TASTE of TASMANIA Marcus Popowski showing some form with a big King George whiting.
Matt Sherriff does a roundup of tackle testers. One of the favourite things about my job in the tackle industry is being able to work with some of our fishing suppliers to bring in tackle that is suited to our local market. Over the years we have continued to expand the colour range of our popular Hawk Lures (new deep divers to be released soon), worked with Hayabusa to help design high quality and affordable whiting rigs as well as other products such as the Hawk and Gaff-Mann Squid cleaning bags.All these products have been tweaked to suit our local conditions in Tassie. We have had plenty of help and ideas from local tackle stores along the way, but we would also like to thank the following anglers who have helped us by testing out our gear and giving us feedback along with new ideas: Marcus Popowski, Damien Virieux, Andrew Pender, Josh Hammersley (and team Black Magic), Brodie Munday, Harry Foster, Nathan Van Der Spek, Shane Ling, Jason Kerrison and Jack Gillespie. Here is some insight into some of the fishing that a few of these guys enjoy and it goes to show some of the diversity we are blessed with in our beautiful state!
Marcus Popowski - Smithton
Favourite Species
King George Whiting have become like an addiction for me over the past few seasons. Not only because of their eating qualities, but their fight capabilities on light gear and targeting them has so many unknowns. Including: Where are they turning up today? What size is going to come aboard? What tide will they bite? There are so many factors that can influence the catch rates! Many hours on the water over the past few years Fishing News - Page 10
collecting samples for the Australian Maritime College and working with Dr James Haddy, has made this species a favourite of mine. Learning the biology of this fish and getting some protection in regard to possession and size limits has been very fulfilling, as their numbers and the areas they are showing up in, seem to be increasing every year in Tasmania.
Favourite location
I enjoy fishing most of the coastal estuaries. Tide and conditions play such an important role in nutting out this species of fish. Sometimes hours pass before the bite happens and patience is key. Searching out new grounds is always on the cards as the fish will be in different places at different times of the tides.
Favourite Gear
Two things I would never leave home without are my Minn Kota electric motor and my Tonic sunglasses. Both are an absolute must in estuary fishing. For the past decade I have used Lox rods, with the 1-3kg being my absolute favourite. I have added the Murasame 7’ Tournament Spin 702ULS to the rod collection in the past year and it has been very hard to put down, matched with the new Pioneer 2000 Cyclone Prestige Reel.
Bucket List
A metre long Kingfish is still on the bucket list for me. Managed a 99cm two seasons ago, so getting so close has me eager for a metre long unit.
Tips
King George Whiting can certainly be an elusive species from day to day. I love using light gear such as 1-3 kg or 2-5kg rods. Even though I may be a bit under gunned on some of the big KG’s we get up here on the NW Coast, it’s all part of the fun. Rod sensitivity is so important in distinguishing bites from King George’s or by-catch species such as Leather Jackets, Wrasse & Toad fish which can all be absolute pests some days. King George have such a distinguished bite it is important to know when to lift or strike the hook or soft plastic home. I use Timber Wolf Braid in 4 or 6lb tied with a 10-20lb rod length shock leader and a Hayabusa Whiting Rig. These rigs have the best hooks I have ever used! One aspect to these hooks is if there is a pesky Leather Jacket to clear out of the area, these hooks have a very high hook up rate. When targeting King George on plastics any of your shrimp or worm imitations seem to work well in natural or red colours, slowly hopped or retrieved in sand gutters along reefs or weed edges.
www.tasfish.com - Get the knowledge - Get the fish.
Brodie’s favourite
