Friday, March 30, 2012

190 Year Old Fishing Record Smashed

Many fishermen lament that the fish just aren't as big or as prolific as in the old days, and the fact that some records have stood for years seems to give proof to that.  And of course there's heaps of scientific evidence supporting fisher's concerns. Some also had their doubts about the accuracy of very old records, as perhaps the conversion from old measurements to new, advances in measuring equipment and  the fact that we are lot less inclined to trust another's word as to how big the fish actually was then perhaps gentlemen did in the old days all could have an impact.

Man Catches Record Pike after 190 Years

In the face of all that, it's great to hear of the English Fisherman who brought down a 190 year old pike record near  Scarborough, England.

Andy O'Connor a 20 year old novice fisherman landed a 46 lb pike earlier this week. The pike – nicknamed the Wykeham Whacke,   equalled the record that was set in 1822 by CF Gifford in Brewood, Staffordshire.


A spokesman from the Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain, told the media that  ‘Andy has set the equal record for the biggest pike caught in England. " A record set 190 years ago by CF Gifford in Brewood, England. ‘Obviously the 1822 catch can’t be authenticated, unlike Andy’s, but the story of it has stood the test of time.’ However Mr O’Connor’s catch is still 13oz off the current British record which was set by Roy Lewis in Llandegfedd, Wales, in 1992.

Read more of this very large Pike catch in the UK press: Click here .

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

This fish has SHARP teeth!

In fact, university researchers claim that they have identified the fish with the sharpest teeth ever recorded! The good news is that you're unlikely to land one because it's apparently been extinct for about 500 Million years!

According to a team of scientists from Monash University and the University of Bristol fish called Conodonts, a group that first appeared around 500 million years ago, were easily able to bite through the animal’s food despite measuring only a millimeter in length.

The fragile nature of the tiny fossil remains of animals that died out more than 200 million years ago meant scientists had to create virtual 3D models of the material using x-rays from a particle accelerator in Japan before they could conduct thorough research.

“Evidence suggested the conodonts were the first vertebrates to develop teeth,” said Dr. Alistair Evans of Monash University’s School of Biological Sciences, a co-author on the study. “Conodonts had no other skeleton than the teeth in their mouths. These came together a bit like scissors, to slice up food.”

Read more about the sharpest fish teeth ever here.

Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show Huge Success

Big Crowds and Big Bargains for Brisbane Boaties
The crowds were out at the Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show and while this made parking a bit of an issue, it was clear that the 36,469 attendees were having a great time!


Marine Queensland’s events manager, Jason Plant, said the higher attendance figures reflected the interest and passion of Queenslanders in all things relating to the outdoors.“This year marked the Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show’s 10th anniversary and it was rewarding to mark the milestone with a successful show result,” Plant said.


It was fantastic to see even more exhibitors this year and some of the "boat show specials" were really impressive. The Fishing Expo Stage always had something going on of interest and the line for autographs from Paul Worsteling from TV's iFish showed that most of the crowd really loved their fishing!

The Yamaha Supertank with Brett "Thomo" Thompson gets the crowds whereever it appears and this year's Tinny and Tackle Show was no exception. His simple but useful tips on lure fishing coupled with his natural showmanship means that this is a crowd pleaser every time! I'm sure it also sold quite a few of his $20 lures!

Many of the mums and dads we spoke to particularly loved the 4BC Kids Marine Zone. Who doesn't love the idea of dropping off the kids for an hour or so for well supervised and interactive fishing based entertainment, giving mum and dad a chance to look around the show at leasure? A great idea and a compliment to both Marine Qld,  the organisers of the show and the operators of the Kids Marine Zone itself, 2 Bent Rods.

Dates for the 2013 Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show and National 4x4 and Outdoors Expo will be announced shortly.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Small Kid Catches Big Barra

Stories abounded last month that a small girl had caught a big barramundi in North Queensland, and it appears that tyke Charlotte Muller may have a world record on her hands!

Aussie Girl Catches Big Barramundi
Caught on Feb 18 at Lake Tinaroo (Atherton Tablelands, FNQ) after a 35 minute battle this big Barra weighed in at 25 kg (55lbs). Charlotte's big barra catch is currently being considered by the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) as a possible record catch for a child aged 10 years or younger.

The Current IGFA record for a Barramundi is 45 kg (98 lbs) and the current record for a Barramundi caught by a child is 12 kg (26 lbs).

Friday, March 23, 2012

2012 Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show


The 2012 Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show and National 4x4 and Outdoors Expo has started and runs all week end until 5pm Sunday.

The Tinnie and Tackle show is at the RNA Showgrounds. Entry is $15 for adults, $10 for students and children under 15 are free and for the first time, there will be a free train loop service running across the weekend between Roma St, Central and Fortitude Valley stations.

Visitors to the show will also have the chance to win an Isuzu D-Max Ute. All you have to do is fill out the entry form in the Courier Mail and deposit it at the Tinnie and Tackle Show.

For a preview of what's in store, take a look at this short video from Creek to Coast:




For more information on the 2012 Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show and National 4x4 and Outdoors Expo visit  www.tinnieandtackle.com.au and www.4x4show.com.au

Monday, March 19, 2012

Hervey Bay Long Tail and Mac Tuna

The team from Fraser Coast Sportfishing have a well earned reputation for some of the best fly and lure fishing in the Hervey Bay Region. Check out their latest video where the guys go after Long Tail and Mac Tuna and take on the big Queenfish with a bit of sight casting.







About Paul Dolan and Fraser Coast Sport Fishing: Paul Dolan has been Fly and lure fishing the region since 1994 in both the fresh and salt water. Fly fishing is Paul's real passion since being introduced to the sport in 1990. Over this time he has become highly respected by his peers and seen as an innovator in the sport who is always willing to share his information and success.
Paul has in the past been active within the fishing competition scene with noted successes including two top 3 finishes in the Bass Pro grand finals. Champion Angler/Champion team at the 2001 Moreton Bay Long Tail Tuna World Fly-Fishing Challenge, as well as Champion Angler at the Borumba Dam Saratoga Fly fishing Championships. A day on the water with Paul is only going to increase your fishing knowledge.

For more information, visit www.frasercoastsportfishing.com 

Friday, March 16, 2012

Catching Barra on the Fly in CQ

Guest contributor Rhett Thorne from Mad Keen Yak Angling  tries his hand for Barra on the fly!



A few flies and my Okuma Fly Box
After watching Rob Paxevanos, presenter of Fishing Australia, fly fishing for species like trout in Tasmania, then flying for permit in the tropics, I knew at once that I had to try it out for myself. Gear is the first thing you need to think about which varies depending on what type of fishing you will be doing.
I bought the Okuma Airframe 7/9 weight reel and an Okuma Airframe 9ft rod to match with target species like queenfish, giant herring, barramundi, cod and milkfish in mind. After practicing my casts in the backyard I quickly became confident that this would become a very intriguing hobby.
On a Friday afternoon, after finishing school and playing squash with my mates, I bought a pack of flies from BCF and headed down to the local estuary system. Without having any tapered leader or tippets, I tied 8ft of 20lb fluro-carbon leader onto my floating fly line using a nail knot, then my chosen fly onto the leader with a small loop knot.
The loop knot attaching my leader to the fly proved to be quite effective
The sun was setting by the time I arrived at the narrow creek of the estuary. I began making casts over the sandy banks with a pink head white fly. I slowly twitched it in. The longer I stayed the harder it was to cast, becoming dark quite fast. I hadn’t planned to get there so late, as result didn’t bring a head torch.
By dark I couldn’t even see the fly line on the casts, instead listening to the line whistling through the air to predict my timing and distance.. I decided to cut my loss and have one last cast before for calling it a day. About half way along the bank the line stopped as if it hit a wall. Holding my breath, hoping it wasn’t just a rock, I gave it a slight tug then it took off. The line disappeared through my fingers and into the darkness. The biggest surprise is the 1:1 ratio of a fly reel which is quite different to my spin gear. Also having to palm the spool was the most important thing for me.
This lovely barra fell for the little white and pink fly.
In no time I was well into my backing, probably because I did not keep enough tension, while slipping over rocks, trying to lead the fish into the open sandy bank section.  Finally I gained most of my line, by palming the reel while lifting the rod, then reeling in while lowering the rod. When the fish finally gave in I beached it onto the sand. To my surprise it was a barra, not a queenfish as I expected due to its sheer speed.

My first fish on a fly 58cm Barra
The barramundi, my first ever fish on a fly, measured 58cm in length. It really shows how persistence pays off, especially on that one last cast.



Words and Pics: Rhett Thorne - reproduced with permission. Read more from Rhett's at Mad Keen Yak Angling. 

Saturday, March 10, 2012

They Can Surf But Can They Fish?

Our friends at VetShopAustralia.com.au have hit on a novel idea, Australia's first surfing dog contest! Staring in the VetShopAustralia.com.au Surfing Dog Spectacular will be an awesome board-er collie called Lani showing how she hangs ten with style and grace. [Ed: "Board-er Collie"! What a dreadful pun!] You can check out the video here:






Ok, so everyone loves Aussie dogs that surf, but can they fish?

Friday, March 2, 2012

Magellan eXplorist 610 review


We here at Fishmax have been playing with a hand held GPS unit, the Magellan eXplorist 610. But to call the 610 just a handheld GPS is doing this unit a bit of a disservice. This unit is the Swiss army knife of the handhelds. As well as high-sensitivity sat-nav, the 610 has an in-built 3.2 mega-pixel camera, a 3 axis electronic compass, a barometric altimeter, 2D and 3D topographical maps, complete road maps for the United States, Canada, Western Europe and Australia, geocaching, geotagging, media playing and tracking. Yep, there is certainly a lot packed into this rugged little unit!

The unit is quite easy to use straight out of the box. Driving it is via the 3 inch, sunlight readable touch screen. The menu is intuitive, but because of the numerous features, to get the most out of the eXplorist 610 you should sit down for a few hours with easy to read user manual. Not something most fishermen are good at!

The eXplorist 610 is quite large and a bit weighty because of its hard shell and shape. But it does give you the confidence that it can take a knock or two without any problem. As a plus to fishermen this unit it waterproof and will survive a dunking. A large loop at one end makes for easy attachment to a strap.

The unit runs on 2 AA batteries which will last up to 16 hours under normal conditions. One thing we noticed was that the GPS locks onto satellites instantly. No waiting around like some of the cheaper handheld units.

At the recommended retail price of $699 it is a bit more than most fishermen would want to pay for a backup unit for a boat, but for some this would be the ideal unit. If you’re into getting off the beaten track, into hiking, mountain biking or geocaching, kayak fishing, fishing remote streams and rivers or exploring this great country of ours, then this could be the unit for you!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Tinnie and Tackle Show 2012 Brisbane


Last year more than 35,000 people visited the Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show and the 2012 show is shaping up to be even bigger. Best of all thanks to Marine Queensland we've got 25 double passes to give away!

At the Brisbane Tinnie Tackle Show there's heaps to do for both the kiddies and the grown ups. Make sure you check out the Fishing Expo stage on Saturday and Sunday, hosted by Paul Worsteling from TV's iFish! 

Something we love is that again this year is that the show will  co-locate at the RNA Showgrounds with the National 4x4 & Outdoors show giving you the best of everything to do with the outdoors! 

The details are below, but if you'd like a free ticket to the Show, send us an email at comps@fishmax.com.au and we'll choose 25 lucky winners who'll receive a double adult pass. Kids under 15 are free so why not take the whole family?

2012 Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show

Adults $15
Concession $10
Students $10
Kids Under 15 FREE



Venue
RNA Showgrounds
Fortitude Valley, Brisbane



2012 Show Dates

Fri 23 - Sun 25 March 2012


Opening Times

Fri 9am - 6pm
Sat 9am - 6pm
Sun 9am - 5pm