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Episode 132: Steve, Ash and Popey review the Port Lincoln Tuna Classic

This week we are looking back on what was a hugely successful Port Lincoln Tuna Classic, that Dizzy fished in recently over the March long weekend. Steve and Ash have put in a mountain of work to put on another epic event, while Ash is also able to recount his time aboard the Vatican, owned by Popey; the team took out the Calcutta prize of $100k, while also catching the most fish and Champion overall angler. This is one of the best hauls a single boat could ever hope for and a huge testament to the skill and competitive spirit showed by the whole crew! Plus the boys are able to share the dates for next year events and give us a very early preview of the 2026 competition!

As always, we have all the latest news in SA fishing, including:

• An update on the Algal bloom that has killed sea life and closed beaches on the Fleurieu Peninsula. 
• Rumours of an extension to the states ongoing snapper ban. 
• More yabby net exchange from RecFish SA and Green Adelaide. 

Our tackle item of the week is the new emergency weather radio from Nakd Travel, which is a great addition to anyone's gear when heading out adventuring! The product includes a radio, flashlight, battery pack and SOS alarm; it can be charged via solar panel, hand crank, AAA batteries or USB port. We also have the latest fishing report including a rare Swordfish capture out from Port Lincoln.

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Episode 131: Port Lincoln Tuna Comp wrap up + Shane Mensforth from SA Angler + Marine Safety ‘Stay Afloat’

This week have 2 big guests back for their second round on the podcast:

• Shane Mensforth from SA Angler joins us to preview the new Autumn edition of the magazine & talks about his summers fishing!
• Simon Schwerdt from Marine Safety SA comes on to promote the ‘Stay Afloat’ lifejacket clinics they are rolling out across the state to teach people how to service and maintain their own lifejackets + an overview on everything else they are doing to keep SA safe on the water!

Plus, Dizzy has just returned from fishing in the Port Lincoln Tuna Comp, with Tony Lukin, aboard his beautiful Veitch 27 Hardtop - A big thankyou to Tony for the opportunity! The competition was an epic success, with over 2,000 tuna caught and released, while the winner of the Calcutta prize, the team aboard ‘The Vatican’ took home over $100,000. While Dizzy didn’t trouble the leaderboard, he re capped an epic weekend, where plenty of fish were caught and lots of fun and banter was shared. A massive shout out to Steve Toome and Ash White for putting on another epic weekend, we can’t wait to come along again next year (Rohdey already has it in his calendar!)

We also have some more fishing news including:

• Abalone diving banned in the southern zone due to the AVG virus.
• Professional limits of Kingfish to be cracked down on.
• Bag and boat limits for Garfish and King George Whiting to remain the same. 

The tackle item of the week is the Iki Pik that everyone at the Tuna comp used to humanely dispatch any fish they were keeping, while the fishing report also covered the Carp Frenzy and a lost Swordfish close to Penneshaw beach!

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Episode 130: Brad Towler, Fleurieu Charters

This week we are joined by Brad Towler who has recently taken over Fleurieu Charters, while continuing to also run Towler Marine, which we discussed in detail when we previously spoke to Brad in episode 52. Running a pair of Clayton Gallant boats, Brad and his team have quickly found success on the Tuna and reef fish around the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island. Brad talks to us about the transition into running the business, some memorable early catches and the plans for the future, which includes a winter spent fishing for barrel tuna out from Port Mac, while the other boat targets winter Whiting closer to home. 

We also cover all of the news in SA fishing, including:

• A seasonal closure at Aroona dam.
• New boat ramp cameras at Wirrina.
• ‘Stay Afloat’ Lifejacket clinics from Marine Safety are running across the state.
• Another illegal Abalone haul from the West Coast. 
• RIP to Mark Mills who recently passed away after contributing so much to SA fishing.
• A new species of aquaculture fish aiming to boost local seafood production. 

We also have updates on all of the upcoming Tuna competitions

• Dizzy’s pumped to be heading to Port Lincoln for the Tuna comp over the March long weekend, fishing with Tony Lukin aboard ‘Mila Lu’
• The Wirrina Tuna Comp has again been rescheduled due to weather, with March 22/23 the new date
• The inaugural South Coast Tuna comp is being hosted by the Encounter Bay Footy Club this weekend. 

Plus, we have all the latest fishing reports including our own session on the squid off the Fleurieu peninsula, cleaning up on the Shimano Sephia jigs (our tackle item of the week) and a big Mulloway caught off the Port Elliot Jetty!

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Episode 129 - Matt Durell - The IkiPik

This week we are joined by Matt Durell, a WA based fisherman who is behind The IkiPik, an Ikijime device that is designed to quickly and humanely kill your catch, ensuring premium eating quality. We chat with Matt about his own fishing in the West, get a run down on how and why to use the product and also discuss the pack he has produced with Tuna Champions which contains everything you need to maximise the eating quality of your catch. We also touch on his other brand, SW Skeletal, which offers a service where Matt will turn your fish frame into a high quality mounted skeleton, keeping your prized catch for a lifetime - He even offers this service to interstate anglers such as us here in SA.

We also have all the latest fishing news from across the state:

• The Wirrina Tuna Slam has been delayed until next weekend (Feb 22/23) due to bad weather.
• A fisheries boat capsizes while crew was trying to board the Tacoma off Port Lincoln
• The Boating Safety Strategy from 2025-2030 has been released
• RecFish SA and DIT are running clinics to help people service their lifejackets
• Another drowning off Browns Beach on Yorkes - Should SA introduce mandatory lifejackets for high risk rock fishing locations similar to other states?
• The worlds shortest fishing season has wrapped up in Michigan - you won’t believe how short it was!

We have all the latest fishing reports including Tuna, Yellowfin Whiting, Blue Swimmer Crabs and some epic footage of a Great White off Yorkes! Plus some important gear to stash away in your boat as our tackle item of the week!

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Episode 128 Ryan Stella Fishing

This week we are joined by Ryan Weidenhofer, the man behind Ryan’s Stella Fishing on Youtube and social media. Ryan spends lots of time on the bottom end of the Yorke Peninsula and targets a wide variety of species, documenting it all in video and photos which we love to see! He is someone who does a variety of different sorts of fishing, from targeting Tuna, Kingfish and Samson Fish offshore, to bread and butter species in shallow water, diving for Crays and is now looking to get into more land based angling. 

We also have a jam packed new segment including:

• An illegal Snapper haul on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
• Ongoing management of Abalone in the South East with Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis again found around Port MacDonnell.
• Lots of RecFish SA events including the first Reel Women Tuna Clinics on board Want To Fish Charters.
• Carp Frenzy is on again in early March with some amazing prizes

Our tackle item of the week is the Sharkbanz Zeppelin, a device to deter sharks from stealing your catch, while we also chat about Dizzy’s attempt at Ceviche Whiting after a listener put us on to the idea!

Lots going on in the fishing report, Dizzy caught crabs with young Ned and the bag of Whiting with his dad over the long weekend, while Tuna are finally here in good numbers, a wrap of the Kingston Surf Fishing Comp and a small Murray Cod in Aroona Dam a good sign of breeding occurring. 

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Episode 127  - Kane Reardon

This week we are joined by gun Victorian fisho and new TV fishing personality Kane Reardon. Kane and his good mate Aaron ‘Red’ Habgood (guest in episode 82) have recently launched their own fishing show ‘Red’s Fishing Adventures’ which you can find on 7 Plus. The show follows these 2 mates ticking fish and experiences off their bucket lists, taking them from their home in Victoria to Marlin in NSW, 2 episodes in Exmouth and even an episode chasing Samson Fish from Marion Bay in SA. We chat with Kane about his own fishing journey, his experiences and opinions on fishing in SA and talk about Reef Thief Lures and Bangers Teasers, a couple of local brands he is involved with. 

We also have all of the fishing news from across SA including:

• RecFish SA’s Murray Cod monitoring program in local reservoirs has come to an end.
• Free ramp use at Wirrina while the Cape Jervis ramp is out of action. 
• Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis has again been detected in the states southeastern waters.
• A definite ‘No’ to offshore wind farms in SA.
• Carp Frenzy is on again soon at Lake Bonney.
• A couple more RecFish SA events at Port Noarlunga and West Lakes.

We also review our own weekends fishing out to Althorpe Islands off Marion Bay where we caught Nannygai, Flathead and Whiting, but did have some issues cooking lunch! Our tackle item of the week comes from this trip, the Shimano Tekota 600 Overhead reel which was great for jigging and when paired with the Game Type J rod was a lot lighter than the rods we used to jig with. We also discuss some of our social media discussions around whether Nannies are better eating than Whiting and different ways people cook their Whiting. 

As always we have the local fishing reports including the Tuna finally arriving off the Fleurieu, summer favourites in blue swimmer crabs and yellowfin whiting are on and one listener catching heaps while on summer holidays in the South East.

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Episode 126: Wade Ball, Non Stop Fishing 

Happy New Years to all of our listeners, we hope you all had a good Christmas and got some fishing in during your time off, we start todays episode with our own fishing exploits over the festive season and some fishing new years resolutions!

This week we are joined by Wade Ball, who runs Non Stop Fishing, a youtube channel and social media accounts that document his own fishing all across the state. We love the fact that his fishing covers all parts of fishing in SA, from freshwater to bread and butter fishing to deep offshore jigging and sportfishing, Wade really ticks it all off. We chat about how he started his filming, his 2 boats, his recent trip to Streaky Bay and whats next on the agenda!

Plus, we have all the fishing news from across SA, including:

• Wauraltee beach closed for camping. 
• Cape jervis ramp overnight closures.
• An update on the troubled Cape Jaffa Marina.
• Fears of another fish kill in the Darling River.
• A dead shark dumped on a driveway.

As always, we have all the latest fishing reports, including our own whiting fishing on the Yorke Peninsula, the wait for the tuna to arrive continues and plenty of blue swimmer crabs and sharks to be caught in  the warm weather. Our tackle item of the week if a set of mini bolt cutters that Rohdey thinks will get us out of trouble one day!

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Episode 125: Lauren Douma + Simon and Gordon from Marine Safety

This week we have 3 great guests lined up to keep you all entertained over the Christmas and New Years break!

Firstly we chat with Lauren Douma, who has recently been elected to the RecFish SA board. She is sure to contribute plenty to the organisation, she is super enthusiastic about getting new people into fishing, including some disabled clients that she works with. Having only taken up fishing relatively recently she also brings a unique perspective to the board in that regard, she shares her journey into fishing and tells us how she wants to contribute to RecFish.

We are also joined by Simon Schwerdt and Gordon Panton from Marine Safety SA to chat about keeping everyone safe on the water, particularly over the busy summer holidays. Gordon (Manager marine Safety and Compliance) and Simon (Unit Manager Boating, safety and compliance) share some tips on how to keep your safety gear up to standard, talk us through planning a safe day out on the water and also talk about some common things people forget or get wrong. This is all super important information to keep everyone safe over Christmas and particularly relevant for anyone who doesnt fish as often as they would like!

Plus, we have all the latest fishing news from across the state including:

• The Allocation Review Committee has met to discuss some key species including King George Whiting and Yellowtail Kingfish.
• SAFTAG and RecFish SA are hosting a tagging event on February 1st. 
• An update on the new Marion Bay boat ramp.
• The Kingston Surf Fishing Competition is coming up on January 18 and 19. 
• The John Johnson Memorial Wirrina Tuna Slam is on again on February 15 and 16.

We also have all the latest fishing reports including a couple of YP Tommies for Rohdey and an update on the upcoming Tuna season, plus we discuss the Shimano Revolution travel rod - A great option for anyone fishing while travelling across the festive season.

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Episode 124: Tom Hams from Port Hughes Fishing Charters

This week we are joined by Tom who has recently taken over Port Hughes Fishing Charters. After changing careers from shearing to commercial fishing, Tom has now found his dream job taking over a successful charter business in a well renowned fishing region. Tom talks us through his fishing background and journey to taking over the business, what customers can expect on a day out and shares some of the coolest things he has seen on the water.

As always, we have all the latest fishing news including:

• Investigation into a mass die off of a number of important aquaculture species at SARDI’s West Beach Facility.
• New members added to the RecFish SA board.
• An update on dredging to get the Cape Jaffa Marina back up and running
• New rules around protection of Sharks and Rays. 
• A Victorian town is putting its hand up to be the home of the Vic Fisheries Carp Herpes trial program after carp ruined its yachting event.

Plus, we have all the states fishing reports including Rohdeys hunt for a Mulloway, a boating mission of West Beach with the kids, summer species turning up in time for Christmas and a chat about when the tuna will arrive locally. We also discuss an old favourite, the paravane, as our tackle item of the week and announce Trevor Dean as our winner of the November photo competition thanks to Shimano.

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Episode 123: Shane Hodgens, Tackle World - Pt Augusta

This week we are joined by Shane Hodgens, who we have previously chatted to as the owner of the Tackle World store in Port Lincoln. This time he joins us from Pt Augusta, where they have opened a second store, initially as a pop up shop and now as a permanent fixture. Port Augusta has been the hot spot in SA fishing of late, with plenty of huge Kingfish being landed and just this week a Swordfish was filmed swimming very close to shore. Shane updates us on fishing across the whole of the Eyre Peninsula, talks about the process of opening a new store and gives his opinion about how the states Kingfish fishery would be best managed.

We also have a huge news segment with all the latest updates from across the state, including:

• RecFish SA have released their annual report.
• PIRSA is launching a new app next year which will include ‘Opt in Reporting’ of recreational catches.
• Yellowtail Kingfish are moving to a stage 2 review under the allocation review committee after a potential breach was found through tagging data.
• A plan for Kingfish aquaculture in the riverland town of Waikerie. 
• A Rec Fishing survey is being conducted with $50 vouchers up for grabs.
• RecFish SA clinics are heading to Moonta.
• A PIRSA survey on the commercial scale fishery management plan.
• $500,000 to reduce the risk of shark attacks across summer. 
• Vic Fisheries are pushing to have the Carp Herpes virus undergo a trial.
• A big start to the Seeds for Snapper program for this summer. 
• 2 fisherman and a dog rescued after their boat was upturned near Robe. 

Plus, we have all the latest fishing reports, including Tuna, Kingfish, land based Samson fish and an update on Rohdey’s unsuccessful fishing attempts at Hamilton Island last week - at least he didn’t get sunburnt in the his Shimano pro stretch vented shirt!