In an increasingly expensive world, getting value for money with your tackle has never been more important. Whilst not particularly new on the market, brands like ZMan have found ways to help consumers in this department… Namely, by making soft plastics out of much stronger, hardier materials, which enables anglers to catch fish after fish without needing to replace the plastic. Whilst I’m a fan of many plastics in the ZMan range, one of their more recent additions, the HerculeZ Swimbait, has really taken my fancy in the past year or so… Available in 4, 5 and 6” in several proven colours, th ..read more

Once you go Japanese, you never go back… right? Well, that’s certainly the case when it comes to high end rods, the Yamaga Blue Sniper! If you’re a keen land based angler and like the sound of sensitive, lightweight rods with stacks of power, then I’d strongly suggest reading on… Despite owning a boat, land based fishing always has and probably always will be my happy place. For me, nothing much compares to fighting a big fish with two feet planted firmly on land… I think it’s the juxtaposing combination of the simplicity of fishing from the shore, and the many difficulties/challenges it bri ..read more

Large dogtooth Tuna have been my biggest adversary for years, the most frustrating sport fish I have encountered on jigging tackle. They are a true test of patience, luck and of course quality tackle preparation! Numerous large dogtooth captures are a real rarity, recently we were lucky enough to experience some world class dogtooth jigging with DropCast operated by Andrea Traverso in Vanuatu.  Logistically these trips are incredibly difficult. Safety, fuel, gear and getting the permission to fish these remote spots require a heap of preparation; even on this trip our rod tubes didn’t ..read more

The wildlife and scenery is second only to the fishing. As the myriad of bays, islands and river systems glistened below, the first glimpse of our home to be, the MV Cannon came into view, a white speck in an otherwise harsh and wild expanse of greens, blues, browns, greys and reds of mind boggling shades. For me it was a place I knew well and loved, having worked onboard the old girl for a number of years, but having never flown in on the flying boat, the aerial view was something in and of itself.   We had just landed in the Mitchell River, in the Northern Kimberley region of Western ..read more

I’ve always had a fascination with high quality lures from Japan, they are the undisputed leaders of the tackle industry in my eyes. You need only look at the tackle world today to see who dominates in terms of looks, feel and revolutionary technology that’s constantly evolving year after year that consistently amazes us every year. The most common knowledge is that beautiful looking products lure in anglers more than fish itself, this is absolutely true (and I also just like having nice things!). Fish aren’t always the brightest of creatures and will truly eat anything on their given day.Ju ..read more

There are few niches in fishing that require the mental endurance, and sheer line hours spent for every encounter, let alone capture, like that of Land Based Game fishing (LBG). One could very easily be committed, when calculating the time, money and sun exposure spent between each notable fish landed, but as an LBG angler, it is an irrevocable situation. But, LBG like many forms of fishing can be broken down even further, where anglers may focus their efforts on a particular species, and the jewel in the crown of LBG is to land the mighty Black Marlin from the rocks. Tom Bamforth with a XL ..read more

If you ask any avid anglers what their preferred winter target is a lot of them will single out the glorious snapper. This highly sought after species is a prime candidate for most anglers due to their accessibility for land based and small boat owners, with amazing fighting capabilities on the right gear. Winter provides the slower trickle of current to fish and (usually) calmer weather days to target these ‘reds’ in the deep – a depth which I use significantly different tactic to targeting them in the shallows. I classify ‘deepwater’ anything from 50m to 100m +. A quality Sydney 80cm snap ..read more

As we enter the depths of winter, bitterly cold westerly winds have arrived with a vengeance, forcing many anglers to seek refuge indoors. Despite this, the rewards are there for those willing to brave the cooler conditions. The winter months are typically one of the best times to target jewies on lures in the local estuaries. Whilst many things contribute to success in this game, focusing your efforts on three key factors will hold you in good stead. The first point of focus is structure. The first point of focus is structure. In a big city like Sydney, structure comes in an array of shap ..read more

As the cool Westerly winds begin to chill us to the bone, as a rock fisherman, my mind starts to drift from summertime pelagics, to the local wash zone. That small strip of whitewater surging between boulders, up gutters and over ledges. This is the home of those stocky, broad shouldered brawlers that I love, The Black Drummer, Rock Blackfish, or simply Pig. Just one look at them, and you can see why they pull so hard. They evolved to live in the constant churning, heaving mess that is the coastal washes and for this they must be built strong and powerful. Having said that, you must therefor ..read more

Have you ever thought of taking up flyfishing? Perhaps you thought it was too hard? Too expensive? Too complicated? Too mysterious? Or maybe you thought it just made catching fish too hard? The answer to almost every flyfishing question is that “it depends”. In the case of most of these statements, they are not true. There is nothing more satisfying than tying your own flies, heading to the water and fooling a challenging fish with a hand tied fly, possibly your own. The act of casting alone is thoroughly enjoyable for so many. Imagine presenting your fly to a wary fish and working it back, o ..read more