Berkley Flickershads outperform.......!

hello

i recently purchased one of the Berkley blue tiger frenzy flicker shad lures and i just wanted to say that it is LEGENDARY !
at first i was using some other hard lures and i fished with these for about 2 hours and they were crappppp, not one nibble, not a bite
then i puled out the flicker shad and rigged it up and caught 5 red fin all roughly 30cm long in about 10 minutes. they just kept coming up, it was amazing i thaught to myself that's it i have found the ONE, i am never lending this lure to anyone !. the best day of fishing i have had in a long time, i wish i had bought one earlier. im going out again tomorrow morning to hunt down some yellowbelly.

cheers
mark lopez



Mark has also advised us he did go fishing again using the same lure and caught more Redfin.

Why don't you get onto the Berkley Flickershad range?

dinger.

Queensland Wild Bass Mayhem

As much as I love to fish the dams for bass, you can't beat catching them in their natural envoronment. In Queensland, few bass anglers take advantage of the great wild bass fishing on offer. Many of these quality Australian bass have escaped from impoundments when the dams have spilled over. With so many mature bass now swimming in the creeks and rivers below the dams, we have an awesome fishery just waiting for anglers to enjoy.
Finding bass in the river and creeks is quite easy during the summer months. The fish follow their natural instincs and head upstream. I decided to hit one of my favourite holes recently. I had given the fish a good spell of over 6 months so I was keen to see how responsive they'd be to our lures. Tagging along was my brother Kerry. It was Kerry's first trip to the secret hole and he was keen to see what I had been raving about.
We slid the bathtub shaped twin hull boat into the water and set off using the electric motor to the upper stretch of the narrow winding hole. There was plenty of duck weed floating on top which could make catching fish difficult. The duck weed tends to trap heat in the water and we were looking for fish in the cooler shaded water. Too much duck weed can make the water too hot and the fish hard to come by. The weed had blown into thick clumps and was quite broken along some of the better looking banks. My first cast that was able to reach to shaded bank was quickly intercepted by a healthy bass.
Wild bass fishing can produce some explosive strikes. Many of the bass can be seen as the rush out to smash a lure. We started whacking fish on beetle spins. The beetle spin consisted of a gold blade on a wire frame clipped onto a 1/4 ounce Nitro Dam Deep Jighead. These jigheads were fitted with 2.6" Powerbait T-tail Minnows.
The beetlespins were effective as we worked our way up the creek but on the return trip I thought the fish might be looking for something a little different. Wild bass can be so aggressive that on the first pass you'll sting most of the fish. When continuing to fish them, you can fool them with a different presentation or more accurate casts that find their way right into their home. I had the lure setup that would achieve both. I found success on a weedless rigged 3.5" Powerbait T-tail Minnow. Rigged on a 1/16 ounce weighted worm hook, the lure skimmed beautifully. It would skip cast all the way back into the guts of the overhanging bottlebrush trees and come straight back out over the limbs, roots and floating weed. At first the action was slow as Kerry continued to pick off the occasional bass with his beetle spin rig. Then the pattern started to unfold and I was soon buzzing the lure out of the shade and watching bass explode on it. One fish even leapt clear of the water as it nailed the plastic. The bass were so aggressive that they weren't missing the hook buried in the weedless rig. The skinny profile of the 3.5" T-tail allowed the hook to easily find its mark when the fish hit. The sun was now high overhead. This had created some excellent shadows below the overhanging trees to explore. Our lures were still working but we pulled out some hard bodies to try our luck. These floating lures could be tossed right back to the shoreside structure and twitched on top keeping them in the strike zone longer. Some bass nailed the lure soon after it landed while others drilled it after it started to swim. I recall one bad cast smacking the water with an almighty splash. It had landed in an excellent spot but made a hell of a noise. It didn't deter a hungry bass from launching clear of the water as it sucked the lure from the top seconds after the splash-down. After we'd finished the morning session, we had boated 22 wild bass. The biggest 4 fish were over 40cm to the fork of the tail. Kerry managed the biggest fish with a fork length of 45cm. What an awesome morning. And...... there are so many more spots just like it waiting to be found.

My wild bass tackle consisted of:
- Pro Tactic 7" 2-5kg spin rod
- 802 Abu Cardinal spin reel
- 6lb Spiderwire Stealth Camo Braid
- 15lb Stren Fluorocarbon leader

PFLUEGER ARBOR – A reel difference!

It must be said that reels that have this spool configuration have been around for a long time; like a really long time! Back when these other reels where around people where having the same problems and where looking for the same results as we are today. We, as they did, are looking to the spool shape to help take away line twist and enable a longer more efficient cast.

If we think back to what anglers of old had to put up with it was stiff gut and even stiffer nylon. But this day and age we are facing off against line that’s the opposite. Most lines the people want to fish are very loose and limp braids.
For those of you who like using standard braid (none thermally fused) then this reel is for you! The new Pflueger ARBOR brings back the technology that has helped us cure our casting woes.

The technology behind it is quite simple. The larger the arbor, the less rotations of line needed to come off the spool to get to the desired distance. Keeping in mind the every loop of line equals a percentage of line twist. Less loops; less line twist. Also there is the friction created as the line comes off the spool and has to run over the spool lip. The less rotation here will generate less friction giving a further cast.

The large arbors oscillation stroke length (the spool as it goes up and down) also adds to the anti-tangle affects throughout the cast. Being that the rotor spins only 4 times per stroke, this very short stroke takes away the amount of rotor spins and therefore the amount of line that can be ‘grabbed’ by the forward running line and smashed through the guides causing what is known as a bunch of grapes!

Pic 1a-1b/ Spool dimensions are – Spool lip = 50-mm. Spool stroke = 10.5-mm.
Having a 50-mm ID spool also allows for a large drag system. This is a twin disc drag which is and has always been one of the most consist ways of manufacturing a drag so that it’s smooth and strong. The added bonus with the Arbor is the primary washer is a Carbon Matrix washer some smoothness and durability come second nature.

Pic 2/ Twin disc drag system. Both the washers are 25-mm in diameter.

Pic 3/ Like most modern day spinning reels a small rubber washer is added under the drag knob to keep out water and foreign objects.

Pic4/ Stabilizing bearing on the main shaft. This is something we’re seeing more and more of. The bearing is place under the spool to help keep it aligned with the outer most point of the spool. This in turn will help to keep your drag smooth and stop horizontal spool flex.

This reel has a very small gear case for the size of the rotor that it swings. After pulling the side plate off I almost had to stab myself with the screw driver to make sure I wasn’t dreaming! The gears in this thing are massive. I should have known, that like a lot of other reels built these days it’s all about minimizing the body and increasing the size of the gears and the Arbor is no exception!

Almost the entire box is filled with the main gear and pinion, the two gears that you want to have substantially built if any. Keeping it simple (something I like in a gear box) is the oscillating gears and slider. The oscillating gear has a bearing in it to keep it straight and running smooth. Something I think you can feel when you first wind this reel.
That’s it!! That’s all there is in there. Less is defiantly more when it comes to making reliable and strong gears boxes. One other thing you’ll notes about the Arbor is how slow the gear ratio is. It’s 4.3 x 1 in both sizes. It feels a little weird to start with until you get it on the water and see how much line you are picking up with that 50-mm arbor!

Pic5/ Your gears Sir! That’s them in all their nakedness. Now for a real of this size, these are some mean gears let me tell ya!!

Pic6/ Here we have the oscillating gears and slider. Note the bearing in the oscil gear and the ‘S’ track in the slider.

Ball race type ball bearings are very important to the inner working of all fishing reels. The Arbor has 7 in all and although most are quite small, the ones that matter the most are very large for this sized reel. The 3 bearings in question are the most important in any threadline reel. The two that are on either side of the main gear and the one that surrounds the pinion gear. These large bearings will serve two purposes; firstly they will stop any major gear wear from occurring within the opposing angled main gear and pinion gears and secondly the sheer size of them will keep everything in line for years to come.

Pic7/ One of the main gear bearings and the pinion gear bearing. Check the size of them against a 5er!

Some of the other nice add-ons on this reel are things like an over sized bail wire for distortion free use, a screw in/screw out handle for a tighter feel, short reel stem for index finger line control, one way clutch bearing for the anti reverse, light weight alloy/graphite body and rotor, braid ready spool (spool has hard rubber lugs that the braid bites onto so it doesn’t spin), double anodized spool, Sure Click bail open, ratchet click drag knob and some pretty sporty looks!
All in all, this reel is a little ripper. It’s put up with my abuse for over 6 months now and is still going strong. I’ve fished it in some pretty adverse conditions and at times haven’t washed it in freshwater for two weeks and it’s still running without a service.

If you’re right into fishing super thin braided lines then I can tell you that you’ll have to spend a hell of a lot more cash to get a reel that will probably not fish it as well as the Pflueger Arbor.

Adam Royter.

Girl Power - Morgy's Monster

Not to be out done by her brother Fraser, Morgan decides to get in on the fun.

This is my eldest daughter Morgan who is 15 years old

After listening to her little brother rave about all the fun he was having Morgan thought she better come with me tonight.

This was cool to watch , once hooked it made a run for the middle of the dam and took almost all the line with 5kg of drag like it wasn't even on , I checked twice to make sure we hadn't wound it the wrong way.

You should see the lure , Bib broken off , front treble bent all over the place , back treble GOOOOOOONE, altogether and the eyelet pulled clean out of the lure , middle treble and split ring spaghetti , whacked to bits.

She was very excited as you could imagine , we both were , there is only one thing better than catching one of these yourself and that's watching your kids do it , this one was 1.17m long and we got it swimming and back into the water after a couple of photos.

Hope you had a great weekend as well

Simon.

Fraser lands a monster!

Hello

My name is Simon Steele and I live with my Family in Mackay Queensland where my young Son Fraser and I have
just started to fish for Barramundi.

living in Mackay we are very much spoiled with some great wild and impoundment Barramundi opportunities.
I started taking the kids to the rivers edge in June last year and for Fraser this is where it all started , on his second only cast while
I was still tying my lure on he hooked a great Barra that jumped just 6 feet in front of him , I had to grab him by the belt to keep him on
land.

Many Trips to BCF later we have all the gear and a second hand tinny and Fraser and I get away to either Teemburra or Kinchant dam
as often as we can , I have done as much with him as possible while they are off on school holidays.

Fraser uses a Shakespeare Tempest I-M6 graphite 5-10kg fitted with an Abu Garcia 6600c4 reel and has become quickly adept to casting
with his first overhead reel.

On this Monday night after dinner we made our way up to Kinchant dam to try our luck , shortly after arriving and with a big moon rising
I caught a nice 70cm Barra and Fraser was right there with the net for me , it was a good sign because as you know some times in the
impoundments they just wont bite and nothing you can do seems to work. It was all quiet for the next hour and we were just talking about
moving when he said dad I am on with real excitement in his voice.

Well , true he was on alright , the first jump the fish made was in the dark out of the reach of our cap lamps but by the splash it made I knew
this was not a small one. Fraser fishes with 20lb braid Line and 40lb leader so we let the fish take line and boy did it take some , the next jump
was nearer the boat and we both got a look at the massive fish at this point , it had taken his Killer Lure Barra bait front on and there was no
sign of it , it was very well hooked.

The big fish had us from front to back of the boat twice and gave the poor little bloke the workout of a lifetime in the process , Fraser is 37kg
the fish ended up weighing 35.5kg so it was very nearly a pound for pound battle. I didn't touch his rod right through out the 20-30 minutes it

took to fight the fish , he ran the drag as he wished and really showed what he had learned.

As a father watching all this by his side will be a moment in time I will just never ever forget , I just kept praying that his little rod didn't break because it had
some ridiculous curl on it at times.

Long story short , we got the net under her and into the boat where we both just stood looking and smiling , he gave me a huge hug and said
thanks for the help with the net , he was shaking like a leaf. We measured it at 1.24m long , his dream and constant waking hope of one day
catching a metre long Barramundi had come true and the smile in the photos says it all , its Friday now as I write and he is still on high revs.

Just before he went to bed I told him I would write to you and show you his fish , he said what do you think they will say dad ? he is very excited
to think that you would look at it , he said tell them about the leader and how close we were to not landing it. when we got the lure out and had
a look at the leader it was hanging by a proverbial thread , one more good shake and it would have been all over , some things are just meant to be Hey !!!

We just wanted to say a sincere thank you for the great rod and reel , I am sure that other equipment would have turned inside out with a fish like this on the
end of it , instead of any performance issues my little son landed a fish that many only dream of , he sleeps with his rod beside his bed and I think it may be that way
for a long time to come.

Our sincere thanks and all the best for 2010


Simon and Fraser Steele.

All Terrains in the Shallows

With the barra season still closed, I have been resisting the temptation to flick hardbodies at snags so a lot of my trips have involved chasing mangrove jack, reef fish and pelagics around rocky points and shallow reefs. Weipa is loaded with rock bars so finding the structure isn’t the issue but getting tackle to work well amongst the stones is the trick.

I have often taken the lazy option and tied a popper on and skipped it over the top of the stones but a Gulp Shrimp worked on a 1/16oz head has proven to irritable to everything that swims the estuary systems of Cape York. Rigged on a standard jig head, the little prawn was doing its job but after numerous re-rigging episodes, I tied an All-Terrain head to 15lb Trilene fluorocarbon leader and turned what was looking like a knot tying session into a red hot bite.

I’m embarrassed to admit that it has been a couple of years since rigging with All-Terrains. Not having an exposed hook will reduce the hook-ups but getting in amongst the gravel without snagging up produced some excellent fishing.

It was a number of years ago now but I fished with some of the first All-Terrain jig heads to come out of Matt Fraser’s moulds and loved them. The originals were small 1/32 and 1/24oz heads designed for the bream and bass fishing scene. Matt and I spoke about the potential for a bigger version for fishing breakwalls and shallow reefs. Not long after that conversation, I was fishing with 1/4oz All-Terrains in the Gold Coast Seaway and landing everything from jacks to kingfish.

The reefs that I have been targeting in Weipa are little more than a metre deep but are loaded with so many species that unless it comes flying out of the water early in the fight, it is a real guessing game as to what you have just hooked into to. I seem to be excellent at catching cod but every now and again, I manage a nice coral trout or mangrove jack so certainly worth putting up with hard hitting estuary cod.

The technique I use on the shallow reefs is simple. I can’t ever bring myself to used heavy tackle so it is 8lb braid with 15lb leader. I do get smoked from time to time but love the sport of it all. A light threadline reel with a seven foot 2-4kg rod is my preferred outfit which sounds extremely light for Cape York but by going gently on big fish, I regularly land barra around the 70-80cm mark. Although to be honest, this particular trip with the All-Terrains saw me lose a big barra that managed to wear to leader down on the rocks but being closed season, I am happy to see them go while still in good condition.

Working the All-Terrains allows me to keep in touch with the bottom. My preferred plastic is a 3” Gulp Shrimp which suits the larger All-Terrain heads. Allowing it to settle on the bottom before doing a couple of small hops before allowing it to settle again is all I do. Keeping in touch with the bottom tends to lure the fish out of the little rock caves that they hide in, which is why I catch so many cod but this is where coral trout and mangrove jack tend to hide as well. The technique reminds me of a gentle version of flathead jigging. Species caught this morning in a single session on the All-Terrains were barramundi, queenfish, cod (seems like hundreds of them), mangrove jack, stripies, moses perch, trevally and parrot fish. Unfortunately no coral trout or fingermark but they are a real option on these shallow reefs. The A/T jig heads do have a slower hook-up rate than standard heads however, while the hook-up rate might be halved, keeping the lure down in the strike zone means the bites are tripled.

Wardy

Pirtek Fishing Challenge - Sunday, 11 th April 2010

Once again Pirtek are hosting Australia’s biggest national fishing competition and it is open to everyone in each State and Territory across the country.

The aim of the Fishing Challenge is to raise much needed funds and awareness for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Stephen Dutton, General Manager of Pirtek Fluid Systems Pty Ltd, commented, “Following on from the success of last year’s Challenge, we are excited to be again hosting this event and supporting the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. 2010 is a landmark year for Pirtek celebrating 30 years since the company’s inception.

Fight a fish to fight prostate cancer is our catch-cry for this year’s competition. Sunday, 11 th April 2010 is about getting out with your family and friends and wetting a line. Myself and everyone at Pirtek wish all competitors the best of luck.”

PIRTEK WELCOMES BACK EVINRUDE, LOWRANCE AND BERKLEY

In this tough economic climate we are delighted to yet again have the support of associate sponsors Evinrude, Lowrance and Berkley, names synonymous with the highest quality boating and fishing equipment.

Every State and Territory will win BIG CASH and terrific prizes. Pirtek together with Evinrude, Lowrance and Berkley have amassed a massive prize pool in excess of $100,000. Each winning target species is worth $4,000 cash with great prize packs for second, third and junior anglers. In 2010 we will see the addition of extra target species giving competitors even more opportunity to win.

NISSAN /LG MAJOR PRIZE DRAW
This year, thanks to Nissan and LG Electronics, we have a fabulous major prize draw and everyone can be a winner just by entering.
Nissan have kindly donated the ultimate 5 night winter getaway to Hotham Alpine Resort for 2 people, including return flights, transfers, lift passes, ski and boot hire. LG Electronics have also come on board with a 50” HD plasma television and home theatre system.

JVC CLUB CHALLENGE
To further bolster participation and community spirit, JVC will be hosting the JVC Club Challenge.
The club which enters the largest number of paid registrations in its State will win a JVC camcorder. There are eight to give away – one each for Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory and two for New South Wales/ACT.
Taking part in the JVC Club Challenge is easy. Simply ask the members of your Fishing Club to provide the full name of your Club in the space provided when registering for the Challenge and your club is on its way to winning a great prize.
We hope to encourage some friendly rivalry between fishing clubs, or perhaps run a BBQ or combined outing.

The competition will be held on Sunday, 11th April, 2010 between the hours of 6.00am and 6.00pm. Each State’s target species will be revealed after 6.00pm on Saturday, 10 April, 2010 via the website

http://www.pirtekfishingchallenge.com.au/

How to Enter

To register for the competition simply log on to http://www.pirtekfishingchallenge.com.au/, read the rules and pay a registration fee of $20.00. Entrants will be sent a Pirtek Fishing Challenge cap and brag mat.
The registration fee is contributing to the goal of raising much needed funds and awareness for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

All competitors need to do is catch their State’s target species, photograph the fish on the Pirtek brag mat along with their registered angler number and send the photo into www.pirtekfishingchallenge.com.au
The idea is to catch, measure, photograph and let your fish go.

In 2010 we will have a fresh water species for New South Wales and Queensland.

Pirtek Brand Champion, Michael Guest, who is the keenest of fishermen commented, “Fishing is a huge part of my life and after seeing such a tremendous response to last year’s Challenge I’m looking forward to an even greater result in 2010.”

“We all love to get out and go fishing. To be able to raise a few dollars for a fantastic cause and have the chance of winning some great cash and prizes is a no-brainer.”

The winners and runners-up for each State and Territory will be posted on the website on Saturday, 17 th April, 2010.


To enter the Pirtek Fishing Challenge go to http://www.pirtekfishingchallenge.com.au/