by The Captain | Sep 9, 2022 | Articles, How to
The Captain reckons it’s time to dodge the boat ramp queues and get wet in some undiscovered fishing country. The key to unlocking your inner Malcolm Douglas (for those of you born post-1980, Mal was a bearded, straight-talkin’ fisho and explorer) is being able to...
by The Captain | Aug 1, 2022 | Adventures, Articles, Captain's ships, Uncategorized
The Captain hooks up with legendary long-time game-fishing skipper, Tim Dean. We’re on board his 47ft O’Brien, armed to the teeth with an arsenal of Raymarine wizardry. Along for the ride are a couple of RAAF veterans, one hoping to nail his first marlin. ...
by The Captain | Mar 3, 2022 | Adventures, Articles
The bite is on, but The Captain’s project boats are laid up in dock (see story on Shark Cat steering fit-up hereabouts). Never mind, there’s always a salty mariner keen to take The Captain for a spin and show off their new vessel. In this case, it’s a highly...
by The Captain | Dec 10, 2021 | Articles, How to
Boat ramps come in all different shapes and sizes — big ones, small ones, long ones, skinny ones. Some are nothing more than a nondescript strip leading onto a deserted sandy beach and others are like busy concrete highways. No matter the ramp, they all come with...
by Alli Ficarra | Oct 12, 2021 | Adventures, Articles
It might be his Italian background, or maybe it’s because he grew up in a remote coastal town like Marlo. Kyle Dicecco has a unique ability to make the simple look beautiful. While most of us are striving to strip back the layers, he’s already camped there. Need a...
by The Captain | Oct 12, 2021 | Articles, How to
With a fully fuelled Whittley 2380 as his trusty steed, The Captain shares his best tips for cruising and camping. The Destination? Myall Lakes on the NSW Mid-North Coast. When it comes to touring, a wise man once said, “The more you know, the less you’ll take.” This...
by The Captain | Oct 12, 2021 | Articles, Captain's ships
Sometimes you’ve got to knock your head against a brick wall a few times before you realise you’ll get a lot more out of life — and fishing — if you chill out and take time to enjoy the ride. The Captain meets an experienced sea dog who now makes his living passing on...
by The Captain | Oct 12, 2021 | Adventures, Articles
The Captain is back in Coffs Harbour, blasting around the spectacular Solitary Islands Marine Park, chasing kingies and getting acquainted with Sam Gilchrist and his deadly 520 Sea Devil centre console. Having been to the home of the Big Banana on the NSW Central...
by The Captain | Oct 12, 2021 | Adventures, Articles
Brock Harmer is a former bream fisherman, but don’t hold that against him. He and his son Braxy patrol the high seas in their tricked-out Sea Fox 236. Equipped with enough fishing tackle to sink a small tinny, we head up the Mid North Coast to do battle with...
by The Captain | Oct 12, 2021 | Articles, How to
Maybe it’s a sign I’m getting older and more cautious in my late 30s. Maybe this thought process got triggered when I sat through months of courses doing my commercial skipper’s ticket. We talked about the possibilities for boat failure at sea — and how best to...
by The Captain | Oct 8, 2021 | Articles, How to
By now, you’re probably rocking RipCharts in your fishing arsenal. But it’s more than just a pretty picture of the water currents and temperature breaks. RipCharts guru Chris Fullilove lets me in on some handy hacks used by the pros. As he says, “To get the most out...
by The Captain | Oct 8, 2021 | Articles, How to
Mick says recreational and commercial fishos should work together for the good of the resource Rec and commercial fishos have had a George and Mildred kind of relationship — like a constantly-sparring married couple. There’s been friction on and off the water, with...
by The Captain | Oct 5, 2021 | Adventures, Articles
Packing his pith helmet, extra-thick buff and 14-weight fly rod, Joshua Hutchins does battle with bluewater brutes on the remote atolls off the PNG coast. When someone throws out an invitation for an “exploratory fishing trip” I bite like a big brown trout in a Kiwi...
by The Captain | Oct 5, 2021 | Adventures, Articles
The breeze has pushed The Captain’s sails to many weird and wonderful destinations. Here are 21 of our favourites, in no particular order. Captain’s note: these are just the places we’ve been to. We know there are plenty more out there and look forward to your...
by The Captain | Aug 13, 2021 | Articles, How to
Rod Findlay goes back to basics to explain how to get from A to B on the water. The radio was alive with reports of action, but it didn’t take long to realise the weekend warriors were out in full swing, “Can I have those numbers again, mate? I have them all bar the...
by The Captain | Aug 13, 2021 | Articles, Tried and tested
There are a few things that divide fishermen — alloy vs glass, freshwater vs saltwater, catch vs release. But one hot-button issue of late has been bait vs lures. The Captain heads down the NSW South Coast to establish once and for all which technique is boss. ...
by The Captain | Jul 10, 2021 | Adventures, Articles
With The Captain celebrating his 21st birthday (21 issues released). We thought it’d only be fitting to jump aboard a 2100 Supercab. We head to Jervis Bay to catch up with the Smith Family, who live a nomadic fishing lifestyle – with a tricked out rig. ...
by The Captain | Jul 10, 2021 | Adventures, Articles
The Captain’s crew tees up another search and destroy mission with our favourite snapper slayer Mike Bonnici. This time, we’re aboard his fresh-from-the-factory Sea Devil 620. Along for the ride is Shimano national sponsorship manager Leroy Horton with a bag of new...
by The Captain | Jun 7, 2021 | Articles, Captain's ships
Bill Hunt stepped out of a Barcrusher 640C into a Veitch 27 Hardtop. That’s the equivalent of stepping out of a Series 1 Land Rover into a Maybach. The Captain catches up with Bill in Mallacoota aboard his citrus orange Nautic-Hunt. Bill Hunt has the...
by The Captain | May 21, 2021 | Articles, How to
One of the most interesting things I find when talking to game fishermen after a day on the ocean is how some crews are ultra-observant compared to others trolling the same stretch of water. Good crews always note the type and size of bait they encounter, as well as...
by The Captain | Mar 13, 2021 | Adventures, Articles
Something tasty just lobbed in The Captain’s porthole. It’s the new Clash II reel. The boffins at Penn reckon they’re toughest in class. We’ll see about that. We got in touch with charter operators Vic and Zane Levett from Ocean Hunter Sportsfishing to see if they...
by The Captain | Mar 13, 2021 | Articles, Captain's ships
Unlike the tree-felling Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, Dave Mifsud hasn’t lost his heart. As The Captain discovers, he’s still got plenty left. We hook up with him in the fishing town of Eden on the NSW South Coast. He’s brought his brother, Joe and wife, Helen, as well...
by The Captain | Mar 13, 2021 | Adventures, Articles
The Captain has been trying to hitch a ride on Jamie Culver’s rugged Stabicraft 2250 for some time. Recently, the stars aligned and The Captain’s crew headed north to investigate the fishing out of Port Stephens, NSW. For those in on the secret, Port...
by admin | Feb 2, 2021 | Articles, Captain's ships
Junior Captains Abbey and William jump on the latest Whittley 2380 to show how to have the ultimate family camping trip under the stars. When Dad pulls into the driveway with the latest Whittley, nobody is happier than us. We’re always invited on...
by The Captain | Jan 3, 2021 | Adventures, Articles
In the last issue of The Captain, we proudly featured six awesome women who knew their way around the pointy end of a spear. But The Captain always had a lot more to say about the joys of women who can fish. In Part 2 of our Fish ‘n’ Chicks package, we encounter seven...
by The Captain | Sep 20, 2020 | Articles, Captain's ships
With the best yellowfin tuna bite off the NSW east coast since The Captain could legally drink proof rum, we tee up a session with rock-steady Rod Findlay aboard his smooth new Grady-White Seafarer 228. When it comes to yellowfin tuna bites off...
by The Captain | Aug 10, 2020 | Adventures, Articles
There’s something about Greeks and fishing. It runs deep in their blood. Take the Batsinilas family — they’re all fishing gurus. The Captain is hanging with Mati and Pete Batsinilas in Seventeen Seventy in Queensland — and these guys have totally nailed the art of...
by The Captain | Jul 31, 2020 | Articles, How to
OVERKILL I’m going out on a limb to canvas a topic that’s been festering for quite a while — the impact of social media on fishing. That’s right, the electronic elephant in the room. Let me preface this “rant” with saying that I love teaching people to fish and...
by The Captain | Jan 31, 2020 | Adventures, Articles, Secret destinations
The Captain’s crew head to the Montebello Islands with a bunch of hotshot fishos aboard a flotilla of epic rigs. Brace yourself to be knee-deep in GTs, sailfish and spangled emperor scales. Every fisherman has heard tales of the bountiful waters of the...
by The Captain | Dec 15, 2019 | Adventures, Articles
Ed Richardson and his crack crew storm the remote beaches of King Island, Tasmania, stopping only to snaffle some giant crays. Ed Richardson has been threatening to take us to King Island for a while now. We would’ve got there sooner, except the damn Southern Ocean...
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