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A little slice of springtime bass fishing heaven.

From Starlo’s Desk…

“Bass and yellowbelly are the two fish I’ve measured my springs by for so long now that their familiar images are permanently burnt into the display screen of my memory banks.”

Whenever I think about spring fishing, two species immediately jump into the front of my mind: Australian bass and golden perch. Yes, I know spring is also a wonderful time for lots of saltwater targets, including flathead, whiting and snapper — not to forget barramundi up north, especially during the increasingly sweaty “build-up” period just prior to the onset of the Big Wet. But we’re all hard-wired to remember and celebrate the things that have had the greatest impact on our lives. Bass and yellowbelly are the two fish I’ve measured my springs by for so long now that their familiar images are permanently burnt into the display screen of my memory banks. So are the wonderful places where they swim.
 
While vaguely similar in physical appearance, and most likely distantly related, these two true-blue Aussie “perch” have quite different habits and natures. Bass are arguably our hardest-fighting freshwater fish on a kilo for kilo basis. By contrast, you could never accuse the good ol’ yellowbelly of being a particularly spectacular pugilistic performer. Yet, I love catching both fish equally, and could never give one up in favour of the other.

Two of our e-books are devoted to a pair of freshwater species that dominate the thoughts of many anglers at this time of year.
Truth is, the older I grow, the less emphasis I attach to the sheer pulling power of any piscatorial target. I completely understand the addiction of younger anglers, in particular, to GTs, hoodlum kings and barrel-sized tuna. I lived there once myself. But as successive seasons slip under the bridge and begin to run together into a broader, slower stream, I find my abiding passion for fishing has much more to do with the sights, sounds and smells of special places and cherished memories than it does with any raw yearning to see smoke coming from my reel’s screaming drag. Beasts that pull like a Mack truck shifting up through its gears are wonderful, but they aren’t the whole story. They may not even be its most significant chapter.
One from the archives: a much younger Starlo with a hefty Clarence River bass… But what’s with that hat!?
With spring now very much in the air (as my hay fever constantly reminds me!), it’s timely that we’ve just released our latest e-book, called “Wild About Bass”. As its name implies, this 98-page electronic publication is devoted entirely to the subject of ‘wild’ Australian bass in rivers: where to find them and how to catch them. It joins a growing line-up of e-books (including a very comprehensive one about golden perch) that are all available free to our Inner Circle members, but which can also be purchased individually on-line by non-members. See the whole library and find out how to buy them here. Better still, join up for a month and get unlimited access to all of them for the price of a beer, along with a truck load of other great content, including the latest incisive how-to piece from Glen ‘Stewie’ Stewart detailing the effectiveness of skirted jigs on yellowbelly (more on that below)… Jeez, I reckon that feature of Stewie’s alone is worth the $5 joining fee! Mad if you don’t get onboard…
 
Tight Lines.
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Catch My Drift?
Thoughts, reflections, insights and epiphanies that occurred to Jo this month...

Do Your Fishy Senses Tingle?

Jo’s feeling a little emotional about the great fish pain debate, so she lets us in on her thoughts.
I am not a scientist. I could never pull that off. I am, however, a critical thinker, a keen observer and an intelligent, rational human. That’s got to count for something.
 
When it comes to forming an opinion in the ongoing debate about whether fish feel pain — a debate that should interest every angler — these characteristics are the ones I turn to.
 
The question of whether fish feel pain threatens to end our freedom to fish recreationally. This has been playing out in Germany for forty years and some folks here in Australia believe that it’s only a matter of time before this issue catches on in our waters.
 
Here’s a quick overview of the sorts of limitations that can come from this belief…
 
 “In ‘The Great Fish Pain Debate’ (Issues, Summer 2010), Troy Vettese, Becca Franks, and Jennifer Jacquet rightly state that in Germany the assumption that fish feel pain resulted in court cases and fishing-related legislation from the 1980s onward. The initial focus was on fishing competitions, which were ruled as unjustifiable because their primary motive was competition and not food. The Bad Oeynhausen case of 2001 on catch-and-release was the last in a long string of cases that dealt with keep nets, put-and-take fishing, and live baitfish.
 
“However, the case did not have the importance Vettese et al. attribute to it. Importantly, public surveys published in 2014 show that the majority of the German public has no ethical problem with catch-and-release. In contradiction to what the article’s authors imply, catch-and-release continues to be allowed if there is a good reason for it, and competitive fishing events continue to exist whenever an acceptable goal is served, such as to improve water quality by harvesting overabundant cyprinids (a family of freshwater fish that includes carp).”
[Extracted from article “Debating Fish Pain” on https://issues.org/debating-fish-pain-forum/  VOL. XXXVII, NO. 1, FALL 2020, ROBERT ARLINGHAUS, Fisheries Professor,Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin]  
I think it’s interesting that despite a majority of the public having no ethical problem with the practice of catch & release, it’s suffered legislative limitation regardless! Such is the power of the animal liberation lobbyists.
 
You may have noticed that I referred to the notion that fish feel pain as a “belief”, not a fact… this is deliberate. The scientific community has not yet agreed on this matter. From what I can tell, definitive assertions and interpretations of the available science (whether for or against the premise of fish feeling pain) are flavoured by what individuals want to believe, with faithful scientists sitting in the middle, holding true to the basis of applying rational skepticism until all doubt is erased.
Steve puts the wood on a bream. If I was that bream, I wouldn't fight so hard!
If touting bias to achieve an end is acceptable (as demonstrated by the animal liberationists), then I’m happy to throw my anecdotal evidence into the mix… I’m hoping you’ll follow along with me ‘for the ride’.
 
Firstly, I’d like to point out that pain is subjective. We understand the concept because it’s OURS. We feel pain. We can articulate it and communicate it.
 
Some humans LIKE pain, some LOVE it! Me? I’m not a big fan. And because we are also capable of empathy, we naturally project our experience of pain to other creatures. This is a good thing, as it breeds compassion.
 
Compassion, empathy, conservation, humane treatment of animals — these are not the question here. The question is “do fish feel pain”… let’s not get confused by skipping down a side-lane.
 
My point is that even with our deep and very real experience of pain, our relationship to it is individual… subjective. So, if we are going to anthropomorphize, whose experience do we choose?
 
If I were to use the behaviour of a hooked fish to determine its relationship to pain, as I know it, I’d have to assume that it loves it. I’d base this assumption on the fact that it will pull with all its might against the hook. That’s the opposite of what I would do, as a human who does not like pain. I would acquiesce immediately and walk/run TOWARDS the hook, hands in the air in surrender!
 
For me, that discounts the suggestion of fish “feeling” pain — the subjective part of the human experience, which frankly drives most of the compassion from our animal libber friends… but what of the physiological response the trauma? Surely, this is relevant to this argument as well?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve caught some seriously disfigured fish in my time. The most shocking example simply astounded me and represents my turning point in this debate (I too am an animal lover and empath).
 
What a fighter! I couldn't bare to harm this fella. He went back to fight another day... do you think that was compassionate?
It was a sunny, dry season day in the Top End. We were visiting Banu Banu Retreat, a stunning island getaway off the coast of Nhulunbuy. Steve and I were spinning metals off the beach, chasing pelagics… GREAT FUN!
 
I’ll never forget my surprise when, upon besting a feisty queenfish and getting it close to hand, I saw the wound on its back. This was no scrape of scales. This was a vertical bite that severed all flesh from dorsal fin down to the spine. Holding the fish up to the sky, I could see 5mm of daylight between the darkened, healing tags of ragged muscle.
 
Marveling at the resilience of the fish, I realised that their physiology is so different from our own, that we cannot possibly assume to understand their living experience! It was patently obvious to me that a human suffering such injury would likely die, if not from blood loss, then from the sheer shock of the event! Yet this fish chased down my high-speed lure in hopes of a feed.

I've no doubt that other anglers have many similar anecdotes.

Please don’t confuse my writings as advocating a lack of compassion. Nothing could be further from the truth. I believe fish are to be respected. I advocate for best practice and compassion fish handling, for quick and humane dispatch of fish that are to be kept for the table and for efficient measurement, photography and release of those destined to swim again. I abhor the mistreatment of fish, especially leaving them to slowly die on a hot boat deck.
 
But I cannot put stock in the concept that fish feel pain, as we humans do. I’ve simply seen too much evidence to the contrary. I’ll finish up with another quote from Professor Robert Arlinghaus… “I do not know how a fish feels, not the least because I am human.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Until next month, FISH ON!
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  Diary Dates & Events 

[subject to change during the pandemic]
STATE OF FISHING ORIGIN 
Lake Windamere,  ANOTHER VICTIM OF COVID-19
 

 GONE FISHING DAY
Sunday, 18 October 2020. Find out more here.
 

FISHOTOPIANS ABROARD hosted trip to Rote Island, Indonesia
— POSTPONED DUE TO CoVid-19. New dates are 13 – 19 March, 2021
 


 WORLD RECREATIONAL FISHING CONFERENCE
“Recreational Fishing In A Changing World”

Rotterdam, Netherlands, 4—8 July, 2021
CLICK HERE for further information
 

WORLD FISHERIES CONGRESS 
New dates announced for September 2021  

The World Fisheries Congress (WFC) will be held from the 20 – 24 of September 2021 in Adelaide, Australia. 

Sharing our oceans and rivers – a vision for the world’s fisheries will be an event not to be missed, WFC will bring together research, industry and management to discuss the sustainable development of the world’s oceans, lakes, estuaries and rivers.  CLICK HERE to learn more.
Tips like this can be found throughout the public area of Fishotopia.com
Have You Checked In On Your Aussie Anglers Almanac Today?

 Fishing News  

FOR THE BIRDS!

Serious anglers are, by definition, true conservationists. Our concern for the environment needs to extend well beyond the fish that our passion is built upon. Recently, Starlo was invited to front a short video clip about doing our bit as fishers to help protect endangered and threatened shorebirds on the NSW south coast. Steve was more than happy to donate his time and be involved in this important project. You can watch the resulting short video by clicking here. 

 

  Network News  

Tactics
SKIRT LIFTING
Our resident sweetwater guru, Glen ‘Stewie’ Stewart, has just penned us an outstanding feature detailing the use of skirted jigs for catching golden perch (yellowbelly) in impoundments, although a great many of the lesson Glen shares in this priceless piece are also applicable to other species and environments.
This article and a bunch more like it (plus videos, area guides and heaps more) are available exclusively to our Inner Circle members.  FIND OUT  how you can join for as little as five bucks! Meanwhile, Members can go straight to Stewie’s how-to feature by clicking on the image above.
Tight Lines Magazine
Wild About Bass
It’s that time of year again... and to celebrate, Starlo has spent hours tipping all his bass knowledge into one very special eBook!

Everything you need or want to know about finding and catching “wild” Aussie bass in creeks and rivers — all the way from southern Queensland to eastern Victoria — plus plenty of great info’ on the closely-related estuary perch. This issue of our signature Tight Lines magazine is a treasure trove of information for bass and perch fans based on half a century of on-water experience.

Members can  CLICK HERE  to read their issue of this tell-all bass book. Information about how non-members can get their hands on it, without joining our online community, can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.
 
Fly On The Wall
The Clubhouse Wall is our Inner Circle Members’ private forum. This section of our monthly newsletter highlights some of the topics discussed in our virtual “Clubhouse” over the past month. The above collection of pics has been collated from some of our favourite posts of late.

Topics of interest have included:
• Spring fishing swings into action
• Yellas!
• Bass!
• Big flatties finding their way onto the flats
• Marine electronics
 
WINNER WINNER!
The inaugural winner of our best “Email to the Editor” last month was Warren Cox, who sent us the fantastic poem below. Warren scores himself a beautiful, hand-crafted timber lure from RTBroughton Lures for his efforts. Drop us a line with your postal address, Warren, and we’ll get it straight out to you!
 
****
Gone Fishing Day


Well I reckon the tide’ll be right today and barometer pressure’s high.

I’m betting the snapper will be on the bite,
 so I’m off to give it a try.

Pillies and squid should do for bait,
 and maybe a prawn or two.

And I’m thinking, “Today’s the day old mate.
 Today they’ll be on the chew.”
I’m certain I’m going to fill the creel. It’s a given. It’s certain. It’s done.

Already my heart is beating fast. I can hear that rachet run.
Then I’m lifting and reeling and screaming “I’m on”. 
And settling in for the fight.
Perhaps I’ll be broken. The line’ll go slack. 
Or maybe I’ll keep it all tight.
But either way I know in my heart 
I’ll spend the next day just wishing,

I could hang on my door, a permanent sign 
that says, quite simply,
“Gone Fishing”.

****


© Warren Cox
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN TO WIN
A BROUGHTON TIMBER ORIGINAL!
For the second month, we’re offering YOU the chance to WIN an original RTBroughton timber lure! All you need to do is tap us out an email in response to anything you’ve seen in this month’s newsletter and send it to admin@fishotopia.com.au
 
Your feedback can be a bouquet, a brickbat, or simply an observation. That’s totally up to you. The only condition is that you must agree to allow us to publish your comments in full or part. We’ll pick the best email we receive and the writer will score the RTBroughton lure shown here… so, get typing!
AND SPEAKING OF GONE FISHING DAY
 
In keeping with the theme of Warren Cox’s lure-winning poem (above), it’s worth remembering that Gone Fishing Day takes place across Australia very soon: on Sunday, 18 October! Things will be a little different this year, with parts of the country still under Covid-19 restrictions, but there’ll still be lots of local activities on offer. You can search them up on-line (just Google “Gone Fishing Day 2020”).
 
In NSW, DPI Fisheries are putting together a fantastic streamed video clip for the big day featuring our own Starlo, as well as Al McGlashan and various others offering basic how-to tips aimed at getting you connected to a few more fish. You’ll find it on the NSW DPI Fisheries page on Facebook.
You may have noticed that Mako Oil have been advertising with us here in the newsletter and on Fishotopia.com since day one. We really appreciate their wonderful support… but we appreciate the amazing product they produce even more!

Steve was first introduced to Mako Oil back in his days as a TV presenter for “The Offroad Adventure Show” and he quickly became a “believer”. Mako Oil now plays a vital role in all of our tackle and gear maintenance regimes, as well as many other jobs around home, and we absolutely swear by the stuff. We particularly like the fact that it seems to have no adverse impacts whatsoever on fishing lines, and that its fish-based formula means it doesn’t turn fish off biting, even if sprayed directly onto hooks, sinkers and lures… in fact, it might even attract them!
 
You can watch Starlo’s video explainer about Mako Oil and its many uses by clicking the play button above, or cut to the chase and view a shorter, how-to clip describing our regular after-trip tackle maintenance routine here.
You likely already know that we’re huge fans of Mako Oil here at Fishotopia, and that we use this brilliant Aussie-owned product for all our gear maintenance. However, we recently received this wonderful and totally unsolicited testimonial from a member of the public, posted as a comment on Starlo’s YouTube clip (above). It’s well worth a read:

"Well, I bought some [Mako Oil] and have been conducting a corrosion test for nearly two months. Three steel ingots were prepared, all from the same bar stock. All three were soaked overnight in acetone to remove any grease or oil, then a thin film of Mako Oil was applied to one ingot and a lanolin-based spray to another, using an identical method (some paper towel was moistened with the products then wiped onto the surface). The third ingot was left un-treated. All three were then placed outside on the handrail of my decking, which is uncovered, so the test pieces are exposed to rain, condensation and direct sunlight. After just on two months, the un-treated ingot is completely rusty and the lanolin coated piece has rust on most of its surface — at a guess, I would say around 60% of its total surface area. The piece treated with Mako Oil has almost nothing — a few tiny spots [of surface corrosion] about a millimetre in diameter and almost invisible. I’ve been using the lanolin-based product to stop corrosion from condensation on my workshop machinery. The old saying 'have you ever seen a rusty sheep?' sort of holds true, but then again, have you ever seen a rusty fish? Next I want to try spraying some Mako Oil on my baits and lures to see if I get a positive or negative result in bite ratio compared to untreated bail or lures — could this stuff be a berley trail in a spray can? Time will tell!” 
~ Ian Bertenshaw
Fishotopia’s happy band of Inner Circle members enjoy unlimited access to a constantly growing library of articles, e-books, videos, reviews and area guides. But now non-members can also access a few hand-picked gems from this treasure trove of fishing knowledge.
 
We’re now offering for sale at a very reasonable price our complete e-zines (they’re actually more like e-books) focussing on various native species different species: mulloway, flathead and golden perch or yellowbelly. More titles are also on their way... and, Wild About Bass has just been added to the line up!
 
Each of these e-books is highly detailed and information packed, and several contain embedded video clips to further clarify the how-to training process. We think they represent incredibly good value for money, and we urge you to check them out. Inner Circle members can go straight to the shelves of the Fisho’s Library here, while everyone else can shop for these exclusive on-line publications at the link below.
Want to read one of the Tight Lines titles, but don’t want to become a member of Starlo’s Inner Circle?

Good news! All four issues of Tight Lines magazine —
  • Mulloway Mania
  • Chasing Unicorns
  • On Golden Ponds
  • Wild About Bass
— are now available
for sale!

Click the button below...
Follow this link to buy your ebook now
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Tight Lines!
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