A Traditional Lure Retrieval

While walking the banks of the Murrumbidgee River, Chris managed to snag and lose his newest lure; a Mother Frogger. Obviously he wasn't overly happy, but he tied on a new spinnerbait and continued on. So when I managed to snag a Mudguts Spinnerbait and snap the line in a moment of anger, I thought I should probably do my best to get it back, and avoid the fake smiles of 'aw yeah, I don't even care that I lost the lure!'.

Luckily, it was a warmish day, but the water was cold and deep and I really didn't feel like getting wet. The things you do to save a bit of coin!

Jim

Tough Times at Tantangara

With Tantangara having been on our 'fishing radar' for quite some time, we were pumped when Choc from Gundagai invited us out there with a few of his mates for a weekend out on the dam.

We were excited to try out a fresh batch of soft plastics we had been given by Strike Tiger, and also had a couple of Stradas to flick around courtesy of Tackle World Wagga. With these options, as well as the usual box of Tassies, Celtas and Rapalas, we were certain for trout fishing glory.

However, in typical Greenhorn Jigheads style, not all went to plan. While we were psyched to go fishing, the weather at Tantangara had other ideas. With gale force winds and choppy water like I've never seen on a dam before, we were pretty much out of our depth. It didn't help that it was also close to 7 degrees. 

We soldiered on, but fishing from the bank was virtually impossible and being on a boat was going to be far from ideal. 

After a shocking nights sleep, we decided to call it a day at Tantangara and headed to Blowering instead. We dodged trees that had fallen across the highway, and pumped the car heaters to find feeling in our limbs again. Once at Blowering, our confidence came back, and we finally went fishing.

Check out this video to see how it all went down...


Jim & Chris

An Amazing Cod Release!

Not too long ago, Jim caught a ripper cod out at Old Man Creek. After a lengthy celebration we discussed keeping it for a feed, but after throwing up the pros and cons, we decided to release it. Chris had the honours, showcasing his flawless technique...

Fishing for the future!

J & C

The Cook Islands - Marlin Queen Fishing Charter

In January, we headed off with family to the Cook Islands for a bit of a holiday. We were super keen to try our luck marlin fishing, so it wasn't long till we had booked a charter. 

We decided to go with the company Marlin Queen as they seemed to have had a fair bit of luck on their boats (with a 300+kg marlin!!), and we were impressed to find out the reels they use are worth around $3000 each! We loaded up on the boat, got a run-down of the 'rules', and got some tips, before heading out on the search for some game fish.

It was amazing to see the island from a different perspective and to see just how blue water can get. Was a great thing to witness!

Our trip lasted about 5 hours, and we actually had some luck for a change! Without giving too much away, we managed to pull in a couple of decent sized fish. A great way to spend a holiday on the Cook Islands!

Check out our video and see how amazing the scenery is around the Cook Islands, and you might even catch a glimpse or 2 of some great fish. A big thank you to Marlin Queen Fishing Charters for a fantastic day!

J & C

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How To Catch A Fish

So, it's been a while between posts, but I can assure you we have a few that are well and truly on the way. Before we get to them though, theres another video very much worth posting. 

While checking Facebook today I saw a video by our mate Ryan Pollack. It's an absolute ripper and is worth a look. I'm not sure how much was luck or skill, but either way he pulls it off with complete confidence and class. Bit of a gun!

Jim

'Secret Valley' & boat mishaps

Chris and I were lucky enough to organise a trip to 'Secret Valley' with our very accomplished 'tour guide', and we were very excited as we heard of some luck on the water down there. We packed all our gear, talked lures and reel choices, started discussing how many 1 meter cod we'd each get, and headed off. Within a couple of hours we were driving down the extremely steep and rugged dirt road, with all the trophy fish peering out of the water, wishing they'd made home elsewhere. 

Our 'tour guide' with a nice cod caught previously at Secret Valley.

When we pulled up, we were shocked by how untouched this place was. We literally couldn't wait to hit the water. Unfortunately, we had to set up camp first, except this time it was made all the more easier.

Usually, Chris and I just pack our little pop-up tents and swags, but this time we were spoilt by our 'tour guide' who told us to leave that gear behind and share in the luxury of his caravan. We didn't have to be told twice, so with the quick turn of the tools the roof went up, and quicker than you can say 'Chris and I did nothing', we had the caravan up. Time to hit the water!

We were a bit confused as to what lure to tie on, but when Chris hooked a redfin on a Stuckey lure within 2 minutes of being on the water, we were all reaching for the hard-bodied lures.

Unfortunately we didn't have any more luck after that, so we retreated back to our campsite. Lucky for us, the area we were trolling is situated between 2 sets of rapids, so we didn't have far to go before we were back with a packet of Pizza Shapes in hand.

That night, we were somewhat convinced that sharing a caravan with a dog is NOT a good idea. We were told it is usually quite well behaved, but it chose that particular night to muck up. It jumped, and scratched, and clawed and carried on till it managed to jump through the top of the door. That moment will go down in history as one of the best feelings ever. Silence at last. I am also happy to name and shame, as I hope this never happens to anybody again. Max, ease up big fella!

The next morning we hit the water, with a little bit of reluctance on my part (I was happy enough sitting back enjoying the peace and quiet), but once out our enthusiasm picked up again. It wasn't long until Chris got a decent hit and reeled in a nice sized yellowbelly. Unfortunately, the fight didn't stop once the fish was in the boat, with Chris finding himself on the wrong end of a few flails and jolts from the sharp-finned yellowbelly (but because the fish ended up as dinner, I feel Chris won that battle).

With our confidence soaring, we were sure we could hook plenty more fish, so we committed to fish on for a while longer. Our 'tour guide' suggested it would be a good idea for him to head back to camp and start tidying up, but he insisted that Chris and I venture on without him. As we pulled away from the bank, somewhere deep inside we knew something just HAD to go wrong. Chris and I had only ever been on boats with steering wheels, so when we were left to control a boat with whatever that thing is called, we knew things would get tricky. We twisted and turned, ducked branches and did doughnuts (a cool way to say we went around in circles), and ultimately did very little fishing. It was a show. To see exactly what happened, click on the video and feel free to laugh at our lack of skills and know-how. 

Cheers!

J & C

The Christmas Special - MudGuts Spinnerbaits

Leading up to Christmas, we decided to head to Burrinjuck Dam and see if we could snare ourselves a big cod like some others had done in the past few weeks. Tackle World supplied us with some MudGuts Spinnerbaits to take with us, and we were very keen to get out on the water and test our luck. We had 3 different colours to try out, with the red and black being the most successful for us on our trip. 

Check out our video to see how we got on.

 J & C