FISHING & OUTDOOR WORLD DARWIN

Technology has changed the way anglers’ fish in the Northern Territory. Hanging out for a solid Wet and a strong run-off are no longer the go-to signs to break the rods out. Regardless of the weather, anglers employing scoping techniques continue to find barra, and this is good news for outdoor stores like Darwin-based Fishing & Outdoor World.

Situated on the corner of Cavenagh and Knuckey Streets (look for the twin barras), Fishing & Outdoor World (FOW) has been servicing the needs of the Territory’s fishing, camping, and shooting aficionados for more than 50 years.

Store manager Ronald Voukolos said live scope technology has allowed anglers to find fish regardless of seasonal influences, and it has changed the way anglers look for fish and lures.

“Active Target fishing has been like a gift from above for many anglers.”

Last year, Ronald said the so-called “Active Target or Live Scope” fishing had taken off with anglers hooking ridiculous numbers of barra: “Active Target fishing has been like a gift from above for many anglers. I know of anglers who have taken years to catch metreys, and then caught a dozen or so in the past couple of years,” he said. Since then, the technology has become an accepted norm for many anglers.

Active targeting put the onus on suspending lures, with anglers wanting to get the lure to where the fish are. And consequently, tackle wants changed with “high-speed reel sales going gangbusters” and anglers casting lures to specific barra.

Last season, Ronald observed that many anglers were rigging bigger plastics with bigger hooks and smaller weights. “Anglers were retrofitting their plastics to make sure their lures sit at the right depths,” he said.

“And lures now have fatter profiles, which makes them easier to see when scoping,” Ronald said. “Our top selling lure is a suspending lure, the Jackal Squirrel 79 size.”

FOW is open seven days a week, and the shop is going well. Ronald said they had been able to maintain a good level of local staff, normally 15, including part-timers, although staff numbers were always under pressure due to the demand for tradies who are being paid “ridiculous amounts of money.”

Sourcing knowledgeable staff is a challenge: “Fishing and hunting are a religion in the Territory, and hunters and anglers are switched on, so we need staff who know what they are talking about because bullshit doesn’t go far in this business,” he said.

Product range is key to bringing customers through the doors, and FOW has everything anyone with fishing or hunting in mind could desire.

Product range is key to bringing customers through the doors, and FOW has everything anyone with fishing or hunting in mind could desire: rods and reels from companies like Shimano, Daiwa, and Dobyns along with walls of soft plastic lures from popular stables including Reidy’s, Daiwa, Berkley, and Molix.

Reflecting the move to big soft plastics, rod makers like Daiwa have caught on to the trend and designed a range of rods to cast heavier weights. “Where the 12kg rods were designed to cast 30g weights, they now cast 50g,” he said.

Shimano has a great product range, while Daiwa baitcasters and rods have been making inroads into the market. Reel makers have made major changes as well, removing metal bearings that were susceptible to electrolysis and replacing them with thermoplastic bushes, so they better stand up to heavy saltwater use.

The bluewater scene has been excellent, with solid runs of wahoo and billfish off Dundee. Golden snapper have been about in good numbers but, on the downside, jewies are not as prolific and fishing for them has been tough.

Yeti products are as popular as ever, and Ronald is pleased the store got in early and is now a premium retailer of an expanding range.

On the hunting side, waterfowl like magpie geese and ducks remain a favourite of local shooters, and the bag limit has increased over the years.

“When I started shooting in 1992, hunters were allowed seven geese and seven ducks, and there were limits on how many birds you could have in the home freezer,” he said. “These days, the limits have increased to seven geese and 10 ducks, with an unlimited number allowed in the home freezer.”

“We know people are likely to come back if they have a good experience.”

Ronald said people who live in the Territory are lucky to have politicians who recognise the value of hunting and fishing to the community.

“Shooting is still strong in the Territory, and for that, the Government should be given a pat on the back,” Ronald said. “And both sides - government and opposition - are committed to a restructure of the commercial barra industry.”

As for the future, Ronald sees the biggest challenge for the Territory as the cost of getting there. “Airfare costs are prohibitive, and a lot of the coastline is closed to access, so fishing and shooting areas have been reduced.”

Nevertheless, FOW’s business is built on return customers: “We know people are likely to come back if they have a good experience,” Ronald said.