I made a conscious decision some time ago to totally change my approach to fishing. The days of following crowds or fishing blindly, randomly dropping a line in the hope that something will take a fancy to my offering, are over. I prefer to take a more strategic and educated approach when fishing these days. I should preface by stating that having a degree won’t enhance my fishing. By ‘a more educated approach’ I’m merely talking about gaining a better understanding of the species I am targeting.
I’m a big believer in learning about fish movements, habits, spawning behaviours etc. and there are some important reasons why it is beneficial to have a better understanding of the species you plan to chase. Understanding a species’ movement, the type of ground they reside in, growth rates, how they react to sunlight or moonlight and their preferred water temperatures will all culminate in one becoming a more proficient angler.
Doing the homework will arm you with valuable information so as to not only catch more fish, but help to ensure the sustainability of a particular species and whether or not stricter regulations are required. An example of this can be highlighted when Victoria’s DEPI changed the parameters of flathead size limits across the state. It was presumed for quite some time that taking really big flathead out of the system wasn’t going to do either the species or anglers any favours in the future.
The relevant research was conducted and it was confirmed that flathead over 70cm were all breeding females. For that reason, a maximum size limit of 70cm was implemented with the intention of providing flathead stocks with the best opportunity to prosper in the future.
I make the choice of setting my own size limits when wanting to take home a feed, which are greater than the minimum size limits of those set by fisheries. It is also a personal decision of mine not to keep fish that experience slow growth rates, such as bream. I’m not suggesting that my way is correct and that those of others are not, all I’m saying is it comes down to a personal decision based on research and the understanding of various species.
As highlighted above, not only does research help when it comes to sustainability, it also enable us as anglers to target and fish for these species more effectively. It goes without saying that if we have garnered information on the feeding and environmental preferences of a certain species; we’ll be able to implement the proper techniques in the right locations to unlock them more often.
The main objective of my articles in Spooled magazine is to present the finding from my research in a clear and concise manner. These articles will also include appropriate techniques for targeting these species using the data from the research. If you haven’t read it already, I encourage you to check out at my calamari article in the first issue of Spooled Magazine. It includes an interview with Dr Corey Green. Corey has been tagging calamari for the past two years and I was lucky enough to get results from his research during the interview. The information Corey was able to share with me was a real eye opener and some information regarding the species really surprised me. It has altered how, when and where I fish for them depending on if I want a feed or if I’m chasing bait. It has also given me a thorough understanding on the habits, movements and sustainability of the cephalopods.
I will continue to draw on experts for future articles in an attempt to share their wealth of knowledge with you, our readers.
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