Fishing Australia

THE MOST VERSATILE SALTWATER LURE EVER?

Chris Beldon has one of the best jobs any young angler could hope for.  He has thousands of different lures to examine and test as part of his everyday job! It was Chris who first sent me the Yabai lures to try on south coast Kingfish earlier this year and the rest is history! They are now a part of many a keen angler's bag of kingfish tricks.

Chris has been out testing another interesting lure, the Pakula Dojo Hybrid, and has obtained some spectacular results on various species in his travels around the country.

The lure has actually been around for a year or two now and has earned a name in trolling circles. But aussie anglers have been slow to realize just how many ways this lure can be used, especially in the new sizes and shapes on offer.

This lure is a cross between a fish-tailed softie, a skirted game fishing lure and a popper.  In fact, it is easily one of the most versatile saltwater lures ever invented.

The brainchild of one of Australia’s best known game fishing lure makers, Peter Pakula, the Dojo Hybrid has a tail that wiggles like a shad tail and as a result is extra effective when trolled for tuna and marlin. It can be dropped back to a "bill kill" without fluffing up like a skirted lure.

It’s quite a solid lure so it can be cast a long way and used like a popper, or it can be left to sink like a softie and worked back deeper when needed.

The lure will not sink as fast as a Yabai and as a result is not as useful on kingfish sitting extra deep in the current.  But for shallow water scenarios or when kings are busting on the surface they work a treat as Chris has been finding out.

They come from tiny little 4-inch versions right up to big blue marlin models (which I personally have used on XL Trevally up north).

There is much more to these interesting looking lures, and any keen angler would gain much from having a good look at them to see what Pakula has integrated into their design.

As for Chris, he has that many new sizes and colors to test that he’s been sentenced to more hard labour looking through them and trying them on various fish. Poor fella…

AFP TROUT MISSION

Two Canberra-based Australian Federal Police lads wrote in to say that they got some good fish on their day off.

The duo hiked into a remote part of the Goodradigbee and caught over dozen trout each along a one kilometre stretch of the river.

The hike was hard yakka and it is not one for new comers to this type of fishing.  It involved getting very wet and cold and the boys had to contort themselves around a mass of blackberry bushes along the way, but it was worth the effort.

The fish were in excellent condition and much bigger than usual for the river.  The bag was a mix of rainbow and brown trout ranging between the 29cm and 43cm mark.

The lads had a hard time leaving the hot bite behind for the tough hike back but a couple of fish kept for the smoker made heading home a tad more attractive.

The lads used a mix of Rapala CD 3 and 5 lures and didn’t have to change lures all day.  It was more about covering lots of new water as efficiently as possible.

The lads were understandably tickled pink with their efforts.  Just one thing fellas...  No dreaming about fishing while on the job this week!  You have a capital to protect remember?

Angers are reminded that declared trout streams and rivers in New South Wales and the ACT are closed to fishing from Midnight, this Monday, 14th June.

In the meantime, Lakes such as Jindabyne and Eucumbene remain open all year and fish well for trout over winter.

Back near Canberra, Peter Armstrong and his brother were targeting golden perch in the main basin of Googong Dam when a brown trout smashed their lure and put up a feisty 5 minute battle. The lads didn’t have a landing net, but much to their relief they were eventually able to boat the fish and get a nice picture.

Googong used to be one of the best brown trout fisheries in the country but is no longer stocked with this species primarily due to the small resident population of the endangered Macquarie Perch.

BLUEFIN TUNA AND MEGA-TROUT

This weekend on FISHING AUSTRALIA, I explore the remote South East Corner of Tasmania in search of bluefin tuna fishing along some of Australia's highest seaside cliff tops.

I also get to have a crack at a massive 12 pound trout that gets me around the snags.  Obviously, I don’t want to spoil the story by explaining what happened next…

The new series airs on WIN Television at 5pm (including regional WA), 2pm on NBN Television, 4:30pm on Channel Nine in Adelaide and 5:00pm on Channel Nine in Perth. Please check your local TV guide for exact screening times.

See you on the water.
Rob Paxevanos