by The Captain | Nov 9, 2016 | Adventures, Captain's ships
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...
by The Captain | Nov 9, 2016 | Articles, Captain's ships
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...
by The Captain | Nov 9, 2016 | Articles, Captain's ships
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...
by The Captain | Nov 9, 2016 | Articles, How to
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...
by The Captain | Nov 9, 2016 | Adventures, Articles
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...
by The Captain | Nov 9, 2016 | Adventures, Articles
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;...
by The Captain | Nov 8, 2016 | Articles
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...
by The Captain | Nov 4, 2016 | Adventures, Articles
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....
by The Captain | Nov 4, 2016 | Articles, Captain's ships
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...
by The Captain | Nov 4, 2016 | Articles, How to
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...
by The Captain | Nov 4, 2016 | Articles, How to
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...
by The Captain | Nov 4, 2016 | Articles, Tried and tested
The Captain’s spearo, Paul Miller, takes the new Lowrance Elite-7 Ti for a test drive. I might spend more time underwater than actually in my boat, but having a good sounder and GPS is vital for spearing success. I’d been dying to drop a new Lowrance onto the dash of...
by The Captain | Aug 4, 2016 | Adventures, Articles
In Dave Dawson’s book Salt of the Sea – Tales from Commercial Fishermen, Vicki remembers good times and bad chasing tuna off the Australian coast Vicki Burnett recalls “The Barcoola was built at Caloundra in 1978. She had rolled over for one of the previous owners...
by The Captain | Jul 28, 2016 | Articles, The craftsman
In a quaint little woodworking shop in the back streets of Wollongong, NSW, you’ll find Elise Cameron-Smith crafting handmade treasures. Not your typical woodworker, Elise is a chirpy young surfie chick. The Captain dropped anchor to check out her fleet of exquisite...
by The Captain | Jul 28, 2016 | Articles, How to
THE BIRO Place your tuna on its nib, as if you’re signing your John Hancock on the deck of the boat. A popular – if a little overused – composition for big barrels. Also related to: Hang time GET A HOTEL ROOM Your wife or girlfriend will...
by The Captain | Jul 28, 2016 | Adventures, Articles
Cape York by trailer boat is a must-do for any boat owner. Catching trophy fish is the easy part, but as The Captain knows, getting there, picking a crew, keeping the gear dry, feeding yourself and getting a good night’s sleep can be a challenge. In this special...
by The Captain | Jul 8, 2016 | Articles, How to
NATHAN BAJADA, CENTRAL COAST, NSW STYLE: I’m mad-keen on game-fishing with my wife, Amanda, and daughter, Chloe. Don’t be fooled, they’re a formidable crew! We also dabble on the snapper and kingfish grounds, and don’t mind a deep drop from time to time. The wife...
by The Captain | Jul 8, 2016 | Articles, How to
DEAN SILVESTER, BRISBANE, QLD STYLE: I love all sorts of fishing. Over the years I’ve entered in bass, bream and barramundi tournaments. My main focus of late has been Australian bass – I’d probably say I’m a good bass-buster. BOAT My boat is an SX 180 Skeeter, an...
by The Captain | Jul 7, 2016 | Articles, How to
LEE RAYNER, MELBOURNE, VIC STYLE : Any sort of fishing – bait, lure, fly, just so long as I’m catching fish. I do love chasing marlin and tuna, while at the other end of the scale there is something great about freezing your bum off chasing trout, especially big ones....
by The Captain | Jul 7, 2016 | Articles, Captain's ships
The Seafox left the other boats in its wake; on the water- and on the fishing scoreboard A snotty 25-knot wind blew straight into Urangan Harbour, on the eastern side of Hervey Bay. We stuck the nose of the Sea Fox Viper out into the bay, glanced at each...
by The Captain | Jul 7, 2016 | Articles, How to
Andrew Chorley from Hervey Bay Fly and Sportfishing knows a thing or two about Fraser Island – he’s been fishing it since he was five! Read his top tips for fishing Fraser Island before you launch your boat. 1. LOOK CLOSER TO HOME Newcomers always head straight...
by The Captain | Jul 7, 2016 | Adventures, Articles, Secret destinations
Fraser Island is full of salty drama. It was named after Eliza Fraser, who was shipwrecked off the coast in 1836. She took refuge on the island and, as the story goes, was captured by local Aborigines and made to work for scraps before eventually being rescued. The...
by The Captain | Jul 2, 2016 | Articles, How to
Ever wondered why the gun fishermen treat their sounder like the Ark of the Covenant? It’s because it holds secrets that make the difference between a good day’s fishing and a great one. The Captain takes a peek inside, and discovers the top commandments practised...
by The Captain | Jun 21, 2016 | Articles, How to
You wont find a more genteel charter operator on the water than Justin Duggan, but break one of his unwritten rules and you’ll feel his wrath. For the uninitiated, here are some fishing moves to avoid when fishing around Justin’s local hole. THE GRASS CUTTER...
by The Captain | Jun 21, 2016 | Articles, How to
The Captain has always wondered: does size matter or is it all about the motion of the ocean? Peter Pakula has an opinion on this. The Captain: Does the size of your boat have any bearing on raising fish? Peter Pakula: More than likely. It’s pretty logical that...
by The Captain | Jun 21, 2016 | Articles, How to
When Paul Miller got invited on his first free-diving trip, he grabbed his 4mm surfing wetsuit, a pair of snorkelling flippers and mask, and hit the blue water with the anticipation of a big mahi mahi. He lasted about 15 minutes before returning to the boat...
by The Captain | Jun 21, 2016 | Articles, Captain's ships
Stabicraft take their R&D testing very seriously. The Captain reckons Stabicraft boats are some of the sweetest-looking rides on the water. The 2100 Supercab model sits slap-bang in the middle of the range – and showcases some of their best fishie features....
by The Captain | Jun 16, 2016 | Articles, Captain's ships
Bass Strait Ocean Pro 600 VS Cootacraft 20ft Coldfront VS Edencraft 6M Offshore LET THE BATTLE BEGIN! You won’t find any cup holders in these six-metre sledgehammers. The builders are too busy adding another layer of chop strand to their stringers or bolting...
by The Captain | Oct 21, 2015 | Articles, Captain's ships
There’s a rumour doing the rounds. It’s about an aluminium hull that has the big boys looking over their shoulder. They say it rides like a glass boat, looks like a glass boat, but can take punishment like a tinnie. It doesn’t have a name like...
by The Captain | Oct 20, 2015 | Articles, Captain's ships
Legendary Aussie boat maker, Cruisecraft, introduces the new baby of its hardtop range. A proud, third generation Australian boat manufacturer, CruiseCraft, is at it again, having just unveiled its new hardtop fishing machine – this time in the sub-6m category....
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