In the opinion of many anglers (myself included), “sight-fishing” is the most exciting form of fishing ever devised. Seeing your prey before you make a cast and then watching its reactions to your bait, lure or fly lifts fishing to another level altogether, and really ratchets up the “hunting” aspects of our wonderful pastime… It’s also highly addictive! Whether you prefer to use natural baits, lures or artificial flies, I believe that there’s simply no bigger thrill in the whole wide world of fishing than sneakily stalking your visible prey, carefully placing your offering in front of it and watching what happens next. I defy anyone not to hold their breath and tense every muscle in their body with delicious anticipation as that target fish closes in on the trap you’ve just set. It matters little whether it’s a beautiful, wild brown trout tailing in the margin of a shallow lake, a fat, blue-nosed bream mooching under an estuary snag, a lumpy golden trevally hunting across a tropical sand flat… or even a stinky old carp mooching through the shallow margins of an outback dam! Time seems to slow and stretch as the seconds tick agonisingly by. Will the fish eat, or will it spook away in alarm at the last moment? For better or worse, once you’ve tasted the sheer delights of sight fishing, “blind casting”, “prospecting” or “flogging the water” will always be a distant second best. THREE KEYS TO SUCCESS NOTE: To read the rest of this blog, you must be a member of “Starlo’s Inner Circle” of Fishotopia.com. To discover all the benefits of belonging and find out how to sign up, simply click...

With the growing interest these days in fly fishing — especially in saltwater — I thought I’d have a close look at one of the more readily available estuarine and inshore species, and one that represents an ideal starting point for a bit of “swoffing”. That fish is the humble flathead. But first, a few thoughts on fly-fishing in general: WHAT IS FLY FISHING? Fly-fishing has a reputation for being a mysterious and difficult art, mostly practiced by crusty, pipe-smoking old toffs in tweed jackets resplendent with leather elbow patches… But the times have indeed changed! These days, fly-fishing has largely been de-mystified, and it’s also no longer solely about catching trout… nor even fishing only in freshwater. The biggest trick to breaking down any remaining misconceptions surrounding fly fishing is to accept that it’s really no more than a specialised form of lure fishing, in which the “lure” is too light or too wind resistant to be cast any serious distance using conventional spinning or baitcaster tackle… Simple as that! Flies are just artificial baits, exactly like any other lure. However, being made from fur, fibres, tinsel and feathers lashed to a hook with thread, they’re virtually weightless. This presents a challenge from the casting perspective. Through the centuries, that challenge has been overcome by incorporating the necessary casting weight into the line instead of the lure. So, a fly line is effectively no more or less than a long, skinny sinker or float! Its weight or mass is used to deliver that lightweight lure to a fish. The best way to throw such a long, skinny casting weight is to swish it back and forth through the air in order to form a travelling loop that can be extended and then unfurled...

Most anglers love catching a new species, and that thrill is magnified when it’s a rare or unusual variety, such as the stunningly-marked, hard-fighting tiger trout. While I was in Tasmania last November shooting a couple of episodes of my new “A Fisherman’s Life” television series (exclusive to Fishflicks.tv), I was lucky enough to re-visit one of my favourite private trout fisheries: 28 Gates Luxury Farmstay, not too far out of Gretna, in the beautiful Derwent Valley. I completely understand that people have mixed views about private, pay-to-fish establishments of this sort. However, in my opinion, they have an important part to play in the bigger picture, right alongside completely “wild” fisheries, those supplemented by occasional re-stocking, and public put-and-take waters. Each has its own special charms and challenges. Classy private fisheries such as 28 Gates and my other Tassie favourite — Currawong Lakes, south east of Campbell Town — closely resemble natural fisheries, but with limited access and controlled angling pressure. Their resident fish behave very much like “wild” trout and are rarely a push-over to catch. As a result, these establishments offer an experience that’s far removed from shooting fish in a barrel. Frankly, they can be as tricky as any other venue. The other attraction such private operations can potentially offer is access to fish that might not be widely available in public waters… such as tiger trout! I was very excited to hear that a small number of tigers had been stocked into one of the lovely lakes at 28 Gates, and I secretly hoped that I might cross paths with one of these fascinating critters. Those who’ve seen the second episode of my “A Fisherman’s Life” series on Fishflicks will know that this dream eventually became a reality on...

In this fourth part of my ongoing blog series about our new Beastmaster Boats Snubby 500 rig, I reveal the “vital statistics” of the boat and share a few recent images of it in action. If you’d like to read Part 1, click here. For Part 2, click here. And for Part 3, click here. Also, don’t forget that you can watch a short video of the boat’s maiden voyage right here. Okay, down to business!   VITAL STATISTICS: BEASTMASTER SNUBBY 500* LENGTH: 5.0 metres (16′ 6″) BEAM: 1.98 metres (6′ 6″) HULL DEPTH: 0.76 metres (2′ 6″) HULL SIDES: 0.57 metres (1′ 11″) DRAFT: 0.26 metres (10″) DRY HULL WEIGHT: approx. 375 kilos (827 lb) * Explanatory Notes: Measurements quoted are generally to within a few millimetres and all conversions to imperial have been rounded up or down to nearest inch or pound. Hull Depth refers to the maximum depth from gunwale tops/coamings to the deepest part of hull. Hull Sides are flat sides from coamings to chines. Draft (vertical distance between the waterline and deepest part of keel) is an approximate figure (+/- 10%) for the unladen hull and will depend on weight added, load distribution, salinity of water, etc. For this reason, the draft shown should be regarded as a minimum under ideal conditions. Dry Hull Weight is an approximate figure (+/- 10%) and obviously does not include motor, batteries, fuel, electronics, safety gear and other equipment. Next time we’ll have a look at the Yamaha F70A four-stroke outboard fitted to the Snubby, along with the MotorGuide Xi5 bow-mounted electric trolling motor, Lowrance electronics and various other fittings. Until then, tight lines… and meanwhile, here are a few more images of the rig in action:   For more, follow me on...

For many years, the lightest fly rods I owned were #5 weights. It’s only in the last few seasons that I’ve added a couple of #4s to my arsenal, specifically for smaller water trout work and ultra-light saltwater shenanigans on the likes of mullet and garfish. But I had to admit that there were times when I lusted after an even lighter “twig”, especially to wave at wee trout in tight streams. During my last visit to Tasmania I spent a couple of enjoyable creek sessions throwing minuscule dries off a diminutive #2 or #3 weight (to be honest, I can’t remember exactly which weight, nor what brand it was). This rod came from the collection of affable fishing guide, Roger Butler of Red Tag Trout Tours. Once I got my head around using this soft, short little noodle of a rod (it was just under the 7 foot mark, from memory), I really enjoyed it. Much to Roger’s amusement, I continued to disparagingly refer to that particular twig as “Arthur Rod” (as in “half-a rod”), but he had trouble prying it out of my grip at the end of the day… There’s something about these super light sticks that makes you grin. Recently, I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow a #3-weight Airflo Creek Series rod from David Anderson of twigwater.com (a wonderful on-line resource for those smitten with the featherweight fly bug). David reviewed this delightful little 7′ 6″ rod here on his Twigwater site, and he has done a much better job of describing it than I could ever hope to. I strongly urge you to not only read that review and check out the rest of the site, but also to subscribe to David’s free monthly newsletter, and...

He’d been lying there, wide awake, for at least an hour when the bedside alarm finally sounded its shrill, electronic squawk. Out in the darkened driveway, the boat was fuelled and hooked to the car, every item of gear meticulously organised and packed from the night before. The weather report was benevolent and he knew the fish were biting. But a heavy weight pressed down on the man’s chest, while dense, black clouds swirled endlessly inside his head. Every thought that careened through his seething brain was a negative one, every perceived outcome a disappointment or total disaster. Minutes ticked by, dragging into another hour, and the eastern sky began to lighten perceptibly as he wrestled with his inner demons, drowning in those fathomless clouds of swirling darkness. For the hundredth time since waking, he turned fitfully from one side to the other, now drawing his knees up toward his chest as he attempted to curl into a tight, defensive ball. Kookaburras began laughing raucously on the power poles right outside the window. It seemed as if they were mocking and jeering his weakness. The man squeezed his eyes more tightly shut, but the boiling clouds of blackness still filled his head. He wouldn’t fish today… He might not even get out of bed. What was the point? What was the point of anything? Depression… Society’s reaction to that three-syllable word has shifted dramatically in just a few generations. For our grandparents, it triggered memories of a period of unprecedented financial hardship sandwiched between the great wars of the 20th century. For them, the notion of depression as a mental state or even an illness was less familiar. Everyone experienced sadness or stress in their lives, but they were expected to “get over it”....

Here’s a fantastic new option for mainland anglers planning a Tasmanian fishing trip! The acronym “FIFO” stands for fly-in, fly-out and is most often used in relation to remote mining operations employing workers who fly to the site to commence their week or fortnight of shifts, then fly home afterwards for a break with their families. However, with the advent of fully-equipped “turn-key” hire packages of vehicles and boats, the FIFO concept now has genuine relevance in fishing circles as well! In late spring 2015, my wife Jo and I took advantage of exactly such a business that’s now operating on the island state of Tasmania. The brainchild of Ulverstone tackle shop proprietor, Clinton Howe, Tassie Boat Hire kicked off in mid-2015 offering a single boat rig and 4WD vehicle, but has already begun expanding with the addition of new hire packages. Jo and I were picked up from Launceston airport upon our arrival by Clinton in his first full rig: a 420 Quintrex Renegade towed by a 2011 model Mitsubishi Triton dual cab ute. Clinton drove to a nearby service centre to run us through the rig and complete the necessary paperwork, and then we were off under our own steam for a wonderful week in the Central Highlands chasing Tasmania’s famous wild trout on fly. From the outset, Jo and I were totally blown away by Clinton’s professionalism and the incredibly high standard of every component of the hire gear, from vehicle, boat and trailer to the smaller but equally important stuff like safety gear, battery charger, drift drogue (sea anchor), marine radio and on-board electronics. Everything worked exactly as it was meant to! Tassie Boat Hire’s 420 Quintrex Renegade is powered by a 40HP Evinrude 2-stroke motor on the stern, has...

Source: Fix.com

North American-based “The New Fly Fisher” on-line magazine has given my latest feature on fly fishing for Aussie bread and butter species in our southern estuaries a wonderful and unprecedented 20-page run in their latest issue! It’s a real honour to be able to introduce fish such as bream, flathead and luderick to a huge international audience of dedicated fly fishers… This is definitely one of the best on-line fly mags I’ve ever seen. You can subscribe for free or have a preview look here with just a few clicks:...

Fancy joining us on a fly fishing jaunt to NZ? Enjoy 6 nights of 5 star accommodation, all meals and some of the best sight-casting for browns that you’ll find anywhere. FIND OUT MORE here…

For those who missed it. I’ve attached my recent feature on catching big bream on flies from “Barra, Bass & Bream Digest” magazine. And in case the text from the magazine layouts is too small to read on your screen or in this format, I’ve also included the straight text at the bottom of this blog post. Also, if you’d like to find out how to purchase or subscribe to “Barra, Bass & Bream” on-line, go to: http://www.nafa.com.au/ Big Bream On Fly The Ultimate Challenge? What’s the ultimate prize in modern day barra, bass and bream fishing? Catching a metre-plus ’mundi on a surface lure and light tackle? Landing a 60 cm wild bass from a kayak? Pulling a 2 kg bream onto a wave-washed rock ledge in the middle of the night? Starlo rates all of those milestones, but reckons there’s another one that presents even more of a challenge. In his opinion, mastering big bream on fly is the toughest (and perhaps the most rewarding) game in town… Read on and see if you agree! The average, weekend angler no doubt struggles to understand why some of us might actually choose to make our fishing any harder than it needs to be. For many hopefuls, simply catching a feed of fish is a daunting enough prospect, without deliberately adding extra layers of difficulty to the process. Yet, as with any endeavour, those who are seriously engrossed in their passion and spend a lot of time pursuing it eventually look for extra layers of challenge: new peaks to scale and higher marks to attain. In preparing to write this feature, I spent considerable time pondering the bigger challenges fishing has presented me with over the years. In my late teens and early 20s,...

I’m really proud to have had my work published in a fantastic on-line “e-zine” called “The New Fly Fisher”. While it’s based in Canada and devoted in large part to North Americanj fly fishing species and locations, “The New Fly Fisher” also carries international features (such as mine on catrching barra and saratoga), along with lots of great gear, technique and fly tying information. It’s loaded with video clips, too! But, best of all, subscription to this wonderful quarterly mag’ is completely and utterly FREE! All you have to do is register here (by clicking on the ‘subscribe now’ tab at top of their home page). Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive an e-mail notification and link each time a new issue comes out. If you’re into fly fishing, fresh or salt, I guarantee you’ll get a lot from following this electronic publication. But even if you’re not a fly fisho, I reckon you’ll really enjoy the photos and videos! Check it out… I guarantee you won’t be disappointed! Anyway, I’ll leave you with a few random spreads from my first feature for “The New Fly Fisher”…...

Welcome to the first instalment of my “Back To Basics” series of blogs. These blogs are derived from my ongoing series of columns in the Australian Fishing Monthly group of magazines (QLD Fishing Monthly, NSW Fishing Monthly and VIC Fishing Monthly). Publication of these blogs will lag several months behind their first appearance in those great magazines so, if you want to jump ahead at any stage, just grab the latest copy! However, the appearance of these columns as blogs also recognises the fact that many people live outside the areas covered by those publications, or may wish to catch up with previous columns that they missed in print. As the category name of this blog series implies, it’s all about the fundamental building blocks of our sport, but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s intended purely for beginners… far from it! Lots of experienced anglers could definitely benefit from re-visiting some of these basics, and I’d like to think that even the guns of the sport may pick up a gem or two from reading these columns. In coming blogs within the “Back To Basics” category, we’ll tackle subjects like filling and top-shotting your reels with line, selecting and adding leaders, setting your drag, hooking, fighting and landing fish, handling the catch, improving your casting, putting baits on the hook properly, “working” and tuning lures, organising and maintaining your gear and a whole bunch more. However, if there’s something you’d specifically like to see covered, please leave a comment here under the blog and tell me. You can also reach me through my StarloFishing page on Facebook. This time, I want to kick off with an aspect of  tackle preparation that’s glossed over in many how-to books and DVDs, but which is critical to...

In mid-June, 2012, I was lucky enough to capture (on fly!) what may well be one of the largest queenfish ever taken in Australian waters. Here’s the story of how it happened… For keen anglers like myself, the Dry Season is certainly a fantastic time to be living up here in Australia’s Top End, especially when one intense low pressure system after another sweeps across the southern half of the continent, and the incessant trade winds ease a little north of the Tropic of Capricorn. It’s an old rule of thumb that crook weather down south means happy days up top! A spell of exactly such magical Top End weather around the middle of June this year saw my wife Jo and I venturing offshore in our 4.5 metre trailer boat to chase the abundant Spanish and broad-bar mackerel, longtail tuna and other pelagics that were pounding bait schools not far from Lee Point, in Darwin’s northern beach suburbs. The fishing grapevine had been buzzing for a few days with news of everything from queenies to giant herring smashing bait in this area, and Jo and I had been chafing at the bit to get amongst them, but found ourselves repeatedly frustrated by work and family commitments. When we were finally able to get away, it was obvious we’d only just caught the tail end of the hot bite, but we still had plenty of fun on the macks and tuna, coming home with a lovely meal or two of fresh fish for our troubles. Fly rod shot Two days later, I headed out again, this time on my own, and with the 9-weight fly rod rigged in the hope of tangling with a few line-peeling pelagics. However, as soon as I rounded East...

U.S. president Barack Obama, recently visited Darwin in Australia‘s Top End and media headlines were made when the Northern Territory’s Chief Minister gave the President “crocodile insurance” for the duration of his stay! It may have been something of a publicity stunt, but the fact remains that crocodiles do present a clear and present danger for those of us who spend time on the water fishing and boating in this part of the world… Saltwater crocodiles are a fact of life when fishing in most parts of Australia’s tropical north. Despite their misleading name, these often large and potentially very dangerous reptiles are certainly not confined to our tidal saltwater environments. In fact, they frequently find their way into completely fresh water, and will move inland, even along intermittent water courses, for considerable distances: all the way to the base of waterfalls and escarpments. There’s an old saying in Australia’s Northern Territory that crocs can be found anywhere that barramundi also occur, and it is one well worth remembering! Since their protection by law in 1971 (in the Northern Territory — different dates applied elsewhere), saltwater crocodile numbers have definitely increased across the Top End. Even more importantly, apart from a few really big old-timers, all of the crocs living in North Queensland, the Territory and northern West Australia today have grown up with little to fear from man. This makes them especially bold and therefore dangerous, and a handful of attacks on humans occur every year, some of them fatal. Every now and again (but especially on the heels of another fatal attack on a human) a call goes out to “cull” growing crocodile numbers by introducing a hunting season or allowing well-heeled big game shooters to take selected trophy crocs in return...