24 DIRTY DOZEN

Steve Starling has fished all around Australia for a lot of different species. Here he nominates his 12 toughest Australian sportfish, in a list that is sure to provoke some lively debate.

48 CANIA DAM

David Green profiles one of his favourite impoundments, Queensland’s Cania Dam. All you need to know to catch fish at this great family location.

80 BUSMAN’S HOLIDAY

When legendary guide Dave Donald gets a bit of spare time, he likes to relax by going fishing. Ken Stien went along for the ride.

102 BEST OF THE WEST

Exmouth is the one of the most productive locations for fishos on the west coast, and home to Jeni Lerch. Here she runs through a few of the myriad options available in this angler’s paradise.

179 THE BOND 

Fiction with Jackson Baraz.

190 GULF MAGIC

The remote and scenic Gulf of Carpentaria was the location for our annual NAFA Good Gear Model pictorial.

347 TRY THE TAG

Tagging fish is important for gathering information on our fish stocks. Brett Geddes explains what recreational anglers can do to get involved.

351 NEVER LET CLOWNS LOOK AFTER ELEPHANTS

Fiction with Denver Marchant.

354 FUSING WITH THE TEMPORAL

Fiction with Peter Hill.

380 BONES ON BAIT

The Florida Keys is an area world-renowned for flats bone fishing. Kim Bain sings the praises of this elusive fish, and looks at techniques for catching them on bait.

383 HARD BODIES

There’s currently a lot of fuss made about soft plastics, but hard-bodied lures are still a great option. Brett Geddes has a number of sneaky tricks up his sleeve when it comes to luring out his local bream and estuary perch.

386 EVOLUTION OF AN ANGLER

Steve Cooper talks about the intangible aspects of fishing that keep us coming back.

388 MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE

Fishing is no longer the male-dominated sport that it once was. Leeann Payne examines the growing popularity of fishing among women.

391 THE PERFECT FISHING PARTNER

John Szymanski offers some tips to blokes looking to get their ‘other half’ interested in wetting a line.

393 GET FRESH

Dick Pasfield lifts the lid on some of the fabulous freshwater fishing available around Kununurra.

397 THE BARRA ALTERNATIVE

Ken Stien explains the attraction of the sometimes-overlooked sooty grunter.

401 SABAH

John Mondora takes a jaunt to the South China Sea.

404 AMAZON PEACOCKS

When the opportunity arose to take an Amazon fishing trip, Lynn Bain jumped at the chance.

407 COOKING WITH LYNN BAIN

A couple of delicious fish dishes from Lynn, inspired by her Amazon adventure.

410 CALAMARI & CHIPS

John Dalla-Rosa shares his squidding secrets, and explains how to whip up a tasty meal with your catch.

414 ROLLIN’ THE SHOALS

Carolyn Forrest takes a trip to Rowley Shoals, and finds some amazing fishing.

418 TIGER COUNTRY

Kim Bain visits Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, and ticks one off her list of dream fish — the fearsome tigerfish.

422 ZIMBABWE’S LARGEMOUTH LUNKERS

While in Zimbabwe, Kim Bain also had a crack at the local largemouth bass.

424 THE DEVILS KITCHEN

Kim Courtenay travelled all the way from Broome to Tassie with a couple of sea kayaks on the roof. Here he fills us in on his Tasmanian experience.

468 GOOD GEAR 

All the latest fishing gear and accessories.

479 BARRA BUSHMAN

Fiction with Phill Heitmann.

32 NAFA ON MULLOWAY

33 MULLOWAY METHODS

Bait vs lures — accomplished mulloway angler Phil Bennett explains the advantages of a flexible approach.

38 MULLOWAY SCIENCE

Dr Martin Auldist has a look at the habits and life cycle of this prized southern sportfish.

42 BRUTES FROM THE BIGHT

South Australia’s wild west is renowned as a destination to tangle with enormous mulloway in the surf. Steve Hunt looks at some of the techniques needed to hook and land these monsters.

56 NAFA ON COD

58 COD ON BAIT

Trolling and casting lures for Murray cod is growing in poularity, but there are still plenty of fish caught on bait. Steve Cooper runs us through the best baits and methods.

62 COD FACTS AND LEGENDS

Steve Cooper has done his fair share of cod fishing, and he shares some of the best outback stories, as well as a few facts, about this inland icon.

64 CASTING FOR COD

Andrew McGovern looks at targeting cod in shallow water, and turns a few commonly held misconceptions on their head.

70 SPINNERBAIT COD

Spinnerbait maestro Dave Hodge gives NAFA readers a masterclass in spinnerbait selection and technique.

74 TROLLING UP A LEGEND

Few anglers have hooked more big cod than Rod Mackenzie. In this article, he discusses trolling for the big ones.

84 NAFA ON SOFT PLASTICS

86 A-Z OF SOFT PLASTICS

Natalie Grima runs through the alphabet on softies.

90 SOUTHERN PLASTICS

Shane Murton has some exciting southern shallow water applications where soft plastics really shine.

94 REDS AND THE RUBBER REVOLUTION

Snapper on rubber tails is a real growth area. Lee Rayner gives NAFA readers some useful tips for chasing reds.

98 GETTING GRUBBY

The traditional soft plastic shad is not the only way to tempt a snapper or squire. Kim Bain has found they love a worm or grub as well.

112 NAFA ON JIGGING

114 ON TOP Overhead reels for jigging.

116 IN A SPIN Spinning reels for jigging.

118 JIGGING RODS

Kim Bain runs through the process of choosing a suitable rod for jigging.

122 FROM IRONS TO BLADES

Kim Bain takes a trip back in time, and looks at the historical development of jigging in Australia, with a bit of help from Dave Donald and Alex Julius.

128 RIGGING FOR JIGGING

Part of the recent development in jigging techniques is in rigging the lures — Kim Bain examines the tackle involved.

130 VANUATU JIGGY-JIG

Glen Booth reports on the Shimano Tackle Expo, held in Vanuatu with an emphasis on all the latest jigging gear.

136 LONG JERK RETRIEVES AND CENTRE BALANCE LURES

Long jigs come in many styles, of which the centre-balance long jigs are arguably the most refined in design. Kim Bain details some common techniques for working this style of lure.

140 SPIRAL JIGGING

The finer points of technique explained — Kim goes fishing with Japanese TV presenter Mr Kubo.

144 DEEP RELEASE

Once you’ve pulled them up, it’s important to be able to get them back down there again. Release weights and their operation explained.

146 SONAR LURING 

Reading your sounder is very important when deep jigging. With the help of screenshots, Kim Bain explains some common scenarios.

148 BOAT HANDLING 

Getting the drift right is the key to successful jigging presentations.

149 HEAVY METAL 

When you’re jigging, you’ve got to have the right gear — a pictorial look at some of the customised accessories that go with the modern jigging scene.

152 ISLAND KINGS 

Lee Rayner loves catching kingies around Montague Island, and he is happy to report that they’re back in good numbers.

156 JIGGING FREO 

Western Australia has some of the best deep jigging the country has to offer. Kim Bain gets her arms stretched by some big fish.

159 VERTICAL FISHING 

Dave Donald has been fishing the tropics for years, and loves nothing more than jigging up monsters from the deep. Here he shares some of the best ways to maximise your chances in northern waters.

163 SAMBOS 

Kim Bain heads out with Al Bevan to target some of the masses of spawning samsonfish off the west coast.

176 NAFA ON BILLFISH

176 CAIRNS BLACK MARLIN 

John Mondora on the last Cairns black marlin season.

184 SMALL BOAT SWITCH BAITING 

Alastair McGlashan has got targeting marlin from a small boat down to a fine art. This is a must-read if you want to chase billfish without spending the big bucks on a game boat.

206 NAFA ON 4WD & CAMPING

208 LANDCRUISER DREAMING 

When Dick Eussen got handed the keys to AJ’s new Sahara, he didn’t have to be asked twice!

218 TOYOTA DOWN UNDER 

Toyota has a lot of history in Australia, and Dick Eussen takes a look back at the old days.

222 4WD FAMILY 

Wayne Kampe’s invaluable advice about preparing for safe and fun family offroading.

229 A-Z OF 4WD 

Bits and pieces, as Dick Eussen runs through the 4WD alphabet.

234 HAVE BOAT — WILL BUSH BASH 

Ken Stien has plenty of experience in travelling off the beaten track. He discusses the pros and cons of different ways to take a boat with you to remote areas.

240 FRASEOLOGY 

Pictorial by Alex Julius from the 2006 Toyota Fraser Island Fishing Expo.

252 GOLD COAST JACKS 

Jack luring master David Green shares the wealth, with his handy guide to the Gold Coast jack fishery.

256 DEEP JACKS 

By thinking laterally, Nigel Webster discovers some excellent fishing in a heavily pressured fishery.

260 NAFA ON THE NT

264 THE DRY 

Dry season options in the Top End.

266 THE BUILD UP 

This is a hot and oppressive time of the year, but the compensation comes in the form of some dynamite fishing!

268 THE WET 

When the rain starts to pour down in the Territory, there’s still plenty of spots to wet a line.

270 THE RUN-OFF 

The legendary run-off time can produce ‘fish-a-cast’ action for those in the right place at the right time.

272 STARTING FROM DARWIN 

Not only is Darwin a vibrant, cosmopolitan city, it offers a myriad of top fishing options very close to town.

274 BACKYARD BARRA 

Darwin Harbour regular Roger Sinclair has found some excellent barra fishing in his own backyard.

280 MACK ATTACK 

The annual Spanish mackerel run is eagerly anticipated by NT anglers, who target these prized sportfish with a variety of techniques.

282 DELICIOUS DUNDEE 

Dundee Beach, near Darwin, offers everything from land-based fishing for barra and pelagics, to bottom bouncing for jewies and golden snapper.

284 TERRITORY TACKLE 

Chris Errity gives us the skinny on the sort of tackle needed for NT fishing. If you’re planning a big trip you must read this.

288 BATHURST & MELVILLE 

These islands close to the Territory coast are famous for their pelagic and reef fishing.

290 MAKE MINE MARY 

The Mary River system reliably produces some of the best barra catches every year.

292 KRACKING KAKADU 

The famous Kakadu National Park offers sensational billabong fishing, as well as some of the Top End’s best barra rivers.

296 DALY RUN-OFF SECRETS 

Barra bandit Chris Errity shares his wealth of knowledge about fishing the iconic Daly river during the run-off.

300 CLASSIC SILVER 

The 2006 Barra Classic was the 25th anniversary of this famous fishing tournament. Chris Errity went along to check it out.

310 GO GURIG 

The remote waters around the Cobourg peninsula are home to breathtaking scenery and exciting fishing.

312 KATHERINE TO THE ‘LOO 

The river systems from Katherine to Borroloola are often passed by as travellers head for Darwin, but can turn on some great fishing for those who take the time to explore.

316 NHULUNBUY — A SPORTFISHING PARADISE
Chris Errity heads off to Nhulunbuy with a few friends, to sample the piscatorial delights of the region.

323 AFTER MONICA 

Cyclone Monica was the most powerful tropical storm to ever hit the Top End. Steve Starling was booked to fly into the remote Arnhemland Barramundi Nature Lodge immediately after the storm passed by. Luckily the Lodge survived, but Starlo was amazed at the destruction wrought by this huge storm.  He also got in some fishing of course!

332 NAFA ON WHITING

333 VICTORIA & KING GEORGE 

Martin Auldist likes nothing more than catching a feed of these tasty fish. Here he provides a guide to tackle, location and technique for chasing Victorian whiting.

337 WHITING SCIENCE 

The life cycle and breeding habits of the popular whiting, with Dr Martin Auldist.

340 SA ROYALTY 

Shane Murton is lucky enough to live in SA, the heartland for big King George whiting. Here are his insights into fishing the whiting capital of Australia.

343 QUEENSLAND WHITING 

Whiting aren’t just for southerners — Leeann Payne shares some sunshine state whiting secrets.

358 NAFA ON FLY

359 ESTUARY FLY ESSENTIALS 

Estuary fly fan Micah Adams runs through the essential tackle you need to get amongst it.

363 FLYING SOUTH OF THE BORDER 

Rod Booker explains how to tie and fish a couple of killer southern estuary fly patterns.

366 BARRA ON FLY 

The impoundment barra phenomenon continues to grow, but it’s not all baitcasters and braid. Wayne Kampe has been successfully targeting these bathtub bruisers on fly.

371 SOUTH ISLAND SOJOURN 

When it comes to stream fishing for trout, few places are as productive as New Zealand’s South Island. As Alistair McGlashan found out, it’s also incredibly beautiful.

374 CHRISTMAS ISLAND SPECIAL 

Keith Collicoat travels to a bonefishing paradise, to stalk them on the flats with fly gear.

427 NAFA ON BOATS

432 UP THE CREEK WITH A PADDLE 

Ashley Barber sings the praises of a canoe for getting into those hard-to-reach places.

436 ESTUARY ‘YAK FISHING 

Brett Geddes goes through setting up a kayak for estuary fishing, and the opportunities it opens up to the stealthy angler.

439 OIL CHECK 

Maintaining your outboard with Dan Power.

440 OUTBOARD CLEANING TIPS 

Regular maintenance is the key to trouble-free boating, and part of that is making sure that your motor is properly cleaned.

444 TIN BATH TUBS 

Ken Stien examines some of the smaller options available, and the pros and cons of a smaller boat.

448 ETEC 2006 

Alex Julius went to the ETEC media launch on the Gold Coast, and learnt a lot about the new generation 2-strokes.

464 BOAT TEST - XM550TC FROM GS MARINE

Chris Errity has a look at one of the versatile models available from GS Marine.

PRODUCT AWARENESS
46 Mustad Hooks
51 Megabass & Bassday Lures
54 Plano Tackle Systems
78 Pflueger Medalist
89 Atomic Lures
110 Eagle
126 G. Loomis Pro Blue Rods
174 Mustad Hooks
188 Crosscurrent
204 Penn Rods & Reels
225 Waeco
250 L. Wilson New Products
321 Bandit Lures
370 Rio Fly Lines and Leader
428 Lowrance
442 Yamaha
454 Territory Marine
456 Quintrex
458 Stabicraft
460 Bar Crusher
466 Black Arrow
467 GME