fbpx
SEARCH FOR SILVER- 550F SIGNATURE

SEARCH FOR SILVER- 550F SIGNATURE

The Captain goes north in search of silver scales and soft riding battleships.     Trying to fish a new location is tough at the best of times. Trying to catch a mulloway in one day at a new location is a serious Hail Mary shit. Still, we had the gear and...
ALLOY ART

ALLOY ART

  Moda means “style” in Italian, but don’t let the gorgeous lines fool you, this Express model is full of function too, with a 600km range, the ability to sleep five adults and almost $80K of electronic equipment.     The Captain: Ahoy Shane, we’ve seen...
HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE SOUTH ISLAND

HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE SOUTH ISLAND

Word and images by Joshua Hutchins   Fly-fishing New Zealand’s scenic South Island is always a challenge – but mostly rewarding for Joshua Hutchins. He shares the inside word on one of his favourite destinations.     The South Island of New Zealand is...
EAST GIPPSLAND ESCAPE

EAST GIPPSLAND ESCAPE

  Every fisho worth his salt has a secret fishing spot where it seems like the fish never stop biting. The sun always sets on glassy waters while pelagics feverishly compete for the evening hatch. The esky is always full and cold, and sleep is only broken by the...
ISLAND POPPING

ISLAND POPPING

The Captain’s crew head north, to the warm waters of the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef. They hunt game fish amidst incredible scenic beauty – and become stranded in a millionaires’ playground.     The water transformed from an olive green to a deep...
BAD BOY FOR LOVE

BAD BOY FOR LOVE

Mitchell Burge and his Bad Boy were made for each other… He’s an outspoken lad from Mt Colah with a reputation as a wrecking ball on the sea, having split five boats that The Captain knows of. Now he’s riding in his new Cootacraft – a name synonymous with boats built...
PAUL’S 10 CRAY COMMANDMENTS

PAUL’S 10 CRAY COMMANDMENTS

Crayfish. They look prehistoric, but taste delicious – and they live in Paul Miller’s backyard on the Northern Beaches. Now, if Paul has one weakness it’s fresh Eden mussels. So we bribed him with a couple of dozen plump ones to reveal his 10 Commandments for cray...
WHEN TO SLACK OFF

WHEN TO SLACK OFF

When to slack off with Justin Duggan   Don’t believe everything you hear; sometimes there’s nothing wrong with being soft, limp or flaccid, other times you need to be tight as a clam. Knowing when to be slack will often prove crucial to scoring the fish. I watch...
SLY FISHERMAN: HOW TO STEAL SECRET SPOTS

SLY FISHERMAN: HOW TO STEAL SECRET SPOTS

Ever had your secret fishing spot stolen? Here’s how they probably did it… RADAR LOVE     Radar – It’s not just for pinpointing U-boats. Radar can pinpoint your position from the horizon. If they can see you, they know your latitude and...
SOLO GAMEFISHING

SOLO GAMEFISHING

LURE TALK WITH PETER PAKULA “In solo game-fishing, there are no points, no trophies and no public acclaim.”   It’s normal in my business to dart out and test lures as soon as the prototypes are ready. On April 1st, 1992, the new Mosquito was ready to rock....
SEA FOX 186 CAMMANDER

SEA FOX 186 CAMMANDER

The Captain finds the sweet spot in an entry level Sea Fox.   The Captain has found a new ham-and-pineapple boat. Loved by all and fit for almost any occasion, the Sea Fox 186 Commander is the perfect Cape York crusader or perch predator.     Sea Fox...
MIGUEL’S SNAPPER A LA SAL

MIGUEL’S SNAPPER A LA SAL

You don’t even have to go shopping for this simple snapper recipe. Just snag a red, raid the missus pantry for some basics, then start grinding on the mortar and pestle like you’re furiously hauling a 40kg black jew from a coral reef – in just 5M of water!...
RUM REPORT

RUM REPORT

Aaargh, rum. It’s been turning noble sailors into depraved pirates for centuries. The Captain dives behind the bar to uncover the secrets of this sweet seafaring spirit.   Rum lore has it that the first distillation of rum began by accident on Caribbean sugar...
HOT POTS

HOT POTS

Outboards. Some like them big and fast, others like ’em compact, efficient and quiet. The Captain spends more time driving them than he does his LandRover. So here are some of The Captain’s favourite outboard engines – all recently tested on tour.     ENGINE:  Yamaha...
STERN-BURNIN’ BEASTIE

STERN-BURNIN’ BEASTIE

The Whittley SL22 isn’t usually considered an offshore weapon, but if it dumped the rear-facing seats and glassed a wave-breaker on, it damn well would be.     Alan Whittley, heir to the Whittley throne, rang and told us he had a Whittley ready for a fishing...
RED DAWN

RED DAWN

With barrels storming the west coast of Victoria, The Captain grabbed a Stabicraft 2050, a tub of soy sauce and hit the high seas.   If you’re looking for a story about ‘the fish of a lifetime’, then look away now. This is not one of those stories. This is a tale...
HULL RAISER

HULL RAISER

Erick Hyland, mussel farmer and builder of muscle boats, is one of the fathers of Edencraft. The brood of boats he produced in the 1980s and ’90s is impressive, but his latest offspring, the Whitepointer 263, is next-level.   In the late 1980s, Erick Hyland owned...
MARLIN MOJO

MARLIN MOJO

The Captain’s 10 Golden Rules for hooking more marlin. Jeez, I wish someone told us a bit earlier – like 10,000 litres of fuel earlier!   The Captain knows a fisherman who hooked (and lost) nine marlin before finally landing one. Such is the fighting prowess of...
FRENCH CONNECTION

FRENCH CONNECTION

  The Captain flexes the fibers of a family fisher, taking an Arvor 675 Sportsfish to the end of the earth in search of game-fishing gold.   With nothing but the dull glow of the anchor light to guide us, we pushed on into the black nothingness. Our...
BIG BORES GTS

BIG BORES GTS

Words and images by Joshua Hutchins   JOSHUA HUTCHINS packs his lucky board shorts, his favourite fly rod and and jumps onto a tiny plane. He’s headed for a little dot in the South Pacific, where giant GTs elbow eager bonefish aside in their rush to engulf...
THREAD LINES

THREAD LINES

Images: Andrew Mckinstray   The Captain jumps behind the sewing machine with Nick Richardson, owner of fishing threads brand, Tide Apparel.   Fishing fashion has come a long way. Gone are the days of heading to sea in a double-breasted navy peacoat with more...
NUCLEAR FALL OUT BOYS

NUCLEAR FALL OUT BOYS

Word and images Luke Ryan   Two mates, 12 days and some of WA’s most remote islands and reefs. But would there be any fish?   The West Australian coastline offers not only some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, but also the best sport fishing;...
SOUNDER HOUNDS: ROD FINDLAY

SOUNDER HOUNDS: ROD FINDLAY

ROD FINDLAY, SUTHERLAND SHIRE, NSW   STYLE: Definitely bluewater – from kings to tuna and switch-baiting marlin – I’ve been a member of Broken Bay gamefishing club since I was seven!     BOAT: We run two. The first is Murrifin, a custom 39ft...
SOUNDER HOUNDS: LUKE RYAN

SOUNDER HOUNDS: LUKE RYAN

LUKE RYAN, PERTH, WA  STYLE: I do a variety of fishing, from offshore jigging and heavy tackle to light breamin’.     BOAT: I have a Haines Hunter Patriot 680 with a Yamaha 225HP.     ELECTRONICS: Currently I have two Simrad NSS12 Evo2s. I run an...
SOUNDER HOUNDS: ANDREA TRAVERSO

SOUNDER HOUNDS: ANDREA TRAVERSO

ANDREA TRAVERSO, PORT HAVANNAH, VANUATU STYLE: We do all kinds of fishing in Vanuatu– heavy tackle, saltwater fly, light tackle and live baiting. My personal favourite, though, has got to be popping and jigging for GTs and dogtooth tuna.     BOAT: We run...
LORDS OF THE SWORDS

LORDS OF THE SWORDS

Richard Abela heads to Victoria’s north-east in search of a life-long sportfishing pursuit- daytime swordfish.   Thinking back to my grass roots as a blue-water sports fisherman, it’s not hard to recall where my obsession with the broadbill swordfish began....
THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND

THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND

The Captain discovers a cult classic that might just be the best-kept secret on the New South Wales coast – the Sea Devil.   Cult- A religious or social group with socially deviant beliefs and practices, known for small but dedicated fan base. Cults often acquire...
WAVE-BREAKERS

WAVE-BREAKERS

The Captain’s 10 Commandments (break them at your peril).   Wave-breaker arguments light up Facebook forums, typically started by pansies behind perspex. For those who have seen the light – and want to join the dark side by fitting a wave-breaker, be sure to...
SKIRT DIRT

SKIRT DIRT

Did you think your car was the only thing that needs oil? Are your skirted trolling lures sticky, stiff or brittle? Then Peter Pakula reckons they probably need an oil change…   Trolling skirts are made from various types of plastics, mainly PVC, which by nature,...
HUNTERS AND HOPERS

HUNTERS AND HOPERS

Hunters versus hopers with . Which one are you? Justin Duggan considers some scenarios…   Scenario 1: The hunter arrives at the honey hole, right on the tide change. He casts to the sweet spot, landing a perfectly-presented soft plastic 5cm from the main...