skip to Main Content

iFish – Volume 3

     
Paul Worsteling is back with some more fantastic adventures, as he visits a number of iconic destinations around his native Australia. He concentrates on the huge variety of saltwater action there is to be found around its coastline, but also tries his hand at fly fishing for early season Goulburn River Trout and takes a helicopter into the hills to catch Sooty Grunters. There are also a few shows that cover the trip he made with wife Cristy and son Jet to Alaska, where they were fishing for the various species of Salmon to be found there.



To watch iFish - Volume 3 now, just login or register
video
King Salmon Alaska - Host Paul Worsteling thinks its pretty cool to be staying in a place thats called King Salmon. He's flown all the way from Australia to the heart of Alaska and he, Cristy and Jet are lodging on the Alagnak River. It's rammed full of fish. On the first morning he's out with guide Jacob McGee on a lovely bend in the river, where the slack water next to a sandbank attracts a shoal of Chum Salmon, they're a few weeks from spawning so have started to change colour, giving them the nickname "Zombie" or "Zebra" Chum. A few hundred yards up river and the colder water of an inlet attracts Arctic Char, they're feeding on salmons eggs, so choosing a bait is easy. Paul and Jet then head out after King Salmon or Chinook, they're very easy to spot in the water as their bodies are bright red. They are the largest of the Pacific Salmon and can grow to over 45kg. For a small diversion Paul joins a fellow Aussie traveller on a short walk to a nearby lake, the "Hike for Pike", and they're not disappointed as the king of freshwater predators is there in numbers. To watch King Salmon Alaska now, just login or register
video
Red Emperors - Once again Paul is on board the Wai Nawana skippered by Alistair Lau heading out of Cullen Bay near Darwin in North Australia. He fishing with local guide Tom Hughes and the pair are targeting Red Emperors. These fish aren't true Emperors, they are a member of the Snapper family or Sea Perch and they are regarded by Australians as one of the finest food fish to be had. Tom joined the iFish team two years ago ago as the "Apprentice" and has rapidly worked his way up the ranks to the point where he is now giving Paul as good as he gets in both the banter and fishing stakes. In about 20m of water they are dropping either squid or sardine deadbait down to the bottom, but there are other species lurking there and they catch a nice Mulloway and a Nanygai before Tom lands his first ever Red. They then switch, with some success, to squidgy plastics before Paul catches a Barracuda with the bacon left over from breakfast. To watch Red Emperors now, just login or register
video
Host Paul Worsteling and his brother-in-law Greg Ison are heading out of Melbourne and up to the Goulburn River in search of some Early Season Rainbow Trout. Luckily for them, a few days earlier the Victoria Fishing Authority released over 7 tonnes of stock fish into this river system, most of which were monster Rainbows. The two have found an idyllic location, parking the caravan just yards from a beautiful, wide bend in the river, so its only seconds before they are casting their lures in. Paul is using his favourite Rapala jointed brown trout pattern, but it is Greg who is the early star of the show, hooking a couple of massive Rainbows on his trusty spinner. After Paul manages to get in on the action, Greg ends the session with a genuine trophy fish at 5.8kgs or 12.8lbs. To watch Early Season Rainbow Trout now, just login or register
video
In this Alaskan Trophy Adventure, Paul Worsteling, Cristy and Jet are on the trip of a lifetime, staying at the ATA Lodge on the Alagnak River in Alaska. In this episode local guide Jacob McGee, takes them a few miles downstream to a stretch of the river known as the Braids. Here there are lots of deep holes, all holding massive numbers of Salmon. They expect to find Chum, King and even Pink Salmon, a variety that only returns every two years to spawn. Paul's convinced that the only colour fly or plastic lure worth using is pink, as it emulates the salmon roe, so his tacklebox is full of it. However there are so many fish in the river, it looks like you could catch with just about anything. To watch Alaskan Trophy Adventure now, just login or register
video
Sooty Grunters is an Australian nickname for the Black Bream and in this episode Paul is in for a real treat, he's being taken heli fishing by Josh Liddle of Hinchinbrook Adventures, and they are travelling 100kms into remote North Queensland, where the Herbert River cuts through rocky mountains creating some amazing scenery. They are targeting the Sooties that are here in numbers, sight casting lures. The Black Bream can grow to over 50cms so anything approaching that is a good fish. They are surprised to see a Barramundi so far from the sea and apparently very happy in the crystal clear mountain water. Josh takes the chopper up into even more rugged terrain, where Paul is able to cast into the splash pool of a waterfall and still hook a Sooty. To watch Sooty Grunters now, just login or register
video
The period of February through to May in the Northern Territories is Barra Time, when anglers travel from all over the world hoping to catch a mighty Barramundi, Australia's favourite fish. Paul Worsteling has made the pilgrimage and is up at the crack of dawn to join local guru Shane Compain, who promises Paul he has picked the right time, on the right tide. They're fishing the Daly River at Nauiyu, about 250kms south of Darwin. The river is tidal at this point and the water brackish, and at this time of year the Barra are moving up stream to feed on the mullet that are here in numbers. They start by trolling lures, green seems to be the most effective colour, and Paul's rod doesn't take long to bend over. The Barramundi are a fantastic looking silver scaled fish, they are always measured in length and anything over 1 metre is considered a monster. To watch Barra Time now, just login or register
video
Wyangala Dam Yellowbellies - Paul heads inland to the Wyangala Dam reservoir, where he is joined on his boat by Tackleworld's Josh Lambert and local guru Ken Smith. The reservoir is renowned for its Yellowbellies otherwise known as Golden Perch, they are a predatory fish so its a choice between a fresh bait or a lure. Ken laid a few pots overnight to catch some freshwater shrimp, which act as the former, but Josh has decided to go with a drop down, slow roll, soft plastic lure. Most fish love a bit of structure and Wyangala has plenty of sunken trees, the obvious place to start, the shrimp and the plastic prove equally successful. To add a bit of variety to the day, Ken suggests they leave the boat and walk along the shore, sight fishing for the Carp that grow to over 20lbs in here, they can easily be spotted by the clouds of mud they push up. Paul catches a lovely common on the worm and Josh a mirror on the lure. To watch Wyangala Dam Yellowbellies now, just login or register
video
Black Hole Sockeye - Another episode from Paul's recent trip to the ATA Lodge on the Alagnak River in Alaska. Here he heads 4 miles up river with local guide Megan McGee to the Black Hole, named not because it is murkily deep, but because it is so full of holding Salmon that the shoal appears as a huge dark shadow under the water. And every variety you can think of seems to be here, the Pink Salmon, that only visits every two years, Chum, Chinooks and of course Sockeyes. The Sockeyes are probably the best for eating, so Paul saves one and Megan's brother Jacob shows how to grill it over a wood fire beside the river. To watch Black Hole Sockeye now, just login or register
video
Mighty Mulloway - Paul heads over to the Hawkesbury River estuary again to team up with Wayne "Mulloway" Annetts and they only have one species in their sights. The Mighty Mulloway or Jewfish as it is also known, after its jewel-like ear stones, can grow to over 50kgs and there are some very large examples in these waters. They are up before dawn to prepare Yellowtails by de-boning them to make a butterfly of flapper bait and after a few early taps and knocks one rod goes big time. Obviously, not able to guarantee they only hook their target species, others make an appearance including some very nice Flatheads, a baby Hammerhead Shark and a Bluefish or Tailor, but the Mulloway is the star of the show with its beautiful subtle colouration and distinctive silver spots down its lateral line. To watch Mighty Mulloway now, just login or register
video
In this episode Paul drives an hour and a half inland from Melbourne to Lake Windouree in the centre of Ballarat, in search of Redfin Gold. He's invited Angus "Jimmy" James on to his boat, for some expert local advice and Jimmy points him in the direction of a large shoal. The Redfin, or Perch are a natural predator and since their introduction into Australia have become a bit of a pest, threatening indigenous species. Paul claims that this is the first time he has targeted them, but it doesn't take him long to get his spinnerbait lure working and quickly hooks up. They are hoping to catch something approaching Jimmy's PB of 47cms long. The episode also features a session Paul had off Namotu Island, Fiji deep sea fishing with Ben Wilson, where they had a double hook up of Yellowfin Tuna whilst trolling skirted lures. To watch Redfin Gold perch fishing now, just login or register
video
Brisbane Water Kingfish - Brisbane Water is an extensive branch of the Hawkesbury River estuary about 75 kms north of Sydney, on Australia's east coast and offers a huge variety of fishing opportunities. Skipper Scott Thorrington is based in Gosford at the top of the water and he gives Paul a taste of two very different types of fishing. First up they head out into open water on his larger boat, in search of the mighty Yellowtail Kingfish, that's after having first caught some Mackerel, that they de-bone and use as fresh bait. He also takes him out in his small boat, where they cruise the shoreline of the bay, lure fishing for whatever's patrolling the edge of the drop off. It turns out they find a shoal of Flatheads that provide great entertainment. To watch Brisbane Water Kingfish now, just login or register
video
Port Phillip Bay is the largest enclosed sea in the southern hemisphere, it is bordered for most of its coastline by Melbourne and its suburbs and because it is relatively sheltered, provides a great location for a day's boat fishing. Paul teams up with local guru Aaron "Red" Habgood and first up, on the slack tide, they head to a spot where the Calamari Squid have recently been spawning. As well as being a very tasty catch to take home for dinner, the calamari provide an excellent fresh bait for the main target of the day, the King George Whiting. These are bottom feeding fish, which although not being one of the biggest fish in the water, are one of the tastiest. They also then provide a bait option for Paul's third target species of the day, the Red Snapper. To watch Port Phillip Bay Melbourne now, just login or register
video
Pier Fishing for Garfish - Host Paul Worsteling has made the short drive round Port Phillip Bay to Mornington, where the large pier by the harbour provides the ideal location for an easy "rock up and fish" session with the minimal amount of gear. His gear is even more minimal than intended after leaving his tackle bag in the kitchen, but he's able to beg, steal and borrow the bits that he needs from the other anglers. There's a close knit community of regulars fishing off the pier, all looking out for each other. It seems most of them are after the Garfish that move around the harbour in shoals. These Southern Garfish are miniature billfish that can grow to just over 50cms. The ones here are about half that length. Paul tries to attract them to his swim using a basket of stale bread soaked in tuna oil as a burley or chum, he regular throws a handful of dry mix over the top of this and then uses a hook bait of 3 or 4 maggots under a stick float. This simple method proves very effective and he takes home a bagful of Gar that he then shows how to prepare and fry. Delicious. To watch Pier Fishing for Garfish now, just login or register

Reviews

0.0
Rated 0 out of 5
0 out of 5 stars (based on 0 reviews)
Excellent0%
Very good0%
Average0%
Poor0%
Terrible0%

There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to write one.


What Our Customers Say

Back To Top