by The Captain | Oct 24, 2018 | Adventures, All Stories
Abalone — most people wouldn’t know what it was if they stubbed their toe on it at the beach. Underneath an iridescent mother-of-pearl shell is a muscly piece of meat about the size of a teenager’s fist. This magnificent mollusc is so prized in Asia that most of these...
by The Captain | Oct 24, 2018 | All Stories, Rum and rations
It’s smarter and more romantic than your average sea monster, with nine (count ‘em) brains and three hearts. No, we’re not talking about Miguel, we’re talking about octopus. Ingredients -1.5kg large Fremantle octopus -4 bay leaves -1 ó tablespoons spicy paprika -1L...
by The Captain | Oct 17, 2018 | All Stories, Captain's ships
Not so long ago, a boat builder of repute reached out to The Captain, saying, “If you blokes come across a good performing hull, between 20ft and 23ft long, give me a call. I want to replicate something with a sweet, soft ride, big internal capacity and...
by The Captain | Sep 11, 2018 | All Stories
The knot that dare not speak its name — at least not when the missus and kids are around — is naturally Justin Duggan’s favourite. There are a many game-changing moments in fishing. In the modern era, graphite rods have revolutionised casting and sensitivity. Braided...
by The Captain | Sep 11, 2018 | All Stories, How to
The leader man must grab the trace. Will the fish come in easy or go ballistic? You can never tell. Lord of the lures Peter Pakula details the dos and don’ts of tracing. The angler and skipper have done their job by getting the leader within reach of the crew. Now for...
by The Captain | Sep 11, 2018 | All Stories
Sailfish Catamarans are in birthday mode, celebrating 25 years of building the aluminium twin-hull champions that do the business for Aussie sportsfishers, divers and pleasure boaties. To mark that quarter century, and more than 440 vessels through the door, Sailfish...
by The Captain | Sep 11, 2018 | All Stories
US MANUFACTURER PURSUIT BOATS INVADES THE SOUTH PACIFIC. Anyone with a bit of salt water in their blood knows that Pursuit Boats turn out some of the classiest luxury fishing vessels currently making a splash. Based in Fort Pierce, Florida, Pursuit’s award-winning...
by The Captain | Sep 11, 2018 | All Stories, How to
The dreaded trailer failure can mess up your fishing trip and-much, much worse- your boat. Yet such a devastating towing trauma can be prevented with just a little forethought. Roll with me on this one… ROLLIN’ BY THE RIVER It’s a dark, moonless night and you’re...
by The Captain | Sep 11, 2018 | All Stories, Rum and rations
Fishing is damn thirsty work. Slaving away in the sun, hauling massive sea creatures over the side, surrounded by salt water. By the time you winch that boat back up the ramp you’re parched as, bro. Fluids must be maintained. It’s time to have a beer or two. Whether...
by The Captain | Sep 10, 2018 | All Stories
Staying sharp on the boat and in the galley means any seadog worth his (or her) salt should pack a practical blade There’s no argument that lifejackets save lives. But who’s heard an Old Salt’s advice that a sharp knife is a sailor’s best friend? Captain Blackbeard...
by The Captain | Sep 10, 2018 | All Stories, How to
You need a new boat more than world peace — but not at the cost of war breaking out on the domestic front. Never fear the Captain is here… ATTENTION DADS: So you want a new 20ft (6m) fishing rig, but the missus says no. There are only two options: a. Divorce, or...
by The Captain | Sep 10, 2018 | All Stories, The craftsman
The Captain gets an invite into the Cootacraft factory in Mallacoota, Victoria. It comes directly from the owner/builder known as Mark ” The mad Russian”. He’s also a hunter and expert marksman. What could possibly go wrong? The name Cootacraft...
by The Captain | Sep 10, 2018 | Adventures, All Stories, Captain's ships
Chasing black marlin off the coast of Fraser Island on his trusty Yamaha Waverunner by day and night dodging dingoes and marauding mozzies by night, Ben Bylett discovered the blokes from Fishski Australia were even crazier fishos than him. When I tell people I fish...
by The Captain | Sep 10, 2018 | Adventures, All Stories
Joshua Hutchins and his crew of mad anglers fly fish for Bonefish, GT’s and Triggerfish on the Pacific atoll of CXI- Christmas Island, Kiritimati When our eclectic group arrived in Fiji — ANZAC anglers converging from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and...
by The Captain | Jun 20, 2018 | All Stories, Captain's ships
They’re young, smart and cool, and they represent a new breed of saltwater stylists. They’re the builders – and the owners – of a new wave of floating fortresses. Dickey Boats fits the bill on both fronts. The blue-water highway used to be ruled by dudes with beards...
by The Captain | Jun 20, 2018 | All Stories, Captain's ships
The biggest, baddest console The Captain has ever tested in Australia! The Grady-White Canyon 376 is a bona fide heavyweight of centre consoles. It’s the biggest hull in the Grady-White range, tipping the scales at almost six tonne (without engines). The beam is wider...
by The Captain | Jun 20, 2018 | All Stories, Captain's ships
A lot of people ask why we started The Captain. We usually tell them it’s because “We’re really passionate about fishing and boating” or “We love telling interesting stories about legends of the sea”. Now both those points might be true, but they’re not the real...
by The Captain | Jun 20, 2018 | All Stories, Captain's ships
The Captain puffs out his chest and steps aboard the biggest console the Signature factory has ever built, powered by the largest motor Suzuki has ever built; two, in fact. We’re still not sure why John Haines built the 788SF. It’s the biggest console ever...
by The Captain | Jun 20, 2018 | All Stories, Captain's ships
Earlier this year, the image of a strange craft popped up on The Captain’s newsfeed. It was narrow like an SUP, agile and fast like a PWC, yet kitted out for serious fishing. This thing stuck out like a pink Cosmopolitan cocktail among The Captain’s usual rum-fuelled...
by The Captain | Apr 24, 2018 | All Stories, How to
Joel Ryan caught more fish last year than most of us could dream about catching in a lifetime. His 2017 hit list includes jumbo bluefin off Sydney, double digits of marlin and swordfish, and he’s even put Tait Missen, his good mate’s son, onto an Aussie junior record...
by The Captain | Apr 24, 2018 | All Stories, How to
Most keen fishos own a good set of gaffs, but these days they seem to collect more rust than they do fish. So when the moment comes to sink the meat hooks into a sea monster, Peter Pakula reckons you’d better be well practised… If you want to be good with...
by The Captain | Apr 24, 2018 | All Stories, How to
For Justin Duggan, predicting which colour of lure will be on the hook-up money on any given fishing day will never be an exact science. We all have a “nutty professor” angling mate. His laboratory is the deck of a boat. Bunsen burners and flasks are replaced...
by The Captain | Apr 24, 2018 | All Stories
Davey Marine go the extra mile (about 50 miles, in fact) Davey Marine just went next-level with its customer service. Their blue-chip customers were invited down to Refuge Cove for a fully catered weekend of swell jumping and horsepower thumping. The rigs that...
by The Captain | Apr 17, 2018 | All Stories, How to
Are you a bit confused about the catch-and-release code these days? What species are socially acceptable to fillet? What species should be set free? It’s enough to leave you holding your limp gaff in hand on the back deck, paralysed with uncertainty. Never fear, The...
by The Captain | Mar 13, 2018 | All Stories, Project boats
Time to rip and strip Nub Tub, the Captain’s Haines Hunter 445F back to bare bones before building her back up to survey class, courtesy of Erick Hyland from Whitepointer glass boats in Cann River, Victoria. Erick shares his version of events… The...
by The Captain | Mar 13, 2018 | All Stories
With your best interests at heart, this hit list of “bad shit to watch out for on the water and how to deal with it if it happens” (compiled by The Captain’s favourite seagoing sawbones, who has more letters after his name than the alphabet) should keep you...
by The Captain | Mar 13, 2018 | Adventures, All Stories
The Captain’s phone rang earlier this year. It was John Haines Junior, boss man of Suzuki Australia and heir to the Haines Signature fortune. In his polite but matter-of-fact manner he asked, “what are you guys doing in June?” “Let me check my calendar, John,” I...
by The Captain | Mar 13, 2018 | All Stories, How to
The Captain tugs hard over his tow machines. Here are his top 10 adventure rigs. Did you just drop more than $200K for your deep-vee machine built with 37 layers of ‘glass in the transom and fitted with hardtop, commercial-grade sounder, radar, pie warmer,...
by The Captain | Mar 13, 2018 | All Stories, Captain's ships
The Captain discovers why the White Pointer from New Zealand is considered the apex predator of plate boats. If you call your boat a White Pointer, you better have the chops to back it up. After building them for more than 24 years, Rex Briant, top of the food chain...
by The Captain | Mar 5, 2018 | All Stories, How to
Rule one: keep your eyes open. Peter Pakula shares his wisdom on reading the signs and finding the fish. Electronic aids (sounder, GPS, temp gauge) certainly help you find fish, but they’re not the most important tool in your belt. They don’t tell you where you should...
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