Sport Fishing Charters in Australia

Sport fishing is basically any type of private or tournament fishing that involves targeting specific species of fish on specific line weight classes. It has, for a long time now been a leisure activity and even a competition for many Australians. Up until recently, sport fishing was limited to catching the rarer species such as bonefish and permit. These species are still highly sought after but the spectrum of sport fishing seems to now encompass a much boarder range of species. Catch and release is a key part of sport fishing which not only makes it a challenging fun activity but it is also very low impact on the environment. From flicking soft plastics for flathead and bream to trolling with light standup tackle for mackerel to casting big surface poppers for GTs, sport fishing has taken Australia by storm and it is becoming more and more specialized. Sport fishing is the tackle manufactures marketing dream. There are now so many different species that people are targeting, the big tackle companies like berkly and rapala are making massive amounts of money out of new and very effective products to target these species in new and exciting ways.

Take the Berkley "Gulps" for example. These are a protein based, biodegradable soft plastic bait that has been impregnated with a taste and a scent. As silly as this sounds, Berkley have perfected these lure to a point where they actually outfish normal natural bait. The soft plastic revolution has created a totally new type of fisherman. The thing with soft plastics, and the "gulps" in particular, is you can catch practically anything on them. And the people love them. Sport fishing has been taken to a different level and with catch and release being encouraged more than ever, the younger generation is not only getting involved in a healthy fun activity but they are also having the fundamentals of conservation instilled in them.

There is also the incredibly popular "GTs on poppers" sport fishing craze that has almost taken over the sport fishing scene in Australia, and Mackay is probably one of the best venues. There are now quite a few different lines of products from a few different manufacturers that are specific in targeting this type of sport fishing. Shimano have released the stella range, daiwa the dogfight and penn the 950 spinfisher specifically for this type of sport fishing. Reels capable of silky smooth retrieves, big line capacities, high speeds and a seemingly impossible amount of drag have revolutionized the way the charter industry targets Giant Trevally. With the evolution of braided fishing line, it is now possible to cast great distances with lines exceeding 100lb breaking strains and these reels are designed to cope with it. With some of these reels retailing for over $1500 and the rods to carry them over $500, sport fishing has not only become popular but also good for the economy.

So if you are looking for a new way to have fun and challenge yourself, there are inexpensive ways to get into sport fishing. I suggest starting with some small plastics in the rivers and working your way up if you like it. There are also many sport fishing charters to help you along and show you the secrets.