FISHING THE PACIFIC 



go to extremes and fish from amazing heights above the water 

 —for example, at Sydney Heads they will lower themselves 

 from the cliffs to fish from scaffolding rigged below. 



The Australian surfcasters use a type of jig known as a 

 "keel." It is rectangular in shape with rounded ends of about 

 2 Vi inches by % inch, with a thickness of about Vs inch, the 

 keel running down the middle lengthwise. A ring for line 

 attachment is fitted on one end and a similar ring with two 

 hooks attached to the other. The hooks are either 4/0 or 5/0 

 and are slipped on the ring back to back. The reason for this 

 is that they feel the fish may strike from either side, in which 

 case a barb is ready for him. 



Australian surf casting is best in their winter months, March 

 to September, which are the reverse of our own. Calm water 

 does not produce as well as medium to rough water. I guess 

 this is true all around the world. Very often when the Aus- 

 trahan beaches are unfishable because of rough weather the 

 rocks abound with fish and you hear of very good catches 

 of above-average-size bluefish taken from the lee side of head- 

 lands in very fierce seas. 



The Australians really like and appreciate the Americans. 

 Complete strangers will walk up to you and exclaim, "From 

 the States? Well, if it wasn't for you all we would now be 

 talking Japanese." They are tops all the way and it's a short 

 flight there to meet such people. 



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