10  AJ’S TAKE

12 THE GREAT BARRIER REEF IS CATCHING!
A do-it-yourself boating/camping trip at one of so many delightful locations along Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef is a recipe for catching fish, just as long as you go about it the right way. Dave Rae explains

18 KAYAK ADVENTURES IN THE WORLD’S LARGEST AQUARIUM…MEXICO’S SEA OF CORTEZ.
The Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California, is a unique corner of the Pacific Ocean. David Randle narrowly avoids getting eaten out of his kayak
 
26 ALL HAIL THE RED EMPEROR
For the offshore angler in North Queensland, there is one species that really gets the ol’ ticker thumping: the thuggish, yet majestic, red emperor. Catching tips from Lee Brake

33 ENCOUNTERS WITH SHARKS
“The old Hawaiian Kings preferred to use human bait for sharks. It was cheaper than pigs and just as acceptable…” Steve Cooper’s shark essay
 
38 SURVEYS ON THE BAY
Monster tides sweeping in over the mangrove-lined flats, hard paddling to get there then stealth trolling to achieve success, and every now and then encountering a freakish glimpse of Mother Nature at work…that’s kayak fishing Broome style. By Kim Courtenay

44 JURASSIC PARK
NZ’s Whangaroa on the rugged east coast above the Bay of Islands turns on the scenery and the fishing. John Cahill lets us in at Jurassic Park

50 WATERFALL FISHING
Although the wild and beautiful Kimberley coastline is not exactly Australia’s best-kept secret, Dick Eussen is a regular visitor to the region, and braved cyclonic winds and record floods to capture the magic of waterfall fishing.
 
58 BLACK MAGIC
Each September to December, the biggest black marlin in the world congregate off North Queensland along the Great Barrier Reef to spawn. Spectacular images from Kerry Dalling Fallon.
 
69 FISHING TERRITORY

70 “KLASH” ON THE SOUTH!
Held on the iconic South Alligator River in the World Heritage Kakadu National Park, The Aurora Kakadu Klash is one of the Territory’s great barra tournaments. By Alex Julius.

84 LESSONS ON THE BLUE…DARWIN’S OFFSHORE OPTIONS
There are bluewater options aplenty around the Darwin area…but tides, weather, seasonal variations and access all need to be taken into consideration when fishing these pristine waters. Chris Errity explains

94 BARRA IN A NUTSHELL…HOW TO FIGHT AND WIN!
Top NT barra guide, Jason Bettles, encapsulates the essence of barra fishing, with some clear pointers on staying connected to this greatest of Australian sportfish.

98 REEFIES ON SOFT PLASTICS…HOW TO CATCH THOSE TROPICAL TASTIES!
The Top End’s predominately shallow waters, abundance of hardly-touched reefs and a Who’s Who of spectacular bottom-dwelling table fish all lend themselves to the art fishing soft plastics across the bottom out on the blue. Shaun Taylor gives the lowdown.

107 HIT & RUN
Darwin is the only capital city in Australia where a hook-up to a barra or other quality table fish is available only 30 minutes from anywhere in the CBD. Mario Faggion explains his hit-and-run tactics

117 THE MIGHTY VIC
The Victoria River is the Northern Territory’s biggest river. Like much of the Top End, this is definitely barra country, and it’s also a perfect location for our regular NAFA Good Gear Model Shoot. Pictorial Feature By Alex Julius.

128 A TIME FOR TIMOR
Starlo and Jo visit the young island nation of Timor-Leste and discover what might just be one of the angling world’s best-kept secrets, not to mention potentially the next “big thing” in tourism destinations.

140 FLY FISHING’S SIX-PACK
Peter Morse nominates his personal six-pack of favourite fly-fishing species and the rationale behind his selection.

147 THE TACKLE BOX - a fictional piece by Jackson Baraz

150 TYING THE KNOT...FISHING’S CRITICAL CONNECTIONS
Good knot tying is one of fishing’s most basic yet vitally-important skills. In this must-read technical piece, Starlo lays down the crucial ground rules for secure knot tying, before going on to detail six time-proven connections, all beautifully illustrated by Jo Starling.

160 HALF-TIDE ROCKS!
Phil Atkinson revisits the Brisbane Water’s hotspots of his childhood and finds that the fishing doesn’t disappoint!
 
164 GEORGE KOOSACHE & THE Y ROD
Sol Bannura on an old friend plus his experiences with the creation and testing of a unique spin-stick design. This one will have you in stitches.

168 DEEP JIGGING CORAL TROUT
Jarrod Day delves into the techniques for deep jigging great big coral trout out on the Great Barrier Reef.

171 BEACHCOMBER’S GUIDE TO FISHING FITNESS  
With an ever-distending belly and a frothy long neck always at hand, Beachcomber outlines his carefully-researched program for achieving fishing fitness.

176 GOOD GEAR

BOATING

180 A GREY MATTER
You may think you’re saving money by buying your boat and or motor online from the USA or elsewhere – in other words, a GREY IMPORT – but there are horror stories out there. Sage advice from Warren Steptoe.

188 STACER 2012 – ANOTHER STEP FORWARD
Stacer’s Evo Advance hull design delivers exceptional boat-riding comfort, and the 2012 range now incorporates some smart fine tuning throughout the range. By Warren Steptoe.

198 HORIZON 580 CENTRE-CAB SPORTFISHER
If you’re after a functional offshore Sportfisher that doubles as a coastal runner for overnight forays to remote barra waters, and you like the idea of an inboard/outboard turbo diesel that won’t break the bank at the bowser, you might like to check out the slick Horizon 5.8m Sportfisher. By Alex Julius.

PRODUCT AWARENESS BOATS
192 Lowrance & Simrad: The Next Gen Sonar Imaging Transducer
194 Quintrex 610 Legend and 520 Renegade USE LEGEND PIC
195 Sailfish Shelf Runner Hardtop
196 Suzuki: New 4-Stroke Lightweights and Selective Rotation
197 GME’s New Range of Automatic Identification Systems for Small Boats

201 AND CONGRATULATIONS GO TO THE WINNERS OF THE SIMRAD NSS 7 AND WAECO CF-40 AC COMPETITIONS IN NAFA 23. PICS OF SIMRAD AND WAECO

PRODUCT AWARENESS
81   Opal Fuel – Benefits, Testing & Storage
92   Darwin Barra Fishing Tours
138 Mustad: One Man’s Hooks
145 JM Gillies: The Right Depth With The Right Leader
179 Basser Millyard: Killalure 2 Easy And 2 Deep