Its been a long time since I used to regularly target carp on soft plastics. Given my recent passion for chasing them on fly, I thought I may as well write what I can remember of my previous efforts using spin gear. You don’t need a fly rod to chase carp on artificials, a bream stick will be just fine and…
Month: March 2013
Fly tying: UV glue curing trick
Brett put me onto a sweet little trick for quickly curing UV glues (clear cure goo in this case)…. High powered purple lasers. They set the glue faster than the blue UV lights that are usually used, the glue is rock hard in seconds (saving a few seconds). So if you ever lose your blue UV light, want a back…
Tackle review: the buff (sun smart face mask)
What can I say. I am a pale excitable white guy prone to sunburn and also to forgetting to put on sunscreen regularly enough when the fishing is good… Its not an ideal combination and I’ve been searching for a decent solution for a while. I’ve tried the Arabic head scarf- which is pretty good, but somewhat bulky and prone to getting…
Film review: Only the river knows
The editorial of this month’s FlyLife provided a juicy little insight into a new film to hit the flyfishing scene: Only the river knows. Keen to get some more info, I googled the title and found the trailer. It is compelling, to say the least. Check it out here. As Hamish was up staying, we decided to download the full…
When is the best time to catch kingfish?
Another in the Q&A series of posts, where we will endeavour to post commonly asked questions and quick, straight to the point answers. Question: When is the best time to catch kingfish? Answer: Kingfish are easiest to catch when the ocean currents are quite warm, which is generally in late summer and throughout autumn. The best months are arguably February…
How do you kill a flathead?
Another in the How to and Q&A series Question: How do you kill a flathead? Answer: Some people’s idea of killing a flathead involves throwing it in a bucket. This is pretty stupid, firstly because of ethics (and maybe even karma), secondly because it won’t taste as good as if you treat it properly and thirdly, because you will give…
How to kill bream and snapper
Another in the ‘How to and Q&A series’. Killing bream and snapper is arguably more difficult than some of our more ‘streamlined’ species. Instead of simply knocking them on the head, cutting the throat or severing the spinal cord, bream and snapper are best killed by spiking. Spiking might seem daunting at first, and you might have the unpleasant experience…
How to fillet Australian salmon
Another in the ‘how to and Q&A series’. Salmon should be promptly killed and bled after capture. This is best achieved by slipping the fingers under the gills, with your thumb on the fish’s head, and snapping back firmly. This will kill the fish instantly and sever the main artery. Leave the fish head down in a bucket or in…
How to fillet flathead
Welcome to the ‘how to and Q&A’ series. Flathead are one of the tastiest and most accessible fish for us south-east Australian anglers. They are fun to catch, have a high fecundity (meaning they reach sexual maturity quickly and can be prolific breeders given the right conditions) and are delicious to eat. Filleting them is pretty easy, but there are…
An ode to sight-fishing…
As I slowly made my way up the creek carefully scanning the water ahead for any signs of its inhabitants, I noticed a few ripples coming from behind a snag on my side of the creek… I stopped and watched… Every 30 seconds or so, a few ripples would appear from behind the snag. A trout was rising behind the…
Back country fishing with your smart phone
Technology is invading every part of our lives. From the moment we wake up and check a news feed and our friend’s facebook status, to navigating the streets of an unfamiliar suburb or even booking movie tickets for later that night, smart phones are quickly becoming an indispensable – I use the term loosely – part of our daily lives.…