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I like to watch, do you?
  |  First Published: December 2008



With the accessibility of quality video recording equipment and desktop publishing, a huge number of DVDs have hit the market before Christmas.

We thought we’d take a look at a few that were provided entertainment, instruction and straight out good laughs. Remember not all DVDs will deliver everything you want from them, but if you’re into fishing, I can guarantee you’ll be into watching fishing DVDs.

Wild Rivers Bass 2

Settle back in the armchair and keep the remote handy, Seamo’s been at it again with his long-awaited Wild River Bass 2 wide-screen DVD taking us into tiger country for some great action on big, tough khaki fish in even tougher terrain.

Gaze enviously as Dave Seaman and Dave Scarlett take on the upper Macleay River bass, battling bad cases of canoeist’s bum as they tangle with a tonne of eager topwater strikers, day and night, on some very pretty water loaded with hungry fish.

Then you’ll drool at the size and strength of the bass they encounter in a rain-swollen Clarence Gorge. But the viewer’s envy meter dips severely as the lads take on precipitous climbs and scary descents over slippery rocks where, Seamo pants, you have to be ‘half mountain goat and half old goat’ – but the breathless rewards are there, along with the breathtaking scenery.

Shot in digital wide-screen with an original score by Mick Carr, this DVD maintains the premium production values of its predecessor and is a feast for the eyes and ears.

All those atmospheric bird calls are there again, along with the cutaways to eagles, goannas and hungry bass smashing dragonflies off the surface.

As many wild bass anglers will attest, the scenery and its inhabitants are almost as important well as the fish themselves and Seamo has perfectly encapsulated the ambience as well as the battles with fighting bass.

A lot of fishing DVDs have me frequently thumbing the fast-forward button but this one will inspire you to search for rewind and slow motion to soak in the atmosphere and relive some great action in awesome country.

Wild Rivers Bass 2 runs for 120 minutes and retails for $24.95.

Squidgy Secrets 5: The S Factor

This two disc DVD is a compilation of some hot fishing action experienced on Squidgy and Stiffy lures. It not only demonstrates the how and where to use particular lures, it provides an entertaining cavalcade of hook-ups, strikes and fish that prompts you to get out there and do it yourself.

The makers of the DVD, Dunphy Sports, ask the question ‘What happens when you take a passionate group of anglers, an equally enthusiastic film crew, and let them loose with the best lures in the country?’ The answer is simple – fishing mayhem!

If you want to learn a few tricks and secrets on how to catch anything from whiting through to barra, this DVD has it. If you want to see some of the Squidgy Pro Team in action, this video has it. You even get to have a sneak around Bushy’s developmental laboratory (his backyard) and discover just how much work goes into each of the Squidgy and Stiffy lures that make it onto our tackle store shelves.

You don’t have to be a novice to get something from this DVD either, but if you are a novice, be prepared to jumped right up that learning curve quickly because this DVD will give the skills to get amongst some quality fish in your backyard. And that’s the beauty of this DVD, it will teach you how to catch fish in your area, not in some far off exotic location only the rich can get to.

Squidgy Secrets 5: The S Factor runs for 223 minutes and retails for $25.

Tuna Tactics 1: Bluefin

This first of a planned series of DVDs featuring Lee Rayner, Tuna Tactics 1: Bluefin, shows viewers in a very entertaining way how to go about cashing in on the comeback of the mighty southern bluefin tuna.

Joining Lee is Adam Royter and together the pair take you through everything from choosing lures, fighting fish, setting lure spreads, boat handling, fighting the fish and cleaning your catch for the best results on the table.

See multiple hook-ups, cast and retrieve plastic action as well as some serious deck dancing as Lee, Adam and guest Morne Muller try to sort out the mayhem of 15-30kg southern bluefin tuna running rampant behind the boat.

While this video is aimed at southern anglers, anyone who tackles tuna anywhere will gain something from this video. But if southern bluefin tuna are your target next season, the $20 you’ll spend on this DVD will be money well spent.

Tuna Tactics 1: Bluefin runs for 104 minutes and retails for $19.95.

The Fishing DVD 12

The Fishing DVD is an ongoing series of information packed DVDs that take viewers to some of the best fishing available in Australia.

Volume 12 features five feature stories and four information stories that will make sure you can catch more fish on your next fishing excursion. Join Ed VanderKruk and Jared Boshammer as they fish baitballs with slugs, Chase surface bass with Shannon Watson and Paul Kneller, join Peter Morse with some spectacular New Zealand backcountry trout fishing, fish alongside Steve Starling for luderick from the rocks and Greg Chapman and Shannon Watson take a trip down the Fitzroy River at Rockhampton chasing barra and crabs.

Every Fishing DVD is packed with great information and some sensational angling footage and is sure to please almost any angler if they find it in their Christmas stocking this year.

The Fishing DVD 12 runs for 120 minutes and retails for $19.95.

AFC Outdoors Series 5

AFC Outdoors brings together the country’s best bream, bass and barra anglers in an ultra-competitive environment where they either do or die.

Series 5 of the Championships sees four teams battle it our over 6 events to discover which team is the next AFC Outdoors champion. Along the way the show visits Forster in NSW chasing bream, the Nambucca River in NSW chasing bream, Monduran Dam in Queensland where bass are the target, Cania Dam in Queensland also chasing bass, Lake Awoonga where the mightiest of barra are targeted and the road show finishes at Teemburra Dam behind Mackay where the winning team is decided.

There is also a special edition of the ABT BREAM Grand Final where viewers will find out who the next bream angler will be on the 2008, Series 6 AFC Outdoors.

Anyone into tournament fishing or contemplating tournament fishing will find something interesting and useful in the five hours of viewing on AFC Outdoors Series 5.

AFC Outdoors Series 5 runs for 300 minutes and retails for $29.95

Cod Almighty 2

Cod Almighty 2 brings back the team from Cod Almighty in a cast and retrieve frenzy on the biggest cod yet seen on film.

The team is headed by cod legend Rod Mackenzie and from the first introductory title right till the end viewers will be treated to some spectacular and amazing fishing. But Cod Almighty 2 does not just rest on the big fish (although they are the biggest drawcard). Throughout the production viewers will come to appreciate the entire Murray River environment and the need to protect and manage these mighty fish. The team from Cod Almighty 2 is as passionate about conservation as they are about fishing and this shines through in every fish capture and release.

Like the first video in the series, there are plenty of laughs, good old-fashioned Australian humour and sheer amazement by the anglers and crew about the fish they are catching. Feel the frustration of lost fish, the excitement of big hook-ups and the sheer joy and pleasure of turning a big hook-up into a landed and released fish. There are also lure tips and techniques and if you look closely, you’ll get a very good understanding of where to cast and how to retrieve your lures to tempt these magnificent Murray cod.

Without fear I am well bias when it comes to Murray cod, so this video for me is a must have for any angler who wants to be excited by just how good cod fishing can be with cast and retrieved lures.

Cod Almighty 2 retails for $19.95.

Hard Copy

In his DVD titled Hard Copy, Micah Adams targets monster bream, estuary perch and flathead on a variety of lures from surface to the depths. This presentation teaches techniques in finding fish, getting hesitant fish to strike and provides plenty of action that is informative as well as enjoyable to watch, especially for those anglers into finesse style of fishing.

Hard Copy retails for around $20.

Strikezone Billfishing 2 – The Grand Slam.

Al McGlashan has been working hard this year and has got several new DVD’s onto the tackle store shelves including has most recent Strikezone Billfishing 2 – The Grand Slam. This one has a heap of billfishing action with plenty of jump shots and underwater footage of lures and baits swimming and fish hitting them courtesy of the Strikecam. You will definitely learn a few tricks about using your sounder to find fish, deep baits and other tackle hints.

Fishing off the coast of Port Stephens the Strikezone team land a black marlin and a striped marlin and then head out into the night to try for a broadbill swordfish to complete the grand slam. Do they land it? For around $30 you can watch this great footage and find out for yourself.

IFISH 2nd Series

Got a spare ten hours? Well get a copy of the IFISH 2nd Series DVD that contains five discs with 26 action-packed episodes of the IFISH show. No matter what your angling addiction this presentation will have something for you with the boys catching a multitude of fresh and saltwater species both here and abroad.

These two guys are as mad as a cut snake at times and the laughs and practical jokes make this humorous viewing in addition to all the techniques and tactics you can learn along the way. Ten hours of viewing for around $50 is pretty good value to me.

Yak Fishin’ Adventures

If you are just new to kayak fishing then there is plenty to be learnt from watching Yak Fishin’ Adventures. James, Justin and their mates take you kayak fishing to Cania Dam, Gold Coast Broadwater and the Sunshine Coast estuaries in search of bass, saratoga, bream, flathead and other species from their kayaks.

Along the way there are tips on fitting out your kayak for fishing, the equipment needed, various kinds of kayaks, safety concerns and better ways to catch fish from your ‘yak.

Yak Fishin’ Adventures is around $30.

Game On

Game On is a documentary style format on the 14th Broken Bay Invitational Game Fishing Tournament. I am into gamefishing and found this interesting and entertaining viewing as I watched and related to the efforts of various boats targeting large marlin sharks and other gamefish during this prestigious and highly competitive tournament.

This footage has a few techniques to be learnt but overall is just great viewing with no head explosions from too much technical stuff. If you have never done any competitive gamefishing or are right into the scene this is well worth a look at around $30.

Fishing’s Greatest Hits Volume 3 – Stunt Fishing

Matt Watson is very entertaining to watch and his most recent DVD, Fishing’s Greatest Hits Volume 3 – Stunt Fishing is a classical example of this guy’s fishing ability and craziness.

He targets marlin from a jetski and catches giant tuna on a handline from a tinnie more than 100km off the new Zealand coastline, just to name a few of his stunts. There is plenty of other footage including his Gannet-man stunt. You are on the edge of your seat one moment and falling off it from laughter the next.

It is something a little different and although there are some good techniques to be learnt from Matt and his buddies you won’t need an aspirin and a lie down at the end of it. Around $30 for this one.

Heavy Metal At The Ranfurly

Feeling energetic? Well you won’t after viewing the red-hot jigging action on Heavy Metal At The Ranfurly. I was just about sweating while watching the effort these guys put into their fishing as they prise XOS kingfish, sea bass, trumpeter and hapuka to 40kg from the depths of Ranfurly Banks off New Zealand.

This is the first-ever English speaking DVD on extreme deepwater jigging and has a special section on rods, reels, knots and the various types of jigs, with underwater footage of them in use. I especially enjoyed the section on jigging technique, which showed the various types of retrieves that solicit strikes on these heavy metal jigging lures.

Great action, awesome fish and some good information make this an ideal gift at around $40 for anyone interested offshore jigging.

Fish On

Presented by: Charlie Micallef and Jarrett Campbell

Running Time: 27 minutes

RRP: $10.00

This is a special DVD made especially to help Jarrett Campbell, who has been diagnosed with a serious form of neuro-endocrine cancer. Jarrett is a keen young angler, as well as a husband and father of one. All proceeds from the sale of this DVD will go towards Jarrett’s treatment and helping his family.

The DVD is filmed on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. In it you will join Jarrett as Charlie Micallef helps him catch the big gummy shark he has always dreamed of. Along the way you will learn the tips and tricks of gummy shark fishing, from catching fresh squid for bait, to rigging up and playing big gummies.

Although this video is aimed at southern anglers, anyone interested in visiting the Garden State for a spot of gummy fishing will learn a lot – and it’s a very worthy cause as well. To get your copy call Charlie Micallef on 0425 242 902.

Reads: 4704

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