Monday 29 July 2013

THAT TIME OF THE YEAR..... SALMON

AUSTRALIAN SALMON




With Winter really here, this is the time when some really big Australian Salmon hit the shores of the East-Coast of NSW and VIC. These fish are so much fun, with the acrobatic leaps and hard runs this sport species is amongst my favourite at this time of year.

Australian Salmon

Great big Perch-like mouth 

Targeting Australian Salmon from the rocks is one of my favourite ways to chase this species. throwing DUO Pressbait 85 Lures off the rocks and high speed retrieving them, watching the Salmon emerge from the water, chase and smash the lure from the surface is a cool way to fish.

Jake Coxon.... Salmon on Plastic
There are many ways to fish for Australian Salmon. Many Old-School Anglers like to fish off the beach for Salmon. Using gang hooks patanosta rig setup, and star sinkers. Although you will hookup a decent Salmon or even a big Greenback Tailor as by-catch, but I would still prefer spinning surface lures for them... way to much fun!!

Australian Salmon on DUO's Pressbait 85 Surface Lure
Jessi Fitzpatrick with her PB Salmon of 65cm from the rocks




































These fish are well known to throw hooks when they get to the surface they leap and spit the hooks from their mouth. When they come close to the surface keep your rod tip down close to the water and this tends to stop them from jumping, or if they do, the line will be tight and save you from losing a good fish.

Jake Coxon with a great specimen

Awesome bright coloured Salmon


































 The Australian Salmon are far from a good tasting table fish, but some people claim that if they are cooked right then they taste quite good. Me, personally, I target Salmon for the sport side of there leaping skills and hard runs, not to eat. All of my Salmon are returned to the water.

A very sizable and healthy Salmon from the rocks













Releasing a decent size Salmon













Average sized Australian Salmon on the Truth Mat at 55cm

Saturday 27 July 2013

IMPROVING YOUR FISHING SHOTS


CAMERA SECRETS

When I began to take Angling seriously and began to write blogs, articles and submissions; I had to learn a lot of aspects that go with the whole writing process. As my good mate Scott Mitchell said "Photography goes part in parcel with journalism, doesn't matter if your a good writer, if you have poor photography your article will be rejected" and he is dead right.  
I have revisited my approach in fishing journalism time and time again, but one thing that stays the same is the fundamentals, and a must is learning some good tips in photography and losing some bad habits.

with the use of pointing a fishes nose to the camera gives the effect of a larger fish, But don't be too fooled it doesn't make it much bigger!
The nature in photography, I think: is you are always learning.  I started with snapshots from a digital camera. I've always considered myself to be a good writer and been quite literate, but I’d never really set out to do any serious photography. The next few months that followed I learned a lot, and I still learn more and more everyday. But some fundamentals will always stay the same and I just wanted to write about a few.

With the use of Macro lenses you can really make a fish come to life
With the use of Macro lenses you can really make a fish come to life
 The first and most important thing you can do to improve your photos is to make the effort (to take good photos). Don't just press the button and hope for the best, instead look at what you are trying to achieve in a photo. Ask yourself: Are you happy with your image? Do your shots end up on the wall at home, or in a photo album hidden away? Anyone can take high-quality fishing photos with digital technology these days; but it takes a certain amount of effort - making a good photo happen to the success.


All the technical jargon in the world can’t save you if you don’t know where to point the camera or instruct the person on how to hold the fish. Most cameras have a grid option that aids you in making sure the subject is in the centre of the frame. So many times ive seen peoples fishing photo where the person holding the fish is way over to either the left side of right side of the frame and so much area is wasted in capturing the best background, but I will admit it does have it's place in some cases. Also, photography for the most part, is straightforward and simple at its best. There’s no need to cut half of someone’s face off just to achieve an “artistic look".

With the use of shadows photos can look so much better.
'Approach Your Subject', the best photography shows the viewer the world as they wish they could see it — not what they would actually see. When you pick up a magazine you can see a person up close and personal, you want to be able to not just read the man’s logo on his shirt, but count the stitches in his shirt. The same principle applies to outdoor photography, especially of other fishermen and of fish. Fill your available space, and if necessary let some of the less critical stuff leak over the edges. Don’t be afraid to push right in there — your friend will thank you for it later.

Action shots put the reader in the moment that the Angler was feeling

Action shots put the reader in the moment that the Angler was feeling
Think about macro (lenses) for Lures and Fish. Approaching the subject the best way, will help to get truly detailed fish and lure shots — or shots of anything small, enhanced by taking advantage of a macro lens. Use a macro lens on your DSLR. True macro photography renders the subject life-sized on the film or sensor. Of course, this means that when that image is blown up to the normal viewing size of, say, 8 x 10 inches, that little object is greatly magnified. This is the beauty of macro — you can see things you’d never see in person and view the world from a whole new perspective. Even if you dont have a macro lens, most cameras have a “Flower” setting which activates the macro feature setting. Try it out and experiment to see what you get.

The quality of this photo isn't good but.... Release shots are a good way to help promote catch and release
Light is what truly separates the men from the boys, so to speak; in the world of professional photography. All professionals know how to compose an image. All of them photograph interesting subjects. Only the most successful truly master the techniques of dealing with light, and I don’t yet claim to be one of them. Lighting is the area professionals worry the about most, because it impacts so many things. The light you work in affects your available depth of field, motion blur, the ability to make slow-water shots, saturation, contrast, sharpness — basically everything you can ask a camera to do. This is why pros spend so much money on f/2.8 aperture lenses — so they can gather more light. Without any of that..... Photoshop seems to be your best friend.



Example of a photo that is under-exposed
Of all the money you can spend in photography, the most crucial equipment when setting out to achieve magazine quality photos - is a digital camera, a good flash and a decent lens. The advantages of digital cameras are legion; the ability to review images alone is single-handedly improving photography on a global scale. Modern flash technology is right behind that in importance and a decent lens will help you achieve a desired subject to suit the frame you are going for.

Good example of keeping hands out of the shot so the viewer gets a better look at the fish
The 'fish shot' is the moment of truth for most would-be outdoor photographers. Magazine sales numbers show that anglers want to see big fish. Period. If you happen to be the photographer on hand when a lunker is landed, you have an immediate opportunity to make a salable picture, so long as you don’t blow it. First off, talk to your fisherman. The number one thing he needs to know, in our sport of dedicated catch and release anglers, is that you are not going to kill the fish. Properly handled, any Bass for instance can survive a decently-long photo session. I said properly handled, mind you. When your angler lands his fish, keep it in the water and get it in a net, If it's a really memorable catch have your fisherman stand in the water down low in the frame, it will create a mood of intimacy that the angler will look back and reminisce on and will give the reader a chance to connect with the anglers experience. Take off sunglasses and keep the rod in the picture, and the lure in the fish’s mouth, get yourself to a low angle and instruct the angler to get his fingers out of the shot, I cannot express this enough!!!! Show as much of the fish as possible, and hide your fingers as much as possible.

Angle the fish differently in different shots so not all your photos are the same
Tell the angler to angle the fish slightly so the head is closer to the camera than the body (a better optical trick than the arms-length grip and grin, since it forces the eye to assume perspective length). Snap off a few shots, then have the angler return the fish to the net. Review your images. If they are what you want, let the fish go. If not, repeat the process. Hope this helps a few people that have inboxed me on Facebook asking me how I take some good photos, Im definately not claiming to be a pro, this is just some helpful hints I like to go by when shooting Fish and Angler pictures.

Incorporate your rod in the shot with the fish

I USE CANON:
*Canon 40D
*Canon 10mm-22mm Ultra wide Llens
*Canon 60mm Macro Lens
*Canon 50mm Lens
*Canon 560 III Speedlite

Thursday 25 July 2013

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE..... HERVEY BAY



 HERVEY BAY




As Winter becomes a dreadful extensional grasp of a brisk season in the south. I headed to Hervey Bay to test out some DUO Lures on some reef species and Pelagics

80cm Threadfin Salmon on the DUO Realis Crank M65

Nathan Nitschinsk with an Estuary Cod Caught While Barra Fishing In The Burrum River


Awesome Barramundi in the Burrum River




Threadfin Salmon on The DUO Realis Crank M65

Another View of a Threadfin Salmon on The DUO Realis Crank M65



Plenty Of These good Size Squire Hanging Around The Reefs (Photo Courtesy of Scott Mitchell)
Awesome 70cm Snapper caught on the DUO Tide Vibe Slim 140
  Even The Tiny Squire Snapper Love The DUO Tide Vibe Slim 140
  Brilliant colours in this Nannygai caught on the DUO Tide Vibe Slim 140
Great Snapper Hanging around The Reefs Just Outside Fraser Island
Scott Mitchell And I With Two Pidgeon Pair of Squires (Photo Courtesy of Scott Mitchell)

Great Grunter caught on the DUO Tide Vibe Slim 140 at Roonies Point

Snapper Look So good on the Background Of A Truthmat

This Grunter Could not Help But Engulf this DUO Tide Vibe Slim 140

How Great Do Nannygai Look?.... caught on the DUO Tide Vibe Slim 140

1.2 Metre Cobia caught in over 130 Feet of Water. Cobia was 18KG (Photo Courtesy of Scott Mitchell)

Hooked Up On a Cobia (Photo Courtesy of Scott Mitchell)

So Many Squires willing To Engulf The DUO Tide Vibe Score Lure (Photo Courtesy of Scott Mitchell)



Amazing Double Hook-Up. With Trent Morgan And I (Photo Courtesy of Scott Mitchell)



























 

Tuesday 16 July 2013

A Taste Of DUO Realis





With the start of Bass season in Australia only around the corner, will definitely have the Bass striking in our systems. Here are just a few new DUO Candy available this season in Oz.



 With these Spearhead Ryuki 70S's will have most species from Flathead, Bream, Whiting and Bass munching on them



Vibration 52 Lures by DUO have some amazing tight action with a vibration that is clearly felt through the line and has so much attention. I cannot wait to give these a swim.



DUO's Vibration 62's are just the step up from the Vibration 52's, but they still amaze me in the detail. Very popular on the Mulloway.



These Spearhead Ryuki 45S's are the Finesse version of the 70S models, even just looking at these lures you know that it just screams out BREAM




Bivi Lures by DUO are the smallest of the vibe lures, hopped along the bottom with small short strikes have Flathead ambush these and Bream love them like candy.



From the Tetra Works range of DUO's Lures are the Ebbiko Lures, now seriously these by just gazing at them look like a small shrimp and finesse action of these beauties are seriously something to talk about.



New to Australia from DUO is the Crank M65 11A's. These lures are probally a little larger than most Crank lures your use to and the Murray Cod love them. Used on Silver Perch and Barramundi is also a popular option.




SERIOUSLY IF YOU HAVEN'T TRIED LURES FROM DUO..... GO AND CONTACT YOUR LOCAL TACKLESHOP AND ASK THEM TO ORDER THEM IN.