that are designed to help people make an informed decision relating to the selection of lifejackets for their needs, and the care and servicing of inflatable lifejackets.…

It would have been about 1975 when I used ganged hooks for the first time. I’d followed some mates into a secluded section of coast in the hope of tangling with monster tailor, a mulloway or a snapper. The sun was setting when we all congregated on a very low, swell kissed rock and cast out. I would have been using a 12 ft rod and my first Alvey side cast to throw an unweighted pilchard rigged on a set of four 4/0 hooks joined together to form a “gang” of hooks. The idea was to cast behind a ridge of reef about 15m from our posse, let the bait sink and then try to get a hooked fish back over the top of the reef and into deeper water.…

GETTING out and enjoying the great outdoors is something most of us in Australia have within easy reach. My home is in the shadows of the Great Dividing Range and its locality opens up some of the greatest destinations in Australia. I am blessed with a plethora of National Parks, recreation reserves, fishing havens, etc. All of these are within close reach of where I live and a lot of these areas are within similar travelling times of our state's capital, Sydney. The choice of accessing these areas is wide and varied, whether it be a train ride and then a hike into the wilderness, or your own 4WD, car, mountain bike, motorcycle, kayak, raft, canoe, horse or lilo. For me the option of taking a canoe with a good…

I have always loved travelling to experience new cultures and fishing for different species. Fishing has lead me to some fantastic locations that I would not have ever imagined visiting if not for the pursuit of a specific species. The bonus is the best fishing is often found in remote places where the habitat and local people have had minimal impact on the environment. I have been privileged to have had some fantastic adventures fishing around our wonderful country as well as some far-flung destinations overseas. But I still have a long list of species on my "bucket list", and peacock bass and payara were the next two at the top. If you are going to target a particular species and dedicate the time and money towards catching it, then…