by The Captain | Feb 3, 2022 | Articles, Captain's ships
Gone are the days of launching old tinnies on rusty extended drawbar trailers off the beach at K’gari (Fraser Island) with beaten-up LandCruisers. Wade Bachmann has it dialled. He launches his impeccable RipTide 9200 Custom Cab off the beach with a rockin’ red...
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 | Articles, Captain's ships
Grady-White has been building consoles for more than 40 years, but the model delivered by Short Marine — which they kindly permitted The Captain to abuse, er, test drive on Sydney Harbour — boasts several 21st-century smarts, including a Seakeeper 1 gyroscopic...
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 Alli Ficarra | Oct 8, 2021 | Articles, Captain's ships
Things are moving quickly down in Mallacoota. Mark The Russian has turned over his whole line-up in less than five years. His previous beastie — the Bad Boy — is now considered a “family boat” and his new plaything is capable of a lazy 84mph. Blink and you’ll miss it!...
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 | May 9, 2021 | Articles, Project boat
It’s been 12 months since we last reported on the Nub Tub. Since then, Jack has put a sizable dent in the Long Reef kingfish population and Alli has been working on her long, sun-kissed locks. The salty duo even made it wide to the tuna grounds, but ended up drowned...
by The Captain | Jan 2, 2021 | Articles, Captain's ships
The Captain plunges bravely into the fibreglass dust storm to get the drum on this superbly reconfigured Bertram 25. Most blokes toil away on tinnies and 15ft CrapCrafts before laying tools on their first big project, but — amazingly — this beaut Berty...
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 27, 2020 | Articles, Captain's ships
One of our favourite pocket rockets, the Stabicraft 1410 has been beefed up. It’s now called the 1450, and the boys from Invercargill reckon it’s the most well-appointed sub-5m boat in its class. The new version is longer, wider and more solid than the previous model....
by The Captain | Aug 27, 2020 | Adventures, Articles
All aboard the Surtees 750 Game Fisher powered by an F300 Yamaha. The plan? Drive it 100 nautical miles (round trip) to some of the most remote fishing grounds in the country. The East Cape region of New Zealand’s North Island is one of the most isolated...
by The Captain | Aug 27, 2020 | Articles, Captain's ships
It’s big, brash and you can hear it coming a mile away. No, it’s not Grant Shorland. It’s The Captain’s Ram 1500 vs Ram 2500 vs Ram 3500 vs Cruiser shootout. ASKING “FOR A FRIEND” I’ve got a 23ft offshore fishing weapon with twin ponies, four Simrad displays, eight...
by The Captain | Aug 27, 2020 | Articles, The craftsman
Finally, a bowrider you’ll be proud to skipper on gamefishing operations with the boys. When the tuna blood is washed off the self-draining decks, you and your favourite deckie could be loving life aboard the smart and stylish Fury Dual Console. This svelte 28-footer...
by The Captain | Aug 12, 2020 | Articles, Captain's ships
Just like The Captain, the owner of this Black Watch 31 forked out good money for a lemon. But just like The Captain – and with a little help from Matt Inman at R&M Marine – Now he couldn’t be happier. Every big boat that sails...
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, Captain's ships
Naiad boats are the playthings of billionaire sheiks and sultans, and workhorses for the likes of the Tactical Response Group and remote wilderness tour operators. None of these are the kind of customers you want a call from in the dark of night saying something on...
by The Captain | Jul 31, 2020 | Adventures, Articles
On a foodie voyage of discovery through the Gippsland Lakes, The Captain’s crew discovers fair maidens willing to jump ship, pies to die for, seaweed-infused butter, eel terrine and bottomless jugs of rum and coke. We’ll need help for this one. Time to...
by The Captain | Jul 31, 2020 | Articles, Captain's ships
In what could yet prove an exceedingly cunning sales ploy, the broker blokes from One Brokerage in Perth have used the excuse of a visit from The Captain to entice Regulator 28 owner John Flay out for a burn and a fish on the new Regulator 41. John is now very, very...
by The Captain | Jul 29, 2020 | Articles, Captain's ships
Want to become a fishing immortal? The first step is to acquire an arsenal of high-calibre fishing equipment. Next, get yourself a tiny but tough fishing rig. “WTF? Tiny rig?” I hear you say. But think about it — that 100kg bluefin will look a shit-ton bigger sitting...
by The Captain | Jul 8, 2020 | Adventures, Articles
Andrew Wright reckons there’s more than one way to skin a cat. He ought to know. He’s spent thousands of hours behind the wheel – and inside the bilges – of cats of all shapes and sizes, and he’s built them for rescue services. Now,...
by The Captain | Jul 7, 2020 | Adventures, Articles
Like Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings, The Captain’s crew heads off on an adventure to a mysterious volcano. But instead of throwing something into it, we’d be hoping to pull something out. When we first heard tales of a group of volcanic craters...
by The Captain | Jun 15, 2020 | Articles, How to
Mick from Pickles Fishing & Outdoors tackle store in Eden shares his top 10 tackle treasures. There have been some great fishing innovations in my lifetime. Braided line, soft plastics, graphite rods and silicon carbide guides have all made their mark. There have...
by The Captain | Jun 2, 2020 | Articles, Captain's ships
Shane Darlington knows that while a lot of fishos don’t give a rat’s arse what they’re driving as long as nature’s bounty is sliding over the gunwales, just as many want to be at the helm of a boat that’s looking sharp and styled to perfection. Welcome aboard the Moda...
by The Captain | May 26, 2020 | Articles, Captain's ships
Inboard power advancements have come a long way this century. To see how far, The Captain’s crew climbed aboard an Aussie icon — a 20-year-old Caribbean 26 sedan — recently repowered with twin 240HP Volvo Penta Aquamatics (petrol variants). The outboard...
by The Captain | May 26, 2020 | Articles, Captain's ships
The Captain is cruising the Australian coast, bludging free rides on the meanest metal rigs out there. We head south to Apollo Bay to check out the most decked-out recreational Stabi to ever hit Australian shores. In the dawn light, Kyle Briggs’...
by The Captain | May 23, 2020 | Articles, How to
Mick from Pickles Fishing & Outdoors in Eden shares the secret of his simple but deadly Slurpee straw stiff-hook rig. Mick is the frugal type. He lives by the old creed — “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Which is kind of ironic considering he’s also proprietor...
by The Captain | May 20, 2020 | Articles, Captain's ships
Paul Flynn loves his supersized Sailfish. His new rig is the first of the 3200 Platinum Sports range and features a beefed-up 3m beam and extended waterline length. It’s a dead-calm winter’s morning and The Captain’s crew is rugged up for a Sydney...
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