Big Fish: Recent Episodes
ABC Radio
Nicole Curby and Jo Starling talk about the rise of the female angler. Taking you to the Northern Territory where women's participation in recreational fishing has grown to outstrip men's.
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
Orphaned Echidnas in the undie drawer, galaxias in the house water tank, lizards in the lounge room. The early life of Greg French.
The Millpond at Portland is firing and we fish it with one of the Central West's best Fly Fishers Ray Tang.
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
Check out Steve Starling's Youtube channel "Starlo Gets Reel" for a video of the Lake Macquarie session.
Getting skunked, scoring a duck, not catching a cold, not turning a scale, the only bites where from the mozzies! What can you learn from not catching fish!
Some old holes in the ground, left over from the Snowy Hydro project in the 50's, have become the new home for one of Australia's most endangered fish.
The latest research into Bull Sharks suggests a population shift due to hot water currents off the Coast
We take you to the deep, dark, depths of the ocean 30km off the Mid North Coast of NSW.
"Straight over the side and into the sizzling pan", Hawkesbury Houseboat Angling adventure
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
Bag the podcast of The Big Fish with Scott "Mullet Guts" Levi as we take you on a virtual cruise.
First cast is with Roden Woodhams way out over the horizon fishing off the Continental Shelf.
The latest NSW freshwater news, first cast in this edition of The Big Fish is with NSW Fisheries Luke Pearce.
Find out about the great conservation and habitat restoration work being done and the difference a wet year makes to our hardy fish West of the divide.
First cast this morning is with Anne Michie from the New England North West chapter of Ozfish Unlimited about the wonderful work being done by local farmers and recreational fishers to bring back a healthy river for the benefit of all.
This week on The Big Fish our first cast is with Michael Guest, host of Reel Action TV. Michael is just back from filming around Hinchinbrook Island in Tropical North Queensland and has some great fishing adventures to share.
Stinker reflects on a perfect inshore Snapper expedition with Whales and big Reds galore.
The Weighmaster shares the news of, what looks like, one of the worst fishing crimes ever seen in NSW with around 3,000 big breeding Bass killed on the Macleay River in an illegally set gill net. Beautiful Bass like this lovely specimen from the Manning, carefully released by Michael Guest so she can breed.
This week we enter the stormy seas of state parliament where our politicians are grappling with rock fishing legislation.
Col Trenaman, on the Mid North Coast, loves fishing off the stones and reckons if you "don't know, don't go". According to Col, you should try beach fishing instead, with none of the risks and most of the species you will encounter off the rocks.
Stinker shares the Stinkpot origin story. The famous little boat was originally won in a raffle! All coming up on this episode of The Big Fish.
Our first cast is with Oyster grower Peter O'Sullivan on the plight of the Oyster industry in NSW.
NSW fishers on the Victorian border are being invited to visit and share the great fishing. Our first cast is with Victorian Fisheries Authority CEO Travis Dowling who wants to streamline the licensing system to make it easier for Southern NSW fishers who cross the border to catch a fish.
Gippsland Lakes and Mallacoota are going off thanks to the recreational fishing havens and sustainable management and the VFA is working closely with NSW Fisheries to bring back the mighty Macquarie Perch.
Nadia Taylor and her all female fishing crew hit a very full Glenbawn Dam for the Family Bassin event in the Hunter.
Like all of the competitors, in this catch and release tournament, they found there was a lot of water between the fish but the ones they did catch were trophy Australian Bass.
Nick from Avalon has one of the best true fishy tales. Catching waves on the Gold Coast at the famous Snapper Rocks point break he also caught this giant mud crab on his board.
The ABC can reveal that 7 critically endangered leatherback turtles have washed up on the NSW Central Coast this year, most of them during the last storm and big seas.
First cast this morning is with marine scientist Dr Vincent Raoult with his theories on the turtle deaths and the impact of discoloured water on our fish species.
Fish tagging pioneer Dr Julian Pepperell has the first cast in this episode on the fascinating history and science that has flowed from fish tagging in Australia.
Fish tagging pioneer Dr Julian Pepperell has the first cast in this episode on the fascinating history and science that has flowed from fish tagging in Australia.
Our first cast this episode is with the Victorian Fisheries Authority CEO Travis Dowling about their model of fisheries management that is underpinned by sustainability.
Being a stand alone fisheries organisation the VFA has been very proactive and nimble in implementing evidence based management of the resources and measures to protect habitat and fish stocks.
According to fishing guru Kaj Busch who lives on the NSW/Victorian border and finds himself fishing more and more on the Southern side, NSW could learn a lot from the Victorian's proactive evidence based approach to fisheries management.
Our first cast this episode is with the Victorian Fisheries Authority CEO Travis Dowling about their model of fisheries management that is underpinned by sustainability.
Being a stand alone fisheries organisation the VFA has been very proactive and nimble in implementing evidence based management of the resources and measures to protect habitat and fish stocks.
According to fishing guru Kaj Busch who lives on the NSW/Victorian border and finds himself fishing more and more on the Southern side, NSW could learn a lot from the Victorian's proactive evidence based approach to fisheries management.
Mel Marlborough has the first cast on this episode of The Big Fish. Mel takes us back to the 4th of April in 2007 when she hooked a 1.150 kilo Whiting in Lake Macquarie on, spiderweb thin, 2 kilo line.
Her capture is in the ANSA record book for Sand Whiting or Yellowfin Whiting as they are also known.
Pictured: Scott Levi with a 40cm Whiting caught very close to where Mel caught and released her beast. Mel's fish would have been at least 10cm longer than Scott's fish and 500grams heavier!
Fishing is usually regarded as an outdoor pursuit but it has been so wet they are catching and releasing them indoors at the famous Boatshed and tackle shop at the Entrance.
The floods have been awful but one of the Boatshed staff had a lighter moment when she grabbed a little pink hire fishing rod off the wall and proceeded to catch a legal size flathead out the door.
The fish dropped off the hook after this picture was taken and the flathead was last seen swimming under the bait freezer!
Lucky Mid North Coast fisho Peter Cording tuned in to The Big Fish and the cross with Col Trenaman from behind the tackle shop counter. Col shared his experience of catching Jew Fish during a big wet.
Peter went out and put the tactics, tackle and techniques mentioned into action and a monster 28 kilo Mulloway was his reward!
The moral to the story, if you want to catch BIG fish, listen to The Big Fish!
Michael Guest has been on a Big Barra Blitz following the Queensland Bass to Barra trail. Including a first for the Reel Action TV host, a PWC caught Barra. (pictured here at Kinchant Dam)
First cast this morning is with Nadia Taylor who loves fishing so much she would fish in a bucket! Nadia has some great fishing adventures planned now that borders have reopened.
Nadia won the "Barra-prentice" an event designed by Jo Starling to mentor women in fishing. Pictured here by Jo with an NT Saratoga.
Our first cast is with Botany Bay Bernie, famous fishing musician Stewart D'Arrietta and Dog Fish Dave. We cross to our adventurers on Botany Bay, anchored up under the flight path and spreading the burley when Dave hooks something huge, keep listening to find out what is on the other end of the line!
Matt Hansen from Dubbo has been awarded an OAM for his work, along with an army of helpers at OzFish Unlimited, for saving native fish and their habitat in the Central West.
The scheme to put fish filters on all irrigation pumps and off takes on the Macquarie River stops the fish from being sucked out of the main flow to their death. A simple but effective initiative that has saved millions of fish and our farmers millions of dollars.
Matt is our first cast on this episode of The Big Fish.
How hard is it to catch a Sydney Harbour Kingfish on fly? It has been on Scott's bucket list for years and he has finally ticked it off!
A great fish dish with Julie Ray, Stinker and all the crew onboard too, for this edition of The Big Fish. (Pictured) Scott with a lovely haul of line caught Christmas table crabs. The best tasting crustaceans of them all.
Renee Ferenc from OZfish Unlimited has the first cast this morning with an update on the great habitat restoration work being undertaken by anglers from the rivers to the sea in NSW. Stinker has a few tips on Christmas presents for first time fishing kids and the fly guy on Sydney Harbour is back, Stephen Gaynor takes us fishing for Australian Salmon in the Flyboat.
"Fishing with mates" is a new men's mental health initiative and Treno has the first cast on this great idea for country men from the North West of the state, Stinker shares some great fishing secrets with "6 of the best", including the story of the beach worm that turned out to be a sea snake and Dorian Mode has another fishy tune on this episode of TBF.
When Lynne's husband, Garry, checked her phone one day he made the shocking discovery that his wife of 30 years was one of the Central Coasts biggest "weed" dealers.
This episode of The Big Fish we take Moonglow on her shakedown cruise in a 50 knot gale on Lake Macquarie and new owner Matt will tell you the tale.
Heading out in the "Fly Boat" with Stephen Gaynor on Sydney Harbour with a 'how to' on catching the easiest fly fishing target on the harbour, the plentiful Luderick.
Stinker is back with a look at the offshore scene and islands of the Port Stephens area and Captain Craig McGill talks about catching the bait that the fish and humans like to eat.
This week some more great news from Senior Fisheries manager Luke Pearce on the Macqaurie Perch captive breeding program, Stinker cooks up a storm and we head out on Sydney Harbour in the Flyboat with Stephen Gaynor.
Lake Macquarie has reopened to Sydney, the Illawarra, Blue Mountains and Central Coast after over 3 months of travel restrictions. Lake Macquarie City Council and fishing ambassador Michael Guest are welcoming back the fisher folk with open arms and $30,000 worth of prizes in a catch and release fishing event.
Rob Paxevanos and Stinker take us to the Far North Coast with some great fishing tips and stories.
Adam Harvey unveils a beautiful new song inspired by his Dads time on a reef fishing charter boat in the Whitsundays. Sadly, Adam's Father Les passed away a few years back and Adam's song "Lindeman Again" paints an idyllic picture of his time at sea and the day he met the love of his life.
Our first cast this morning takes you to the Snowy Mountains for the opening of the trout season and we also hear the story of The Incredible Claw, a mud crab with one arm, who is the hero of a new children's book series.
Michael Guest has just developed a new soft vibe style prawn lure, because, as he says, "everything eats prawns." We will put it to the test on Lake Macquarie in our first cast on The Big Fish.
First cast this episode of The Big Fish is with avid angler Jo Starling who shares exciting news about the formation of the Women's Recreational Fishing League.
Our first cast is with NSW Fisheries Management Officers Trent Alexander and Clay Hilbert on the Research Angler Program and fish tagging and using citizen science to understand and preserve our fish stocks.
Chris Franklin is a Central Coast school teacher who loves using fishing to engage his students. Chris has also embraced the NSW Fisheries Research Angler Program and has been able to further our knowledge of the fish he loves by tagging and sampling his catch.
Roden Woodhams had an amazing "Attenborough moment", before the lockdown, chasing giant Yellow Fin Tuna and shares his adventures on The Big Fish.
3 mackerel or tailor fillets smoked
100g cream cheese
150g crème fraiche
¼ cup horseradish
Finely chopped dill
Lemon juice.
Keep half of one fillet aside – place all other ingredients in food processor and blend til smooth.
Stir thru crumbled remaining fillet
Serve on dark rye or crackers w sliced gherkin
If you are one of the millions of fishers locked down in NSW you will hear about some great fishing craft ideas from our Sydney gurus Peter Le Blang and Craig McGill.
Peter shares his amazing metal working skills in crafting a high quality fishing knife from scratch and Craig takes us through the D.I.Y. fun of Luderick angling.
First cast this episode of The Big Fish Treno shares the secret ingredients in his sure fire Drummer burley.
Those sport Gurus Roy and HG have launched a campaign to have fishing, fly and conventional tackle casting, for distance and accuracy, included for the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.
(Pictured Roy bragging to HG about the size of the prized 2 headed carp he caught near Fukushima.)
On the Big Fish this week we take you to Lake Macquarie to look at some great angler initiated conservation work enhancing habitat and fish stocks.
This week we hit the Camden Haven River with Col Treneman for a bream session on the Cranka Crabs. Treno also shares his estuary luderick secrets, live on the water, with four different types of weed on board, including his homegrown stuff! Stinker talks about snapper season and Tally joins us with his sure fire Australian Salmon 8 hour smoking recipe.
First cast on The Big Fish Steve Samuels from the Monaro Acclimatisation Society has found an ally in the Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley.
King George Whiting up to 80cm in length have invaded the waters of Northern Tasmania and we take you out on the Tamar River to hunt for theses tasty giants.
How do you relocate a wild trout population from waters where they are not allowed to be caught to waters accessible to anglers? That was the conundrum faced by NSW Fisheries and local anglers in the Central West...the answer? Taser the fish!
Our first cast takes us to Tenterfield with Harry Davey and Renee Ferenc from OzFish Unlimited. where they are doing a great job helping to save a beautifully coloured little endangered fish.
Our first cast is with NSW fly fisher Rob Lennon who had a cracking time chasing the big lake trout of the Central Highlands of Victoria at Millbrook lakes.
Our Sydney Harbour correspondent Craig McGill has been on a fishing adventure up North and shares his story of triumph over adversity at Agnes Water and the Town of 1770.
Fly fishing Guru Peter Morse introduces us to the Bone Heads, a group of dedicated Aussie fly fishers who meet up in Exmouth at this time, every year, for a fly fishing adventure.
We catch up with Cherie Forbes and Brett Clarke at the vice this morning churning out some more of their amazing fur, foam and feather concoctions at their little fly tying factory on the Central Coast of NSW. Renee Ferenc, Director of Engagement and Culture at OzFish Unlimited joins us to talk about a new chapter and Stinker is out crabbing on The Big Fish.
Our man on the Mid North Coast Col "the Weighmaster" Trenaman has captured his PB snapper from the rocks and shares all of his secrets.
Anne Michie from OzFish Unlimited has our first cast this morning with an update on the habitat initiative Trees for Fish.
Our first cast this week is with NSW maritime. We hit the water with skipper Darryl Lennox and end up on a collision course with some fishermen who get a refresher course on the rules of navigation.
Our first cast is with Monaro Acclimatisation Society spokesman Steve Samuels who is calling for immediate action to reduce the damage being done to the High Country rivers and streams by feral horses.
Our first cast on The Big Fish is a very positive story about a fish that was named after the Macquarie River, the river where it was first identified by Europeans. The Macquarie Perch became extinct in the Macquarie River catchment due to 200 years of mismanagement but now it is back thanks to some ground breaking Aussie science. NSW DPI Fisheries Scientist Luke Pearce shares this great news.
The annual East coast Mullet run has started early with the fish riding the flood waters to the sea. One positive for Stinker is that the Council has finally fixed up his boat ramp, that washed away in the floods, at Fingal Bay. The beach haulers can no access the beach and intercept the spawning migration with their nets.
First cast on The Big Fish is with freshwater fisheries scientist Stuart Rowland who has written the book "The Codfather", a definitive account of the rise, fall and rise again of the mighty Murray Cod in NSW. In this chapter we meet some great fishing characters from the book, including a tough old commercial fisherman from Narrandera on the Murrumbidgee who hated NSW fisheries!
First cast on this episode of The Big Fish is with country music sensation Adam Harvey who just loves his estuary fishing for yellow fin whiting and regularly catches some crackers over 40cm.
On the Big Fish this week we catch up with Col Trenaman on the mighty rivers of the Mid North Coast and Bass flyfisherwoman and foam Bass surface fly tying guru Cherie Forbes a couple of Big Bass Legends.