fbpx
ALLOY V’S STEEL

ALLOY V’S STEEL

  Deciding between alloy and steel is the biggest consideration for new trailer buyers. The Captain’s crew donned welding masks and went undercover in the Easytow factory to uncover the pros and cons.   THE CASE FOR ALMIGHTY ALLOY   Pound for pound,...
SOUNDER HOUNDS: ANTHONY RACO

SOUNDER HOUNDS: ANTHONY RACO

SYDNEY, NSW   STYLE: I’m part of the Band of Brothers Fishing crew. We’re primarily game-fisherman who mix it up in the off-season chasing reds and kings. Our passion, however, certainly lies in catching billfish.     BOAT: I own a Seaswirl Striper 2007 2101...
SOUNDER HOUNDS: ANTHONY RACO

SOUNDER HOUND: JAMES HOWARTH

BRISBANE, QLD   STYLE: The fishing that mainly appeals to me is the tournament bream scene. Weeks, months or even years of preparation can come down to a few moments. Sometimes you’ll have to make a call, which can put everything on the line. It’s a make-or-break...
SOUNDER HOUNDS: DALE HAMILTON

SOUNDER HOUNDS: DALE HAMILTON

BROOME, WA   STYLE: It’s got to be sportsfishing! I’ve been fortunate enough to fish some of the atolls off the coast of my hometown of Broome. We target dogtooth, GTs, red bass, coral trout, wahoo, blue/black marlin and even sailfish. I also like heading into...
18FT SHARK CAT

18FT SHARK CAT

Back in 1977, when Richard Freeman bought his Shark Cat, Elvis Presley was still swinging his hips and Radial Tuned Suspension (RTS) had just found its way into the HZ Holden. Since then, Richard’s Cat has seen 31 pairs of outboards. He’s also bought a house and...
FLOATING FORTRESS: STABICRAFT 2500

FLOATING FORTRESS: STABICRAFT 2500

From the wilds of the Southern Ocean comes a new design that harks back to the classics.   As we loaded a variety of rods onto the shiny new Stabicraft 2500 Ultracab, dirty grey clouds descended from the hills surrounding the local boat ramp. Cold, damp and...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
LOWRANCE ELITE-7 TI

LOWRANCE ELITE-7 TI

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...
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOURS

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOURS

The Captain dials up the glamour for international chefs Miguel and Silvia aboard the Arvor Sportsfish 675 You might think The Captain only rolls in deep-vees, Carolina flares and fly-bridge cruisers. Not true. The Captain recently took a call from a good...
SALTS OF THE SEA

SALTS OF THE SEA

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...