I’ve just got back from a wonderful two-month trip overseas to Hawaii. Sunshine, surf and bikinis aside, there is a really interesting food culture to explore over there, with a mix of native Hawaiian, American, Korean, Portuguese and very prominent Japanese influences. So while we have the classics like deep-fried whole fish and crumbed fish and some more creative techniques…
Author: Graham Fifield
Mythical monsters; dusky flathead over a metre
Metre long flathead. Alongside catching a Mulloway, they are the holy grail, the pinnacle of sports fishing on light gear in our estuaries. They might not be as difficult to tempt as bream in sparkling clear water, but nothing else can compare with the sheer size and prehistoric features, especially the enormous head and mouth, of a big crocodile. After…
Lures or bait? The choice is as clear as mud
Anglers can be a funny lot. They can be very stubborn about what style of fishing they prefer and rarely give the others a go. I should know, I’m one of the stubborn ones. It has been years since I’ve used bait in salt water, and except for carp fishing with my niece and nephew (they were fishing, not the…
Murray Cod – king of the river, king of the night
Persistence is the first word that comes to mind when people talk about Murray cod fishing in 2015. The ‘glory’ days (I use the term loosely) of catching a dozen big cod in an afternoon are a distant memory. But there is a group of diehard anglers who will go to any lengths to tangle with the local Murray Cod…
The price of success – feat. big river bass
Imagine, you’ve just bought a couple of fancy new lures. When the day finally arrives to go fishing you jump out of the car and make your way down to the river, bristling with anticipation. After ripping open the small box you tie one of the new lures, and fling it out into the water. There is a tug on…
Tuross tournament testing but rewards with trophy fish
Last weekend the 4th annual Tuross head flathead and bream tournament was held on the NSW south coast. 258 anglers, including Flick & Fly’s own Lee and Graz, enjoyed good conditions, a full moon and favourable tides with plenty of water moving in and out of the lake each day. The competition was strictly catch-and-release and fish could only be…
Capturing the lifetime of a fish
I caught a fish last weekend. That’s not particularly surprising I suppose given I go fishing and write about fishing quite often. But this fish was different to usual. In fact it was really quite special. It wasn’t unique because it was a particularly big fish for a south coast estuary, I would say it was only medium sized –…
Worth their weight in salt – highlights from the estuaries in 2014
Nostalgia is a wonderful thing isn’t it? It was while looking back through the images and articles of 2014 for this weeks newspaper column that I realised just how much fun we’ve had this year fishing the estuaries. They never cease to amaze for the quality and diversity of fish on offer. As a young fella starting to learn about…
From hot to shot, NSW estuary fishing at Christmas
After reading the amazing report from the boys’ trip to NZ here, it seems like a bit of an anti-climax to be reporting on the fishing along the NSW far south coast. While they contended with torrential rain, finicky trophy trout, and clear-felled forestry coups, all we had to contend with was a flooded river, a failed river crossing and…
Snakes alive! Back country streams heat up
Fishing the small back-country streams is amazing, it’s one of my favourite forms of this sport. I love wading through gin clear water with nothing but a spin rod in one hand, a small box of lures tucked into a shirt pocket and a backpack. There is a strong sense of adventure heading out to some of these rivers and…
The enigmatic (and often elusive) estuary perch – open season report
Lee and I teamed up with good friends of the blog Liam and Stu recently for a trip to the Clyde river (Bhundoo). The closed season for estuary perch (EP) had just lifted so we all agreed we wanted to chase these awesome Aussie fish. EPs have strong migration patterns, moving to the mouths of the estuaries and rivers…
Hunting the great hunters of the estuary
An amazing Attenborough moment and quick how-to guide for Dusky flathead Perfectly camouflaged and lightly covered in sand, it is virtually invisible. It lies waiting, watching with eyes on the top of its head. An unsuspecting mullet swims pass. With a puff of sand the buried fish explodes off the bottom, its long and powerful tail propelling it towards the hapless…