Spooled Magazine Autumn Issue 2021

Autumn

2021

MAGNIFICENT MALLACOOTA

ELECTRIC

FAT BIKE FISHING

ANGLING

OBSESSION COD BAIT

ENVIRONMENTALIST ANGLER

Contents EDITORIAL

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POWER SURGE

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02 SPOOLED MAGAZINE

Our Cover... Jo Starling releases a fly-caught black bream. (see story page 8)

8 THE ENVIRONMENTALIST ANGLER

48 MAGNIFICENT MALLACOOTA BOAT PROJECT FUGLY GETS SEAWORTHY

60

ELECTRIC FAT BIKE FISHING

72 ANGLING OBSESSIONS

84

THE PROFICIENCY OF DROWNING BAIT

96 HOW IT BEGAN - ALVEY ANGLER PROFILE STEVE STARLING PART II

WHAT’S NEW

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COMPETITION PAGE www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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From the Editor

From The Editor

SHANE MENSFORTH

WE CAN ONLY LOOK FORWARD! Most would agree that 2020 has been a year to remember…… generally for all the wrong reasons. My beloved Adelaide Crows finished the season on the bottom of the AFL ladder, Eddie Van Halen died and then, of course, there was this thing called COVD-19 that essentially turned our lives upside down. 2021 couldn’t come quickly enough for most of us, but exactly how much better things will be in the new year is very much open to conjecture.

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I realise that, in the overall scheme of things at least, COVID’s effect on recreational fishing was of negligible significance. With millions dying around the world and the global economy brought 04 to its knees, I guess the disruption to a simple pastime hardly rates a mention. That is, of course, unless your livelihood depends on it – and there have been thousands around the country whose businesses have been wiped out totally by the pandemic or continue to hang on by a thread.

Those most obviously affected by ‘no fishing’ regulations imposed in some states (and particularly Victoria) were tackle stores and marine dealers. If not for the Federal Government’s Job Keeper subsidy package, many more would have gone under, and only now are they beginning to show signs of recovery. However, there were many more angling-associated businesses whose suffering was less obvious, but just as severe.

My good mate, Garry Barmby, who owns and operates Angling Adventures, the country’s longest established fishing travel company, has really felt the wrath of COVID-19. Garry has been sending Aussie fisho’s to exotic destinations around the world for close to 30 years, and is generally regarded as the best in the land at what he does. As soon as the COVID panic set in back in March of 2020, all of Angling Adventures’ overseas bookings were cancelled indefinitely, forcing Garry to refund hundreds of thousands of dollars that had been paid as deposits. And, with most Aussie states closing their borders at the same time, Garry’s domestic bookings quickly went the same way. Naturally, all general travel agents suffered a similar fate, as did the airlines, whose losses soon spiralled into the billions.

Being a South Aussie, I was lucky to keep fishing throughout the entire debacle. There were some loose restrictions here, but none that absolutely prohibited wetting a line somewhere.

Adelaide tackle stores took a bit of an early hit, but as soon as Job Keeper kicked in and people regained enough confidence to get back onto the water, a normality of sorts was restored. Over the border in Victoria, however, things were far less rosy. I have a couple of mates who own tackle stores in Melbourne and Victorian regional centres, and I could feel their pain and anguish as the State shut down and people lost access to the water.

Considering how severely COVID-19 continues to decimate the US, much of Europe and Asia, we’ve been very fortunate here in Australia. Scott Morrison and his Government have done a marvellous job of containment and, with vaccines now becoming available to (hopefully) stop the disease in its tracks, there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel.

Provided things keep heading in the right direction, we should all be able to resume normal domestic travel and, in the longer term, look forward to heading overseas again to go fishing. I had to cancel a long-awaited salmon fishing trip to Alaska last July, then another to catch sailfish in Malaysia in September. Whether or not I get back to these countries in 2021 is still up in the air, but I’m quietly optimistic – one of the traits with which serious anglers need to have in abundance! www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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Power Surge - Batteries

POWER SURGE

CAMPBELL JAMES

Batteries

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Long known for its comprehensive range of starter batteries and roadside support, Club Assist is extending its Atomic battery range beyond Starter and Dual Purpose to include Deep Cycle storage batteries. It is important to understand the difference 06 between these battery types, as each is optimised for different use cases.

Whereas a starter battery has to deliver hundreds of amperes for a short period of time to turn over a motor, a deep cycle storage battery is designed to deliver more modest currents for much longer, depleting the reserves hundreds of times between charges. For a starter battery the Cold Cranking Amperage or CCA is the primary consideration, whereas for storage battery it is more about how many Ampere-hours or Ah are available for use.

A dual-purpose battery aims to strike a balance between the two, providing sufficient starting performance while providing some storage capability, and is a good choice where starting is needed as well as keeping a few accessories and gadgets powered. These accessories and gadgets may include running lights, radios, fish finders, depth sounders, trolling motors, anchor winches and a fridge to keep the fish and beer cool when ice is not enough.

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While deep cycle lead acid batteries are designed for a greater depth of discharge, ideally you should try not to use more than half the capacity, treating the remaining 50 per cent as emergency reserve. In practice though, a greater depth of discharge is incurred as we pursue more time out on the water, and a good deep cycle battery will survive hundreds of such very deep cycles, though each chips away at the capacity of the battery. A 100Ah battery notionally would be able to deliver 5A for about 20 hours, but at higher rates of discharge, and as the battery ages, the math starts to fall away.

Even on a new battery at 20A you are looking at only four hours or less as it gets older – and that is using 100 per cent of capacity, which is not good practice if you want the ageing process for your shiny new battery to be a little more graceful! It is also important to get them back to full charge and not leave them depleted for too long.

If possible, the deep cycle storage battery should be isolated from the starter battery to ensure you can start the engine when it is time to head back to shore, particularly if out on the water for an extended period.

Where it is not practical or viable to isolate the starter battery, such as on smaller boats where a single dual-purpose battery is being used, it is important to keep an eye on the battery voltage to ensure that the battery used for starting does not get too depleted to start the engine. This can be done with either a marine grade voltmeter or a low voltage disconnect device between the battery and accessories set judiciously high such as no less than 12.2V. Dual purpose batteries are typically AGM, though some are Calcium, such as the 7601 batteries mentioned in the winter article (“Fugly Gets Some Bling”). A good deep cycle battery is usually AGM or Gel, though LiFePO4 (Lithium) batteries are making some inroads, despite their high price due to other advantages – more on these in our next article! www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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The Environmentalist Angler

STEVE ‘STARLO’ STARLING

The

Environmentalist

Angler SPOOLED MAGAZINE

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Fishing Smarter For The Future

STEVE STARLING MAKES A STRONG CASE THAT IT’S TIME WE ALL TURNED A LIT TLE MORE “GREEN” IN OUR APPROACH TO THE SPORT WE LOVE, AND ACCEPTED THAT IT CAN ONLY SURVIVE AND FLOURISH IF WE BECOME TRUE CHAMPIONS AND DEFENDERS OF THE FISH STOCKS AND HABITATS OUR PASSIONATE PURSUIT DEPENDS UPON.

www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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The Environmentalist Angler

Historically, the words “conservationist”, “environmentalist” and “angler” might not have sat together particularly well. I know I’m not the only avid fisherman who has muttered, fumed and cursed about “bloody greenies” over the years.

For the longest time it has seemed that we fishers stood on one side of a very high fence, while the environmentalists and conservationists massed noisily on the other side, waving their placards. It has also seemed that our major form of interaction was to occasionally lob rocks over the top at each other…

But those times are finally changing, and they desperately need to!

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I accept that it’s hard to feel sympathetic or have shared objectives with groups you perceive as being opposed to almost everything you personally care about and hold dear.

In the past that description has applied to the attitudes of both camps: the dedicated conservationists and the passionate anglers. However, when you get right down to it, both groups tend to want exactly the same things — albeit for slightly different reasons.

www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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Jo Starling swims a large female dusky flathead before setting it free close to its point of capture. Huge numbers of grass-roots anglers have willingly embraced the concept of letting go the big breeders — of many species. We all need to keep pumping that message out there. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

The Environmentalist Angler

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I’m not going to tell you for one moment that there aren’t folks out there who call themselves conservationists and who’d also like to see an end to all forms of recreational fishing. They definitely exist. I call them “preservationists”, not conservationists, as most of them seem to want to lock everything up, throw the key away and go live in a damp cave, eating mung beans and crocheting rainbow beanies out of their own body hair. But I suspect that these extreme preservationists are in the minority, just as it’s only a small minority of so-called “anglers” who couldn’t give a damn about the future of our fisheries and are only interested in killing as many fish as they possibly can today. Both of these extreme fringes give their well-meaning brethren a bad name, and it’s high time we called that fact out, while also proudly claiming the “middle ground”, 12 where folks with shared objectives can actually work together towards shared goals.

Jo returns a fly-caught black bream to its home. There’s nothing wrong with keeping a feed of fish, but it also feels great to let a few go. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

//THE CONSERVATIONIST HUNTER The concept of anglers or hunters working together for the conservation of fish and wildlife and the protection or restoration of the natural habitats that sustain those creatures is certainly nothing new. It dates back to at least the time of America’s 26th president, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, at the end of the 19th century.

Later, in 1937, another small group of American sportsmen (yes, they were almost exclusively males in those days) formed an organisation known as Ducks Unlimited. Its prime motivation was the conservation of the habitats and migration routes that supported wildfowl — including the ducks and geese these hunters loved to shoot each open season. Ducks Unlimited provided a model which was taken up in 1959 by Trout Unlimited, and these two bodies have gone on to provide role models for similar organisations around the globe, including our very own OzFish Unlimited here in Australia in much more recent times.

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Roosevelt was a keen sportsman and an early conservationist. He famously said: “The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased… not impaired in value”. He also believed that: “Wild beasts and birds are by right not the property merely of the people today, but the property of the unborn generations…” And Teddy didn’t just talk the talk, he also walked the walk, establishing no less than 150 national forests, 51 bird reserves and four game preserves across the United States that together helped protect more than 230 million acres of public land from rampant development and clearing. He was decades ahead of his time… and he also loved to fish and hunt!

The Environmentalist Angler

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This concept of hunters and fishers working to protect wildlife and habitat so that they can utilise it (in a regulated, well-managed way) for sport and food might not sit so well with some of the “preservationist” mob, and it certainly gets right up the noses of the animal liberationist lobby. However, the pragmatic truth of the matter is that no one on the planet has a greater vested interest in saving something 14 than those who actually wish to utilise that resource… No one! It really is as simple as that.

So anglers, by definition, make obvious environmentalists. At one level it’s a nobrainer. Yet, many of us have been deterred from branding ourselves that way because of our often-justified suspicions concerning the motivations of some of those chanting slogans on the other side of that metaphorical fence I mentioned earlier.

www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Another snag is returned to the Murray River system to restore critical habitat lost during extensive de-snagging operations in the 19th and early 20th century. [Pic supplied by OzFish Unlimited.]

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The Environmentalist Angler

//DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS

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It’s easy to become disillusioned and even paranoid about the myriad dark forces that sometimes seem to be lining up against recreational fishers these days. Everywhere we look, one group or another appears to be working to erode either our access to public waterways, or our ability to pursue our chosen sport when we reach those waters. Sometimes it feels like we’re facing death by a thousand cuts for what I like to call our “passionate pastime”, and we’re left wondering if our kids and their kids will ever enjoy the wonderful things we’ve experienced in our lives. But kneejerk reactions to these perceived threats are not always in our best interests.

Let me give you an example: Late in 2020, there was an increasingly heated “discussion” about the possibility of a total or partial fishing ban on Adelaide’s very popular Port River. This drastic measure was being mooted as a result of deaths and injuries apparently inflicted on the waterway’s resident dolphin population by boat strikes and interactions with fishing activities.

Not surprisingly, South Australian anglers — many of them already feeling battered, bloodied and bruised after the state’s recent snapper fishing shut-downs — were totally aghast at the prospect of potentially losing such an important and easily accessible urban fishery.

It’s human nature to lash out at those trying to take away the things we love, and I read some very nasty, vitriolic comments about the “rabid greenies” and “dolphin huggers” from the rec’ fishing community in response to this unfortunate situation in Adelaide.

Personally, however, I don’t see any mileage at all in that sort of reflexive counter punching and name calling. Such behaviour does us absolutely no favours at all in the eyes of the non-fishing community.

Let’s face it — most people love dolphins… I love dolphins! Lining yourself up as someone who hates dolphins, or at least hates those who defend them, is truly a no-win strategy. It simply reinforces the negative attitudes some folks already have towards us and our sport, and it may even hasten its shut-down. It also severely erodes what is trendily known these days as “social licence”: a fancy term for public support and approval. Such a course is frankly suicidal, even if it might make you feel all good inside for five minutes after saying or posting it.

It makes much more sense to demand to be allowed to sit down at the table with all the other stakeholders and interested parties involved, in order to hopefully state your case and be part of a negotiated solution… a solution which may well end up being a compromise that no one is completely happy with, but which is certainly far better than simply being locked out! www.spooledmagazine.com.au

What a load of rubbish! A boat-load of litter pulled from the Macquarie River near Dubbo, NSW, by volunteers from Inland Waterways – OzFish.

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The Environmentalist Angler

//FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS It’s a fine line, of course, and there’s nothing wrong with fighting energetically for your cause. A year or so back, mass opposition and public protest by rec’ fishers successfully overturned the lock-up of significant areas of public water as part of the proposed Hawkesbury Bio-Region Marine Park plan. That proposal covered a vast swathe of the densely-populated eastern seaboard — from Newcastle to Wollongong — and included many incredibly popular and accessible fishing spots. Like a lot of others, I was horrified at this unscientific ambit claim by a preservationist minority who seemingly had the ear of a few people in the state’s government and bureaucracy.

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Anglers fought this plan tooth and nail, and they won, at least for the time being. It was a significant victory, and one which the “Stop The Lockout” movement that formed at the time can be justifiably proud of achieving. Sadly, however, in more recent times that particular movement seems to have been hijacked to a large extent by forces hellbent on opposing every form of control or moderation on the impacts of recreational angling: from bag and size limits to licence fees and the creation of genuinely sciencebased sanctuaries. This is a real shame in my opinion, and I know it has completely alienated a lot of thinking fishers, as well as many in the non-fishing public.

That, of course, brings us back to the critical issue of “social licence” or public approval that I mentioned earlier. We lose that valuable commodity at our peril. It’s something we need to constantly bear in mind. We must not only be conservationists and environmentalists in the true senses of those terms, we must also be seen to be so. One of many ways to do that is to get involved in habitat protection and restoration projects, and also to take part in various “citizen science” initiatives.

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//CITIZEN SCIENCE I was honoured to be invited to act as MC at the 2019 National Recreational Fishing Conference in Hobart, and to also have the chance of presenting a paper of my own at the event which I entitled “Could Citizen Science Save Recreational Fishing?”.

That name might sound a little dramatic at first glance. You may well think rec’ fishing doesn’t actually need “saving” from anything, but I believe we must accept that long-term trends in relation to society’s attitudes towards our passionate pastime are not all positive. As already mentioned, fishing is coming under increasing scrutiny — even attack — from various quarters. In future years we’ll increasingly be called upon to justify our activities.

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In my opinion, one of our best arguments for being allowed to continue to fish is the valuable contribution that we can (and do) make to the science surrounding fish populations and the health of aquatic environments. Our participation in this science can take the form of various monitoring, tagging and sampling programs (see my video clip with this feature on the tagging and tissue sampling I’ve been involved with as part of the Trophy Flathead project in NSW). It can also involve keeping logbooks, responding to creel (catch) surveys, reporting sightings of unusual or invasive species and so on. There are a great many citizen science projects out there if you take the time to look for them.

Interestingly, citizen science may also become our key argument in us being allowed to continue fishing for “sport” by choosing to release at least some of the fish we catch. This is a practice that’s coming under greater scrutiny in certain parts of the world, where it’s increasingly being argued by some that if we must fish, then it should only be to kill and eat what we catch, not for “sport” or “recreation”. Involvement in citizen science and research provides an extremely valid justification for catch-and-release fishing. Don’t forget that!

Replanting river banks to prevent erosion and improve habitat is just one way in which self-help groups (many of them made up primarily of keen fishers) are doing their bit for our aquatic environments. [Pic supplied by Inland Waterways – OzFish.]

www.spooledmagazine.com.au

The Environmentalist Angler

//CATCH AND RELEASE The concept of “catch-and-release” in recreational fishing dates back to at least the 1950s, when it began to be popularised by angling influencers such as American fly fishing author and film maker, Lee Wulff. However, in those days, the idea of voluntarily releasing an edible, legal-sized fish was still a novelty, especially for most weekend hopefuls.

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Over time, this attitude began to shift, partly due to the uptake of catchy slogans such as “let ’em go, let ’em grow”, “limit your kill, don’t kill your limit” 20 and “too good to catch just once”. At the same time, there was a growing emphasis in angling magazines, videos and fishing-related television programs on releasing at least some fish that might have otherwise been legally kept.

The 1970s and ’80s also saw the growth of a worldwide environmental movement and, with it, an increasing awareness of the fragility of our planet, along with an acceptance of the urgent need to modify human behaviour in order to protect that planet: for the benefit of our own and future generations.

Hand-in-hand with this understanding of the finite nature of our natural resources and an accompanying grass-roots attitudinal change amongst anglers has come increasing regulation by state and territory fisheries managers.

www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Bag, size and gear limits have now been introduced for many species across most jurisdictions. These regulations stipulate how many fish of each species can be kept, what size they need to be, and what forms of equipment or fishing methods can be used to catch them. There are also more and more closed seasons and “no-take” periods to protect specific fish populations during their spawning migrations and at other vulnerable times.

Today, many keen Australian anglers voluntarily take things much further than this, choosing to set their own personal limits that are considerably more restrictive than those mandated by law. Some even opt to carefully release every fish they catch, although the vast majority of fishers (myself included) still value the opportunity to harvest an occasional meal of fresh seafood for ourselves and our families or friends.

For us this remains an important aspect of the sport. However, sustainably harvesting selected fish for the table is best viewed by anglers and the broader community as a privilege rather than a right: one that needs to be earnt and defended.

Recreational anglers across Australia increasingly recognise that their social licence or public support to continue practising the pastime they’re so passionate about is very much dependent on their ability to demonstrate responsible stewardship of the fish stocks and aquatic environments our pastime is built upon. Even more importantly, most of us have a deep desire and an obvious vested interest in protecting those environments.

Sustainability is now a key concept in all forms of fisheries management, and a motivating force in the day-to-day activities of thinking fishers everywhere. The emphasis today is on fishing for the future, so that we can all continue to fish… for life. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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Tired, dirty, hungry and thirsty… a crew of willing volunteers assemble for a quick group photo after a successful fish rescue-and-relocation mission in the central west of NSW. [Pic supplied by Inland Waterways – OzFish.]

The Environmentalist Angler

//A LIFE ON OUR PLANET

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I’ve been a big fan of David Attenborough’s amazing wildlife documentaries for most of my life and yes, he’s been making them for at least that long! Now in his 90s, Attenborough remains an energetic and passionate champion of our natural world and its wild inhabitants. His most recent major doco is called “A Life On Our Planet” and he fittingly describes this epic production as his “witness statement”: cataloguing in detail the changes he’s observed across his nine decades on planet earth. It’s a sobering account and, as 22 you can probably imagine, those observed changes are profound.

If you haven’t seen Attenborough’s “A Life On Our Planet”, I strongly urge you to track it down on pay TV or wherever and watch it, ideally with your family. I think the aspect that impressed me most about this benchmark documentary — and made me suggest that everyone should watch it — is the surprisingly positive final messages Attenborough offers. Far from being another doom-and-gloom, “we’ll all be rooned” assessment of the type that’s becoming far too common these days, “A Life On Our Planet” offers some very encouraging and constructive messages. Attenborough clearly believes that it’s not too late for us, or for the planet, and that we can turn things around by modifying our behaviour. Better yet, some of these essential modifications are already well underway. Interestingly, in many cases, these positive changes are being driven from the bottom up — by people like you and me — rather than coming down to us from governments and other agencies.

Anglers may well cringe at Attenborough’s message about the need for a global network of marine reserves potentially encompassing up to a third of our oceans and inland waterways. My hackles certainly went up at that! But you know what? He’s probably right, and he argues his case persuasively. However, we as fishers need to be a significant part of the decision-making process when it comes to the creation and maintenance of those reserves — not the victims of arbitrary decisions imposed upon us by people and agencies who don’t know, understand and love the world beneath the waves the way we do. We need to start being treated as an integral part of the solution, rather than a part of the problem. Sadly, that won’t happen until we wake up to ourselves and begin to behave, speak and act like true conservationists and environmentalists… and time for doing that is running out.

www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Modern anglers understand (or should!) that mangrove forests aren’t just smelly, muddy places full of biting insects… they’re also one of the most complex, productive and important ecosystems on earth.

Healthy mangroves are crucial to vibrant, fish-filled waterways around a huge stretch of our coastline.

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Unsung Heroes Charlie Weir — better known to many as the “Mangrove Man” — is a former commercial fisherman who spent almost 20 years replanting mangroves and casuarinas throughout degraded stretches of the Shoalhaven River estuary in southern NSW, with the help of local Landcare and Riverwatch groups. He finally handed over his vital work to Peter Jirgens in 2015. Largely-unsung heroes like Charlie and Peter are the country’s true environmentalists. As anglers, we owe them a massive debt of gratitude.

www.spooledmagazine.com.au

The Environmentalist Angler

//HABITAT HEROES One way we can all earn our stripes as genuine environmentalists and conservationists is to roll up our sleeves and become directly involved in handson habitat restoration projects. Litter clean-ups, tree-planting, re-snagging, weed removal, fish rescue missions, education programs… there are so many ways in which we can become personally involved at a local level and do our bit.

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Re-snagging and bank rehabilitation work is absolutely vital if we’re ever going to restore healthy numbers of native fish to our inland waterways. This is Tarcutta Creek, near Wagga Wagga. [Pic supplied by OzFish Unlimited.]

Many anglers would be surprised to learn just how many keen, dedicated fishers have already become “habitat heroes” over the past decade or two.

Most of these folks fly under the radar. They’re not in it for fame, praise or public recognition. They simply wish to do their bit to help the habitats that host our pastime and produce the fish we love to chase. We owe them so much.

If you’re interested in finding out how you can also become a habitat hero, a very good starting point is the not-for-profit organization called OzFish Unlimited (www.ozfish.org.au). I’m proud to be an ambassador for this wonderful group, who do extraordinary work right around the country… and if there’s not already a local chapter close to you, they’ll help you form one! www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Dubbo-based Matt Hansen of Inland Waterways – OzFish — seen here relocating a rescued Murray cod during the recent drought — is a genuine “habitat hero”…

One of the many getting stuck in to improve our fishing experience.

The desire to see our environment protected, nurtured and restored spans all generations, as demonstrated during this riverside tree planting day in central western NSW.

//CHANGING ATTITUDES There is no doubt that the face of recreational fishing in Australia has changed dramatically over the past three or four decades. As recently as the 1970s and ’80s, the prowess of Aussie fishers was typically measured in terms of their ability to amass the heaviest bag of dead fish in the shortest possible time.

Fishing competitions of that era reflected this attitude, with club weigh-ins dominated by piles of fish carcasses, some of which were invariably dumped at the local garbage tip or back into the sea after the trophies had been handed out and the victory photos snapped. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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The Environmentalist Angler

There was a widespread belief at the time — one shared by recreational anglers, commercial fishers and the general public — that our seas and rivers represented an almost inexhaustible larder of fresh seafood ready for harvest. However, by the mid-1980s, this misguided philosophy was being increasingly called into question, especially as fish stocks in many waters began to show obvious signs of decline.

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Over the subsequent decades, recreational fishing in Australia has been totally transformed, as it has throughout much of the world. The vast majority of thinking anglers nowadays take pride in being seen as guardians and stewards of both the fish themselves and the aquatic environments that sustain those fish. In short, rec’ fishers 26 have evolved from being a part of the problem into a vital component of the solution.

For me, the bottom line is this: as anglers, we must, first and foremost, be genuine conservationists and wear that badge with pride. Most of us now understand and accept that our actions have consequences, and that we have a vital role to play in the protection, defence and rehabilitation of the habitats and aquatic webs of life that sustain our “passionate pursuit”. Now we need to bring the rest of the fishing fraternity along with us on that same important journey, by gently educating and convincing them.

There really is no other path if we hope to continue to be allowed to fish… for life.

//AN ANGLER’S PLEDGE I believe that by following a simple, five-point pledge, we can all become environmentalist anglers and ensure the future of our passionate pastime. It’s pretty simple (see below). Will you take the pledge?

As a responsible angler I pledge to: 1. Fish sustainably 2. Respect my catch 3. Protect habitat 4. Abide by the rules 5. Educate others

www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Become a member today and join local fishers across Australia restoring the places you love to fish www.ozfish.org.au

Magnificent Mallacoota

JARROD DAY

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JARROD DAY TAKES AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT ONE OF VICTORIA’S MOST BEAUTIFUL AND PRODUCTIVE HOLIDAY FISHING LOCATIONS.

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There is always that one special place you have on your bucket list of locations to visit. Sometimes you make it and sometimes it gets funnelled down the list, knowing that one day you’ll get there.

Mallacoota, in Far East Gippsland, has always had the reputation of being a quaint fishing town that boasts the best estuary and offshore fishing Victoria has to offer.

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In 2019/2020 the bushfires that ravaged NSW and Victoria’s east almost decimated Mallacoota. If it wasn’t for the hard work of the CFA, local residents, those who flew 29 in from the USA and everyone else who did their bit necessary to slow the burn, I’m positive the town wouldn’t be where it is today. More than a year on, and like all Australian bush, natural tree regrowth and vegetation has seen the local wildlife population return, followed by the strong and determined residents beginning to rebuild their lives. After the fires each rain event saw tons of ash, debris and topsoil washing off the surrounding hills into the system, causing despair for the fishery, but now with that all settled, the Mallacoota fishery is once again flourishing.

Today Mallacoota might bear the scars of the burnt trees and shrub stems, but it has certainly come back in a big way, boasting once again some utterly amazing fishing.

The town itself thrives throughout the holiday periods with AIRBNB, caravan parks and campgrounds exploding with holiday makers all enjoying a little slice of heaven that Mallacoota offers.

Always keep your distance from the bank and make long casts so not to spook any fish in the area. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Magnificent Mallacoota

Despite the devastating fires, the Australian bush recovers quickly.

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Magnificent Mallacoota

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Let us be quite honest. Despite being a little fishing town, it would not be complete without a pub, and if you’re looking for some fishing inspiration, just drop into the Mallacoota Bistro Hotel. While they may serve a quality ‘Chicky Parma’ and an icy cold pot, the bream, flathead and marlin displayed above the bar are awe-inspiring.

If seeing them is not a good reason to get out on the water, I just don’t know what is.

There are two main boat launching ramps in town – one located on the foreshore near the campground and the other along Lakeside Drive at Karbethong, some five minutes’ drive from the other.

There is also other ramp at the top of the system at Gipsy Point. This provides anglers with access to the Genoa and Wallagaraugh Rivers. For offshore anglers, the Bastion Point ramp offers access to the ocean, but it’s not a ramp to use if you are the average fisho. Strong tides and ocean swells make launching difficult, and it can be extremely dangerous.

Mallacoota is known for its abalone fishery, and on any given day the local abalone divers launch from Bastion Point, and it is a sight to see them going about their business. Depending on the time of year you’re down there fishing, kingfish, salmon, flathead and gummy sharks make up the bulk of the offshore catch, but if you’re and experienced game fisherman, marlin and tuna can be caught out wide.

Inside Mallacoota is what attracts so many anglers to this area and with fish aplenty, it’s not hard to understand why.

When choosing a lure, match the hatch and use lures that represent the fishes local diet such as prawn imitation lures.

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The launching facilities in town are second to none allowing anglers easy access to the bottom lake.

//FISHING THE SYSTEM The township of Mallacoota resides right on the doorstep to the Wallagaraugh River, which runs down from the hills where it enters the Top and Main Lakes.

The Main Lake is an extraordinary fishery, supporting an abundance of yellowfin bream, black bream, dusky flathead, tailor, salmon, yellowfin whiting, luderick, snapper, estuary perch and the elusive mulloway.

Launching from the foreshore boat ramp instantly provides anglers with access to the Bottom Lake, where the fresh ocean water flushes in and out of the mouth, allowing fish to freely move between the ocean and the estuary.

Beginning around the mouth, there are many species on offer such as bream, whiting, flathead, salmon, tailor and snapper.

Fishing for all these species can be done in numerous ways, and while bait fishing is preferred by many, sportfishing with lures is the growing technique today. No matter the angler’s age, lure fishing has become the “norm” when targeting fish at Mallacoota, followed by catch and release for many anglers.

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Magnificent Mallacoota

With the myriad of shallow sand flats surrounding Goat Island and the channels that meander amongst them, flathead and yellowfin are common catches. These can be caught casting and retrieving soft plastics, as well as small hard body lures. Surface hard body lures are highly effective and can produce some of the most exciting fishing you can experience. Seeing the fish smash your lures off the top is awe-inspiring to any angler.

Large soft plastics are the go to lure for anglers targeting Flathead.

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When fishing Mallacoota it pays to have a wide selection of lures to cover all bases for a wide variety of species.

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In being successful with lures, it is important that your boat have an electric motor so you can work each channel and drop-off with ease. Boats without an electric might find this hard, having to continually move the boat in an out just to work an area. Those fishing from kayaks do have the advantage, as they can also get right in over some extremely shallow water and reach areas that some boats might not be able to.

Further up the lake, to the south-east of the John Bull Light marker, Tea Tree Point to Howe Bight is a very productive sand flat for catching yellowfin whiting on surface lures. Providing you have the wind in your favor, making long casts onto the flats and twitching your lures back will entice them.

In the deeper sections of the bottom lake, tailor of various sizes are prolific at times. Trolling small diving minnows is an effective method. You don’t need to troll at a fast speed, nor would you want to due to the vast sand flats in the area.

The Top Lake is accessible through “The Narrows”, and just on entering this section of the river is Snapper Point to your right. It is always worth pulling up here and casting soft plastics from the point and up along Baker Bight. This area is well known for flathead and often some very big models are caught.

Inside the top and bottom lakes there are a myriad of shallow sand flats and islands. These are ideal location to cast lures at, bringing the lures over the drop offs where bream and flathead will ambush prey. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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Almost in the middle of the lake is Goodwin Sands, a small island/ sand flat with drop-offs into deep water around its circumference.

Flathead sit and wait for prey to swim off the flats and over the drop-offs, making it a popular location for anglers fishing with soft plastics.

Magnificent Mallacoota

Don’t be afraid to use large lures. Flathead will engulf anything that passes by them.

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The Narrows itself does get a lot of fishing pressure, as well as being the main thoroughfare between the top and bottom lakes. The Narrows is a 1.5km channel with snag and rock walls either side. Still, there are two main fishing options here. The first is to cast soft plastic lures along the edges for bream and estuary perch that like to hide hard up in the structure and it can be a challenge to coax them out. The Narrows is also well known for mulloway, and during the right times of the month, mulloway hunt their prey along this stretch and are commonly at night by anglers fishing fresh baits. In saying that, mulloway are also a willing lure taker and can be mistakenly caught using soft plastic lures.

Winter fishing for bream is extremely effect with metal vibes in the deep channels.

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Hints & Tips - Are You Ready for Towing?

We talk a lot about boat safety and maintenance to keep you safe on the water. But one thing that can easily be overlooked is making sure your vehicle is in good towing condition and staying safe on the road, especially for longer drives.

Before we embarked on our trip to Mallacoota, we headed into our local Jax in Moorabin and picked up some new tyres for the trailer. While we were there, they promptly serviced the BT50 in preparation for the 12 hour round trip to Mallacoota and back.

The team at jax have a great offer at the moment, see video for more information.

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Bastion Point is an amazing location where the boat ramp open out into Bass Strait. Always check the weather forecast before launching from here.

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Magnificent Mallacoota

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Snapper Point is a renowned area for big flathead. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

The top lake provides anglers with a myriad of fishing opportunities with the Genoa River flowing into it. Palmer Bank is a popular area for anglers targeting flathead along the edge of the drop-off, as well as bream that can be caught on the vast sand/mud flats.

There are also some arms that run in off the Palmer Bank and while in shallow water, dusky flathead are often caught. It’s a matter of working your way up the arms while flicking soft plastics and hard body lures in various locations. The same can be said on the other side of the Genoa River in McKenzie Bight, where bream and flathead are renowned.

If you make your way up the Genoa River towards Gipsy Point, there is a myriad of locations to catch a variety of fish, but bream and estuary perch fishing is at its best.

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The Genoa Boat ramp is a single concrete ramp that provides anglers with access into the Genoa river and the top end of the system.

Working the edges flicking lures into the snags is where you’ll see the action. Both bream and EP’s can be quite shy fish at times, making them frustrating to catch, but small 50-70mm soft plastics, metal vibes and 40mm crankbait hard body lures usually bring them undone. Hooking them can be exhilarating, but getting them out of the snags can be a different story.

A spit of land known as Cape Horn is another popular location for anglers hunting mulloway, but bream, luderick, estuary perch and flathead are also common. Cape Horn is known for its water depth, which drops away to 12m and is the reason mulloway anglers sit and try their luck.

The Mallacoota system is huge, with a lot of area to cover and to fish it properly, you’ll need to be there for a good amount of time. Providing you’re set up with the right gear and concentrate on the key locations, it doesn’t take long to get connected to a fish of some sort. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Magnificent Mallacoota

//LAND-BASED OPPORTUNITIES Mallacoota is a boating angler’s dream location, but land-based anglers can also have their fair share of the fun too. In some locations access can be limited, but on the town side there are many walkways and sand flats that you can cast a line from.

Wading the flats is a great way to get out into the water, with flathead and bream the main targets. There is no technical approach here, just simply walk out kneedeep and cast your lures while walking about. Fishing land-based does have you in shallow water, so it pays to be using soft plastics or shallow diving hard body lures.

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If bream and flathead are not really your thing, fishing the surf at Betka Beach or from the rocks at Bastion Rocks Point can lead to some very exciting salmon, tailor and trevally fishing.

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While trying your hand at surf or rock fishing, one way to ensure you catch something is by using berley. Without having to spend too much money, breadcrumbs mixed with tuna oil and some mashed up pilchards will attract fish from far and wide.

This can be placed into an onion bag or berley bag and attached to a stake or your rod holder firmly in the sand. The berley bag can be attached to a rope and left to wash around in the surf break. This technique is very effective, and fish will very quickly pick up on the smell and move into the area looking for food.

If you’re keen to get tight to something a little more sizeable, setting up with heavier tackle sees some anglers try their luck at sharks. During the night gummy sharks are the most popular, but in the warmer months school sharks and bronze whaler sharks are highly sought after.

The surf beach at Mallacoota is extensive with gutters aplenty. Salmon, tailor, flathead and gummy sharks are all possible targets.

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A good rig set up for salmon and tailor is a paternoster rig tied from at least 20lb trace with a size #2 or #1 baitholder style hook. Salmon and tailor will take any baits offered, but blue bait and pipi are a good bet. Obviously, you do need to make sure that the fishing conditions are favorable, with a high tide the prime fishing time.

Magnificent Mallacoota

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//OFFSHORE To get out offshore you’ll have to launch at Bastion Point boat ramp. Though it is sheltered from south-westerly winds, it is launching into the ocean with swells that can be challenging at times. Launching here is not for the inexperienced.

Mallacoota is known for its wide variety of pelagic species, which can be caught offshore at certain times of the year including tuna, marlin and kingfish the most highly prized.

When the conditions are favorable offshore, trolling for tuna and marlin is the main method used, while jigging the reefs in the summer months is when you’ll encounter some very sizeable kingfish. Kings can also be caught on the troll, but it is the jigging method that is favored amongst anglers.

Just out to the east is Gabo Island, which is a natural fish attractor.

Just out from Gabo, pelagics are a frequent encounter.

If you are just up for catching a quick feed, drift fishing for flathead and gummy sharks is a popular technique. A simple paternoster rig with squid or tuna for bait gets the job done. The bottom is mostly sand/mud with some smaller reefs, but when it comes to catching flathead and gummy sharks, it’s a matter of just pulling up, dropping a few baits and drifting to cover ground. It usually won’t take that long before you encounter something on the bottom. A good area to begin drifting is just out from Tullaberga Island, in which both flathead and gummy sharks are caught. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

//ESTUARY TACTICS While bait fishing still has its place, the method is quite simple. Use some type of berley cage or bag tied off to the side of the boat containing some old fish offal or chook pellets soaked in tuna oil. Whatever the berley concoction, as long as it smells fishy, it will do. Once the berley has been established, it’s a simple matter of picking your fishing location. Around Goat and Horse Islands I’d be anchoring on the edges of the channels and fishing a paternoster rig or running sinker rig back into the berley trail. Don’t get too extravagant with bait selection either. Local prawns are the best by far and can be picked up from the service station in town.

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Estuary perch can be a challenge to find but if you persist casting to the snags, you’ll coax a few to your lure.

Dead or alive, simply peel the shell, discard the head and thread the hook through the abdomen towards the tail. Regardless of species, prawns are a top bait as they can also be caught in the system throughout the summer months. Just remember, when rigging up, ensure you’re using the right hook for the intended species.

A good recommendation would be flathead – 1/0 long shank, bream – #6 or #4 bait holder, snapper – 2/0 suicide, whiting – #6 longshank, tailor – 2/0 set of gang hooks, salmon – #2 baitholder. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Magnificent Mallacoota

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Bait fishing can be done right around the lake with the same methods as above.

In saying that, drift fishing is also highly effective with bait. Utilising the wind or the tidal influence, you can drift the main channels with baits suspended off the bottom. In doing this you’ll want to be using a single dropper paternoster rig with a size 1 or 2oz sinker. A dead or live prawn can the threaded onto 44 the appropriate hook and left to bounce just off the bottom as the boat is drifting. While this is an effective method used to cover an area, you do need to be wary at all times not to run aground on any of the many sand banks.

Lure fishing, on the other hand, can be a little more complex in its techniques, but is fast becoming the fishing method for many young and old anglers, as it is proven to be more successful than general bait fishing.

When it comes to lure fishing, there is a variety of lures that can be used on all the prized species. These include hard body lures, soft plastics and metal vibe lures, all of which require specific techniques to fool fish into taking them.

Knowing which lure to use can be daunting if you’re new to this style of fishing. Hard bodies come in various options, such as surface lures, shallow and deep diving crankbaits or jerkbaits, which can also come in floating, sinking and suspending models. Then you have metal vibes and various types and styles of soft plastics depending on which species you’re targeting. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Bream are a common catch when using lures on the sand flats or amongst the snag lines banks.

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Magnificent Mallacoota

In an ideal world, and if you’re going to be holidaying here for while, you’d want to have all bases covered to some degree. If you don’t want to go down the path of spending too much money on a variety of lures, just stick with soft plastics, as there really isn’t a fish that won’t eat them.

A typical lure kit for fishing Mallacoota would normally consist of the aforementioned hard body lures, some metal vibes around 40mm in length and a range of 3” and 4” shad or minnow soft plastics, along with some 5070mm wriggler tails, and don’t forget your jig heads. Due to the varying locations and water depths, you’ll want to have a range of hook sizes and weights.

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The variety of fishing that one can undertake at Mallacoota is astounding.

There are just so many options and it really does pay to have a plan.

Gearing up can be expensive, but you should really try to cover your bases and have a secondary plan if the weather isn’t playing its part.

Overall, Mallacoota is a wonderful location to visit, and the fishing really does speak for itself. It is just one of those unique locations you could visit for a weekend and stay for a lifetime.

The Bastion Point boat ramp can be dangerous at times, experienced boaters should only launch from here.

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P OW E RED BY

Electric Fat Bike Fishing

ROB MAYA

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ROB MAYA TAKES US FOR A RIDE ON THE NEW BL ADE KII FOLDING ELECTRIC FAT BIKE.

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Land-based fishing has always been something I have enjoyed, and it’s no surprise that this was where I, and probably a lot of others, first found the love for this sport.

Whether that’s fishing a gutter at a surf beach, hiking inland through off road tracks to a small stream or just having a flick a long a calm secluded beach, land-based fishing isn’t only just enjoyable, it can be very productive.

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Electric Fat Bike Fishing

Just like the property market, it’s all about location, location, location….! Sometimes it can be easy to get to your desired spot, but unfortunately that is rarely the case. Most productive spots are a little more remote or hidden from where the masses often go.

One of my favourite surf beaches has a gutter only a 100m walk straight out from the car park and, needless to say, you will find half a dozen people minimum fishing there on any given day. It’s not where I fish when I’m there, as I will generally grab my gear and walk a couple of kilometres down the beach to where another gutter consistently forms. But it’s a bloody long hike on a sandy beach when you’re carrying a bit of gear! It’s an even harder and longer trek back when you’re carrying a nice haul of fish at the end of the day.

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Hints & Tips - Gripsport Bike Rack A good quality bike rack makes transporting any bike easy and secure. We fitted a quality Aussie-made bike rack from Gripsport. It comes boxed ready to assemble, with detailed instructions for an easy DIY. You can really feel the quality from a local Aussie-made product and it’s great to support our local manufacturing.

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Visit gripsport.com.au to see the full range of racks, trailers and accessories.

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Electric Fat Bike Fishing

To combat this, I started looking at various ways I could get down the beach to this spot and possibly even further down the coastline where there could be bigger and even better gutters to fish. I looked at quad bikes, beach buggies, and basically anything that would make these fishing trips a little easier and that’s when I came across fat bikes.

I started to make some enquiries into the different fat bikes available and soon realised that going to traditional bike shops wasn’t such a great idea.

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Just when I thought I’m on my own here, I came across a bloke named Brian.

Brian owns a company that design and develop Electric Fat Bikes and he was interested in what I wanted to use it for – interested enough to make some suggestions on how I could fit it out. Surprisingly, he already had a similar vision to me in using it for cruising along the sand, looking for the ideal fishing spot.

He explained how his bikes worked, which models were most suitable and even mentioned he was developing some rod holders to fit to his bikes so anglers could do exactly what I was considering. All of a sudden I knew I was at the right place. Not only did we share the same thoughts for usage of the bikes, he was genuinely interested in how I wanted to use it for fishing.

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Electric Fat Bike Fishing

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The bike I ended up settling for was the Blade K11, and for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, it could do everything I wanted it to do on a beach, it had more than enough range for what I wanted, and it’s foldable. So, if I wanted to take the boat and the bike, I could fold it up, put it in the back of the car, hook the boat up and I was good to go.

Now, rather than waiting for old mate Brian to develop, manufacture and have the rod holders ready for sale, I decided to ‘MacGyver’ my own system, which in the end was pretty easy.

By utilising an extra Ram rod holder tube I had laying around from previous kayak fit outs, I found a spot it fitted perfectly so that it was out of the way and didn’t restrict riding the bike at all. Having said that, I’ll definitely be picking up a rod holder or two when Brian has them ready for sale. With the rod holder sorted and combining that with a good tackle backpack, I was pretty much good to go. It’s now just about where to go first and what other remote locations I can venture to, hoping to uncover a new honey hole.

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Electric Fat Bike Fishing

Info - Blade Electric Bikes Blade specialises in 20-inch high performance, long range-electric Fat Bikes in both 3” and 4” rim formats. These come in both folding and fixed frame models.

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These bikes come equipped with a comfortable motorbike or GEL bike seats, a heavy-duty kick stand, removable battery for easy charging, and off-road tyres for super traction. Pedalling is secondary; having fun is primary Designed to ride on the beach Can be converted for cargo use, carrying kids, surfboard, and cargo goods City, farmers, fishing, caravanning, camping & adventurists Perfect for Ebike Rentals Ideal for trips less than 80km & greater 40kmh at top speeds Perfect for any terrain including Snow, Sand, and Gravel & ROAD We stock all the propriety components related to each of our models.

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Electric Fat Bike Fishing

So, whether it’s cruising a vast, sandy surf beach searching for a big gutter, heading down some offroad tracks or cruising from pier to pier without the hassles of finding a car parking spot, I now feel that sense of freedom again, just like I do whenever I take the kayak out.

In coming issues I’ll look at specific types of fishing I do when using the electric fat bike, how to set it up for fishing and how it performs on various terrain.

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Info - Compliance All vehicles sold by Blade are compliant with Australian and State laws and regulations.

Upgrades and refits above 250W are strictly for sale as OFFROAD use only. Any bike above 250W is limited and can be used on private property or on the road if the rider has a Motorbike licence.

All Blade E-bikes are tested and certified by an accredited and globally known third party laboratory.

Certification: EN 15194:2009 +A1:2011 Directive 2006/42/EC Compliance on Battery Device Directive: 2006/66/EC Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2014/30. Maximum continuous rated power can be derestricted for off road or private use. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

CLEAR IEW

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ACCESSORIES

“If you’re not using Clearview Mirrors...

Mate, you’re driving blind” Jase (All 4 Adventure)

W W W . C L E A R V I E W A C C E S S O R I E S . C O M . A U

V I S I O N

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O P T I O N S CLEARVIEW MIRRORS CAN BE FITTED WITH THE OPTIONS BELOW ELECTRIC TOP GLASS INDICATORS HEATED GLASS BSM MEMORY CAMERA PROVISION POWERFOLD

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*SOME OPTIONS MUST BE INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE FOR THE OPTION TO WORK IN THE MIRROR

I N C L U D E

Boat Project - Fugly Gets Seaworthy

BOAT PROJECT

JOHN WILLIS

From Towbar to Prop

FUGLY GETS SEAWORTHY! JOHN WILLIS TAKES US THROUGH THE SEAWORTHY TEST FOR OUR STABICRAF T 490 CUDDY PROJECT.

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As our project Fugly draws to a construction completion and we finally get to go fishing, we thought it would be worth having our work checked by the experts from Seaworthy Inspections. No matter how experienced you are, it’s always nice to have third party advice and opinion by a qualified and fully independent professional who can look over the package with a fresh pair of eyes.

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Boat Project - Fugly Gets Seaworthy

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Seaworthy Inspections has a team of highly trained, qualified and experienced Marine Inspectors. They provide pre-purchase, insurance-condition or preseason inspections on all facets of the boat and for up to 33 feet sized craft.

If you are purchasing a preloved boat, Seaworthy Inspections will thoroughly inspect the package on site and provide a comprehensive report on the functionality and condition of the entire rig, including the hull, motor, trailer and accessories to ensure you are fully informed prior to making your purchase.

They currently have fully equipped mobile service vans in Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast/South Brisbane and soon will be in all key metro boating cities.

At the conclusion of an inspection the customer is issued with a detailed report to provide a clear understanding of the intended purchase.

Our local Marine Inspector was most amicable and very professional. Whilst Fugly was assembled by experienced operators, we had never checked the real condition of the used equipment installed, such as the 60hp Yamaha four stroke outboard motor, hull age/identity nor the trailer condition. We found it pleasing that all systems, fittings and equipment were assessed following a very comprehensive checklist that covers items right down to all safety equipment. This includes the condition of flares, life jackets, trimming and covers, bilge pumps, corrosion and even the condition of canvas and trailer such as tyres, brakes, bearings and chassis. All electrical components were tested, including batteries using state of the art digital test equipment to determine the battery capacity and remaining expected battery life. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Safety equipment is a major priority including properly serviced life jackets. First aid kits are a highly recommended option and they too need to be kept updated.

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Boat Project - Fugly Gets Seaworthy

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Batteries must be kept clean, dry and very well secured without any possibility of obstructions shorting out the terminals.

The Marine Inspector closely checked the engine compressions, giving best indications of the engine condition without disassembly and then moved to the gearbox – two of the most vital considerations for a second hand engine. Any engine with uneven compressions or pressures much lower than manufacturer’s specifications is most likely to have internal problems such as scored bores, broken and worn rings or valves. This is the closest thing you can get to an X-ray of the most important factor of the package, the engine.

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The gearbox is a critical component in the drive line, with inspections in this area considerably comprehensive. The gearbox oil seals are another important component and the condition of the oil they retain can also be a good indicator of the service history. The seals are just behind the propeller on the shaft and

It may be used but our Seaworthy Report found our little 60HP Yammie in good condition www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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Boat Project - Fugly Gets Seaworthy

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are often destroyed by stray fishing line. There’s a magnetised sump plug at the bottom of the gear case that will attract any metal debris from worn gear parts.

The gear oil should be relatively thick and translucent or slightly blackened. If it’s been there a good while, it will smell like natural gas. Sometimes the oil will be water contaminated, potentially causing premature failure of the gearbox, which would warrant further investigation for damaged gears and bearing seals.

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The SeaWorthy inspection checklist includes more items like propeller condition, charging system, looms and hand controls, cables, terminals and switches, lighting, starting mechanism, tilt and trim operation, steering condition and fluid level, anode condition, engine mounting bolts, filters, flame arresters and the vital cooling system. See their inclusions page for the full list: https://seaworthyinspections.com.au/seaworthy-inclusions/

Propellers are your drive source for power - it only takes minimal damage to effect performance.

Most prop damage can be easily repaired.

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Boat Project - Fugly Gets Seaworthy

Winch, bow roller, safety chain, Boat Catch, towing coupling and jockey wheel must all be well maintained.

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Trailer lights and rollers require constant vigilance - be sure to check the roller split pins too!

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Your tyres are your key to transporting your boat - make sure they are roadworthy The Marine Inspector carried out detailed inspection of the condition of the alloy hull, in particular the welds, and looked closely for any evidence of corrosion or hidden damage. On a fibreglass boat there is a different set of inspections required, including osmosis, transom and floor moisture content and condition, plus cracking and fade mapping of the hull.

There’s a plethora items to be inspected on every boat often missed by the untrained eye, such as the condition of the hydraulic rams on the tilt, electrical circuitry and contacts, battery condition, trailer wheel bearings, brakes, lights, coupling and safety chain/s, skids and rollers. As you can see, there is a huge list of items to be assessed when buying a boat to help you make the right buying decision. The SeaWorthy Inspection helped us to identify any areas of the boat requiring attention, some of which were of greater concern than others. The fully trained Seaworthy Marine Inspectors are well trained to provide genuine advice. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Boat Project - Fugly Gets Seaworthy

Seaworthy Inspections can assist you in many ways:

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Understand the true condition of the boat you are buying.

Remove the emotion and excitement and deal only with the facts.

Make an informed and intelligent decision.

Avoid breakdowns and embarrassments Give you peace of mind when heading out on the water.

Make a good investment.

Negotiate better and allow for the cost to rectify any defects.

The SeaWorthy report can be used for insurance condition report requirement.

If you are buying from a dealer, it is wise to request an inspection before finalising the deal.

Increased safety and reliability for you, your family and friends.

The ultimate goal is to assist you in buying and selling with confidence and, most importantly, ensuring all aspects of the entire boat package are fully compliant, safe to use and well suited to your proposed boating lifestyle.

Obviously, safety is the number one priority. In our case, Fugly had some minor issues to contend with, but overall she’s now a terrific little seaworthy tub.

For further information see: www.seaworthyinspections.com.au For a free buyers pre-purchase checklist guide download: https://seaworthyinspections.com.au/boat-pre-purchase-guide/

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The Proficiency Of Drowning Bait

ROD MACKENZIE

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Bait

ROD MACKENZIE IS BEST KNOWN A MASTER COD LURE FISHERMAN. HOWEVER, HE HAS NO QUALMS ABOUT SWITCHING TO BAIT WHEN THE LURE SCENE SHUTS DOWN.

As an angler I delight in the fact that there are few natural water conditions that will rob us of the chance to catch big Murray cod.

If lures are off the menu, chances are bait is at the top of the list. Bait fishing comes with its own set of skills, and to be proficient in the art provides angling opportunity lost on the lure elite. In truth, most of us started

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down the angling road using bait. It’s like a natural progression – an apprenticeship if you like – that sets a stable foundation for other techniques to be built upon. There are many lessons to be learnt along the way, and the transgression from bait to artificial presentations is influenced by an understanding of how everything interacts.

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The Proficiency Of Drowning Bait

The great thing about Murray cod and bait fishing is that these fish will, at times, eat almost anything. I kid you not; the list of gastronomic delights regurgitated by big Murray cod, either beside or on the floor of my boat over the years, seemingly has no end.

Birds, reptiles, fish, fresh water muscles and even plastic containers and golf balls find their way onto the Murray cod menu. Of course, knowing this has set angling ingenuity on a connoisseur’s quest to source Murray cod delights straight from the kitchen.

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Any cod fisho worth his or her salt will understand the fetish that Murray cod show towards bardi grubs. The problem with these underground cod lollies is they are often hard to acquire and in many cases, expensive to buy. In recent 74 years, cheese has proven a reliable substitute for bardies and, as bait goes, it catches plenty of fish. Some will have us believe it’s the shrimp that gather on the cheese that the cod are trying to eat. While this theory has merit, it does not account for baits that are snapped up within a few seconds of finding bottom.

It’s all about size as the boys compare their grubs. Big baits/big fish and that goes for catching Murray cod on bait. If you can cast it, they can eat it. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Gareth Lynch with a bait-munching cod that fell for the grub/yabby cocktail.

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Clinton Hann landed a couple of good-sized Murray cod caught on bait. Bait works both during the day and at night.

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The Proficiency Of Drowning Bait

If you have taken the time to drip the juice from a bardi grub onto the water, as most sane people do, you will notice it creates an oil like slick that spreads very quickly. High in protein, it’s the fat content in these grubs that cod home in on.

Cheese is very similar, and if there happens to be several shrimp wiggling about on top of the bait sending out other natural feeding stimulants, that’s just a bonus.

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While cheese works very well as bait, it is often hard to keep on the hook. Stephen Harris from angling solutions put a little thought into this problem a few years back, coming up with a ripper idea aptly named the bardi cheese mould. With a bag of shredded Mozzarella cheese, a microwave and a few other bits and pieces you can 78 make your own cheese bardies at home in the kitchen. If you feel a little adventurous, you could possibly add a few secret ingredients in the mix. That’s entirely up to you. The bardi cheese mould is available at most tackle stores and simple to use. Don’t you just love the innovative mind of the thinking angler? Not only has it supplied a ready-made bait straight from the kitchen, but you can impress the kids with a great impersonation of the bush tucker man as you knock back a few grubs at your next barbecue.

Murray cod love cheese, and when it’s moulded into the shape of a grub, it’s just a bonus. The cheese grub mould is available at some tackle stores.

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Other kitchen baits include chicken fillets. These have proved very effective the past few seasons, with a well-known Mulwala fishing identity landing no less than four 120cm-plus cod on them last season. Salami, processed meat and dim-sims are all on the menu, especially when splashed with a little garlic for taste. While I will at times supplement my cod baits with all of the above alternatives, I still like the process of sourcing out and collecting natural baits. It’s another part of the angling adventure lost to those who dare not venture outside the realm of lures.

Some of my earliest childhood fishing memories revolve around the collection of bait and, in truth, were the corner stones for a lifetime of angling adventures.

An old bush trick, no doubt of indigenous learning, is to flick the edge of the hole with your finger. If there is a grub hidden inside the chamber, it will create a hollow popping sound. Sure enough, the sound rang true and the wire was sent down and the four pinchers locked onto the first grub for the session. There are a couple of different wires on the market for catching grubs.

The first is a corkscrew model and while effective, it damages the grubs. The second, and our preferred tool, has four twisted fingers with line going through a loop on the end of each one. It works like a lasso, pulling the grubs free and undamaged.

Hard to get, the bardi grub is a top notch cod bait. The best wire for collecting these cod lollies is the grabbing style that retrieves them alive. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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Hidden in symmetrical tunnels in the cool depths beneath the parched earth lives possibly the best Murray cod bait there is, the bardi grub. I remember my first session digging a few prior to the cod opening, and nothing has changed – it is still hard work.

Chipping the top soil from the base of a riverside gum, it took a while to uncover the first symmetrical hole. It looked fresh, clearly lined with a dark coloured silk, unlike older holes that often hold spiders, centipedes and other undesirable critters.

The Proficiency Of Drowning Bait

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We use the fine gauge Mustad Circle hooks for all our cod work, as they hook tight in the corner of the mouth almost every time. This makes releasing your catch safe and easy.

Then there are the natural tools, as in a long piece of thin riverside reed. This can be handy if you need to collect a grub or two on location and you are without a store-bought wire. Simply tie a small not on the end of the reed and push it down the hole until it touches the grub. Lightly touch the grub until it grabs a hold of the reed and then, in one smooth, fast movement, yank the grub free of its hole. It takes a little getting used to, but it’s a great skill to have should you run short of bait. Bardie grubs are the larval stage of what will eventually turn into large ghost moths that hatch around the autumn break.

Once caught, grubs can be kept alive and fresh by storing them in symmetrical tubes of newspaper stapled at either end and placed in the fridge. Other anglers prefer to blanch them in milk and store them in the freezer. Either way, as Murray cod baits go, there are few better than the riverside bardie grub. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

The Proficiency Of Drowning Bait

Other top cod baits include yabbies, which are often a little easier to get than grubs.

Yabbies are a tough bait that bait pickers like small carp or silver perch generally leave alone. Hard baits like yabbies will stay on the hook long enough for a Murray cod to find them if the bite is slow. I had always wondered about yabbies as a good bait for cod, as I mistakenly believed they lacked the scent of softer, more aromatic offerings. Some things take time, and the unmistakable stench of yabbies in a bucket is something my sense of smell has finally locked in on. Several good trips this season have seen cod homing in on these smelly little crustaceans in just a few short minutes. If a bite is not forthcoming inside of 15 minutes or so, it’s time to move on.

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The proficiency of drowning bait for Murray cod is not to be overlooked or shunned. Instead, use it to your advantage and discover a whole other world of cod fishing opportunities so often lost to the lure only purists. It’s my belief that in angling the smarter you work, the more luck you will have, and it’s smart to fish baits when conditions suit.

The best cod bait hooks on the market are the fine gauge circle from Mustad. Bite lights are handy to indicate bites after dark.

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Angling Obsessions

SHANE MENSFORTH

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SHANE MENSFORTH EXPL AINS WHY BECOMING TOTALLY OBSESSED WITH ONE ST YLE OF FISHING OR ANOTHER CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

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It’s easy to become obsessed when you’re a super keen fisherman. I’ve gone through many periods of obsession in my angling life, and I can tell you these periods change the way you see things and, in some cases, the way people see you! As you progress as an angler and your proficiency level rises, so you start to zone in on what you want to catch and how you want to catch it. This is where obsessions begin.

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When I was a teenager with next to no money, no transport, only basic gear and a limited angling knowledge base, all I wanted to do was fish at the end of the local jetty. There were eagle rays, whaler sharks, the occasional big black stingray and plenty of smaller stuff like fiddlers, Port Jackson sharks and shovel nose rays to keep me busy. School work began to suffer noticeably as my jetty fishing obsession consumed me; in fact, I would often stuff hooks, a coil of nyloncoated wire, swivels, pliers and cutters into my high school bag to make jetty fishing traces during ‘private study’ lessons and any other periods when the subject matter was less than interesting.

Angling Obsessions

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I can recall a very boring and frustrated maths teacher calling me out to the front of the class one day to demonstrate how to properly snell a 7/0 Mustad Seamaster hook on 150 pound Seven Strand wire. He’d obviously had a gutful of my blatant inattention and was keen to make an example of me in front of my classmates. To me at least, assembling fishing tackle was infinitely more interesting than learning about Pythagoras Theorem or algebraic equations, and by the time I’d snelled three or four hooks, I reckon most in the class were on my side. Even the teacher, who wouldn’t have known a tackle box from a squid jig, seemed impressed. I failed Year 11 maths a few months later, by the way, but became a highly proficient jetty shark fisherman!

A genuine 20 pound rainbow from Twin Lakes in Tasmania

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Since those early days, and particularly during my 20s and 30s, fishing became an endless series of obsessions. There were the ANSA light tackle days, when only fish mattered that weighed more than the breaking strain of the line on which they were caught. Then there was the snapper-from-the-shore period, when I would get up at 3.30am for days on end, catching giant reds from jetties and rocks until I’d collapse from exhaustion. Then there were the crazy mulloway times when I’d fish all night from bridges, wharves, beaches and boats, landing some impressive fish and catching the occasional moment of sleep during daylight hours.

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Hooked up to a giant kingfish in Coffin Bay, SA

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Angling Obsessions

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I’m now what I like to refer to as a ‘seasoned angler’, but although advancing years have seen me slow down considerably, the obsessions are still there. I can no longer handle all the ridiculously early mornings, the all-nighters and the physically demanding climbs into and out of difficult locations, but the fire within continues to burn strongly. I still put the blinkers on occasionally when it comes to a particular species or specialised technique, and I like to think I’m still good enough to mix it with the best – at least some of the time!

The author’s PB king of 171cm, and an estimated 45kg. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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As is the case with many anglers around the country, bream have consumed a lot of my fishing life. These fabulous fish seem to pop into and out of vogue, depending largely on fluctuating tackle trends and the ever-changing techniques required to keep up with them.

When soft plastics sprung to prominence here, for example, the humble black bream suddenly became the most sought-after fish in the country. Almost overnight the coolest thing any angler could do was hook a decent bream on a softie using expensive finesse tackle and a whole new fishing style. Bream knocked barramundi, snapper, kingies and mulloway off the front covers of fishing mag’s right across the land, and I’ll admit to being as caught up in the frenzy as anyone else.

Angling Obsessions

In my case at least, the bream thing has never really gone away; I guess it has been modified a little, but it hasn’t waned in the slightest. On a kilo for kilo basis, bream are as tough and cunning as just about anything you can catch in a river or estuary system, which is why they will always be close to my heart, and why I’ll never tire of trying to fool them on lures and flies.

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I’ve never caught a genuine 50cm specimen, which is where the obsession modification aspect comes in and where my bream pursuits now lie. I have caught at least half a dozen that were accurately measured at 49, but I’ve never been able to pin a bream that I can say was honestly was past the magic ‘five-zero’. I got 90 one last year that, on first glance at least, looked like I’d finally cracked it. This fish would have given five old fashioned pounds a definite nudge, but measured an agonising 49.5cm and has been doing my head in ever since. You can rest assured that I’ll be

back in the same location at the same time this year to have another shot, and then probably the year after and the year after that again.

Whether I will ever crack the 50cm barrier remains to be seen, but the desire is certainly strong enough to keep me coming back for more.

Fly fishing is another obsession that got its hooks into me later in life, but it’s one I’m sure not everyone can understand. Casting a fly rod isn’t easy – or should I say it has never been easy for me – but it’s something I’ve persisted with and now enjoy more than most other angling pursuits. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Big bream are the thing obsessions are made of

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A lovely flycaught bream from Port Lincoln For those to whom fly fishing is totally foreign, it differs dramatically from traditional angling methods in one major way – it’s the line that propels the lure rather than the lure that propels the line, demanding radically different tackle and techniques.

It’s not just all trout either. I’ve caught literally dozens of different species on fly, both in fresh and salt water, and have enjoyed practically every fish in a heap of situations. Among these a 42 pound chinook salmon in Alaska, a 23 pound brown trout in Tasmania, a 40 pound bluefin tuna and an 18 pound snapper, both caught in SA, are my most memorable captures. All would have been great fish to catch on traditional tackle, but on fly gear they really were something special.

With Angling Adventures boss, Garry Barmby, and a nice Alaskan chinook salmon

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As far as big fish/blue water obsessions are concerned, there is no doubt that yellowtail kingfish are where it’s at for me. Nothing pulls like these guys, and I’m lucky enough as a South Aussie to be sitting on one of the healthiest populations of truly big kingfish in the world. I’ve devoted a lot of time, effort and money in their pursuit, and have been fortunate enough to catch my share over the years.

I reckon I achieved the magic 100 pound mark back in 2010 with a fish I boated in Coffin Bay. This king was 171cm long and built like a beer keg, keeping me pinned to the gunwale for close to an hour before son Brett and I eventually managed to boat and tag it. Early the following year I got another one at 165cm out at Greenly Island that would have given 40kg a nudge, so the kingfish obsession was, and still is, alive and well.

These days, of course, the approach is considerably different, with ultra-light braid, fluorocarbon trace material, super smooth threadline reels and graphite sticks replacing the old 15 pound nylon, Steelite centrepins and sloppy ‘glass rods. I now own half a dozen target-specific yellowfin outfits, some of which are set up to fish with bait and the remainder rigged for lure casting.

In season I find myself wading the shallows in search of yellowfin whiting more than just about any other fish variety. In fact, chasing these fabulous fish has become one of the greatest obsessions in my fishing life. There have been many days in the last few years when conditions were ideal to be out in the boat chasing tuna or snapper, but instead I opted to remain onshore, stalking the flats with a super-light spin rod and a box of lures or bucket of live bait. These fish have been under my skin for ages, but just recently the obsession has escalated to the point where my usually patient wife is starting to take notice and make snide comments – something she hasn’t done for many years.

Son Brett shares this passion for yellowfin whiting, so we quite often fish together, which is great. I’m not sure exactly why it is, but he nearly always kicks my butt when we’re lure fishing, and generally matches me fish for fish on bait. Brett has just about reached the stage now where it’s lures or nothing, however, which suits me fine, as this allows me to keep up with him using fresh seaweed worms or nippers. He certainly knows how to work a surface popper or stickbait, and I quite often kick back and admire his work when the surface bite is on. There’s something about his rod tip action that gets the best out of most surface lures, and it’s a knack I simply can’t emulate. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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My current obsession – and one that has been kicking around for many years at varying levels – concerns yellowfin whiting. These were always handy targets when I was young and metropolitan populations were incredibly healthy. There are still plenty of metro’ yellowfin available today, of course, but back in the ‘70s and ‘80s the fish were bigger, less fussy about baits and tackle, and generally easier to catch. As a break from sharks and rays at the end of the local jetty, I would often sneak down into the shallows on the incoming tide and pull a dozen thumping yellowfin on strips of softened squid. You didn’t need live worms or nippers in those days, just a handful of calamari tentacles tenderised by the butt of a wooden-handled knife. If my memory serves me correctly, most of the jetty whiting were 35cm or better, and they were always welcome at home.

Angling Obsessions

Yellowfin whiting on surface lures can be obsessive!

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We had an extremely frustrating session just recently on my home water on eastern Yorke Peninsula when the yellowfin were big, feisty and about as temperamental as we’ve ever seen them. Casting small Bassday Sugapen stickbaits on superlight outfits, Brett and I must have hooked 20 mega-whiting between us to land just five. Most of these were in the 35-40cm bracket, and in a totally crazy frame of mind. On several occasions the fish actually hit the stickbaits so hard, they threw them well clear of the surface – without hooking up. They appeared really aggressive, but for some reason we simply couldn’t get the hooks to stick.

Our lures had been retro-fitted with ‘hangers’ on the belly and chemically sharpened, fine wire trebles on the back. For those unfamiliar with the term ‘hangers’, they are two small assist hooks on a short dacron lanyard with a few strips of rubber to keep them separated and add attraction to the lure. We’ve tried them on both the belly and the tail of the lure, discovering that they tend to tangle too much on the belly and now confine them to the tail only. In theory at least, this should result in more hook-ups and a better fish retention rate, but on this particular afternoon it seemed as though we were fishing with no hooks at all!

My last yellowfin for the session hit the lure first about 30m from the rod tip, then clobbered it three times more on the way in. The fourth and final strike on the same retrieve saw the stickbait thrown completely clear of the water, landing at least a metre up on the sand and causing me to utter several unprintable expletives. I’m almost certain I saw that whiting ‘flip the bird’ at me as it turned to head back out to sea! Yep, yellowfin whiting are that sort of fish, particularly when you leave the bait at home and cast lures at them exclusively.

There’s no doubt this obsession, and probably the bream and kingfish ones, will stay with me now until I’m too old to hold a rod. Being obsessed about anything can and will change your life – particularly so if you’re an angling tragic like I am! www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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Angler Profile - Steve Starling Part II

ANGLER PROFILE

MATTHEW TAYLOR

STEVE STARLING

MATTHEW TAYLOR CONTINUES HIS IN-DEPTH LOOK INTO THE WORLD OF STEVE STARLING.

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In the previous instalment of this two-part article, I discussed Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling’s humble beginnings. I went back to where it all began, sharing previously untold stories of Steve’s childhood, his introduction to fishing and foundations as an outdoors communicator. If you missed the previous issue, you can access ‘Part 1’ of this Angler Profile by clicking here.

Starlo is fascinated by the fickle art of fly fishing. He caught this world record queenfish on fly in Darwin Harbour back in 2012, one of three world records to his name. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Part II

In this piece I delve even deeper into Steve’s life. I uncover how he ultimately became Australia’s most well-known fishing personality, along with the highlights and challenges he has encountered since becoming a full-time freelance journalist.

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Angler Profile - Steve Starling Part II

//A TESTING TIME

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If you remember where I finished off last time, Steve had left his role as Chief Editor of Fishing World magazine in late 1984 – a decision driven by the job’s low pay and high workload. He was spending little time with his wife and young children and even less time on the water. At a crossroads in his life, Steve needed to find a balance 98 between work, family and fishing.

Many new challenges arose for Steve after making the impulsive decision to become a freelance journalist. The Starling family was soon forced to move to Bowral – one of the few places they could ‘afford’ to rent, although they often didn’t know where the next week’s rent money would come from.

While Steve struggled financially working as an editor, unfortunately, the grass was no greener on the other side. Starlo wrote and sold as many articles as possible, but this was still too little to pay the numerous expenses of everyday life. To make ends meet, Steve seized every job opportunity to help pay the bills. He even did a stint working as a sub-editor for TV Soap magazine! Steve commuted to Sydney from Bowral three days a week to reproduce American celebrity gossip stories for an Australian audience. Starlo enjoyed the creative nature of this role, not to mention the wonderful people he worked alongside.

In early 1986 Starlo published his first hard-cover book – ‘The Australian Fishing Book’. This achievement escalated Steve to new heights as a fishing journalist, a feat requiring immense blood, sweat and tears.

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Steve travelled the world while filming for the Rex Hunt Fishing Adventures show during the 1990s. Here Starlo shows off a couple of Atlantic cod caught in the English Channel on a good old Aussie Raider lure.

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Angler Profile - Steve Starling Part II

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Starlo was lucky enough to fish for wild Atlantic salmon in the Ponoi River of Arctic Russia during the mid-1990s.

Starlo wrote the ‘The Australian Fishing Book’ during the most extreme period of financial hardship he has ever endured. When he was finally paid, it took a huge weight off his shoulders, allowing him to purchase his first car – a beat-up old Falcon station wagon – and move to Gerringong. His quality of life, along with that of his family, was slowly on the up, although Steve recalls they “ate a lot of fish!”

//ONWARDS AND UPWARDS Starlo has an unwavering passion for teaching others about fishing – a trait shown time and time again through his many roles as a fishing journalist and advocate. In Steve’s words, it is “immensely satisfying and rewarding” to offer “the tools, resources and mindset that can help anglers join the dots for themselves and slot a few more pieces into the puzzle” – a quote representative of Steve’s outgoing and helpful nature.

On one level or another, journalism has never been too far away in Steve’s life. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

In 1987 Steve took on the role as chief editor of ‘The Fishing Encyclopedia’ for Bay Books – a weekly part-work publication. He also became a senior script writer for the ABC’s ‘Go Fish Australia’ television series hosted by the late John Meillon (best known for his role as Walter Reilly in the Crocodile Dundee films). After leaving both roles at the end of 1988, Steve – along with his family – packed their bags and flew to Canada.

The Starling family moved to Grimsby, Ontario, a small town situated only half an hour’s drive from Niagara Falls, with Steve working in the nearby city of Hamilton.

During his time in Canada, Starlo regularly caught species such as northern pike, walleye, chinook salmon, largemouth and – Steve’s all-time favourite North American freshwater fish – smallmouth bass. One of his fondest memories transpired in the ‘high summer’ of 1989 while fishing in the country’s Northern Quebec region. Steve was there targeting pike and walleye, but like any true angler, he couldn’t help but admire the countless photos of big lake trout covering the walls of the lodge where he was staying. At the time it was widely accepted that lake trout were all but ‘impossible’ to catch over the summer months. Steve took this as a challenge, soon borrowing one of the lodge boats and heading out by himself toward the middle of the lake.

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If you recall ‘Part 1’ of this Angler Profile, in 1981 and 1984 Steve travelled to Canada to compete in tournaments involving renowned fishing editors, journalists and anglers from all over the world. Two of the best-known competitors were Henry Wasczuk and Italo Labignan. Henry and Italo, in Steve’s opinion, were “the Rex Hunts of Canadian fishing”. Wasczuk was a former all-star offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League, while Labignan rose to fame through tournament angling and fishing journalism. In 1988 they established the Canadian Sportfishing magazine and invited Starlo to become the founding editor – an opportunity too good to refuse.

Angler Profile - Steve Starling Part II

SPOOLED MAGAZINE

Starlo was told lake trout prefer extremely deep water during the warmest periods of the year. The trouble was none of the lodge boats had sounders. Remember it was the ‘80s and sounders were far more of a rarity than they are today. With true Aussie ingenuity, Steve measured how much line his baitcaster retrieved per handle turn, tied on a heavy spoon and got to work with his rudimentary ‘analogue sounder’. He spooled the lure to the bottom then counted the handle turns as he retrieved it. “I found plenty of 60 to 80-foot depths, but figured I needed more. Finally, after a couple of moves, I found 115 feet”, Steve recalled. He only jigged his spoon a handful of times before a whopping 20-pound lake trout annihilated the lure. Astounded with his ‘prize’, he stored it safely onboard and made haste returning to the lodge to display the capture.

102 Steve left a lasting impression on his fellow anglers at the lodge and, in the process, he undoubtedly shaped the way local anglers targeted lake trout for years to come.

It’s a little-known fact that Steve established the Windamere Classic competition more than 25 years ago. Today it’s recognised as one of Australia’s most popular yellowbelly tournaments. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Starlo rates Kaj Busch as the finest angler he has ever met. Here he is pictured with a European sea bass caught during the 90s.

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After a little over a year living in Canada, Steve made the difficult decision to return to Australia. He had originally planned to stay for two to five years but the low income (not to mention the painfully long five-month Canadian winter) influenced Steve’s decision to return to Gerringong in New South Wales. Through his roles with Canadian Sportfishing, Starlo had a profound impact on the Canadian recreational fishing sector. In his words, “It was a fantastic experience and I fished as much as I could, learning heaps in the process, but in the end, homesickness won out!”

Arguably, the years following Steve’s return to Australia are his most renowned. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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Steve and Jo married on the Cook Islands in 2011. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

//THROUGH THICK AND THIN Throughout the 1990s, Steve continued to work as a freelance journalist and field editor for many of Australia’s most prestigious fishing magazines, though it was his role as co-presenter of the Rex Hunt Fishing Adventures television show that saw him quickly become a household name within the Australian fishing community. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that allowed Steve to fish in all corners of the globe while meeting many incredible anglers along the way. Starlo travelled to the most breathtaking angling destinations the world has to offer, including Russia, Papua New Guinea and England.

Starlo is incredibly open and upfront about the devastating personal impacts of spending so much time away from family during the 1990s which, ultimately, led to the breakdown of his first marriage. After a diagnosis of clinical depression, Steve embarked on a long journey to recovery through therapy and medication. Today, Steve’s mental health is in a far better place. He credits this to meeting the love of his life – Jo – back in 2009. The pair eventually married in 2011, but more on that later. These days, Starlo is open about his mental health battles and advocates for the importance of mental health discussion in our society. Steve is a voice for those suffering from any form of mental disorder and is proof there is light at the end of what can be a long and lonely tunnel.

One of many fish caught during Starlo and Jo’s honeymoon on Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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Sadly, television presenting isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In Steve’s words, “Working on TV is nowhere near as glamourous (nor financially rewarding!) as many people believe it to be. It’s bloody hard work. The downside was the amount of time spent away from home and family — up to 150 days a year and more on the road.”

Angler Profile - Steve Starling Part II

//STARLO AND BUSHY Starlo was first introduced to Kaj ‘Bushy’ Busch through their mutual involvement with the Rex Hunt Fishing Adventures show. The pair quickly forged a close friendship and, in the years following, they had a profound impact on the art of lure fishing in Australia.

Starlo and Bushy’s story is noteworthy and frankly too scarcely known to leave absent from this article. Let me first provide a bit of back-story.

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By the late ‘90s Steve had become obsessed with the concept of ‘finesse’ luring. Over many years Starlo had experienced and witnessed glimpses of the potential rewards offered by a finesse approach.

As a highly logical thinker, it’s no surprise Steve put two and two together and began experimenting with highly subtle techniques for a range of target species.

Steve quickly discovered the many benefits of a more refined approach, in particular the ability to fool overly cautious and ‘educated’ fish – typically the result of previous encounters with catch and release. It’s worth Starlo and Bushy with a big samson fish caught while noting ‘finesse fishing’ filming the Hooked On Adventure television series. involves many situationbased tactics, though most skilled anglers recognise the three key elements of a finesse approach as finer lines, slower retrieve speeds and downsized lures. Over the years, each of these concepts have been covered in immense detail in Starlo’s writings. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

He even published a book called ‘Finesse Lure Fishing’ back in 2015. It’s no surprise the term ‘finesse fishing’ has become Starlo’s personal mantra!

Using a ‘finesse’ approach, Steve gained results unlike anything he’d experienced before across a broad array of species, none more so than bream. There are no two ways about it – bream cop a lot of bad press within our sport. This is quite possibly due to their often-finicky nature and the difficulties that poses for anglers. Bream typically live in gin-clear water and are incredibly attuned to any irregularities in their natural habitat (arguably more than many other fish species). Little wonder a nuanced approach became so successful for Steve. Lighter tackle meant Starlo could more effectively fool the seemingly ‘unfoolable’ fish bream were renowned to be. Alongside Bushy, Steve became hooked on this new and technical approach to bream fishing, thus driving their decision to compete on the very first season of the ABT Bream Series in 2001.

Until John Dunphy’s recent passing, he was arguably one of our sport’s most influential figures. He founded Dunphy Sports/Fishing Imports back in 1981 and later secured the distribution rights for Shimano in Australia and New Zealand. Steve and Kaj were initially introduced to John via the Rex Hunt Fishing Adventures show, quickly becoming close friends. Aware of their success with soft plastics on the ABT Bream Series, John offered Starlo and Bushy the once in a lifetime opportunity to design, test, endorse and promote a range of soft plastics.

After 18 months of stringent testing, the ‘Squidgy’ range hit the market.

In Steve’s words, “We never ‘owned’ the brand. We were simply engaged as consultants, paid a small royalty on sales. We embarked on a number of nation-wide ‘Squidgy Tours’ to promote them and teach people how to fish with them. It wouldn’t be stretching things to say that this period transformed the face of Australian fishing. It was a wonderful gig!”

Both Starlo and Bushy’s contracts with Shimano ended back in 2016.

While they no longer have any role in the development of Squidgy soft plastics, they remain one of Steve’s ‘go-to’ lures.

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Tournament anglers are an incredibly clever bunch. They’ll go to almost any extreme to gain an edge over their rivals and more importantly, the fish. Some competitive fishos spend phenomenal amounts of time on and off the water researching and practising in an effort to improve their skillset, while others are constantly equipping their arsenal with new lures that will more effectively fool their target. While Starlo and Bushy first experimented with soft plastics socially, they quickly realised their potential as a tournament-winning lure. During the very first year of the ABT Bream circuit, Starlo and Bushy blitzed their rivals. Steve won the prestigious ‘Angler of the Year’ title, while Kaj was runner-up. Much of their success came from using soft plastics, though they still struggled to find – in Steve’s words – “the ‘right’ plastics.” Keep in mind that in the ‘90s, only a very small number of forward-thinking anglers used soft plastics, with nothing on the market specifically designed for catching Australian fish.

Angler Profile - Steve Starling Part II

//THE NEW MILLENNIUM

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Despite its downsides, Starlo was involved in a number of television roles during the early 2000s. Steve remained as a co-presenter of the Rex Hunt Fishing Adventures show until its last episode aired in 2004. His interests quickly turned to co-producing his own show with Bushy – Hooked On Adventure. The show was primarily filmed in the majestic waters of Western Australia for the Seven Network. It was a hit among the Australian fishing community and in 2005, Steve published an accompanying book titled ‘Hooked on Adventure: Australia’s Best Fishing Spots’. It’s no wonder Starlo and Bushy represent one of the most iconic angling duos in the history of our sport – their 108 extensive work together as fishing educators is unparalleled.

After competing on the very first season of the ‘made-forTV’ tournament series, Australian Fishing Championships, Steve returned as the show’s host in 2005. He has presented the show several times in the years since. More recently, Starlo has travelled to some of the best fishing destinations Australia has to offer as presenter of The Offroad Adventure Show’s fishing segments. Reflecting on each of these experiences, Steve reckons “They’ve all been good gigs but, to be honest, I’m getting a bit long in the tooth for all that travel and living out of a suitcase!”

In his role with Squidgy, Starlo toured the length and breadth of Australia educating thousands of anglers about how to successfully use soft plastics – a trend literally sweeping the nation. Passionate anglers would cram local venues to soak up the advice of Starlo and Bushy. During one such event, fate introduced Steve to a lady by the name of Jo Reiter. The pair had an instant connection. It was an encounter that would change both their lives forever.

Jo was a Darwin local and a barra fishing fanatic. At the time, she ran a highly successful advertising agency and was formerly recognised as the Telstra Businesswoman of the Year. It’s no wonder Steve describes Jo as a “smart, media savvy and highly competitive” person! Her sisters-inlaw were regular competitors in Top End barra competitions like the NT Barra Classic and were highly influential in Jo’s introduction to fishing. While Jo’s fishing experiences were mainly limited to trolling in local waterways, that quickly changed in the years after meeting Steve. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

Steve was recognised for Excellence in Fishing Communication back in 2012. A well-deserved achievement, I’d say.

It’s worth noting Starlo and Jo had both been married before. Similarly, they had both declared never to follow that path again - how things change! After Steve and Jo met back in September of 2009, mere months later, Starlo packed his life into his ute and drove to Darwin to live with Jo along with her five-year-old daughter, Charlotte. On the 4th of October 2011, Steve and Jo married in the Cook Islands. It’s fair to say their honeymoon consisted of a fair amount of fishing, the pair entering into their married lives with a rod in hand. These days, Steve, Jo and Charlotte live happily in Tuross Head on the far south coast of New South Wales.

In Australia, it’s no easy feat to achieve a career working as a fishing journalist and outdoors communicator. It is a role characterised by job insecurity, a harsh reality that has been exacerbated throughout the 2000s. Ever-constant media evolutions and the decline of print magazines has sealed the fate of many of Australia’s fishing

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Angler Profile - Steve Starling Part II

journalists. Starlo (largely assisted by Jo’s creative talents in the media sphere) has shown an incredible ability to move with the times, continuously overcoming obstacles in his path. To this day, Steve continues to share his valuable knowledge and angling experiences with the fishing community, albeit through more modern forms of media.

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Since its launch in 2018, Steve and Jo have dedicated their heart and soul to ‘Fishotopia’. Starlo is incredibly passionate about sharing tips and tricks with fellow anglers that can be used to improve their angling success. Today, Steve achieves that passion through Fishotopia’s subscriber-only feature, dubbed the ‘Inner Circle’, which is a private space to read, watch and discuss all things fishing. In Steve’s 110 words, it is “a wonderful caring, sharing community of like-minded anglers… the sort of ‘fishing club’ most of us have always wanted to belong to!” Best of all, you can become a member of the Inner Circle for only a few gold coins a month.

//THE FINAL WORD Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling’s contribution to the Australian fishing industry is nothing short of extraordinary. Throughout his life, Steve has travelled to the far reaches of the Earth, catching almost every imaginable fish species along the way. He’s generously shared his knowledge and experience, helping countless anglers improve their own abilities. Arguably, Steve is the finest fishing writer our country has produced so it’s only fair I let him sum up his own philosophy and approach to fishing, journalism and life in his own words.

“It’s harder to get into fishing communications today than when I got my start, and far more competitive. But it’s still possible. You need dedication, drive, hard work and above all, that word I keep using: passion. Have a plan and work towards it. Do your homework… And constantly upskill yourself! Behave professionally and you’ll be treated professionally.”

Steve has always followed his own advice. Through life’s ups and downs, Steve has shown what it means to be a true professional. His relentless drive to overcome any challenge distinguishes him as an individual. To put it simply, nobody is more deserving of their place in Australia’s angling and journalism record books than Starlo.

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Fish can’t resist ‘em...

CAN YOU?

Australia’s best Spinnerbait, made by anglers, for anglers!

How It Began - ALVEY

HOW IT

BEGAN

ALVEY

WE GO ONE-ON-ONE WITH CON ATHANS, SALES AND MARKE TING DIRECTOR AT ALVEY REELS, ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S TRULY ICONIC NAMES IN TACKLE MANUFACTURE.

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SHANE MENSFORTH

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Everyone knows the Alvey brand. Many of us grew up fishing with Alvey sidecasts, and were dismayed a couple of years ago to hear the company was close to shutting its doors. Happily, however, Alvey has risen from the ashes, adopting a fresh new approach and refusing to move any way but upward.

In this interesting interview with Con, we take a look at Alvey’s past, present and future – which now appears extremely bright!

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Spooled: First up, tell us a bit about yourself. What’s your background, how long have you been with the company, what’s your role, and how did you become involved?

Con: After starting a Grocery Marketing business in 1987, my partners and I grew it to over $1billion in gross sales with over 350 staff in Australia and New Zealand.

In 2015 we sold down our shareholding to assess the next stage of our lives. After hearing about the Alvey Reels closure, I was introduced to Bruce and Glenn Alvey via a mutual friend, and in 2018 decided that Alvey Reels would be the next stage of our lives. In my role as Sales and Marketing Director, I am pretty much accountable for the sales of Alvey Reels domestically and to grow the export market. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

How It Began - ALVEY

S: Can you please give us a brief timeline on Alvey’s history? Just the most significant steps from 1920 onward will suffice.

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C: In 1920 Charles Alvey started the company, with the first reel – the V20 – being sold in April of that year. His son Ken then joined the company in the 1923.

In 1945 Charles Alvey passed away, and Jack Alvey joined the company in 1946. The 114 business was growing exponentially, and it was identified that they needed to move from the premises at St Lucia, Brisbane.

When Ken Alvey passed away in 1973, Jack asked his son Bruce to join the company, and in 1974 the factory was severely damaged in the Brisbane floods. In 1978 the new factory was built at Carole Park, with a major expansion in 1987. In 1988 Glenn Alvey, Bruce’s brother, joined the business.

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How It Began - ALVEY

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Skip ahead to 2017, and declining sales forced Alvey to announce they were closing the doors. However, with loyal anglers wanting final orders, this provided a chance for me to join the business. In November 2018 Alvey launched Stealth Reel technology, and in 2019 we launched Orbiter threadline reels.

Alvey turned 100 years old this year and we have recently appointed distributors in USA, with first TV ad campaign kicking off in April. In July Alvey launched the new Orbiter Bait Caster.

S: Who from the Alvey family is still involved, and what position(s) do they hold?

C: Bruce Alvey is our Company Director, and Glenn Alvey is Director of Dispatch, Manufacturing and Assembly.

S: What have been Alvey’s best selling items over the journey so far?

C: Alvey’s 6” Direct Drive and Clutch reels have been the core of sales over the 99 years, but I predict the new Alvey Stealth 65 will be the number one selling reel within 12 months. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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S: Do you market your products overseas as well as throughout Australia?

C: As mentioned, we have embarked into marketing in USA, namely Texas and Florida, on television through major sponsorships, and these will be the first two markets focussed upon. Depending on how successful this US project turns out, we’ll be looking immediately at expanding further and probably looking at other countries down the track.

S: There have been some memorable fish caught on Alvey sidecasts over the years. Can you highlight a few of them for us?

C: I’ve seen photos of 4kg tailor, monster mulloway, countless big snapper, metre-plus barramundi, big Spanish mackerel, tuna and kingies, but most impressive in my eyes was a 100kg bull shark brought in on a 65 Series reel in Boca Cica Beach, Texas.

S: How does the sidecast fair in today’s marketplace that’s full of high-tech threadlines?

C: It’s fair to say that 12 months ago I would have said that it would be difficult to compete, but there hasn’t been a lot of innovation in threadlines lately. Discounting and lack of margins has made it difficult for manufacturers to fund the significant development costs. The only way Alvey could compete is to be ‘cool’ again, so we took www.spooledmagazine.com.au

How It Began - ALVEY

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our most traditional 65 Sidecast and redesigned it from the ground up. We used high grade carbon composites and carbon fibre, redesigned and replaced the drag washers, added titanium to the friction tube and ultimately achieved a 380g weigh saving. We also 118 got a 50 per cent increase in drag, doubled the reel’s strength rating and still catered for 600m of line.

The sidecast was cool again, and then we started to work with polymer paint for different effects. I guess you could say the sidecast is making a comeback!

S: We were sad to hear a couple of years back that Alvey was about to shut its doors. What happened there, and how have you managed to keep trading?

C: Retailer discounting in the chain stores forced the independent retailer margins down and, as such, it started to become unprofitable for retailers to sell Alvey. This, together with drastically declining sales, forced Alvey to stop innovation, causing the brand to become stale and leaving every reel looking the same. When you are the only manufacturer www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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How It Began - ALVEY

of fishing reels left in Australia, and when you make the only fishing reel in the world that has a 10-year warranty, lasts 50-plus years, and doesn’t give your loyal supporters a reason to buy a new one because it hasn’t changed, that forces the doors to close.

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In this market there is no chance to cut corners in manufacturing to save money and keep your business afloat. When you have a brand known for the values of trust, enjoyment, reliability, durability and dependability, you can never compromise. We simply had to make Alvey cool again.

Selling sidecast reels only appeals to 15 per cent of the fishing market; it’s like owning a pizza shop and only selling vegetarian pizzas. Expansion and a clever growth strategy were what was going to save Alvey Reels. We knew we’d have to expand into threadlines, a new baitcaster, and the highly anticipated arrival of the new Alvey offshore, while having some special collaborations with other Australian iconic companies like Akubra and Spotters.

S: Tell us about the Orbiter threadlines. How did they come about?

C: About three months after we finished designing the baitcaster, we realised that a lot of the technology we found could be used in a threadline. Some parts we could design and manufacture here, but some of the high-tech alloys needed specialty equipment not available in Australia, and way too expensive to be purchased, given launching an Alvey threadline was a big gamble. I was called everything from a traitor to crossing to the dark side, but filling this section of the category enables us to continue funding the development of better and lighter sidecasts. www.spooledmagazine.com.au

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How It Began - ALVEY

S: Are there any other new Alvey products in the pipeline?

C: We have seven new product launches of reels in the next six months, five of them sidecasts. One reel will pack 40 pounds of drag and has been designed for deep jigging to get to the bottom and be retrieved faster than a threadline. Designated the Stealth 65 Hybrid, it will have nearly a 100cm (1m) retrieve per wind. And we have a special reel we are launching to commemorate Alvey’s 100 years where we will not be forgetting our roots.

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And yes, Alvey will also have new innovation in a range of lures that will be unique in every way.

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S: So, what about the company’s future? What are your predictions?

C: We are very proud of where Alvey has got to in a short time, but there is a lot of work to do yet. A focus on the US will continue, but with the resurgence of interest in Alvey Reels and sales domestically, our mission will be to keep innovating. Needless to say, our legacy will be to write the testimonial for our Bi-Centenary in 2120. We are blessed to be the custodians of a brand like Alvey Reels, with a loyal following of anglers around the world that will not let the brand die. We owe them thanks, and a debt of gratitude we could never repay, but we will attempt to continue to delight them with Alvey innovation.

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w w w. l o n e s t a r m a r i n e. c o m . au www.spooledmagazine.com.au

What’s NEW? SPOOLED LOOKS AT WHAT’S NEW IN THE MARKE T. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF THE PRODUCTS, SIMPLY TAP THE BUT TON SHOWN.

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124 TOADFISH OUTFITTERS – THE ANCHOR

Don’t just anchor your boat… anchor your beverage!

The Anchor™ is a universal non-tipping cup holder designed to secure your favorite cup or drinkware container and anchor it to any smooth surface. This portable cup holder will keep your drink from getting knocked over in almost any situation!

To use simply set the Anchor down and insert your favourite cup. The Smartgrip® suction base keeps your beverage upright while being hit or rocked. To remove simply lift straight up. From a lack of cup holders on a rocking boat to wagging dog tails, this product will keep your drink upright, and accident-free.

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RTBROUGHTON LURES In the mid 90’s Ray Broughton, the original designer and manufacturer of RTB Legend Lures, stopped large scale manufacturing due to the economy at the time. Quite simply, people stopped purchasing high-end lures. Ray, however, continued to make lures for his own fishing activities.

In 2020 Ray rediscovered his passion for designing and making lures. He started crafting timber lures that are attractive to look at, swim perfectly and, most importantly, attract and catch a large variety of fish.

Now as we move well into 2021, RTBroughton Lures are back with a vengence with their range of traditional quality timber lures. All hand painted, there are three styles in the RTBroughton Lures stable, The Shaker, The Mover and The Shimmey, all available in various sizes and colours. So whether it’s salt or fresh water, deep or shallow divers RTBroughton Lures with their tight swimming action have you covered and the fish a little nervous.

Info

Web

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What’s New?

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ZMAN 3.5” PRO CRAWZ Our favourite CrawZ just got bigger!

Overwhelming demand has seen the addition of the ZMan 3.5” Pro CrawZ, equipping anglers with an upsized version of the popular TRD CrawZ. The bulked up ElaZtech claws are super-buoyant to float up at rest, displaying a crayfish’s natural defensive posture. Anatomical realism includes a tucked under tail, bulbous crayfish eyes and natural swimmerets for secondary elements of underwater animation.

A dynamite presentation for yellowbelly, Murray cod, barramundi, mangrove jack, flathead, snapper and loads more. If it’s a medium to large predatory species that eats crustaceans, fish on!

This versatile 10X Tough ElaZtech presentation can be jighead rigged or run as a deadly trailer on a spinnerbait, ChatterBait or skirted jig.

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TT DELUXE ZMAN TACKLE BLOCK The latest release in the Tackle Tactics tackle storage range is the TT Deluxe ZMan Tackle Block – a rugged, structured soft case that is ideal for storing ZMan soft plastics, small tackle trays and fishing accessories like leader, scent and snips.

It holds up to 30 packets of standard size ZMan 10X Tough ElaZtech soft plastic packs, or you can switch up the adjustable internal dividers to hold a mix of larger and smaller pack sizes and small tackle trays.

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Features of this quality bag include a sturdy carry handle, tough and durable water-resistant outer shell with a reinforced base, heavy duty corrosion-resistant SBS brand zips, external rear mesh pocket with SBS zip and internal clear pocket with Velcro closure.

What’s New?

BONE EXPEDITION SERIES The Expedition series is an upgraded range within the Voyage family of rods from Bone Lim. This four-piece range has been designed to give anglers a top-ofthe-line option when they need to travel to exotic destinations and fish hard.

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Using the latest TorayCA blanks, the Expedition series features three rods of different ratings to give anglers the right option when they hit the water. From the relatively light Tight Quarters 604H up to the Big Bait Black Bass brute 684XXXH, this range exudes quality.

Fuji components, including the Sic K-Series guides and the brilliant PTS reel seat, make these rods a dream to use, and each comes with its own neoprene travel bag to keep your precious gear in the best working order.

The 368BEC604H Expedition Tight Quarters Baitcast is rated at 10-25lb. It’s six feet long and will cast lures between 10-40g. The 368BEC664XXH Expedition Black Bass Baitcast is rated at 20-40lb, it’s 6’6” long and will handle lures of between 10-90g. The 368BEC684XXXH Expedition Big Bait Black Bass Baitcast is rated at 30-60lb, it’s 6’8” long and is designed for lures of between 14-140g.

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SHIMANO EXSENCE Taking finesse spinning to the next level is the new Exsence that features Shimano’s best technologies, all in a super lightweight frame.

An upgrade on the previous Exsence model, the new series is more than 20g lighter, features a new Long Stroke Spool design and has been upgraded to the incredibly smooth Micro Module Gear II system. Adding to this is the MGL rotor, which ensures the reel is extremely balanced and light, thanks to the Ci4+ material.

The Exsence is available in a C3000MHG at 6.0:1 and 195g, as well as a 4000MXG at 6.2:1 and 220g, both in shallow spool designs. Finished in sleek black cosmetics, the Exsence reels sit near the top of the Shimano range.

Info

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To stand up to the test of salt water, 11 Shielded A-RB bearings and a one-piece titanium bail are combined with the benefits of the X-Protect system to provide superior on-water performance. A rapid fire drag system allows you to react and adjust the drag instantly with minimal movement when fighting a fish.

What’s New?

ZMAN 3” BABY GOAT From buzzing topwater, to hopping deep structure, the Baby GOAT will get the bites!

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Designed with versatility in mind the 3” Baby GOAT has the power to thump and vibrate at all retrieve speeds, thanks to the twin action tails that feature the 130 same unique curved paddle tail design found on other proven ZMan plastics.

The GOAT’s segmented, slightly flattened torso transitions to dual thin-skinned kicking legs, each finished with a pulsating, deeply cupped paddle. Soft and buoyant, the 10X Tough ElaZtech construction means more fish per lure and a natural ‘claws up’ stance when at rest on the bottom, attracting fish and triggering strikes.

Buzzing the surface, swimming the flats, twitching the drains or hopping deeper structure, the 3” Baby GOAT covers multiple presentations, while also being right at home as a ChatterBait, spinnerbait, buzzbait and skirted jig trailer.

Weedless or standard rigged, fresh or salt, bottom to topwater, the Baby GOAT could well be the most versatile presentation in your kit.

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VICTORINOX SWIBO KNIFE RANGE WITH PROTECTIVE SHEATH Whether you’re a veteran fisherman or just getting started with your rod, having the right tools is essential in mastering your catch of the day. If you’ve passed the first challenge and managed to reel one in, the Victorinox Swibo range is your go-to for deboning, filleting and slicing like a pro.

For many years the Swibo range has been extremely popular amongst the fishing community, with dedicated fisherman calling for a protective sheath to increase the knives’ longevity for quite some time.

The Swibo range is made of stainless steel from Switzerland, using the finest rust resistant materials for premium functionality and uncompromising quality. The Swibo collection is designed to endure the toughest bite, with ergonomic handles made with polyamide for high impact strength and safety. To prove their durability, Victorinox guarantees you won’t be disappointed, offering a lifetime warranty on the entire Swibo range.

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What’s New?

ATC VIRTUOUS CARBON FIBRE THREADLINE The Virtuous CF is the ultimate combination of rigid and light weight spinning reels.

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Featuring a dual drag system that applies pressure from the bottom and the top of the spool to provide a powerful and smooth drag 132 performance, the Virtuous CF is ready to take on record fish.

Constructed with a full carbon fibre body and rotor, these lightweight reels are equipped with an aluminium spool fitted with a tournament-grade carbon washer drag system.

The handle has also been designed to provide great ergonomics while still keeping the weight to a minimum, with a mini EVA handle for ultimate sensitivity.

The 10 + 1 ball bearings add an overall smooth touch to the reel that has to be felt to be believed.

There are three models in the range – the 800, 2000 and 3000, weighing 155g, 175g and 215g respectively. All have a gear ratio of 5.2:1, and are available from stockists of Wilson tackle.

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GAMAKATSU SINGLE LURE HD HOOK This heavy duty single lure hook is a tin coloured, super heavyduty hook for poppers, stick baits and even trolling lures. The hook features a 90-degree eye and an inline hook point.

Built to a 3x strong rating, this is an excellent hook for GTs, coral trout and kingfish. It has the strength to stand up to all fishing situations.

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The Single Lure Hook Heavy Duty is available is four sizes, 3/0, 4/0, 5/0, 6/0 and 7/0 which features forged super sharp conical hook point for fast easy penetration.

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The hook has a large eye to ensure it swings freely on the larger split rings used on casting lures. It also features the Magic Eye feature which makes easier to apply and less likely to damage your split ring as the ring doesn’t have to be opened as far to slide the hook on.

What’s New?

MAJORCRAFT EGI ZO NEW COLOURS The popular range of Egi Zo squid lures have been a hit for anglers chasing squid all over the country. Initially offered in 11 standard colours, Majorcraft have now added another 9 colours including Glow, Blue glow and UV finishes.

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These new colours are impregnated into the clear body of the jig, not the cloth colouring.

The Glow is effective in situations where you are looking for high appeal. Areas such as muddy water and even night, this colour will be the difference. It is considered in Japan by to be an excellent prospecting or searching colour.

Blue Glow is considered an all-rounder, suitable for night and day. They say that blue glow is identified easily by squid and therefore is an excellent colour to draw in hungry squid.

The UV is an exceptional daytime option. The UV absorbs and emits ultra-violet rays and emits that light. It is a proven attractor for squid in high pressure locations.

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NEW ATOMIC HARDZ POP 75 Atomic has released a new model in their popper range. The Atomic Hardz Pop 75 is perfect for larger species such as bream, whiting, flathead, bass, tailor and jacks.

The lure has a slender profile and casts exceptionally well for the size. It is an excellent walker with a swift side to side action. The key to the unique action of the Pop 75 is the slim profile.

You can use it with a traditional retrieve with a small blooping action or try a walk the dog retrieve with pauses for more wary predators.

This can be achieved by moving your rod tip as you wind.

The Pop 75 is available in an amazing array colours with both natural and brightly visible patterns available.

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