Fishing Video of the week Ice Fishing

Now ice fishing is something I have always wanted to try, but I have always seen it as a boring event where you get very cold and catch very few fish. However this video made me stop worrying about a frozen butt and I wanted to get onto a plane and head to Canada or the Northern United States immediately!

In this video the fisherman catches a giant musky (muskie) while fishing for lake trout and this is an awesome fish , especially on light tackle. It does show one major problem with ice fishing though - what happens if the hole you dug isnt big enough for the fish! Enjoy!

Australian Sportfish Profile Barramundi

Yesterday I posted a barramundi fishing video and so today I thought I would write a sportfish profile for this amazing fish.

The barramundi, or barra as it is referred to, is a special fish to Northern Australia. It is highly regarded as a strong fighting sportfish and combined with its eating qualities makes it the most highly regarded catch in many northern regions.

Profile
Barramundi are a large growing estuary, river and billabong species that is often stocked in freshwater impoundments. They have an affinity for warm tropical water but can survive as far south as Brisbane. They have a large tail and thick shoulders, which means they put up a great fight often interspersed with the famous gill arching leaps into the air when hooked. An interesting fact about barramundi is that they change sex during their life. They are all born male and become females after spawning once of twice. Therefore Barramundi over 8kgs are almost certainly female.

Fishing
Barramundi are top predators and are taken in some of the most spectacular locations in Australia. They are ambush feeders and lurk in places where bait congregate. Most barra anglers fish snags, drop-offs and rock bars. Hard body minnow lures are the most popular barramundi lures altough soft plastics and spinnerbaits also have their place. Barramundi are tough on tackle and the angler must be prepared for this aspect otherwise you will end up losing more than you catch. Most people either buy lures with hooks and rings specifically made for the species or change the treble hooks on American made lures.
Barramundi are also taken on fly and many anglers use Dahlberg divers and Deceiver patterns and tease the barra into striking.
Live bait will also catch barra and this method is used in the colder months when the fish are less active. A live mullet, prawn or cherabin on the bottom of a hole or under a float is a popular method of catching a barra.

Protection
There are strict bag and size limits in every state to help protect this iconic fish. Check with the local authorities.

Bait Profile Prawns

Prawns are one of the most versatile baits available for recreational fishers. They can be used alive or dead, cooked or uncooked, baited whole or in sections. They can be used for most species and are especially good for estuary and reef fish species. In most situations prawns are used frozen and while they can produce very good catches in this form, live prawns are certainly a top bait.


How to catch prawns?
Most rivers, estuaries and lakes have prawn stocks to some degree. They are usually gathered at night using a bright torch and a scoop net or a drag net. They keep well in a well aerated bucket and keeping them cool is very important.
In the North and West of Australia they are also caught using cast nets, which is a particularly popular technique in the parts of the country that contains crocodiles. However, drag/seine nets are often still used in these areas (with caution)
Note: Always check local regulations in regards to nets.

Scoop Net ----------- Cast Net ----------- Drag/seine Net
(click to enlarge)

How to hook/rig a prawn?
Live prawns should be hooked lightly through the tail so that the hook does not pierce the internal organs. (see picture)


To hook a dead/frozen prawn the hook (the size depending on the size of the bait) is pushed up from underneath the last segment towards the tail and out through the top of the shell so the barb is exposed.

To hook a prawn piece (used to catch bait and small fish) use a very small hook and hook the prawn flesh through once or twice.

Fishing Video of the Week Tailor bluefish

Well tailor is what we call them in the country, but this fish can be found all around the world. They go by many names including: bluefish, blue, tailor, elf, chopper, snapper blue, snapper, Hatteras blue.

They fight hard and it is often spectacular with fish jumping many times during a fight. They have a nasty set of teeth that can bite through fishing lines and sometimes wire leader is used. They are a pelagic fish that form big schools and feed on small bait fish like sardines. They are often caught in white water and in the surf where they hunt their prey. They can grow very big and the specimens caught in this video are considered small. They are an average eating fish and should always be eaten fresh. Never freeze a tailor.

Fishing Knots and Rigs Double Uni Knot

Sometimes called the uni to uni knot, the double uni knot is a fantastic knot for joining two lines together and can be used for lines with different diameter. Nowadays this knot is commonly tied between braid and a leader line (mono or fluorocarbon) and you must always increase the number of turns in the braid section of this knot and lubricate well to avoid chafing.

1. Overlap the two lines for about 15 cm. Using one end of the line, form a circle that overlaps both lines.

2. Pass the end six to eight times around the two lines (more can be used for braid).

3. Lubricate and pull the tag end tight to form the first knot.

4. Repeat the process using the end of the other line.

5. Lubricate and pull both lines to slide the two knots together.

Jack Crevalle fishing video Giant Trevally

In Australia we call them Trevally and in Fiji they just call them big, but no matter what they are called these fish fight like a freight train and never give up. In the tropical parts of Australia where I live they are often a fishing guides backup option when more desirable species arent biting. Even local rec fishermen will move spots because all they are catching are big Trevally. However, I really rate them as a great sportfish and I will never turn one down.

They are generally caught on lures around structure and they just adore big surface lures (poppers). They can grow up to the size of a small car and the ones from Fiji and Midway Island are some of the biggest I have ever seen. Enjoy the video.

Fishing Video King Salmon

This is an amazing video and really shows that fish are far from the top of the food chain. I have caught many fish that have come up as a half only, but I have nothing on what happened to this guy!!



Luckily the whale wasnt hooked, as I can only imagine the consequences of handling or gaffing such a beast!

Smoked Trout Recipe How to smoke trout

It was my anniversary yesterday and being a seafood lover I had to order the smoked trout on the menu. It was absolutely delicious and is the inspiration for todays post.

Many people dont consider trout when it comes to smoking and they tend to stick with the more traditional smoked salmon. While I consider trout to be one of the best fish to smoke, I find that almost any fish can be smoked and this recipe could also be used on a variety of fish species.

This recipe takes quite a while to cook, but is simple to prepare. The ingredients are as follows:

• Whole Trout
• Brown Sugar
• Rock Salt
• Table Salt
• Your favorite seasonings (curry, teragon, lemon etc.)
• Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice
• Garlic Salt
• Lemon Slices

The instructions for this recipe are in the following video


Most good quality smokers can be used for this recipe.

Fishing Knots Worlds Fair Knot

The worlds fair knot was created by Gary Martin and was selected by a panel of professionals as the best knot out of 498 entries in the great knot search at the 1982 world fair. This fishing knot is quick to tie, does not slip and is very strong. These features make the worlds fair knot a very versatile and popular knot with many anglers. Most anglers use this knot with monofilament lines although, because it is well known for a lack of slipping, may also be tied in braided lines in some situations.

How to tie the worlds fair knot
While this knot is fairly simple to tie it does take a some practice to perfect.

Friday Fishing Report

Sorry this report took so long. I have had one of those weekends and a nasty stomach bug has kept me down for a couple of days (it wasnt from the fish I caught and ate fortunately).

It was cold when dad and I headed out before the sun poked its head above the horizon. When I say cold I mean it was about 20 degrees (about 70 degrees Fahrenheit for the Americans reading this), but I am from the tropics after all and I was cold! We havent had much luck lately and the weather report was not favorable so I hadnt prepared quite as well as I usually would. I usually make up about 5 or 6 spare leaders in case we get bitten off, snagged or reefed by a big fish and keep them in a snap lock bag.

First up we fished a shallow water wreck and the fish were on straight away. I hooked a big fish only to have it eaten on the way up by a monster barracuda that probably could have swallowed me whole. We used the half fish for cut baits and before they hit the bottom dad hooked and subsequently lost a massive fish we never sighted (1 leader lost). I quickly re rigged his line and before I turned around he was on again. This time he fought the fish for about 10 minutes and as it came close to the boat it surged towards the anchor and busted him off (2 leaders lost). I re rigged his line again (this time with 100 pound fluorocarbon leader) and after about 2 minutes he hooked and lost another monster within about 0.5 seconds of hooking it (3 leaders lost).

The bite slowed down after this and we moved to another wreck, but the wind proved a little too strong and we headed for a sheltered sloping rock/reefy area. However, while at the second reef dad had his hook bitten off by what was probably a shark (4 leaders lost). At the reef we started pulling up an assortment of small reef fish, which were released to fight another day. We made one last move into a slightly deeper part of the reef and started catching more small reef fish until I hooked (and landed) a beauty. By this time my old man managed to find a snag or two and lose another couple of leaders. My rod buckled over again soon after and I had my second good fish of the day over the side. With the wind really picking up we called it a day with a couple of fish in the box and some really great stories of "the one that got away."

Wahoo Recipes

Wahoo Fish Recipe

You can find the other recipes for wahoo at my previous post saltwater fish recipes

The wahoo is well renowned as one of the fastest, if not the fastest, fish in the ocean. However, it is also well known for its superb eating qualities and for this very reason is a very popular fish with tropical water anglers. The flesh is suitable for many different types of recipes and is also popular as sushi with many anglers keeping a bottle of wasabi sauce on the boat for the ultimate sushi experience.

This recipe is a Hawaiian dish, which works really well for a tropical fish like the wahoo.
For this dish you will need:

• Wahoo fillets (or steaks)
  
• Pineapple
• Onion
• Red Bell Pepper
• Ginger
• Soy Sauce

To prepare this dish:

• Simply cut up the pineapple and onion into rings and the bell pepper into flat peices ready for grilling.
• Grill the ingredients on the BBQ for about 10 minutes
• Peel the bell peppers and cut the ingredients into smaller peices
• Add the fish to the ingredients with some soy sauce and leave to marinate
• Cook the fish on the grill until ready
• Heat the other ingredients to reduce the marinade
• Plate the fish and pour the marinade over the top of the fish

For video instructions you can follow the link to youtube - Wahoo Recipe

Fish Profile Bluefin Tuna

Typical Habitat
Bluefin are a migratory species that are believed to roam according to food availability, water temperature and spawning habits. Very little is known about their patterns. Some scientists theorize that Western Atlantic bluefin will migrate between North Carolina and New England, following schools of baitfish, until they reach sexual maturity at age four or five. After that, it is believed that they migrate to the Gulf of Mexico to spawn, and return to the NC waters in wintertime.

Angling Tips
Catching giants by rod and reel requires the largest of high quality reels spooled often with 200 lbs. test line. The two primary methods are trolling with rigged natural baits or artificial squids on spreader bars and bait fishing on anchor with live baits or chunks of local prey such as herring or mackerel. The movements of bluefin are highly variable and there are numerous ways to lose a hooked giant. Therefore, catch rates are typically low in this fishery. This fact does not diminish the enthusiasm shown among anglers. The expenditures by thousands of hopeful anglers pursuing bluefin tuna in Massachusetts is an economic force in itself. Smaller bluefin tuna are fished in similar patterns as the giants, with a downsizing of rod and reel size and line strength to match the target.

Eating Quality
If you are going to keep one for the table take care to bleed and chill your catch quickly. Tuna should be carefully gutted also soon after capture. The bright red flesh is excellent on the grill after marinating in your favorite concoction. Be sure not to over cook and dry out the flesh. This type of tuna lends itself well to sushimi and can be eaten raw using wasabi and soy to garnish and spice the ancient ritual.

Fishing Knots King Sling Knot

During my last serious fishing trip I decided to try a new knot recommended to me by a good fishing friend. I had been whining to him about my crank bait (lures to me) knots and he suggested I try the king sling knot.

The king sling knot is an easy knot to tie and offers a decent amount of strength. However, its real benefit is that it allows crank baits to work freely and look a whole lot more lifelike.

In my tests I found that while working the lure it looked a lot more natural and the action was quite enticing to the fish. The strike to hook up rate was good and I was quite impressed with the knot.

How to tie the king sling knot


click to enlarge