Unfortunately Daiwa’s after service turn around can be quite a wait, with “months” not uncommon. But as I said earlier, when it comes back they come back feeling amazing.

I guess for the average angler with at least some idea of how a reel works, the new Tournament grease by Daiwa would save the wait if you self-serviced your reels. Maybe this is just a ploy to get less reels through the allready over worked service centre? Who knows.

Either way, there has been a void of good quality greases in the fishing tackle market for some time, so its good to see something new in the range. Check it out at your local store today.

Vinnie Myers amazing Fish Art

I have known of Vinnies work for a while now and thought it was only right to give him a bit more press. Vinnie takes fish art to a whole new level. His skill, creativity and individuality sets him apart from the generic marlin and sailfish you see plastered over coffee mugs and bumper stickers.

“After visiting more than 30 countries on four continents I realized that one thing I loved to do, every where I stopped, was go fishing. I soon learned that art, travel and fishing were possible to do almost anywhere on the planet and I could work and do the things I loved at the same time…. this is where the fish illustration started and has continued ever since. While tattooing is still my trade drawing is what I love to do the most …it has been a constant with me as long as I can remember.
I am now spliting my time between tattooing , fish illustration and fishing ….a great mix and one I hope will continue for some time to come. Source http://vinniemyers.com/”

A picture is worth a thousand words so I won’t say much more, but Vinnies work is definately worth checking out and very reasonably priced.

See this and more at Vinnies online gallery at http://vinniemyers.com/section/3470_Fish_Art.html

New Daiwa Certate for 2010?

A few pics have popped up around town of the new Daiwa Certate and in particular the 2500 model. More news as it comes available, but here’s some pics to keep you entertained.

Fishing Perth After Dark

Some anglers are lucky enough to have flexible working hours. Pick and choose their rostered days, Wet a line when the weather is fine. But for most of us it’s the 9 to 5 work week followed by terrible weekend weather and packed boat ramps. There is a way around all this. Fishing after dark.

The hours around sunset and just after dark can be some of the most productive times to fish. Not only are the fish biting, you get the advantage of a boat ramp to yourself. Depsite popular belief winter brings some fantastic weather boating wise. If you can put up with the winter chill, the low winds and low swell that come with winter provide perfect fishing conditions.

There are a few tips that make for a safe and successful night fishing session. The point I want to emphasise most is safety first. Yes, it sounds cliché but do not attempt to go night fishing unless you are 100% confident in your boating skills.

It does not take much to get qualified with enough skills to be able to safely fish after dark. Infact most skippers that have completed the RST course should possess the skills to venture into the night. So if you are at all unsure on your skills, its best sit a simple night course and brush up at one of your local RST providers.

Knowledge of Cardinal markers and Navigation lights is crucial when heading out to sea. There are fixed obstacles such as reef and rock standing in your way that are impossible to see. These obstacles are marked clearly by the DPI with navigation markers. These markers tell you what side to pass them on for a safe journey.

It’s not only the fixed obstacles you have to keep an eye out for. Cray pot floats are your next worst enemy as these are extremely hard to see. Your best bet is to have someone keeping a keen eye on whats in your path for the duration of the journey. GPS navigation systems will tell you the markers, reefs and other possible danger zones but cray pots are very unpredictable. Slow and steady wins the race for night fishing.

So after all that and you arrive at your destination in one piece, it is time to start fishing. Depending on what style of fishing you prefer, you will either anchor or drift. I personally prefer anchoring and getting a good burley trail going.

Burley trails work as good, if not better at night time and can attract a whole array of species. Ideally a mixture of chook/berley pellets, chopped up mulies and fish oil works the best. There is premade burley mixes such as Shorestrike, RJays and the ever popular “Spess’s Berley” but I prefer to make my own.
Keep the mulie pieces size down to a minimum. If the pieces are too big the berley will take too long to get to the bottom and fill up the fish you are trying to hook! Floating mulies out in a burley trail works amazingly well. The fish come up the trail nibbling on the small bits of berley and the minute they see a bigger bait they will smash it in no time at all.

While at anchor, you must always have a white light that is viewable from 360 degrees around the boat , so passers by can easily indentify a boat at anchor. Most off-the-shelf lights for this purpose are relatively dull but having a bright light not only makes it easy to spot you, it attracts fish too.

A bright spot like coming off the back of the boat is a major attractant for the likes of Squid, Baitfish such as yellowtail, snook etc and occasionally sharks. A bright light also has the added advantage of making it a lot easier to re-bait etc. LED Decklights will help you avoid treading on baits or worse, hooks.

Headlamps are also a handy feature that I would not go night fishing with out and you can pick up a basic one from Bunnings or Tacklestores for about twenty bucks. If you want to keep all your digits, a good set of long nosed pliers doesn’t go astray either as the sharks do like to come out to play at night.

Suprisingly enough Softplastics DO work at night. Fish have amazing eye sight even once the sun has gone down. I would still suggest anchor and burley as the best technique, but once the fish are around the plastics will do the damage. Try the 110mm or 140mm Squidgy Flickbaits in Pilly colour, 5” Gulp Jerk Shads or 5”Snapback Jerkbaits.

If drift fishing is more your thing then there is a few tricks that will give you that added advantage. Adding a few lumo beads just above your hook can add that bit extra brightness to get a fishes attention. The B2 Lumo glow squids work similarly, these aren’t cheap but do glow a lot brighter than the cheap imitations.

There are a lot of gimmicks out there claiming to be the latest and greatest scents or bait enhancers, but there are two I have found work well for me. The first is old faithful Chumline, smells like a dogs breakfast but catches fish like no tomorrow. The second is Stimulate Ultrabite in a can. This triggers the fishes attacking reflex. I’ll admit I was sceptical at first but Stimulate does catch fish.

I do find that often after dark fish will bite very sporadically. They may be all on for an hour and then nothing the rest of the night. Best bet is to get out there with the last bit of sunlight and return in following your GPS track before your too tired. It is not uncommon to be back at the ramp by 9pm with dinner in the esky.

So if your finding it hard to get time to fish around the 9 till 5 week, night fishing is a great option. Providing you take all the right safety precautions and are well prepared, fishing after dark can reap some mighty fine rewards.

Good Fishing,
Josh.

Waterbuoy - Keep those key’s afloat

There’s no bigger buzz kill than losing your keys overboard while on the water. And trust me, I know from experience how painfully inconvenient this can be(Allthough thankyou RAC!).

This is where Seatreivers “Water Buoy” comes in to play. This simple yet ingenious deveice is a self activating miniature floatation device. Basically when it hits the water, the airbag inflates bringing your key’s back to the surface.

But not only is this keep it afloat, an LED light beacon makes it visible for up to 250 meters in the dark. Despite its small appearance it can hold up to 1kg of weight safely afloat.

With the replacement cost of a lot of car keys these days coming up to a few hundred dollars, this is a worth while investment financially and for peace of mind. At ~$20 this is a must have product for any fishermen.

Gillies Pro-Fish Grip

Gillies have released a Pro-Fish grip for the 2009 summer season. With its Japanese styling and funky colours, it certainly looks the part.

Made out of high grade marine aluminium, saltwater resistant anodizing and finished off with a comfortable EVA grip. Not to mention the built in 30lb scales and drag checker, the Gillies Pro-fish grip seems at a glance to be the complete package. Even the price is alot more reasonable than its authentic japanese counter parts, with a RRP of around $120AUD.

Unfortunately while all this sounds great, you do compromise on quality at this price. They seem to feel rather tight to open and even once they are open the claws don’t tend to bite down that securely. They also do not feel anywhere near as well built as there competition.

Sure you might have to pay a bit more, but personally lip grips are a great tool for any fisho. If you invest in one its well worth spending that bit extra to get good quality. Maybe not as stylish as Gillies, the Shimano Fish Grips are not much more than the Gillies and a lot better built.

And then of course there’s Boga Grips. A lot of people have tried, but I’m still yet to find something that works so well and handles the rough and tumble a fisherman gives it on a day to day basis.

The Gillies Grip is great for anglers who aren’t looking to spend the earth. For this price you wont find a grip with these kind of features anywhere else. But if you can save those few extra dollars, it may just be worth the wait to invest in something that will last you a lifetime.

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