Tag Archives: Safety
Storms at sea in small boats – real life stories
Last week on our return to Cairns from holidays, we were caught unawares by an electrical storm at sea. One minute it was just wind and rain, and we felt pretty safe in our Black Watch 40, Mood Swings. Nek Minit – lightning flashed all around. To make it worse, the clear zipper ripped and we…
Boat handling tips for a smoother ride in rough weather
Getting a smoother ride in rough weather can be as simple as changing your angle of travel. When I’m out and about on the water, I see so many people put unnecessary wear and tear on themselves and their vessel. Simply by travelling on the wrong angle in rough weather. Boat handling tips to get…
How to sharpen a fish filleting knife
No one knows how to sharpen a knife better than a butcher. Today we talk to Callan from Cardwell Butchery about how to sharpen a filleting knife. so that it holds it’s edge. Keeping your knife razor sharp is the key to good fillets and getting the most flesh from the fish frame. For this…
Handy wheel bearing tool
Regular trailer maintenance is a must if you want to avoid getting stuck on the side of the road with a breakdown. Launch and boat retrieval in and out of saltwater causes all sorts of damage over time and wheel bearings must be checked and changed regularly. One of the trickiest parts of changing your…
Survival at Sea
It pays to get your life raft serviced! After purchasing a pre-loved game boat, we discovered the life raft had not been serviced for 8 years. For maximum safety we opted to purchase a new one as it was only slightly more expensive than having the old one serviced. Out of interest we took…
Catching mackerel using metal slices
Mackerel are a premium fighting fish for recreational anglers and can be caught easily fishing with metal slices. Most Mackerel species are top grade food fish and are a staple fishing catch around many parts of the world. During the winter months we see the arrival of the lesser mackerel species and the main two…
Crimping barbed hooks
I am often asked if I crimp my barbs and/or use barbless hooks when fishing for tropical speedsters like barramundi and it’s certainly a topic worth discussing. For me, the object of course is to land big fish for my clients, and in many instances they’re not an accomplished angler and find it hard to…
How to avoid Ciguatera poisoning
Guest fishing writer Nick Philippa shares his research on ciguatera poisoning and interviews Ryan Moody who had a bout of it back in 1997. For years I’ve heard all about the ciguatera toxin and ciguatera poisoning and I really thought I knew what it was until I started research for this article. Turns out I…
Coast Guard SafeTrx app keeps you safe on the water
For those not keen on using a marine radio, and maybe don’t even have one, SafeTrx app for smartphones is a neat new way of keeping you safe on the water. Downloading the app to your smartphone is quick and easy and took us about 5 minutes. The hardest part was choosing a password and…
Safe and accurate way of casting a lure with a spinning reel
Casting a lure with a spinning reel in a boat full of other lure casters can be a dangerous occupation. Over the years I’ve noticed that those casting to the side are most likely to hook their fellow fishermen, and/or land their lure slightly wide of the mark. Obviously when there is only one or…
