AUSTRALIA 



it is possible to catch one or two mako sharks a week. The 

 Australians are very keen on shark fishing, which is of course 

 simply scavenger fishing. They slit porpoises and let them 

 bleed from the side of their boats, and it is no trick at all to 

 get big sharks— many of them weighing over looo pounds— 

 in the chum line. The yellowtail fishing is excellent. In Aus- 

 tralia they call this species kingfish and, in fact, the biggest 

 yellowtail in the world have been taken in these waters. Bait 

 is plentiful, the most popular being the kaiwahi, which the 

 Australians call salmon, and this bait is the prime favorite in 

 New Zealand. 



For Australian fishing I would definitely advise 24-thread 

 line with i6-ounce rod tip and again the 12/0 reel, which 

 enables you to get line back faster. However, a 9/0 or lo/o 

 is large enough. Australia fish are not too big and there isn't 

 much chance of hooking anything larger than a big shark. 

 I believe you will have a lot more fun on 24- or even 15- if 

 utilized. You can go to 9-, but I imagine anybody fishing 

 there wants to make sure he boats one marlin. There are quite 

 a few dolphin and you will see some flying fish also and some 

 small bluefin tuna and a few other varieties also found in 

 the South Pacific. 



There are some bonitos but no sailfish of any kind and, 

 of course, the bluefishing is terrific. 



I've seen black marlin hooked from boats working within 

 a quarter mile off the dock at Bermagui. I've seen so many 

 makos near the beach that we were warned not to go swim- 

 ming. If a black marlin hits the bait you should drop back a 

 long way with the reel in free spool and wait for the pause. 

 A canny Austrahan angler will tell you that you must wait 



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