Wow, what a a journey it has been. And so it is that 2Dans Fishing is winding in for the final time. We've had a great time,,, We've learnt alot. Made great mates Caught great fish, lost even better ones Travelled, laughed, got loose and enjoyed some true living experiences along the way. And most of all we hope that we have inspired all of you who have enjoyed our fishing films, to fish more often and to care for the fish that live in our amazing oceans. SO, if you've lost your beloved copy of any of our DVD's or have never owned one, now's your last chance to get your hands on what is the last stock from our final run of DVD's. The Kingfish Sessions Anglers Anonymous In Search Of Old Man Snapper Single DVD's $19.95 Any two DVD's $34.95 All three DVD's $49.95 You can buy them all online at 2Dans Fishing If you've loved what we've done and want to see more, please do let us know, as whilst 2Dans Fishing is packing away the tackle, this rowdy rapple of angling addicts has got plenty more in store. Expect Articles from far flung travel destinations. Product reviews Tackle reviews AND of course more angling adventures to keep your fishing appetite wet! Thanks for watching and stay in touch.... by LIKE ing our facebook fanpage,,, which I will be updating and migrating to a new name and destination soon. Keep fishing FSHRMN

2Dans Fishing - Radio Program 9 - 3rd October 2010

FUTURE FISH
Always a touchy subject - the future of Marine Parks in Australia. With the relatively new government in place and their back room deals with the Greens still cloaked in mystery, there are many Australian fishermen very nervous about what is going to happen to our rights to fish where we want when we want in the foreseeable future.
Marine Parks it is argued are a necessary part of fisheries management and conservation. However as many scientists around the world have shown this is not necessarily the case. There is no denying that the conservation of the marine environment and the organisms that live within it is an imperative no one can afford to ignore, however are Marine Parks really the correct solution to achieve this end or are the merely a political manoeuvring to increase the funding from large scale international NGO's? In society perhaps the most environmentally aware individuals or groups of individuals are those that are out and about within the environment themselves - when it comes to the oceans the people who see what is happening the most are the fisherman. As a result many fisherman Australia wide can be counted as passionate guardians for the oceans, and have as history shows on numerous occasions been the group to encourage and introduce better management practices for all manner of fish species.
Unfortunately there are groups of so called conservationists who would have the public believe that the decline in fish stocks and marine biodiversity is directly attributable to over fishing by recreational anglers, when time and time again scientific research has shown that this is simply not the case.
All of the debate aside what is clear is that the Labour Government of Australia has sided with the Greens and plan to push through further Marine Protected areas where fishing of any form will become prohibited.
It is important for recreational anglers to get educated, activated and stand up for what they believe in, the future of your access to historical fishing grounds in this great fishing nation of ours is in all of our hands.
Here are some links to get a broader understanding of the issues at hand;
Marine Parks Mayhem
Emeritus Professor Bob Kearney - On Marine Parks in NSW
A review of the Batemans Bay MPA paper by Professor Bob Kearney
Ben Diggles - The Science of MPA's


TACKLE HAPPY - Spinning or Threadline reel reviews
In Tackle Happy this week Dan Burgess and myself took to the water armed with two different spinning reels from two different manufacturers to put them through the paces.
The Pflueger Patriarch 9540 matched to the Pflueger Patriarch XTR 7" rod is designed to for light offshore or medium estuary spin targets. Expect to catch yellowtail kingfish, snapper, silver trevally and mulloway on this super light weight outfit packed full of impressive technology, with an impressive drag rating.
You can check out the reel here. They are priced competitively in the market and should deliver years of fishing pleasure.

The NEW Daiwa Certate 4000 is a high end reel with a high end price tag for those who take their fishing seriously and are happy to spare no expense. The technology that has been folded into the new release reel is a magnetic fluid in the bearing casing or housing. The purpose of this fluid is to prevent any water getting into the bearings and oxidising the bearings and reducing their working life. As always the reels are built to high standards and punch a drag out well above their weight for the size of the reel. Check it out here

2Dans Fishing – Radio Program 8 – Sunday 26th September 2010

On The Fishing Line - Matthew Hayden Australian and world renowned cricketing legend talks about why he loves fishing and recalls his early memories of days on the water.
Dan Trotter recently had the fantastic opportunity to catch up with Matty, keep listening to our weekly radio show broadcasting at 5am Sunday mornings Australia wide on one of the stations listed below for more interview segments from Matthew Hayden and loads of fishy info and fun.

Local Works Network - covering regional and metro Australia

NSW
Coffs Harbour - 2CS-FM
Port MacQuarie - 2MC-FM
Griffith 2RG-FM
Orange 2GZ-FM
Wagga Wagga - 2WG-FM
Central Coast - 2GO-FM
Albury - The River-FM

QUEENSLAND
Townsville - 4TO-FM
Cairns - SEA-FM
Gladstone - SEA-FM
Mackay - SEA-FM
Fraser Coast - MIX-FM
Sunshine Coast - MIX-FM
Darling Downs - 4GR-AM
Gold Coast - GOLD-FM

VICTORIA
Bendigo 3BO-FM
Mildura 3MA-FM
Shepparton 3SR-FM

South Australia
Mt. Gambier 5SE-AM

Tasmania
Hobart - HEART-FM

Western Australia
Albany - 6VA-AM
Bunbury 6TZ-AM
Esperance 6SE-AM
Kalgoorlie - 6KG-AM
Merridin - 6MD-AM
Narrogin - 6NA-AM
Northam 6AM-AM
Bridgetown - 6BY-AM
Busselton - 6CI-AM





Style Guide - Top three bait fishing rigs for fishing in Saltwater.
When you start out fishing the choice of what rig to use can prove to be incredibly confusing, when in actual fact three main rigs will enable you to catch the majority of fish you are likely to encounter.
Firstly lets take a quick look at the two most popular knots to tie terminal tackle to your mainline.

The Uni Knot
The Locked Half Blood knot

The running sinker to hook rig
The running sinker to hook rig is essentially just that a rig where the sinker is threaded onto the mainline and allowed to run all the way up to the knot attaching the line to the hook.

Uses: This rig is perhaps one of the most useful of all rigs, the key to it's success is using the lightest weight sinker possible, so that the sinker can slide up the line away from the hook when a fish picks up the bait. Use just enough sinker weight to assist with the cast or to get the bait to slowly sink through the water column, do not use a sinker that will see you bait plummet through the depths or become anchored to the seafloor.
This rig is great in estuaries as well as in depths over 100 metres offshore. Known colloquially by some anglers as the floater rig, when fished at anchor in conjunction with a steady berley trail this rig allows the angler to fish the bait all the way through the water column and will successfully help you catch many species including snapper, yellowtail kingfish, yellowfin tuna, bream, silver trevally and many other popular table fish.

The Paternoster Rig
The Paternoster Rig is a amongst the most popular of all rigs simply be cause it is effective on a range of species in a huge array of locations and water depths. This rig used in almost every saltwater location in the world, whether you are fishing from the shore or from a boat this rig can be used to great affect on hundreds of species. When fished from the shore it allows the angler to cast the rig away from the shore and once settled on the bottom keeps the hooks free of rocks and weeds, when fished from a boat on the drift it allows the angler to keep the rig and baits near the seafloor and in the 'bite zone'. It is also often fished from a boat at anchor where the boat is positioned directly above the holding fish, the rig is then lowered to the depth the fish are feeding at, it can be modified to only 1 hook and fished with livebaits for many predatory species. Again use as little eight as required to get the bait into the bite zone.

Uses: The Paternoster Rig is a favourite amongst Australian anglers of all skill levels it can be used off the beaches for whiting and bream, off the rocks for snapper, jewfish and other demersal species, on the drift anglers will catch morwong, snapper, flathead, yellowtail kingfish, John Dory and a plethora of other bottom dwelling reef species.


The running sinker to swivel rig
The running sinker to swivel rig is a simple adaptation of the running sinker to hook rig. Basically the sinker is threaded onto the main-line and then the mainline is tied to the swivel, from this a length of trace line (30-200cm's) is tied and the hook tied off of the end of the trace. The main purpose for using a trace is to present the bait with more finesse where fish are flighty or timid, having a trace also allows you to fish a heavier or more abrasive line than the main line and can prevent bust offs from reefs or bite off's from toothy targets. It is also a great rig to use when fishing live baits as it allows the bait to keep swimming unimpeded by the sinker and can be lowered to the correct depth in the water column. Not here that if you are using this rig for livebaiting large baits offshore you will need to lower the bait slowly to avoid the the trace wrapping itself around the mainline, keeping this in mind many anglers opt to using a Paternoster Rig when dropping live baits in water depths over 30metres. If you are planning to cast this rig off the beach, rocks or estuary shoreline you will need to keep the trace relatively short say 30-40cm's in length to enable a distance cast.

Uses: Great for drifting for flathead in estuary situations, or casting from wharves beaches or ocean rocks where the seafloor is not covered by rocks and weeds where the rig can be snagged. Can be effectively used to catch flathead, yellowtail kingfish, jewfish, bream, silver trevally, sharks, whiting, tailor, Australian salmon etc etc etc.

If you have any questions or suggestions about fishing items, issues, rigs or styles send us an email info@2dansfishing.com.au

Stand-by for the blog for Program 9 ...

2Dans Fishing – Show 7 19th September 2010

2Dans Fishing – Show 7 19th September 2010


Boat Bits – Don’t come up short this season.

With the water warming up around the country what better time to make sure our boats are fully equipped and ready to go. The interesting thing about fishing is that no matter what your fishing for or whereyour fishing that one small piece of equipment you forgot seems to be the key to the puzzle of fish catching. I’ll give you an example, for years I chased Jewfish out of my tinnie, I had a kit of gear that I would throw in the boat each time I went which included a small hand gaff. Unfortunately I had limited success and had never actually used the gaff, the fish I caught were not big enough to warrant it! One lazy afternoon I felt like some salt and pepper squid to go with my beer so off I went with some squid jigs in hand and a light rod, and out of habit also took a slightly heavier bait rod. After a good squid session I got stuck into the laborious task of cleaning the inkers. The first gut bait I pulled from the fresh squid tube went out on my bait rod while I cleaned the other squid. By now you probably have realized the end of the story so I wont go through the pains of that afternoon blow by blow, needless to say I lost the XOS jewfish I had been hunting for years because I didn’t keep one small piece of equipment in the boat, a hand gaff. I infact had it stored with my fishing gear….big mistake! Now I have a gear tub that is always ready and goes in the boat every time I fish even if I am only chasing goldfish from a bowl.

So here is the list of must have items for this season:

- Hand Gaff – for obvious reasons!!
- Net – Have you ever tried to land a large flathead without one…..your hands will never forgive you
- Handline orgy- a strange one I know but hear me out. If you have an enormous boat with many rod holders you probably have enough room to have outfits for everything rigged and ready to go, most people don’t own this boat. So handlines are a great option to tick a few of theses mandatory ‘rigged n ready’ outfits off the list. So a 6-8lb hnadline with a small bait hook for when the perfect bait fish come up the berley trail. A 20lb handline rigged with a squidjig for when they follow your baits to the boat. And an 80lb handline with a big hook on it for when the monster king appears behind the squid that just followed the bait up to the back of oyur boat
- Berley bucket and a berley bomb or as I have a small container which I just mush up bread and pillies in
- A spare bucket and rope – these are just so handy on a boat and almost as good as wd-40
- WD -40
- A baitboard (old bit of timber) and bait knife (old bit of metal)
-

They are all the essentials I have for my tinnie but here are some more elements that are great to have if you want to really make your boat a fishing weapon.

- As many rod holders as you can fit. I have called my tinnie the hedghog for obvious reasons.
- Live bait tank. Ideally a fully plumbed one or if you want to go the other end of the spectrum a fish bin or esky and a spare bucket combined with some elbow grease can do the job.
- Lowarnce sounder/GPS combo unit, these are amazing for fishing offshore
- Anchors – regular and para anchor
- Gimbal if your chasing bluewater species
- And a downrigger if you really want to make good use of those livebaits.


Remember thisw does not include all the safety gear which IS A NECESSITY without question. Check your local state based regulations for this. Have fun out there.

2Dans

2Dans Fishing – Radio Program 6 – Sunday 12th September 2010

Tackle Happy – Squid Jigs and Hayes Crab Pots
Recreational fishing for squid over the past decade has grown increasingly popular, these days there are squid fishing competitions, a plethora of rods designed for the purpose and more styles and brands of squid jigs than one could hope to use in a season.
There are two common species regularly encountered by squid anglers in Australia, amazingly there are over 300 species of squid worldwide. The Southern calamari squid (Sepioteuthis australis) and arrow squid (Nototodarus gouldi) are both caught throughout a wide range of Australian waters. Seek out locations in estuaries near rocky points with good boulder country covered in kelp, weed beds, as well as bridges and wharves where there is light illuminating the water. Offshore, squid of both varieties seem to turn up anywhere there is reef structure and are encountered in waters up to 100 metres deep. The arrow squid is also commercially caught well out to see by professional squid boats and are far more aggressive and swim a lot faster than the southern calamari squid. To fish for either species either cast squid jigs weighted appropriately for the water depth you are fishing and work them back to the rod tip utilising a few quick sharp lifts of the rod, then allow the squid jig to drop through the water column, this is usually when the squid will grab the jig. If you feel additional weight to the jig itself set the crown of hooks by firmly lifting the rod tip and winding the handle, keep the rod tip high and the pressure consistent. Alternatively bait up a squid spike with a baitfish and suspend under a float. A brand new design of squid spike called the ‘Squidator’ has been developed by two keen anglers from SA, it allows the crown of hooks to sit away from the bait and when the squid grabs the bait and starts to move away the spike slides down the line and the crown of hooks find their mark.
When it comes to prawn imitation squid jigs fortunately all the quality brands will catch squid successfully, it is well worth having a range of colours, sizes, styles and different sink rates to allow you to fish the various squid habitats. To get started with lets look at the basic outfit for squid fishing. In the estuaries a bream or flathead threadline outfit, consisting of a 2-4kg, 7 foot graphite rod, a 2000 size reel spooled with 4-8lb braid and a 6-10lb leader will work a treat. Offshore a heavier outfit consisting of a 6-8kg 7 foot graphite rod, a 4000 size threadline reel spooled with 10-15lb braid and 15-30lb mono leader will see you ready to cast larger squid jigs and fish deeper and come up with the goods.
For squid fishing enthusiasts here is a link to the premier Squid Fishing forum;
http://www.squidfish.net/forums/


Here's a collection of my cheap and more expensive high quality jigs. You will notice that my high quality jigs are very low at the moment, that's because I fish them more and as a result have lost a lot of them to the ocean floor. Note that offshore the less expensive jigs work better than in the estuaries.

Here are links to the various brands of squid jigs available on the Australian market today;
Shimano Squid Jigs – available in Australia SOON
Shimano Squid Jigs - Riika
Shimano - egi/dandy
Shimano - Sephia Egi

Daiwa
http://daiwafishing.com.au/?p=676
http://daiwafishing.com.au/?p=655
http://daiwafishing.com.au/?p=638
http://www.daiwaseiko.co.jp/fishing/

Yamashita
http://www.yamaria.co.jp
Yo-Zuri Squid Jigs
http://www.duel.co.jp
http://www.amazonoutdoors.com.au/Product/Lures/Squid-Jigs/Yo-Zuri2/YO-ZURI-AURIE-Q-REAL-SQUID-JIGS-
Marukyu
http://www.marukyu.c...lee_flocky.html
HAYABUSA
http://www.hayabusa.co.jp
Jackall
http://www.jackall.co.jp/

Jarvis Walker
http://www.jarviswalker.com.au
Kokoda
http://www.kokodafishing.com
Juro Oz Pro Tackle
http://www.jurofishing.com/

Not only do squid make great meals fried, grilled, broiled, steamed or stuffed and baked, they are also awesome fresh bait for pretty much any predatory fish in our waters.

The above information should give you the basics for getting started and out onto the water catching a feed of tasty ‘ink-belchers’. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll happily try to answer your questions. So what are you weighting for, get the gear and get out there – Happy Squiding!!

CRABBING season upon us now!!!- Get yourself a Hayes Crab Pot



On the note of tasty feeds the crab season is upon us, whether you live north or south there are some delicious crustaceans to be had. Jeff Hayes from the Gold Coast has developed a new crab pot design with 4 slightly different versions depending on the duration of time you want to leave the pots in the water.
The great thing about these apart from being collapsible is that by simply turning the pots upside down the you can funnel the crabs out of the pot and into the waiting bucket or esky, no more finger pinching here…!
Check out the designs below, and if your local tackle store isn’t stocking them ask them to contact us and we can pass on the details so they can get them in for you,,,



Style Guide – Surface poppers for pelagics

One of the most exciting forms of fishing is casting lures and flies to hungry predators, when this is coupled with a visual element the exhilaration intensifies. Popper fishing as it is known in fishing circles involves casting and retrieving a floating lure of various sizes, shapes and styles to imitate a fleeing baitfish.
From micro poppers weighing only a couple of grams to huge poppers weighing 300 grams there is pretty much a popper for every predatory fish out there.
Surface popping is one of our favourite forms of fishing because you can literally watch the fish chase and strike the popper. From southern Australian pelagic species like yellowtail kingfish, Australian Salmon, tailor to northern species such as giant trevally, dogtooth tuna, wahoo, queenfish and the mighty tuna species which inhabit pretty much all Australian saltwaters there is a species in everyone’s local waters. In addition there are massive arrays of estuary and reef species (which are not considered pelagics) which will also readily smash a well presented and worked popper – these include on the small end of the scale whiting, bream, flathead tobass and freshwater cod in the sweet water to northerly species like barramundi, mangrove jacks, coral trout, cod, red bass and more.
The basic premise is to identify structure that will hold your desired target species, start with ocean washes, harbour markers and pylons, as well as bombies, coral atolls and submerged steep drop-offs. Once you have selected the location cast the popper as close as you can to the target area and give it a few jerks with your rod, this not only starts the retrieve but also takes up any slack line between the rod tip and lure, then work the popper back towards you imparting bloobs and jerks with purposeful pauses. What you will notice when the fish turn up is that they will often chase or follow the popper but won’t strike at it (all that often) whilst it is moving, instead many predatory fish will wait until the popper is paused before attacking it. Ideally you need to find the balance between keeping the popper moving to keep the fish interested and also pausing it to get the fish to eat it.

There are a massive variety of poppers available on the market today, cup-faced bloopers, pencil poppers and stick baits represent the three basic styles of lure, from here there are so many variances you’ll just have to get out there and select and test which ones work best for the fish you are chasing. Sometimes different conditions, locations, times of the day and different prey species will determine which popper works best on any given target species. Ensure you have an array of popper styles to try on any given outing and make either metal notes or notes in your fishing diary for future reference.



Tackle for pelagic popper fishing needs to be strong yet light weight, ideally start by using a 7-9 foot threadline rod capable of fishing 30 or 50 or 80lb braid over depending on the size of the bruisers you hope to catch. There are many specifically designed popper rods from every manufacturer on the market, so pop into your local quality tackle store and have them take you through what is on offer. Couple the rod you select with a high quality threadline reel capable of holding 300 metres of the selected braid. Reel models like Shimano Stella’s and Saragosa or Daiwa’s Saltiga, Saltist and Certate ranges as well as the Tuff Tackle and Ryobi Safari offerings all stand up to the job and push serious drag pressures.
Because there is hours of casting involved in popper fishing the joining knot between the braid and mono leader needs to be smooth and able to run through the guides without too much clunking. Check out the link below for info on rigging and knots.
http://www.gtpopping.com/
Where ever you in our fishy nation popper fishing is well worth the effort, not only can it connect you with some seriously hard fighting fish, it’s great fun and so visual you’ll want to get out there and do it again and again.


AROUND THE GROUNDS
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
It’s been tough to get out fishing in SA the last few weeks, strong winds mean a wild ocean. However in the breaks between the weather the King George whiting fishing on the Metro beaches has been great, and at this time of the year the blue swimmer crabs start to turn up in good numbers. So watch the weather forecasts and get out on the water.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Around Bunbury the whiting and herring are still biting as are the bream, the colder weather means the fishing has been better in the afternoons and evenings once the suns warmth has raised the inshore water temps a little. Use a steady flow of berley to get the fish eating and use flesh baits to increase your chances. Further north around Exmouth there has been some great fishing for bonefish and permit on the flats and this should continue until the water temps get to warm sending this highly prized fly-fishing specis back into deeper water.
VICTORIA
Loads of squid around the Mornington Peninsula peirs and wharves, squid up to 2kgs. In the Port Fairy estuary along the rock walls the guys in the know have been catching good numbers of medium sized silver trevally and Australian Salmon on blade lures.
NEW SOUTH WALES
On the inland freshwater front, the dams, lakes and rivers from Orange NSW, down to the Victoria border and beyond are swollen to almost flooding in areas, with this much water around once the high levels subside the cod and bass fishing should really come to life. So make sure you have your lures stocked, your gear ready and stand by to hit the water. There are scattered reports of decent cod captures around Echucha, Victoria.
Back on the south coast around Tathra, Merimbula there have been good catches of Tasmania striped trumpeter, hapuka and blue eye trevalla.
Dan B managed to get out for a fish on one of the deepwater ledges of the Central Coast and caught some good sized silver trevally and Australian salmon, he said the salmon was a treat hot smoked, the silver trevally delicious as sashimi, both washed down with an icy cold ale. A few weeks back Port Macquarie experienced the arrival of the dreaded Chinaman leatherjackets, akin to a saltwater plague of piranha the aggressive schooling fish will demolish anything in the path. There have been some large specimens around 3kg and with the use of wire can be caught in solid numbers and are a welcome addition at the dinner table.
QUEENSLAND
Southern Queensland around the Gold Coast and Moreton Island the inshore reefs have been bountiful for solid snapper, a bit wider on the jigging grounds big kings and amberjack have been testing anglers strength and knots. Scattered reports of blue marlin out wide have also been coming in.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
As we always say to each other at this time of year, if the winter or early spring weather is getting you down, beat the blues and head to the north, the fishing rarely disappoints the weather is warm and the locals friendly.




If you have any reports of your own that’d you would like to share with nation email us; info@2dansfishing.com.au

2Dans Fishing – Radio Program 5 – Sunday 5th September 2010

Fishy Fact File – Mangrove Jack Lutjanus argentimaculatus.

This species has a huge range throughout the Indo-Pacific region as well as the Red Sea, and an impressive distribution throughout Australia. The Mangrove Jack is a member of the Lutjanidae Family, this group is known commonly as the sea-perch and pacific snapper family. The various species are categorised by robust body’s strong tails, canine like teeth and aggressive carnivorous feeding behaviour. The mangrove jack is the second most sought after coastal species after the Barramundi for northern based anglers. In addition to the recreational value, there is growing interest in Mangrove Jack stocking into impoundments as well as a number of ventures testing the viability of this species for aquaculture.
These amazingly powerful fish spend their juvenile lives in estuaries, creeks and rivers, migrating offshore as they reach sexual maturity. These fish are the prize to many anglers and for their size and weight there are few fish that fight this hard over short distances. The can be taken on a variety of lures and live baits. The best fishing for them late afternoon/dusk into the night and through till a few hours after dawn. Anglers should fish the heaviest tackle they can hold onto and still be prepared to loose many fish. They taste great on the plate and should be treated with culinary respect.

Distribution and Habitat: In Australia its range includes all northern coastal rivers systems from northern New South Wales (although they are sometimes encountered as far south as Sydney's offshore reefs and coastal lagoons), through Queensland, the Gulf of Carpentaria, the Northern Territory and into Western Australia as far south as the Ashburton River System. They are encountered on reefs up to 100 metres deep right up into brackish and freshwater reaches of tidal rivers.

Size: The unofficial Australian record was caught offshore from Byron Bay and is around 15kg and well over the magic 1 metre mark. Most fish encountered however are between 800grams and 3kg, although any ‘Jack’ over 1kg is a catch worth being super proud of. Very little is know about their reproductive biology, although it is thought they broadcast spawn millions of eggs into the pelagic environment from the estuaries.




Age, growth and sexual maturity: An interesting research paper was recently released on a three year study looking at the ‘Biology, management and genetic stock structure of mangrove jack in Australia’. Five scientists from Fisheries Research and Development Corporation sampled and collated data from around the country to bring out the most comprehensive study of these unique and important fish.
Their research indicated that Mangrove jacks living in the freshwater and estuary environments are juveniles and that sexual maturity is not attained until they migrate offshore. This seems to happen between three and 11 years of age. It is thought that they spawn at sea and the juveniles travel up into the freshwater reaches of coastal streams during the wet season.
Otolith growth records indicate that mangrove jack are long-living fish, with the oldest specimens at least 37 years old and possibly 40 years or more. Growth rates slow down measurably with age. The longest confirmed length of ‘Jack’ was an astounding 120cm, whilst the smallest caught throughout the project was a mere 20mm, taken at the mouth of a northern QLD river during the wet season.
The study showed that the juveniles migrate inshore during the wet season, after being spawned well offshore It was also observed that population density was at its greatest around the mouths of estuaries and decreased moving upstream. The number one habitat location for the mighty mangrove jack was found to be rock walls and bars, followed by submerged timber snags.
Throughout the study (and from other tagging data) fish were tagged and released, results from this showed that juvenile jacks are territorial, 73% of recaptures occurred less than one kilometre their capture and release location. In numerous instances individuals were recaptured in the precise location the were originally tagged in. Interestingly fish that migrated offshore are capable of traveling vast distances with the record holding individual swimming a remarkable 335km along the north Queensland coast.
Essentially all mangrove jacks caught by rec. anglers in estuaries and river systems are juveniles. It is noted that 50% of female jacks reach sexual maturity at 512mm and males at 459mm. This should be noted and considered by anglers as the QLD legal size of 350mm is well below the size at which they become adults and have the first opportunity to spawn and create stock for further generations. In NSW there is no minimum size limit, so anglers need to make there own judgement. This being said authorities feel that the current size limit allows recreational anglers to catch and ‘take’ fish from the estuaries, as the larger fish will have moved offshore. Another interesting fact is that fish from the southern reaches of the distribution grow faster than their northern counterparts, as a result larger fish are sometimes encountered within estuaries in NSW.
For the full document click on the link here; www.dpi.qld.gov.au/fishweb/7096.html




Tackle: Due to the power and aggressive nature of these fish the tackle used to specifically target them needs to be strong and capable of heavy drag settings. Overhead set-ups are generally preferred although the latest quality offerings in thread-lines would definitely stand-up to the challenge. I would recommend nothing less than 30lb braid, and a rod of six to seven foot in length capable of fishing 8-12kg of drag over. Leaders need to be heavy in order to stop the fish in it’s tracks, and I’ve noticed some gun ‘jack’ anglers using a 30cm length of 60-80 lb single strand wire connected to the lure or live-bait hook to survive the inevitable bust-offs that occur when the fish make it back to the snag. It is often said that mangrove jacks hit their prey, lure of live-bait on the way back to their nook or cranny. So you’d better hold on and be ready for action.

Eating qualities: Mangrove Jacks are amazing to eat, the flesh has tasty medallions when cooked properly. Smaller fish can be baked or steamed whole, whilst larger fish are best filleted and then pan-fried or cooked in foil with a selection of herbs. For more nutritional information click on the link; www.australianseafood.com.au/species.php?f=114&v=f


Tackle Happy – New tackle treats from the Fishing Tackle Trade show
Well Dan Burgess and myself were fortunate enough to recently travel up to the Gold Coast or GC as it is affectionately known and attend the Fishing Tackle Trade show. Unfortunately this event is only open to the industry to peruse new products on display and get their orders in for the upcoming season. It is quite an experience for a tackle junkie like myself to be let loose in an exhibition centre big enough for almost every tackle manufacturer and distributor in the country to be represented. New reels, new rods, new lures, new hook and jig head ranges, plus more accessories than you could ever hope to need. There were a number of stand-outs amongst the millions of items on display, and perhaps most notable was the huge range of squid jigs from almost ever tackle house in the world. Daiwa, Shimano, Mega-Bass, Yamashita, Yo-Zuri and on and on, so if you like your squidding stand-by for some amazing new releases – in next weeks show we will have a quick look at the new technology being packed into the not so simple design of the new breed of squid jigs.. Interesting to also have a play with were the new range of Loomis rods, whilst Shimano have released a new series of the infamous Trinidad overhead reels. Daiwa never cease to impress with a new Certate reel sure to be dynamite and a new Steez rod with a 7’10” length for those snapper anglers wanting to get a touch more cast in. On the jigging front Tuff Tackles budget jigging reel and well considered jigging riod will please anglers after a well priced robust fish stopper. I’m also excited by the arrival of Abu’s Dreadnaught series of Jig Rods, I now have two of these (the 30lb and 50lb versions) in my hands for fishing, testing and review – Standby for updates on these. Also a brand new range of threadline rods and reels from Pfleuger which I am keen to get out and test this afternoon on Sydney Snapper, the Patriach rod and reel set-up are quality super light items with modern technology delivering superior strength at a friendly price point. Other items we will review in coming weeks are Hayes Crab pots, the Squidator (new style of squid spike), Mako’s new range of polaroid sunglasses, the Seeker jig heads and a few of the recently released braid lines.









































2Dans Fishing – Radio Program 4 – Sunday 29th August 2010


Tackle Happy - How to Keep a Fishing Diary

Keeping a fishing Diary is a process that many anglers neglect, and one that at times I forget to keep up to date, especially on days when the fishing was slow. However if you really want to improve your chances of catching more fish regularly a fishing diary will help you do just that.
The basic diary records the date, the time of day you fished and the locations you fished and the fish you landed, it is also worth noting the moon phase and tides, although an old alt tells me these are the same each year (I have yet to check and see whether this is indeed the truth - anyone confirm or deny this??). If you desire to keep a more complex diary then you can also keep info like prevailing conditions, water temp, water clarity, previous days weather conditions, the bait you caught as well as used, what the air pressure was doing (barometer readings) and so on.
The aim of a fishing diary is to help you get in synch with the natural cycles that happen in the oceans and your local waters. What you will begin to identify is that everything has a natural cycle with the same species of fish turning up at the same locations at the same time of year each year. Water temps will alter this some what, and a falling or rising barometer will affect whether the fish are biting. But for the most part the calendar will help you determine what to fish for and when, so get started all you really need is an exercise book and a pen. If you want to go back over past info, pictures that are dated will help you recall dates and for memorable trips your memory will have a lot of the other info.

Boats and Bits - Evinrude E-Tec



There are many outboards on the market these days, essentially there are two categories of outboard available to the consumer. Old school 2-Stroke technology which has been around for decades. And clean technology outboards which are then divided into 2 separate categories; 4-Stroke Technology and Direct Injection 2-Stroke Technology and the latter is what we are really all about. As the name suggests Clean technology delivers a cleaner more efficient use of fuel and releases far less pollutants into the water and atmosphere.
The benefit of Direct Injection 2-Stroke technology is that in addition to giving you greater fuel economy, lower emissions of pollutants into the water and a quieter ride, they also deliver greater torque and power than the same horsepower 4-Stroke outboards and weigh less too. As a result there really is no other choice.



Envinrude E-Tec lead the direct injection 2-Stroke market today, they are easy to own and operate, require far less servicing than 4-Stroke outboards, and deliver amazing power and torque for their weight and keep up with 4-Stroke outboards when it comes to fuel efficiency and low emissions.

If you haven't been on the water with a boat powered by an E-Tec then you owe it to yourself to experience what they truly deliver.

For a review of the Evinrude E-Tec 150HO check the link below;
modernboating.com.au

or for more information for the manufacturer or to locate a dealer clink on this LINK





Thanks for checking out our blog, and remember to tune into our radio show every Sunday morning across our Fishiy nation, see below for Radio Station details in your local area.

NSW
Coffs Harbour - 2CS-FM
Port MacQuarie - 2MC-FM
Griffith 2RG-FM
Orange 2GZ-FM
Wagga Wagga - 2WG-FM
Central Coast - 2GO-FM
Albury - The River-FM

QUEENSLAND
Townsville - 4TO-FM
Cairns - SEA-FM
Gladstone - SEA-FM
Mackay - SEA-FM
Fraser Coast - MIX-FM
Sunshine Coast - MIX-FM
Darling Downs - 4GR-AM
Gold Coast - GOLD-FM

VICTORIA
Bendigo 3BO-FM
Mildura 3MA-FM
Shepparton 3SR-FM

South Australia
Mt. Gambier 5SE-AM

Tasmania
Hobart - HEART-FM

Western Australia
Albany - 6VA-AM
Bunbury 6TZ-AM
Esperance 6SE-AM
Kalgoorlie - 6KG-AM
Merridin - 6MD-AM
Narrogin - 6NA-AM
Northam 6AM-AM
Bridgetown - 6BY-AM
Busselton - 6CI-AM

2Dans Fishing – Radio Program 3 – Sunday 22nd August 2010

Fishy Fact File – Flathead – Platycephalus sp.

Flathead are indeed an interesting fish species, loved by Australian fishermen and seafood consumers alike there are a number of species that are regularly caught by line fishermen, and a whole bunch of other species which are less often encountered. Here’s a link to show you just how many species of flathead are finning Australia’s waterways http://www.fishnames.com.au/fishnames/fishnames.php?caab=37%20296002 – AMAZING! For the purposes of this Fishy Fact File let’s take a look at the ones regularly caught by anglers around Australia. These are; the Dusky Flathead of the East coast definitely the largest of the ‘lizard’ clan, the Southern Bluespotted flathead, the rock flathead, as well as the Deep- sea flathead not to be confused or Southern Sand Flathead or the Northern Sand Flathead. It is simply quiet amazing how many species of flathead there are, and what’s more amazing is that flathead are found in only a few other regions around the world. New Zealand has none, although South Africa has a few species, however through out South-East Asia there are a number of species caught and sold commercially. The great thing about these fish is that they are accessible to all anglers whether shore based or boat based and they can be caught in almost every saltwater environ across our great country, additionally no matter which ones you catch they all taste great. Just be sure that you know the correct size and bag limits for your local waterway and adhere to them.

Range and Habitat: A quick look at the range and habitat of the various species. The Dusky Flathead is encountered from about Hinchinbrook Channel down the eastern seaboard to the Gippsland Lakes of Victoria, they are mostly estuarine dwellers and can be caught in brackish waters at times. The Sand Flathead of which consist a number of species (which only Taxonomists can see the difference between) are encountered from about Coffs Harbour in mid-north NSW around the southern half of Australia to Lancelin (Just north of Perth) in WA, they are also encountered through Bass Straight and Tasmanian waters. The Sand flathead as there name suggests inhabit sand stretches of bottom from the estuaries out to 100-150metre in depth. The Bluespotted Flathead (of which there are also a number of species) Can be found from Moreton Bay (Brisbane) around to Kalbarri in WA, this species is predominantly encountered offshore.

Size: The ruler of the flathead clan is without doubt the Dusky Flathead, impressive at any size over 3kg, they are most commonly caught around the 1kg mark. Whilst the Australian record is 9.44kg, Dusky’s have reportedly been caught up to 14kg and over 1.1 metres in length – WOW. Most of the other species in the genus grow to a maximum size of 3kg, again most fish kept are between the legal size limit and 1kg.

Age: From the information available it seems that different species of flathead grow at different rates and become sexually mature at different ages – which is really not surprising.

Spawning and sexual maturity: Whilst studies have been done on many of the commercially important species of flathead, there isn’t time or space to represent all of these so lets take a look at the Dusky. Sexual maturity in Dusky Flathead occurs at different rates between the males and females, studies show that females reach sexual maturity at approx 56cm, whilst male Dusky flathead reach sexual maturity at approx 31cm. These lengths correlate to the ages with females being about 4.55 years old when reaching sexual maturity and males only 1.22 years old. The NSW size limits in place represent these findings with the minimum size being 36cm and only 1 fish over 70cm allowed to be kept. This is to protect the large breeding females which are super important to future fish stocks.
www.ecofishers.com/pdf/WF-2008_Gray-et-al_Dusky-Flathead-Final-Report.pdf



Tackle: The best tackle for fishing for flathead varies depending on where and how you intend to catch these beautiful fish. For estuary soft-plastic fishing the rods should 7-8ft in length and suited to fish 2-4kg line classes, which equates to 4 to 8lb braid depending on your preference. Basically a light estuary outfit with a size 2000-2500 spin reel is optimum. You can also fish baits with the same outfit, ensure to fish lightly weighted or unweighted baits. Fishing live baits for Dusky flathead is the way to target the big ones, either from a stationary location or anchored boat or drifting across sandy bottoms interspersed with rocks and weed-beds. If drifting in the harbours and bays, you can either fish a running sinker to a swivel with a 30-40cm trace or use paternoster style rigs. Offshore drifting for flathead is the domain of the paternoster rig, use enough weight to get to the bottom, two droppers and if your keen a lumo bead on the dropper can improve catches. Try drifting over sandy and broken reef terrain, this will work well both in estuaries and offshore. For the most part drifting flathead anglers use an overhead rod and reel set-up, although a 6-8kg threadline set-ups will also do the job. For bite sensitivity it’s best to use braid. Leaders should be between 6-20lbs depending on the size of fish you expect to encounter (and other possible by-catch) and how ‘bite-shy’ the fish are.
For more detailed info on the hooks, jig heads and soft plastics get in to your local tackle store. Or stay tuned for updates on our blog
Eating qualities: Flathead are amongst Australia’s most favourite fish to eat, they are popular in restaurants, fish and chip shops and homes nation wide. Studies indicate that recreational anglers catch more than the commercial sector, how truthful this research is (being based on assumptions and statistics) will never be known. Regardless like all fish stocks in the world, the pressure of fishing in the future is only going to get greater so consider this when catching a feed of flathead for your hungry family.

Future Fish – Fishers For Conservation
Concerned about the future of the fish in our oceans?? Want to get educated and educate your peers and friends?? Perhaps you may even want to get active, as you are hopefully aware there is plenty being done about marine conservation and sustainability, more importantly a lot more needs to be done. An organisation set-up in 2005 called Fishers For Conservation is doing something about these issues, the information provided and the education they are promoting is very important so click through this link, have a read get educated and become active. Whether you are pro Marine Parks or anti them if you want to have a point of view then you owe it to yourself to get educated.
Fishers For Conservation



On The Fishing Line – Mark from Lake Macquarie
Mark does a fair bit of fishing for Bream, but finds he’s only catching the small ones, he wants a few tips so he can catch the larger ones.
Fishing for bream is fun and can deliver a good feed, the great thing is they can be caught by both land-based and boat based anglers. Lake Macquarie is a shallow coastal lake on the Central Coast of NSW, since commercial fishing was banned in the lake the fish populations have grown in size and diversity and there are indeed great numbers of bream in the system.
The tips for catching bigger bream are as follows;
1) Use a fine misty berley to attract the fish in, most often you will notice that the small ones are first to arrive and hang in pretty close, try flicking out beyond these fish to find the warier large fish.
2) Whilst prawns and pilchards will definitely catch bream, often what is need is a tougher bait that will stay on the hook long enough and take enough battering from the small ‘pickers’ to be scoffed by the bigger bream lurking with a watchful eye. Try mullet, yellowtail or striped tuna strip baits, squid will also work well as will mullet, chicken gut and believe it or not steak.
3) Use larger hooks (Octopus or bait holder 1 and 1/0) to avoid catching so many small fish and potentially damaging them.
4) Fish the tides and the change of light (dusk or dawn) for best results.


Around the Grounds:
QUEENSLAND
Around the Hinchinbrook area there have been some catches of Permit on fly for the wily anglers in the know. Also on the chew have been smaller specimens of Barramundi in the mangrove lined creeks. It’s also a good time of year to catch mud crabs, be sure to know the size limits and always release the females in Queensland – that’s the law.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
South WA there are good numbers of Australian Salmon along the beaches
Further north from Perth to Shark Bay larger Tailor are feeding, try lures and ganged pilchards for best results.
TASMANIA
In the highland lakes region it trout time, try fishing days when the weathers warmer and there’s less wind. Either walk the shoreline and Polaroid for trout, be ready to cast wet flies just in front of the trouts path and tweek them just as they go past.
VICTORIA
Back on the coast of Victoria offshore from Warnambool to Portland the mighty Southern bluefin tuna have been around in decent numbers if you don’t have a boat there are plenty of charter operators that can get you amongst the action.
NEW SOUTH WALES


All throughout NSW waters on the wider grounds the Yellowtail Kingfish have been schooling up. Try jigging or fishing live baits on the 50-150 metre hard reefs. Up around the Coffs Coast region the snapper have been active. Further north there have been occasional catches of Cobia.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
The King Gorge whiting are in decent numbers although the weather has made it hard to get amongst them. The snapper are also active again crappy weather has kept most boats inshore. Tasty tasty fish indeed.

If you have any reports of your own that’d you would like to share with nation email us; info@2dansfishing.com.au