Growing up in the 80s as a super keen fishing kid from northern NSW, I gorged on VHS videos featuring the late Mal Florence’s exploits in some mystical place called North Queensland. Massive GT’s, brutal red bass and immense coral trout were wrestled out of crystal clear water against a backdrop of coral reefs so…
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I pen this article at the back end of what has been the best weather window I can ever remember. There was not a breath of wind and well below 5 knots each day but it was more about the eight or nine consecutive days of this. Not at any stage did it blow up…
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I’ve been on plenty of boats in my four decades of fishing, but I don’t proclaim myself to be a ‘boating expert’, which in my view has its advantages. You’ll be getting a raw, simplified and honest review of my own experience on the Edencraft 565, which made its way to Manly harbour from the…
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When the fabulous crew from the Australian Marine Centre in Slacks Creek invited me to have some fun in the awesome 6.0 metre Edencraft Offshore it took only a microsecond to hold up my hand! A date and time was agreed upon and the event couldn’t come quick enough as far as I was concerned!…
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Scott squeezed the car topper between a bunch of snags extending from both banks. The small creek, running southwards off the mighty Wenlock River, looked incredibly fishy in the early morning light, but so far had only produced interest from a couple of pesky archer fish. As I worked my Zerek live mullet through the…
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Do you head out fishing with a clear plan? I know I used to. I would look at wind, wave direction and tides, choose my target species and devise a plan for my day on the water. The problem with such planning is that I wouldn’t allow much adaptation. As an example, if I plan…
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One of the biggest advantages hardbody lures have over soft plastics is the ability to suspend. Being able to wind a lure down to a desired depth and get it to sit right in the face of a fish is very hard to beat. Barra in particular are an absolute sucker for a suspended lure…
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Following the demand by UNESCO and the ICUN to the QLD Government to ban all net fishing north of Cooktown (Fish and Boat issue August 2023), Fisheries Minister, Mark Furner, announced that a new ‘working’ group has been created to ‘maximise’ fish tourism revue streams for Cape York communities. The11-member group is a non-statutory advisory…
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When most anglers are using their sounders to find fishable offshore ground, they commonly look for signs of changes in the bottom, structure, and even signs of bait and fish. What many don’t often consider is the hardness of bottom they are exploring. More commonly referred to as bottom hardness or seabed composition, what…
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Over the June-July holidays I was lucky enough to visit the Great Sandy Strait in all of its glory. The Great Sandy Straits is located on the western side of Fraser Island. There is some great fishing and some of the best views and scenery in the world, not to mention some isolated anchorages. We…
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Not that long ago, I was checking out one of the local garage sales when I stumbled across a small plastic dingy for sale. Even though I wasn’t really looking for another boat at the time, I couldn’t help but think of all the relatively untouched waterways such a small craft might open up, so…
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As the water temperatures start to cool and the currents start to slow, the offshore reef fishing starts to fire up. 1770, more specifically the Bunker Group, is a great and diverse area that offers some of the best reef fishing ground on the East Coast of Australia with ease of accessibility. Due to its…
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There’s a lot to like about open fibre glass boats. First, they offer the perfect fishing and spearfishing platform, with huge amounts of deck space and large spacious casting decks. In terms of a sports fishing platform such as casting up on the reef flats or popping for GTs they offer virtually no restrictions to…
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A name synonymous with Australian boat design and manufacture, the Stessl family were destined for success, with the Makocraft brand being no exception. All Australian owned and operated by Tim and his wife Sally, Makocraft is the result of over 47 years of boat design and construction across several familiar brands. With its current operation…
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Late last year, I had the opportunity to review the Island Reef 17 brought to you by the reputable and world-class stable at Sportsman boats. It is fair to say that at that time, the range of fibre-glass saltwater fishing and pleasure boats built in Australia had just been bolstered by the addition of this…
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I started the Boomer All Terrain Anchor journey in 2005 when we lost two anchors in quick succession. We got snagged on the same reef twice and had to cut the rope and leave our anchors, chains and about 40 metres of rope behind each time. One anchor was a grapnel style bent prong version…
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I’ve always maintained that ‘every boat is a compromise’. In saying this, what is meant is that you can never really get everything you want or need in the one boat. There’s always things like additional room and comfort, more fishing space, more storage, a longer or shorter boat, etc. With all this in mind,…
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If you have built, modified, or imported a boat after September 2006, then you are legally required to have a compliant Australian Builder’s Plate. Or if you’re a boat owner seeking to upgrade your engine or getting your vessel re-rated for a larger capacity, the KPS Maritime team can advise whether these changes are achievable…
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The team at the iconic Australian boat manufacturer Quintrex is set to release five reinvigorated models in the near future. The Fishabout, Top Ender, Cruiseabout, Ocean Spirit and Hornet have all been remodelled, rebadged and will hit the water in June! I had the pleasure of testing a few models on a cool and blustery…
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Buying a used “big boat” usually follows a reasonably standard path. The due diligence involved in the pre-purchase inspections, the negotiations if the inspections are acceptable, the transfer of money and required documents and the delivery to the new home. What then follows depends on a few things. The age of the vessel and state…
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