NAFA Magazine - Contents
National Australian Fishing Annual #17
| 26 | VARMINT HUNTIN’ | We all want to catch glamour fish every time we cast a line, but more often than not we end up making do with second or even third best… Starlo takes a look at all those critters that don’t quite make the cut and wonders why we don’t rate them more highly. |
| 37 | THE MOD SQUAD | Despite the huge variety of lures available off-the-shelf, many anglers encounter situations where what they’ve got doesn’t quite perform as they’d like. Our resident lure-fishing fanatic Brett Geddes has been tinkering with his tackle for years, and the results are so positive that a few of his fishing mates have followed suit. Here he shares a few useful tips for altering the characteristics of your favourite lures and improving your catch. |
| 40 | CHARTER BOAT CHOICES | Every weekend, in countless ports around Australia, the local charter boat fleet meet up with their clients and head out to catch all sorts of fish. For many anglers, fishing on board a charter is their introduction to angling. This may have inspired some to purchase a boat, while those who already own a boat can sharpen up on fishing techniques. Others are casual anglers who welcome the opportunity to head out with mates and enjoy a relaxing day on the water. According to Jarrod Day, it’s a great way to get into some fish no matter what your level of expertise. Just leave the bananas at home! |
| 44 | BIB BUSINESS | There’s more to lure selection than just picking the prettiest colour, advises our Queensland lure guru Dave Magner — before making a choice, take a close look at the front end. |
| 50 | SIGN, SIGN, EVERYWHERE A SIGN! | …or so goes the lyrics from the 1970s hit song. In the bluewater world it’s no different and if you’re on the hunt for game fish, there are plenty of signs out there. Glen Booth points out a few that will help you get the most out of your game fishing. |
| 56 | I WANNA CATCH A… | Glen Booth provides the low-down on basic approaches to catching 4 top Aussie gamefish. In this edition we’re looking at spearfish, albacore, sailfish and samson fish. |
| 64 | BLUEWATER LURE TROLLING | There’s an awful lot of water out there. Lure trolling is a top technique that improves your chances of finding a fish by allowing you to cover more water. In this informative piece, new NAFA writer and gun game fisho Sam Baillie offers a few tips to make your bluewater lure trolling even more effective. |
| 70 | RIGGING A TROLLING LURE | It doesn’t matter how big your boat or expensive your tackle, it’s no good without quality rigging on the business end. Glen Booth provides easy step-by-step instructions for rigging your skirted trolling lures. |
| 73 | RIGGING A SWIMMING QUEENIE | There are time when you can’t beat bait! That’s when Glen Booth reaches for a bait needle and thread, to rig up a swimming queenie that no marlin can resist. |
| 78 | NEW AGE POT HOLING | Fishing the wave-washed rocks of Australia’s east coast has traditionally been the domain of sidecast reels, heavy mono lines and equally heavy rods. According to keen rockhopper Jamie Robley, it’s time to get up to speed with some new age techniques that deliver more fun and more fish. |
| 82 | KING ME! | Sure you can catch them on lures, but kingfish love live bait more than anything. We got self-confessed kingy fanatic Al McGlashan to fill us in on a few tricks of the trade that will help you hook up to more hoodlums. |
| 86 | FOR THE LOVE OF BASS | Bass Lodge drifted into obscurity with the sad passing of original owner Ron “Bassman” Sattler, but now it’s back. When we asked Dave Rae to check it out, he jumped at the chance. |
| 90 | QUEST FOR A 20 POUND RED | Piscatorial goal setting, whether it be a personal best, a fishing club ‘board’ fish, or just to beat a mate who’s been giving you some lip about his fishing achievements lately, adds a bit of spice to our fishing endeavours. In most cases though, it’s less about the destination and more about the journey. In Glen Booth’s case, it’s been a long journey that is still going, in his quest for a 20lb snapper from his home waters around Coffs. |
| 94 | WHEN THE RIVER RUNS BROWN | The mighty jewfish is one of the most desirable surf and estuary targets along the NSW coast, and each year many anglers dedicate their fishing time to catching a trophy specimen. They can be caught throughout the year using a variety of techniques, but switched-on anglers know that one of the prime times is when it starts to rain and rivers are pumping out chocolate milk. The browner the better according to jewie fan Phil Bennett, who doesn’t need much encouragement to hit his local breakwall with a bag of big lures. |
| 100 | A SOUTHERN JEWEL | Starlo reckons the stretch of picturesque coastline between Moruya and Narooma in far southern NSW is hard to beat when it comes to year-round angling diversity, with everything from bass to billfish on tap at the right time. |
| 106 | POTTING GOLD | All anglers dream of magical fishing spots deep in the wilderness. Even in our most populous states, these areas are not as hard to find as you think. Come on a journey with our resident explorer Iron Dave Rae as he hunts for secret bass and cod country in northern NSW. |
| 111 | LURING THE ATLANTIC WRECKS | Mother and daughter team Lynn and Kim Bain head to Hemingway country, the Florida Keys, in search of the powerful wreck-dwelling amberjack. Their mission – to target the American AJ’s with modern metal deepwater jigging tactics used in Australia and highlight the technique’s effectiveness in yet another country. |
| 116 | THE GOOD OIL ON G.LOOMIS | Whenever sportsfishers gather for whatever reason, sooner or later the conversation will turn to tackle. Pro staffer Ken Stien has been using G.Loomis rods for years, and gives us a run down on how these high-tech fishing weapons are made. |
| 120 | NAFA GOOD GEAR MODEL SHOOT | Join Miss Leisure World and Summernats burnout champ Allina Leal in our stunning pictorial that features the boat ramps of Darwin. |
| 130 | THE HIGHEST COMMON DENOMINATOR | Good anglers are always learning. One of the best ways to improve your own fly fishing is to pay attention to more experienced fishos and how they do it. Peter Morse has fished all around Australia and the world with some of the best in the business, so we asked him to share some tips with NAFA readers. |
| 140 | FEATHERS, WHISKERS AND WONDERFUL WEIPA | The excellent sportfishing to be found around Weipa makes it a popular destination for travelling anglers. When regular visitor Ken Stien first fished the area he was armed with a baitcaster and a box full of lures, but these days it’s the fly fishing that keeps him coming back. |
| 156 | PCB ADDICT | It’s important to be adaptable, according to Dave Magner. When you’re in the tropics and the barra won’t play, there’s heaps of fun to be had chasing a host of other desirable sportfish. Join him onboard MV Boomerang at Princess Charlotte Bay for a crash course in fishing the shallow reefs. |
| 160 | THE NORTHERN BEACH COMBER | Beach fishing is usually associated with the surf-washed coastline of temperate Australia, not the tropics. Yet our northern shores can offer access to an exciting range of species, including the iconic barramundi, in an environment where long rods are unnecessary and casts don’t have to be huge. Arguably the most prolific stretch of tropical coastline extends along the western side of Cape York Peninsula, fronting the eastern Gulf of Carpentaria. Legendary guide Dave Donald has walked the sand here on many occasions and shares his passion for the amazing opportunities waiting to be sampled by wandering fishos. |
| 164 | HITTING THE MARK | Fingermark are a species that are encountered across a range of environments, from tidal estuaries to deep offshore reefs. One of the most entertaining ways to target them on lures is around Queensland’s rocky headlands, as Matt McArthur explains. |
| 144 | WESTERN WARRIORS | In the first part of a 2 part feature, Scott Coghlan and Gary Wotherspoon give us the lowdown on some of the most popular Western Australian species. |
| 149 | KIMBERLEY KAYAKING | Greatest Hits. Broome is a magical spot, where blue water rich in bait meets the long sweeping beaches and rocky outcrops of this unique part of Western Australia. Kim Courtenay has been fishing the area for more than 20 years, and there’s always something new to discover. |
| 168 | LAND OF THE GIANTS | The waters between Karumba and Weipa on the Gulf of Carpentaria have a reputation for producing some of the biggest crocodiles, barra, salmon, and crabs in the world. Dick Eussen travels to the land of the giants to investigate for himself, and finds there’s a fair bit of truth behind the legend. |
| 172 | SECRET SALTY CENTRAL | Central Queensland boasts some incredible barra fishing for big impoundment bruisers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t catch a monster salty if you know where to look. The tight-lipped local anglers that have cracked the code on big wild barra aren’t likely to share their secret hotspots with you without a Guantanamo-style interrogation, so it’s up to you to find your own. Jason Wilhelm shares a few pointers to get you on the right track. |
| 181 | TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER | Leaders Creek is situated near Gunn Point, about an hour by car north-east of Darwin. It is a large system that encompasses many gutters and tributaries and thus is a good place to target large barramundi and black jewfish. Local barra bandit Chris Errity can often be found lurking around the area, so we asked him to give us a few insights into successfully fishing the creek itself. |
| 186 | IDYLLIC ARNHEM LAND | While he originally became a household name through his sublime skills on the rugby field, these days Andrew ‘ET’ Ettingshausen is more likely to be found out on the water making his hit TV series Escape with ET. He’s fished all around Australia and keeps coming back to Arnhem Land — an experience that everyone should have. |
| 192 | 21ST GROOTE EYLANDT BILLFISH TOURNAMENT | The area around Groote Eylandt is well known as a tropical sportsfishing wonderland. Anglers who are fortunate enough to get a chance to fish there can expect to tangle with anything from jewfish and red emperor to tuna and queenies. One aspect of the fishery that is often overlooked is the top notch billfishing available to those who put in the preparation. Chris Errity takes a look back at his first experience of billfishing NT-style, and fills in some more recent developments. |
| 200 | BLACK GOLD | The black jewfish, or Northern mulloway, is one of the hardest-pulling fish found in the Top End. Anglers who have connected to a few of these beasts often compare it to hooking up a freight train, such is their awesome power. Darwin is home to several charter operations that fish the offshore reefs where these big beauties live, and going along on a charter is a great way to enjoy a day out with a good chance of connecting to this prized tropical species. Dave Krantz reports. |
| 204 | KLASH OF THE TITANS | The XXXX Aurora Kakadu Klash is an annual event held on the South Alligator, and is viewed by many as one of the big 3 NT competitions — the Klash, the Nationals and the Classic. Many of the competitors in the Nationals and the Classic warm up for these events with a few days at the Klash, honing their techniques and enjoying the atmosphere at one of the friendliest competitions around. Dave Krantz went along to the 2009 Klash to see what all the fuss is about. |
| 210 | DARWIN’S TOP 6 FOR THE DRY | When you want the best advice, ask a local! Here’s AJ’s list of six of Darwin’s best places to fish over the last six months of the dry season, and the reasons why. |
| 218 | THE BARRA HIGHWAY | Location map – some must-fish spots heading East from Darwin. |
| 230 | GETTING IT OUT | Getting bogged is everyone’s worst nightmare, writes our 4WD Editor, Dick Eussen. This helpful article offers some good advice on what to take along, and how to get out of trouble if it happens to you. |
| 238 | EMPEROR OF THE ROAD | The release of the 200 Series Toyota Landcruiser last year was a keenly-anticipated event for 4WD enthusiasts writes Dick Eussen, who takes a look at the flagship of the fleet: the V8 Twin Turbo Diesel Landcruiser Sahara. |
| 245 | BUDGET BEATER ROUNDUP | Spending as little money as possible on a boat has taken on a whole new perspective in light of our current financial woes. It’s gone past basic commonsense to a place where we think several times about laying out cash we would’ve spent without a second thought only a year ago. Boating Editor Warren Steptoe has made all the mistakes so you don’t have to! Join him for an informative and helpful roundup of how to get the most bang for your buck. |
| 249 | THE LONG TRIP TRAILER | It’d sure be nice if we didn’t have to use trailers to get our boats to the water; they do have a way of being more trouble than they’re worth! Still, people who moor their boat or stash it in a marina will tell you that not having a trailer involves a whole ‘nother set of hassles. Warren Steptoe explains that a bit of preparation goes a long way when it come to hassle-free trailering. |
| 255 | SEA JAY HAVEN & TROPIC | Dave Krantz runs the ruler over some great value boats from the Sea Jay range. |
| 257 | MY NEW RIG | Dick Eussen has just bought himself a Quintrex Dory with 30hp E-TEC, and he couldn’t be happier with the result. |
| 259 | HAINES SIGNATURE 485SF | Warren Steptoe reviews a classy new sportfisher from Haines — it’s a production version of his own boat, so it must be good. |
| 261 | CLUB E-TEC | Pictorial from AJ, following a visit to the Gold Coast to check out the latest in E-TEC technology. |
| 266 | THE MUG | Fiction with Sol Bannura. |