Going fishing with ET (Andrew Ettingshausen) - photo © Sydney International Boat Show
Dear Recipient Name
Ahead of the impending Sydney International Boat Show we were fortunate enough to get time for a Q&A with ET (Andrew Ettingshausen). As one of the most recognised fishing experts in Australia, we were keen to understand how someone can go from the sidelines to fishing off a pier, and thence on to being waterborne.
Yes. There is an overwhelming array of fishing material out there, and not all of it is valuable. Going fishing is not cheap, especially by the time you want to purchase a tinnie or up, but it does not have to be super-expensive, either! Also, locations and species might change, but there are definitely some aspects of going fishing that remain universal, no matter where you are on the planet. Chief amongst these is that they can be some of the most memorable times of your life, no matter what age you are.
The headline is one of the great universal statements. Just the other day I was walking down a breakwater to go and watch the whales migrate, and began a discussion with a local who had been targeting Tailor for bait. One of the prizes he was after were Yellowfin Tuna that had been running around the area recently. Blink and you miss it kind of thing...
1. How to cut through the vast array of material and find the good oil?
Firstly, I remember growing up at a time when it was incredibly difficult to learn how to catch fish. My grandfather taught me a bunch of lessons he learnt from his father, but unless you knew someone willing to pass on their fishing info it was far more difficult than today. These days you have so much info. You can search on the internet and find out so much about a particular species you would like to catch; where you find them, what baits they like to eat, techniques and rigs to catch them on, and the time of the year they are found in your local waterway.
With an overload of information, you have a major head start. The difficulty is working out what info is accurate and most helpful. With all the info available online its best to take notes and compare each video against another about the same target species, until you work out a plan that covers all the key questions. Once you tick off all the boxes you need to get out there and get a line in the water.
2. Are you starting from the pier, rocks, beach, or going the whole slog and getting waterborne? So, after wading through all the info, how do you determine where to start, and what needs to be understood when committing to that?
While we have loads of terrific areas to fish our rivers, bays, beaches, or coastline from the land, there is nothing better than slipping in your 12-foot Tinnie or kayak to get out on the water and go fishing. Once you are out there you can explore to your heart's content, and as long as you are carrying the correct safety gear, your exciting fishing adventure awaits.
As a kid I loved the chance to row my grandad's big timber boat out over the flats into the channel on the hunt for some quality bream. I often fished alongside some oyster racks and cast out small live prawns I had caught the night before. Those prawns sure didn't last long as my cork handline would start rolling, for soon I was picking up the line and fought a beautiful big blue nose Bream to the net.
I still love fishing off the beaches and in the river off the sandbanks, chasing summer whiting. When winter hits and the rain and wind make it super cold outside, it's so much easier fishing the bridge pylons off the shore than to slip the boat in. So, keep your options open, prepare well, as tomorrow's a new adventure.
3. What makes a location a good starting point?
I find rivers, bays, and estuaries great places to start your fishing journey. You can often walk down to a local bridge and cast off the bank. Places that will always hold bait and fish are bridges and their pylons. Talking to anglers who are fishing the waters you want to fish is a big help. Structure is important when looking for fish. If you have a local wharf or bridge watch how other anglers fish these spots, and what baits or lures they use.
Other locations that you can often walk to and go fishing are estuary sandbanks. When the tide is low you can find bait like Yabbies or worms to catch your target species, then as the tide rises you can use these fresh live baits to catch Whiting Bream and Flathead.
Whilst walking in is fun, if you have a car for transport a kayak is another cost-effective way to explore a new environment. Eventually you can work your way up to a 12-foot Tinnie with an outboard on the back. As your fishing skills get better you can move to even bigger trailer boats and beyond. Spending time looking at different Navionic water charts can help with your planning. I can spend hours researching destinations I plan to fish using my Garmin Charts and Rip Chart maps.
4. Are you chasing inshore or pelagics?
Just to point out. Rock Fishing is extremely dangerous, and lives are lost each year. Unless you are very familiar with a rock platform location, and are prepared to wear a lifejacket, my recommendation is to avoid these areas at all costs. These dangerous areas are not for beginners. The fishing can be rewarding at times off the rocks, but nature has a fatal way of treating unprepared fishing enthusiasts.
It's always exciting heading offshore. The thrill of the ocean and the wonders that can be encountered out there like dolphins, whales, sharks, seals and birdlife galore make any trip a good one. The catching of fish is always a bonus.
Wearing a lifejacket while boating is another great idea. It certainly does not impede your fishing, but provides another layer of safety. The inshore reefs are home to some great tasting sport fish. Mulloway, Kingfish and Snapper are three favourites in southern waters. These species are prized catches, but you will need your own boat, or even better, a mate with a boat.
Often fishing for these species sees you fishing with tough heavy duty fishing gear with live baits or fresh baits. The local reefs that hold baitfish are good places to start looking for these target inshore predators.
The cool waters of winter are very different to the warm waters of summer. Summertime along the east coast is the time that pelagic species like Marlin, Mahi Mahi, Wahoo and Mackerel journey down with the warm tropical current. I love chasing both the inshore and Pelagic species and there is much to learn about these great sport fish.
5. What steps to take to get into fishing, including going on an excursion/charter?
As an angler you never stop learning. Heading away on board a charter boat to a new fishing destination is always exciting. Catching different species and learning new tricks with a group of fellow anglers is always a blast. Heading to places like Swains Reef on board a charter boat like 'Big Cat Reality' is the trip of a lifetime. You will learn so much on a trip like that.
6. What are essential items in your equipment and why?
If you don't have access to a kayak or boat, you will need to find a good spot on a riverbank close to some structure to do your fishing. If this is the case you will need a 2-5 kilo 7-foot, two or three piece spin rod, and a 2500 spin reel. On this reel you will need 10-pound braid, and 10-pound fluorocarbon leader. You will catch your Bream Whiting, Flathead, Leatherjacket, small Mulloway, legal Tailor, plus Salmon in most estuary locations.
You will need some sort of tackle box, that will store your size 1 Bream hooks, size 6 Leatherjacket long shank hooks and some 3/0 hooks for Flathead. A few different size bean sinkers and some small swivels. Soft plastic Lures in different sizes could help, and of course some bait. A knife, pliers and scissors are vital. A roll out measuring mat, a long handle net and somewhere to put your catch.
My mate who often fishes from a riverbank keeps all his gear in a bag in a long white bucket. The bucket can hold bait, the odd live bait, and store plenty of tackle, knives pliers etc.
7. Going boating. Great. Not everyone can have a Rybovich or Bayliss first up (if ever), so what do you think are the key parameters to consider?
Most people start fishing off a public wharf or riverbank. I used to spend time at a local ferry wharf dangling my lightly weighted hand line with a long shank hook and split shot loaded with a peeled prawn targeting Leatherjackets.
Like most people I slowly moved up to a kayak. I fished in a 12-foot Tinnie with a 15hp on the back for years. This boat helped catch me many fish. I then moved up to my favourite 5.2m aluminium centre console with a Honda 90 on the back, where my fishing broadened from Snapper, Kings and Mulloway to Marlin.
As my income increased so did my boat size. I have had a number of seven metre trailer boats, and the boat I really love is my current 7m Surtees Game Fisher. I travel far and wide with this vessel, and am always thinking about my next fishing adventure.
The secret is making sure you try not to break the bank, and spend for what you actually need. There is no point having an expensive rod sitting in the rack never getting used, and this thought is the same as your boat.
If you are at the stage of purchasing a boat, make certain you have done your homework. Clean and look after it as an investment, and then when you are ready to move up to a bigger vessel you will be able to sell your first boat at a great price.
8. Keeping it real - plate or glass - key parameters for making decisions, mono or multihull, outboard over some form of inboard?
I have been fortunate to own both fibreglass, alloy, and plate boats. They have always been monohulls, and whilst I have been fishing in multihulls, and these vessels are extremely stable, my preference is always a monohull in smaller trailer boats.
When it comes to choosing between the three types of monohulls, it's easy to understand that the most cost effective for its size will always be an aluminium hull. These vessels are lighter than plate aluminium boats, and bounce around a lot more at sea. As such, these would always be my third choice. Fibreglass boats are tough and generally heavier than a plate aluminium boat. They seem to ride smoothly and quietly, but often cost more than a plate aluminium vessel of similar size.
I drive a Surtees plate aluminium boat. My 7m Surtees Game Fisher has won Australian trailer boat of the year awards, and is beautifully designed for fishing with a quality of workmanship second to none. I run a Honda 250hp on this boat, and the ride is fantastic. Honda really back their product, and provide a seven year warranty.
Being a heavier plate boat certainly makes a huge difference offshore, and with the many kilometres of towing I do, I sure am happy to have a GFAB Trailer underneath this great boat. The boat has a fully enclosed cabin which sleeps two persons comfortably.
With Garmin Electronics, LiveScope, Radar, Autopilot and a powerful Force Electric powered by Century Batteries, it's an awesome fishing vessel. Visit Escape Fishing with ET for more information about the Surtees 7m Game Fisher fully enclosed.
I have not had an inboard motor on any of my smaller vessels, so it's impossible to compare the differences and advantages of one over the other.
9. Dare to dream big - The Wall, East and Nor'East PNG for instance (and yes these are specific to the are, but all regions have dream locales)
We live in a lucky country that's for sure, so get out and explore. We have the Great Barrier Reef on our eastern north coast and Ningaloo Reef on our Western north coast. In Tassie we have cooler conditions that see huge Bluefin Tuna caught in the Saltwater and Trout caught in the many rivers and dams.
The East Australian current roars down the NSW coast around Christmas every year, bringing an array of awesome tropical fish including Black Marlin, Striped Marlin, Mahi Mahi, Mackerel, and Wahoo in numbers. Across the wild Top of Australia there are so many different species to catch, and most of them taste great including the spectacular Barramundi.
Inland we have the huge Murray Darling System that starts in Queensland, then moves through NSW, crossing Victoria, before finally exiting the mainland in South Australia. This huge catchment is home to our largest freshwater fish, the mighty Murray Cod. South Australia and Victoria also have a list of trophy species to catch. We are truly blessed and some of these States hold fish that you can only dream about.
Surrounding Australia are the Pacific Islands and catching huge Black Bass in remote places like Papua New Guinea are memories never to be forgotten. Fishing for thousand-pound Black Marlin is also possible from a trailer boat if you want to test the limits.
10. In your opinion, what makes a good fishing experience?
A good fishing experience always starts with the friends you are fishing with.
The target species is the challenge that always tests your competitive spirit. The location is paramount, as is the beauty of a sunrise and sunset over the water. The jump of a Humpback Whale or a dolphin is as magnificent as a Marlin. There is always so much natural beauty to see.
For mine, just being out on the water with good company, whether you catch a fish or not, is a magic way to spend a day.
11. Do you have any key learnings from your extensive fishing career, or mottos that you live by?
Spend the time to catch your own bait and look after your bait, so that you can reuse it again and again. This saves time and money. Once you get a boat, don't be afraid to have your fishing buddy put in for fuel. Study your Target Species and work out the prime times to spend catching them. Every species has a few prime few months of the year when they are in big numbers and feeding, so do your preparation and aim to target them in these productive periods.
Preparation is the key in every aspect of life.
To learn more, and meet ET in person, visit the Sydney International Boat Show from 1 to 4 August at Darling Harbour, Sydney. Tickets start from $25 for an early bird general admission ticket, available to purchase until 17 July 2024. Children under 16 years of age are free when accompanied by a paying adult. Early bird ticket purchasers will also go into the draw to w in $10,000 in 'Boat Show Dollars' to spend with an exhibitor at the Show. For further information including accommodation packages and tickets, visit the Sydney International Boat Show website.
Escape Fishing With ET is in its 25th year on Australian TV. Local viewers can watch it on Channel 10 on the weekends, and also stream it on 10Play.
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John Curnow
Global Editor, Powerboat.World
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