by The Captain | Nov 28, 2017 | All Stories, Captain's ships
The Captain and Western Australian salty SEADOG Nick Davys go deep to discover the family history of the Formula 233. Ah, the Formula 233. It’s the undisputed hero hull on Australian seas. It’s the most copied, most admired and most spoken-about hull on Facebook and...
by The Captain | Nov 28, 2017 | Adventures, All Stories
TROPICAL CYCLONE Having conquered the Kimberley by sea and by sky, it’s time to test our mettle like most tourists do in these parts – by 4X4. We have a bit of a problem, though. The Gibb River Road, that iconic stretch of dirt road that runs between Kununurra and...
by The Captain | Nov 28, 2017 | Adventures, All Stories
NICK’S TRICKS Having conquered the Kimberley by sea, it was time to take to the skies again. We head down to Kununurra and meet up with the guys from HeliSpirit. They specialise in scenic flights and heli-fishing, which involves spotting the best fishing grounds,...
by The Captain | Nov 28, 2017 | Adventures, All Stories
The north-western tip of Australia is remote, wild and beautiful. Well, that’s what Malcolm Douglas had me believing after watching his many videos. He traversed the Kimberley with his dog Boondie, a cameraman and his trusty ol’ alloy Trailcraft. The legend of the...
by The Captain | Nov 28, 2017 | All Stories, Captain's ships
Within the next couple of months, The Captain is planning a trip to Seventeen Seventy, a fishing mecca six hours north of Brisbane. He put out the call for a ride and surface slayer Mathew Scholz answered. Armed with a sparkling new Haines Signature 543SF, Matt’s rig...
by The Captain | Nov 2, 2017 | All Stories
This hit list of “bad shit to watch out for on the water and how to deal with it if it happens” (compiled by The Captain’s favourite seagoing sawbones, who has more letters after his name than the alphabet) should keep you safe and sound while you’re on the hunt....
by The Captain | Oct 26, 2017 | All Stories, How to
Boating fails – Nathan Nichols, director of Cruise Craft, on the inconvenient truth of boating regulations. The rumours are true. I took the opportunity to launch into a very passionate discussion at a recent product launch. In my view, The Captain – which...
by The Captain | Oct 26, 2017 | Captain's ships
Surface feeding longtail tuna. A tackle box full of stickbaits. The new Haines Signature 550RF. ‘nuf said. Not long ago The Captain tested the Signature 550F off Queensland’s North Stradbroke Island. We had a crack at a mulloway, but the mysterious beasts...
by The Captain | Jun 20, 2017 | Adventures, All Stories
The Captain tackles northern NSW in one of the first Stabicraft 2750 centrecabs to hit Aussie shores. Stabicraft recently put together a fully decked-out, custom 2750 Centrecab for gun Kiwi fisherman Matt Watson – you know, the crazy bloke that catches marlin...
by The Captain | Jun 20, 2017 | All Stories, Captain's ships
Hold onto your beer: This insane custom console built by Australian Master Marine might change a few perceptions among the glass-lovin’ platey haters. The Captain used to toss and turn all night thinking about the perfect rig to tackle Spaniards, blacks and...
by The Captain | Jun 20, 2017 | All Stories, The craftsman
The Captain goes rock hopping with Adam Cabangh from Morningtide fishing. The Captain: Fellas, we love your rock-hopping form. But seriously, can’t you even afford a little tinnie – or do you all get seasick? Adam Cavanagh: Ha ha, nice one. Well, you could hook us up...
by The Captain | Jun 20, 2017 | All Stories, Tried and tested
You wouldn’t leave them in charge of a barge. Full-steam ahead with eyes closed, what could possibly go wrong? These just might be the world’s worst ever sea captains. Captain William Bligh No contest, top of the list yet such a confusion of a man – so competent in...
by The Captain | Jun 20, 2017 | Adventures, All Stories
There’s nothing quite like fly-fishing in Argentina. The itinerary on this trip would make Ernest Hemingway blush. Picture this: quad bike to a jungle-lined river with parrots and toucans flying above, then cast flies as big as mice to fish as big as dogs! Retire at...
by The Captain | Jun 14, 2017 | All Stories, Captain's ships
Science under the Southern Sea Deakin University marine biologist Associate Prof Daniel Ierodiaconou – aka “the fish hypnotist” – spends a lot of time on, in and under the sea. He and his team of sea scientists have been putting together 3-D maps and video of the...
by The Captain | Jun 13, 2017 | All Stories, Captain's ships
When Adam Krajc pulls the trigger on his Cootacraft Gun Shot he’s pretty confident of hitting the target. Adam Krajc fits the description of most Cootacraft owners. He works hard, plays hard and shoots straight. His day job is building houses around Sydney, but on...
by The Captain | Mar 22, 2017 | Adventures, All Stories
If you were cruising the Pacific, you’d be mad not to pack a few rods, right? Ben Keys jumps aboard a plush yacht and proves you don’t need a game boat to catch marlin. You just need to sail over the top of them. On the day we hooked a 70kg blue marlin, we weren’t...
by The Captain | Mar 21, 2017 | All Stories, The craftsman
They’re old, slow, heavy andrequire constant tinkering to keep them ticking over. No, I’m not talking about the Captain’s Land Rover. These things make the Landy look like a lean-burn four-stroke. I’m talking about putt-putt marine engines. These cast-iron,...
by The Captain | Mar 21, 2017 | All Stories, Captain's ships
Snapper slayer Tony McLeod is contemplating his next 6m rig. A call from the captain to test a Tournament 2000 Bluewater came at just the right time. CREW CALL Mick and I are your typical southern fishermen. We work in semi-important blue-collar jobs, drive Land...
by The Captain | Mar 14, 2017 | All Stories, How to
The Captain’s “Seven Ways to Drop a Plop” guide – for when you’re far, far out at sea. You won’t read about this slippery subject in any coxswain course. Not even Al McGlashan has covered the “brown business” in any of his 736,586 useful fishing and boating articles....
by The Captain | Mar 14, 2017 | All Stories, Project boats
The Captain’s crew takes two steps forward and 445 steps backward on the project boat rebuild. Nathan Laidlaw, master craftsman at Boat Box, seen below chopping like an ’80s rock star, gave The Captain’s crew a crash course in filling and fairing holes...
by The Captain | Mar 14, 2017 | Adventures, All Stories
In the past five to 10 years, Australian saltwater fly fishing has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance. More and more, trout-only fly guys like me, as well as conventional anglers, are exploring the country’s many saltwater options. I was a slow starter in saltwater fly...
by The Captain | Mar 14, 2017 | All Stories, The craftsman
The Seafarer Vagabond 6.2 was launched in 1996 following the success of the twin-rigged Seafarer Victory 5.9 (in production 1992-97). The early 6.2m hulls were initially put out in a centre-console configuration and granted the tough-guy moniker Venom 6.2....
by The Captain | Mar 14, 2017 | All Stories, Captain's ships
Six-metre twin outboard rigs are The Captain’s kryptonite. So when we heard Mark Stav from JV Marine had bought himself a Seafarer Vagabond with twin 140 Suzukis, we almost lost our superpowers. Bluefin tuna fishing was the goal – and The Captain’s crew tried various...
by The Captain | Feb 28, 2017 | Adventures, All Stories, Captain's ships
Why we do it. This is the test the public demanded. More so than the manufacturers, anyway. Which is why we never told them about it. Any of them. To prove our point, when the first Facebook post dropped, The Captain’s mobile lit up with phone calls with a Victorian...
by The Captain | Feb 10, 2017 | All Stories, Captain's ships
Carves her own path on a hunt for monster king george whiting When The Captain’s crew first laid eyes on this neatly decked-out destroyer, we decided a little fishing mission was in order. Instead of following the herds of snapper slayers to the concrete ramps, we...
by The Captain | Jan 4, 2017 | Adventures, All Stories
Andy McKinstray goes for a wild ride in PNG, bagging barra, bass and betel nut Words and images by Andy McKinstray Stepping off the plane at Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea, the first thing that hits you in the face is a wave of humidity followed by...
by The Captain | Dec 8, 2016 | All Stories, Rum and rations
Miguel loves it when The Captain’s crew tour, because he’s normally on the receiving end of a seafood bounty. This time we’d been to a seafood garden off Eden, New South Wales – Erick Hyland’s mussel farm to be precise. He’s not just handy at knocking up fibreglass...
by The Captain | Dec 8, 2016 | All Stories, Captain's ships
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...
by The Captain | Dec 8, 2016 | All Stories, Captain's ships
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...
by The Captain | Nov 28, 2016 | All Stories, Captain's ships
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...
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