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Rethinking trout and Australian native fish

An ongoing topic of discussion in fishing circles, at least around the south-eastern Australian region, is the trout vs natives debate. It’s been raging for years — some might even say centuries — so we thought it about time to chip in and throw the proverbial two cents into the fray. Trout aficionados, with whom we often empathise via a…

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Fishing stories, Fly & Tenkara, Freshwater, Stuff we've learnt, Sustainability, Think like a fish- fishing techniques

Catch and release: a little perspective goes a long way

The catch and release movement has grown considerably over the last few decades. Initiative like #keepemwet and others have done incredibly well at building strong support for catch and release in some parts of the fishing community. Social media has helped spread the message, driving a strong commitment to catch and release amongst many angling communities. Which is great! The fishing…

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Freshwater, Native

Bidgee Cod on surface lures – video

We were lucky enough to sneak in a Murray Cod session just before Christmas. Lee, Curto and I made our way down to the Murrumbidgee River armed with half a dozen spinnerbaits and crankbaits.  But it was the prospect of throwing the big surface lures in the bottom of the tackle box that had us really excited. The 110mm jointed…

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Freshwater, Stuff we've learnt, Sustainability

A deeper look at “wild” places (and is stocking threatened native fish outside their range a good idea?)

  By complete coincidence, me and Graz unknowingly both wrote drafts about a similar topic. You can read Graz’s piece about the “Natural trout stream paradox” here. This piece touches on similar topics, however its not about trout and takes a far broader brush to the issue (and is way longer- if you want punchy read Graz’s piece). Conservation strategies,…

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Freshwater, Native, Sustainability

Native fish stockings: successes, failures and the future

A little while ago I looked at the effectiveness of trout stockings. One of the things that the research makes clear in the case of trout, is that in many circumstances, stockings are not effective. In fact, under some conditions, they can actually be counterproductive. Rather than helping grow fish stocks, they can significantly hurt stocks, leading to fisheries that…

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Freshwater, Native, Trout

The best fishing spots in and around Canberra

Canberra anglers are blessed with access to a variety of environments, target species and fishing opportunities. When assessing the best fishing spots around Canberra, the most important consideration is the species you want to target and the technique you want to employ. There are some spots in which you can target multiple species, but generally, the species you want to…

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