READING THE WAVES – Michael Newtown (left) and his mate get stuck into beach fishing.
FISHING: a national pastime or occasional hobby; a waste of time to some, an obsession for others. Whichever category you might fall into you can’t escape the fact that where there’s water there will be someone with a rod in their hand.
And if you have made a sea or tree change – or are planning one – chances are you won’t be far from some great fishing spots.
Victorian angler Michael Newton has five decades of fishing experience and is the founder of Castmaster Australia, the company behind the Xcelerate automatic line release mechanism casting aid – ideal for seniors and people with mobility issues.
It’s his mission to get more people into fishing and keep them fishing, whatever their age.
Here Michael shares his fishing tips for seniors.
- Your greatest asset when fishing a new area is local knowledge. Talk to everyone, from the bloke in the tackle shop, to the people on the beach, to the manager of the caravan park or place where you’re staying. Their nous can save you hours of experimenting and exploring. I once gave a caravan park manager a couple of fillets after he put me onto a productive spot. In appreciation he let me in on two other “secret spots” he had, making for a great week by the water.
- Fresh bait is always best; frozen can get you by but always try to source fresh. The seafood section at your local supermarket may be a surprise destination but is often a good starting point. Green prawns are usually fresh (not frozen), peeled and cut into 2cm sections, and make an excellent bait. Not many fish will swim past a portion of fresh peeled prawn. A seafood market is a mecca for fresh bait. Unfrozen muscles, squid, pilchards and fillets of fresh fish make great bait and are often cheaper than the bait freezer at the local service station.
- When fishing the surf, spend a few minutes studying the waves as they break on shore. Look for the areas where they continue forming closer to shore. Those breaking further out to sea are smashing on to sand banks. Those that continue to roll further in are coming in over deeper water (known as a gutter or trough) and this is where fish gather to feed. I’ve caught fish in the white water before but I always look to cast into the green water at the back of the shore break.
- Tailor and Australian salmon can have a strong taste when cooked. I tend to clean them, wrap them in foil and cook them on the barbecue. To temper the strong flavour you can fillet and skin the fish, then remove the deep red blood meat that runs down the flank of the fillet. The white meat that remains is not so overpowering, and coated in flour and lightly fried in hot olive oil makes for a tasty lunch or dinner.
- When casting from rocks look for the sandy gutter beyond the kelp beds. This is a productive area but may require you to cast 60-70 metres. Use bomb sinkers, not star sinkers that can easily snag on a rocky bottom. Fish with only one hook to avoid possible snagging when retrieving a fish. To avoid losing tackle on the way back in, bounce the sinker off the bottom with a sharp jerk – this will get it up from the ocean floor – then hold the rod as high in the air as you can while you retrieve line, winding as fast as you can to keep your rig coming back through midwater. I have fished rock shelves and never lost a rig, where the angler next to me has continually snagged.
- Many older anglers have trouble casting the distances required to find feeding fish due to the ravages of time. Arthritic fingers, hips and shoulders can make life difficult. If you fall into that category or are still a proficient caster and would simply like to add 30 or 40 metres to your cast, the Castmaster Xcelerate can help. The automatic line release device eliminates the need to hold and release line during the casting arc for a stress-free experience.
