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Coffs Harbour Australia Day Solid Gold Charlie Nth QLD JEW 1st Dive Back Sandon River Travelling Spearo Tales of Olde Seal Rocks Trailer Selection
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Editorial Letters Spear?Tips The Phantom Spearing Sydney Marine Electronics Bluewater Classic 2010 Short & Sweet GreatShot10 Downunder Woodie
Cover Tim Lackey - 35kg Seal Rocks Kingfish
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Fired up we phoned the editor of a certain spearfishing magazine to try to get him keen for a dive the next day. “thanks boys, but I think I will garden instead” came John’s reply. John didn’t share our optimistic view of the conditions and we struck zeros with a couple of other locals who also seemed dubious.
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GreatSh t 10 Troy Clifton - A rare but welcome catching in Coffs Harbour waters a Green jobfish
Each year my wife and I pack our 4 kids, fill the boat with dive gear and kids accessories and head North for our family holiday. My brother Troy and his family also tag along and the plan is to have the wife and kids entertain themselves for at least a few days so we can have some quality dive time. This year we were staying in a caravan park just North of Coffs Harbour and our main goal was to land something different from the regular Kingfish we normally target on the South coast. Leading up to our trip we spoke to a few locals who all spoke about months of dirty water and the general lack of good dive days. These reports
proved somewhat true with the 1st week being a write off with green water and big seas. We took the opportunity to rack up brownie points and enjoyed spending family time. By Sunday of the 2nd week the forecast for Monday was for the wind to back off to under 20knotts and we hoped the Southerly swell would have also fixed the water clarity problem. Fired up we phoned the editor of a certain spearfishing magazine to try to get him keen for a dive the next day. “thanks boys, but I think I will garden instead” came John’s reply. John didn’t share our optimistic view of the conditions and we struck zeros with a couple of other locals who also seemed
by Kurt Clifton dubious. Next morning saw just the 2 of us put the boat in on the Arrawarra beach and head East. Halfway to the Big Island the water turned blue and even though the wind was stronger than the forecast we were still confident of a good day. 1st stop we saw a school of Mac tuna with a couple of decent Whalers following the school. Nothing of interest showed up and the current was running the wrong way for this spot so we headed to another spot. The current was strong here so we needed to drift dive with one in the water and one in the boat, not ideal but we had no choice, so we agreed to limit
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all have that one fish. The one fish that will “We drive us to insanity in its pursuit. It is often the reason we continue diving through inclement weather, bad visibility and fatigue. For some the particular fish may only be found in remote hard to reach locations. Others may relish in the challenge of diving deep for their target. Usually the fish attains such high esteem through their size, handsome appearance, eating qualities, furtive nature and rarity. This is on top of whatever the general consensus may be (for any particular fish) within the spearfishing community.
You have most likely already formulated whatever your dream fish may be while reading this, quietly thinking about your next attempt at your elusive goal; what items need tinkering before next being used, who you should ask to come along, whether your boat needs any work, what locations need more exploration… For Sydney spearos like my brother Marcus and myself, you may even know what fish OUR dream has been. Their silvery, copper sheen cannot be forgotten. Neither can their smell – while some may disagree with it, I cannot think of an olfactory experience more wonderful. Mulloway are a captivating fish in so many
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ways. Their flanks are covered in an amazing array of colours. Whether it is a coppery green sheen, a flash of silver, or a beautiful bronze, the mix of colours in a live fish is unforgettable. Amongst this dazzling array, a row of small shining beacons follows the fish’s lateral line. And to top it all off, the entire show is held together by a menacing mouth, broad shoulders and a powerful paddle tail. It does not end here though. Once your prize is gutted, gilled, bled, filleted and portioned you are left with one of the best eating fish in Australia (this is probably biased – but the reward of eating Mulloway is made so much sweeter when you
by Nathan Low
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We book months in advance and juggle timelines and magazine deadlines so the planets align and simply pray for good weather. Packing is a full day and a half affair. There is a 3 page spreadsheet, formulated over the preceding weeks in the hope of adverting some sort of disaster like forgetting teddy.
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O by John Featherstone
ver the last couple of years I have had the opportunity to travel widely across this great country pursuing my dreams, visiting some remote locations, meeting an incredible diversity of people and of course capturing some fantastic fish. They have all been BIG adventures but I have come to realise that every part of your life should be a BIG Adventure. Work, play, relationships and of course the greatest adventure I think I have embarked upon is having a family. I had been really keen to get away for some “adventuring� with that family, because as romantic as being the editor of Spearfishing Downunder may seem it is blood hard work 90% of the time. Also I really wanted my children to learn that life is truly what you want to make of it and if you want it to be one big adventure then, why the hell not? So the location was simple - Sandon River. A mere 1.5 hour drive from home, an important criteria if you are taking young children (3, 6, & 8) on a road trip not used to travelling. Also it is a place that is very close to my heart as I spent a lot of time there in
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Seal Rocks Lighthouse - Photo by Shane Chalker
by Tim Lackey
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After buggering around at 5am doing the whole “let’s leave Sydney early to make a jump on the traffic” only to fiddle fart around with excitement and the morning stupidities to find yourself stuck in it anyway, it gave the three of us time to start arguments over governments and get heated about fishing lock outs etc.
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Coincidence?
Good Gear For Good Fish