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SEVEN-HOUR TUNA TUSSLE

SEVEN-HOUR TUNA TUSSLE

Andrew Westlake caught a barrel on his first mission, using military-like planning and skill – not to mention endurance – in his seven-hour fight. His talents are matched by his great attitude and generous nature. Andrew Westlake is a thinking man’s fisherman....
SHIP SHAPER

SHIP SHAPER

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...
CAPE YORK CHAOS

CAPE YORK CHAOS

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...
MONGOLIA ON THE FLY

MONGOLIA ON THE FLY

The English conceived fly-fishing as a gentlemanly pursuit to be undertaken dressed in a tweed jacket while possibly smoking a pipe, a sophisticated sport, with delicate flies finessed to rising trout. However, as Joshua Hutchins discovers flying into the wilds of...
SOUNDER HOUNDS: NATHAN BAJADA

SOUNDER HOUNDS: NATHAN BAJADA

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...
SOUNDER HOUNDS: DEAN SILVESTER

SOUNDER HOUNDS: DEAN SILVESTER

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...
WEED ADDICTS

WEED ADDICTS

Justin Duggan goes undercover to investigate the weed epidemic that is rocking the fishing world     I usually meet The Captain at a local bar to collect my editorial assignment. But this time was different. We met in a dark alley and he was wearing a fake beard...
SOUNDER HOUNDS: LEE RAYNER

SOUNDER HOUNDS: LEE RAYNER

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....
THE SUBLIME SEAFOX VIPER 220

THE SUBLIME SEAFOX VIPER 220

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...
TOP FIVE TIPS FOR FISHING FRASER ISLAND

TOP FIVE TIPS FOR FISHING FRASER ISLAND

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...
FROTHING ON FRASER

FROTHING ON FRASER

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...
SHOOT LIKE A BOSS

SHOOT LIKE A BOSS

The Captain “lens” a few tips for taking the perfect pic on your next on-water adventure. You’ve just landed the fish of a lifetime. There’s only one thing left to do: take a photo that does the big girl justice. But it’s not as easy as it looks. You don’t...
DUGGAN’S DOWNPIPE

DUGGAN’S DOWNPIPE

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...
WHICH BOATS CATCH MORE FISH

WHICH BOATS CATCH MORE FISH

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...
PAUL’S SPEARFISHING GEAR GUIDE

PAUL’S SPEARFISHING GEAR GUIDE

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...
6-METRE SHOOT-OUT

6-METRE SHOOT-OUT

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...
SNAPPER SLEEPOVER

SNAPPER SLEEPOVER

The Captain’s crew explore their softer side aboard the new Whittley FF2100, but the leisurely Sunday sail is rudely interrupted by a school of marauding snapper.   It’s late afternoon in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. Snapper season is just kicking into gear...
MORNINGSTAR 460 ANGLER

MORNINGSTAR 460 ANGLER

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...
CRUISECRAFT EXPLORER 595 HARDTOP

CRUISECRAFT EXPLORER 595 HARDTOP

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....
STABICRAFT 1600

STABICRAFT 1600

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger No doubt one of the most forward thinking designs in the trailer boat market today, is the Stabicraft 1600 Project Carbon Series. If it hadn’t already, it has now certainly quashed all preconceptions about Stabi’s being “ugly...
WILLIAMSTOWN

WILLIAMSTOWN

Surrounded by water on three sides, Williamstown was Melbourne’s first working seaport. Today it’s a fashionable bayside village, but thankfully it hasn’t lost its maritime roots with old piers, slipways and docks dotting the foreshore. Moor your boat at Anchorage...
NAGAMBIE

NAGAMBIE

Nagambie is an aboriginal word meaning ‘place by the water’. And it lives up to its name, with a wide range of water-based activities including skiing, fishing, cruising and general sightseeing. Nagambie is a man-made lake, created by the Goulburn Weir in 1991. The...
GEELONG

GEELONG

What was once an industrial town built on the wool trade is now an edgy city with quite an international feel. The woollen cargo that lined the pier has been replaced with fancy restaurants, former wool stores are now trendy cafés and old mills are home to high-end...
QUEENSCLIFF

QUEENSCLIFF

It’s a chilly Friday afternoon in Melbourne. The clock hits 5pm. You rush home, load up the family, hook up the boat and cruise down to Queenscliff, arriving just after sunset. Pulling up at The Queenscliff Inn, the smell of a red wine beef ragu in flaky pastry hits...
LAKE BULLEN MERRI & LAKE PURRUMBETE

LAKE BULLEN MERRI & LAKE PURRUMBETE

Many Victorian boaties drive past these old craters, missing the opportunity to catch a whopping trout or salmon. The lakes are stocked with browns and rainbows, as well as quinnat and Atlantic salmon. Don’t drop your rod here, though, the lakes are up to 200ft (60m)...
WHITE POINTER 800 SPORTS CRUISER

WHITE POINTER 800 SPORTS CRUISER

It was love at first ride for David Krushka Halfway through David Krushka’s first White Pointer test drive, he turned to Cameron McDonald from Geelong Boating Centre and said, “I’ve had enough”. Shocked, Cam asked, “Oh, what did you think?” David replied, “Best boat...
WHITE POINTER 730 SPORTS HARDTOP

WHITE POINTER 730 SPORTS HARDTOP

The 730 is centimetre perfect in the eyes of Bruce Franks Bruce Franks is a numbers man. An engineer by trade, he applied his no-nonsense sensibilities to conceive his ultimate boat, the White Pointer 730 Sport Hardtop. Stepping aboard the 730, named Cray Nomad you...