Justin Willmer

Tips for winter plastics fishing

With cooler weather comes an influx of bait into many of our river and estuary systems, bringing with it a winter run of species, such as big bream and tailor, as well as attracting larger models of some species into the shallows, including snapper and flathead. The cooler months are a favourite time of mine for flicking soft plastics, so …

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Micro plastics fishing methods

plastics

One of my favourite styles of fishing is casting finesse plastics on light gear in shallow water and it always surprises me the mix of species and quality of fish that this technique produces. There’s an old saying in fishing that big lures catch big fish, while small lures catch all fish.   So, for anglers getting into plastics fishing, …

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Barramundi tips and techniques

barramundi

With barramundi season opening in Queensland from February 1 and the northern impoundments firing, many anglers are planning or setting off on a northern fishing adventure. I thought this would be a great time to take a closer look at three techniques that have proven successful for friends and I when we’re targeting barra, along with the presentation that gets …

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AFTA 2022 Trade Show wrap up

AFTA

THE Australian Fishing Tackle Association Trade Show was held on the Gold Coast recently – after two years of cancellations due to Covid – bringing together fishing tackle manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers on Thursday and Friday August 4 and 5, with a trade morning and then public day on the Saturday from 10am to 3pm. AFTA Behind the scenes there …

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Having a look at lines and leaders

lines leaders braid

I thought I would look at why we have different types of lines and leaders available to us as anglers. lines leaders braid Platypus Fishing lines have been Australian owned, operated and manufactured since 1898, making them Australia’s longest running fishing tackle brand. lines leaders braid Each spool of Platypus line is touched by about eight Aussie workers before it …

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Spinning for mackerel and tuna

Spinning mackerel tuna

Nervous bait appears like rain on the surface of the water before out of nowhere the attack comes from both below and above. Fish fins and teeth carve up the surface of the water and birds descend from above, taking advantage of the hapless baitfish that have nowhere left to run. A quick cast into the melee, a few fast …

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Top 10 tips for rigging and fishing weedless soft plastics

rigging weedless plastics

With impoundments firing for barramundi and bass, mangrove jack on the chew and other heavy structure dwellers waking up from the winter chill, I thought it would be a good time to share a few tips for rigging and fishing with weedless rigged soft plastics. rigging weedless plastics Weedless rigging allows you to present your plastic over, through and into …

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Bassin’ with blade baits

Bassin’ blade baits

The warming weather signals the start of the edge bite and it’s time to dig out those reaction baits, ready for the shoulder dislocating strikes and screaming runs of big summer bass. Casting to the edges of the banks, weed, lilies and in among the timber, starting the retrieve and then being absolutely crunched by a big bass sees involuntary …

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Fishing for snag dwellers

The weather is warming up and our favourite snag dwellers are starting to stir, shake off the colder winter months and smash up the local herring and poddy mullet population. The ability to entice a bite from snag dwellers, such as flathead, bass, barramundi – impoundment for those chasing them during the closed season – and mangrove jack, often hinges …

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GOAT fishing with ZMan

AFTER catching my first fish on a soft plastic about 35 years ago, I have been hooked and have fished many styles, types and colours of plastics, learning to rig and fish them a stack of different ways over the years. Soft plastics are relatively inexpensive, look real, feel real and with a squirt of scent they even smell and …

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