12 Bigger Tuna & Daylight Broadbill …Using Deadly New Deep-Dropping Techniques
Cubing still has its place in offshore tuna fishing but, used in conjunction with the latest deep-dropping techniques, you’ll catch more and bigger tuna, and the occasional daylight broadbill swordfish to boot. By Al McGlashan
 
18 The Lure of Sawtell … So Much, So Close!
Located on the north coast of NSW, Sawtell is worth considering as a fishing destination. Dave Rae gives the low down on this  small layback north coast hamlet. By Dave Rae

24 The Secrets of a Soft Morning
Soft mornings: Dawn assaults over tropical deep water structure utilising an assortment of soft plastic offerings and resulting in screaming drags, bruising, grunting, rods bent like U-bolts and, finally, breathtaking captures. By Lee Brake

28 OZ-WIDE SNAPPER SPECIAL

28 The Vic Snapper Run
The Port Phillip Snapper run of 2011-12 has been predicted by Fisheries Victoria to be one of the best on record. Scoop explains the current migration and gives you the low-down on how to make the most of it…together with some Secret Squirrel GPS co-ordinates. By Steve Cooper
 
36 Sight Fishing Flats Snapper
The expanse of flats in WA’s Shark Bay is bigger than some European countries, and quality snapper abound on many of these flats. Here’s the guff on lure fishing this amazing part of Australia for an amazing species in truly-amazing clear and shallow waters. By Ira Leitus Fehlberg

42 Trolling For Snapper
If you want to cover a lot of ground during a day’s fishing for snapper, and the water’s not too deep, there’s a lot to be said for whacking out the deep-divers and going for a troll. By Alex Julius
 
46 Emma George…a snapshot auto-biography on a fabulous athletic career and a love of fishing. By Emma George
Once we were given the tip-off that Emma is a mad-enthusiastic fisho we contacted her and asked her if she was interested in writing a mini-biography about her career as an athlete and how she managed her passion for fishing at the same time. A great read....

52 FISHING TERRITORY

Welcome to our regular major Top End fishing feature. This issue we bring you 50 pages of great Territory fishing action, adventure and technique.

54 Territory Tough
They certainly breed ’em tough in the Northern Territory. Tough fish, tough roads, tough boat ramps, tough weather, tough wildlife… and tough anglers! As he nears the end of his second year living in the nation’s Top End, Starlo looks at some of the things that make this part of the world so very special… and also rather demanding! By Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling

66 Flying The Barra Highway
Three good ol’ boys hit the Daly mid-year intent on catching a big barra and doing it on fly. It didn’t go too bad…and there was plenty of knowledge gained which our Fly Fishing Editor is happy to pass on in his own inimitable fashion. By Peter Morse

80 Sail City to Cape Dombey…A blue water Mecca
There’s no doubting that, given the right conditions and the right team, some amazing blue water captures are available in the splendid waters west of Darwin. By Chris Errity

88 Time for a Rethink
While catch-and-release fishing suits our more robust species such as barramundi, recent research shows that it’s quite possibly the worst practice we could be employing when targeting reef fish species in deeper water. By Kane Dysart

90 A Breamer In Barradise
Catching that first barra will always become a lifelong memory, especially when you’ve spent much of your angling life chasing the wily bream using practically-identical lure-fishing techniques. By Ira Leitus Fehlberg

102 Terry’s Jew

A short story about Terry Dunphy’s 35kg Jew by Alex Julius

104 Noosa…The Light Tackle Utopia
With fabulous surf, outstanding estuary and offshore fishing, great restaurants and wonderful accommodation options, Noosa is an angler’s paradise and perfect for a family holiday. By Phippsy
   
110 Bass Strait Kingies Are Back!
For reasons yet to be fully understood, the once-healthy populations of accessible Bass Strait kingfish diminished significantly in the ‘90s and early 2000s. The good news is that, from Barwon Heads to the west of Port Phillip Rip, and all the way to Cape Liptrap to the east, these prized southern kingfish are making a serious comeback. By Jarrod Day

117 NAFA GOOD GEAR MODEL SHOOT: The Fabulous Fraser Coast - Pictorial Feature By Alex Julius

132 Getting the Most From Your Guide
Hiring a professional guide or charter skipper can be a substantial investment! Who better to reveal these ‘secrets’ of hiring the right one than somebody who has spent over 25 years in the business, long-time tour operator and NAFA regular, Dave Donald. By Dave Donald

138 The Squid and the Whale - A short fictional story by Dorian Mode

142 Southern Ocean Screamers
Since 2006, an extraordinary availability of southern bluefin tuna in the Southern Ocean waters off Western Victoria has been a pleasant surprise and a constant source of blue water action for a State traditionally starved of it. By John Cahill

146 NSW Summer Bass Guide
If you’re planning a shot at bass fishing in NSW this summer, we’re confident you’ll find the good advice in this easy-to-follow guide simply invaluable. By Jamie Robley

150 Caught by Surprise
Getting to know an area and targeting specific species is a tried-and-tested fishing scenario that works. However, there’s nothing like the element of surprise when something completely unexpected turns up. Here’s a report about some interesting by-catches. By Rob Jones

152 GOOD GEAR

154 NAFA BOATS

154 Exciting Times – Welcome to 2012
In recent years, times have been tough for the Australian boating industry, and that trend may well continue. However, for the boating public, 2012 is shaping up to be a beauty…it may be time to consider making a water-based investment. By Warren Steptoe.

160 River to Reef 400 Magela
As with other River to Reef plate boats, the 400 Magela interior can be configured to meet your needs - you can select tiller steer, side or centre console, and also tinker with the size of the casting deck. Different sorts of decks and finishes are available too. By Dave Krantz
 
164 Custom Works Eliminator 5.8m
Here in the Territory, there’s a strong tradition of building solid plate alloy boats to handle the wide spectrum of conditions encountered by Top End anglers, whether they’re chasing barra up a tidal river or billfish out wide. By Peter Zeroni

166 Quintrex Renegade 4.6
The Quintrex Renegade 4.6 is a highly-affordable fishing boat for any situation involving some open-water, due primarily to its high-sides and full-height engine-well; and it handles choppy water noticeably better than your average tinny. By Warren Steptoe
 
168 Haines Signature 485SF
Still something special after five years, we revisit a standout fibreglass Top Ender-style boat that begs the question: why would anyone bother importing a US bass boat? By Warren Steptoe

172 The Ease of Yamaha
Performance information is paramount to the decision-making process leading up to the purchase of a boat. Yamaha addresses this by sending out a technician to assemble what it calls a “Performance Bulletin” which will give potential customers reliable information about how they can expect Yamaha power to perform on their own boat. By Warren Steptoe

174 Celebrate 40 Years of Stacer with the 429 Seaway

To celebrate 40 years of boat building, Stacer has released a 40th Anniversary Edition 429 Seaway.

175 Wrap Your Stacer in Style

Stacer owners can really stand out on the water this summer with one of the newly-released Stacer vinyl wraps.

175 Telwater’s Positive Environmental Initiative

176 Take A Ride On The Wild Side!
The Xtreme 520HS is a performance rig that cuts it on the blue water and rips it on the big rivers. By Chris Errity

COMPETITION
163    Win An Amazing Simrad NSS7. BOX

PRODUCT AWARENESS
65    Darwin Barra Fishing Tours
77    New and Improved Opal Fuel
86    Field Testing Sebile’s Koolie Minnow LL 118mm.
100    Arnhemland Barramundi Nature Lodge
114    The Z-Steel Advantage
114     Big Barra On Mustad U.P. Trebles
130    Ally Jay Fishing Charters 2011
131    Coming Attractions From Mustad
141     New From JM Gillies: Ready-to-use Redington fly fish starters kits and new flagship range of fly rods from Sage.
162    Focussing on Simrad: Simrad introduces touch-screen NSS Sport series
170    Lowrance Unveils New Elite-4 and Mark-4 Compact Series