In the final episode of Series 3, Starlo and Jo again join Fish’s Fly & Sportfishing (www.weipaflyfish.com.au) in the rich waters around Weipa, this time pursuing the area’s most famous and sought-after species: the mighty barramundi. They cast their lures and baits amongst the mangrove roots of the tidal estuaries and find a good deal more on offer than barra.

Starlo and Jo hooked up with Fish’s Fly & Sportfishing (www.weipaflyfish.com.au) guiding operation in Weipa, chasing a variety of exciting inshore species in the shallow, clear waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria. In this episode they kick off casting lures from the sandy beaches for queenfish, “blue bastards” (sweetlips) and other line burners, before heading out in the boat to mix it with some muscular cobia or black kingfish.

Burrendong Dam near Dubbo, in central western NSW, provides an excellent “mixed” fishery for native species (primarily golden perch or yellowbelly and Murray cod), which are found right alongside two less desirable but nonetheless fun-to-catch introduced invaders: redfin perch and common carp. In this episode, Starlo successfully targets yellowbelly, redfin and carp using various lures and also on his fly fishing tackle.

Catching flathead on soft plastic lures must be one of Australia’s favourite (and most effective) forms of fishing, and there’s absolutely no doubt that the Squidgies range of soft plastics and jig heads created by Starlo and his mate Bushy — all specifically designed for Aussie fish — have absolutely revolutionised flathead fishing around the country! In this episode, Starlo visits St Georges Basin, south of Sydney, and reveals the basics of catching a feed of flatties on his ever-reliable Squidgies.

Drifting over offshore reefs and gravel patches while bait fishing using paternosters or dropper rigs weighted with fairly heavy sinkers is a great way to catch a feed of snapper, morwong, flathead and various other species. This sort of “bottom bouncing” action is available right around the country, with the mix of targets on offer varying from place to place.

Walking the beaches of northern Australia with a rod in hand can be extremely rewarding, although anglers need to be aware of the potential threats posed by saltwater crocodiles and stinging sea wasp jellyfish: stay out of the water! The greatest thrill involved in this style of angling is what’s referred to as “sight fishing”: seeing your target first before casting a lure or fly to it. In Starlo’s book, fishing doesn’t get much better than this!

Sydney’s beautiful and iconic Harbour is fishing better today than at any time in living memory! Cleaner water and restrictions on commercial harvesting of fish have led to a massive rebound in stocks. Starlo and Jo head out with the MAKO Eyewear crew in this episode to chase abundant schools of Australian salmon and silver trevally against the beautiful backdrop of the world’s best harbour.

Shore-based fishing from our beaches and rocky headlands is incredibly popular and also readily accessible to a large portion of the country’s population, even close to our major cities. In this episode, Starlo shows how easy it is to target some wonderful, hard-fighting southern species from the shore, including Australian salmon and black drummer. His underlying message is simple: the lighter you fish, the more you’ll catch!

Each autumn and early winter, tens of thousands of brown trout run up the feeder streams pouring into massive Lake Eucumbene, in the Snowy Mountains Region of southern NSW. These trout are on their way to gravel spawning beds higher up the rivers to drop their eggs. One of the most effective ways to target them is to cast trout egg and nymph imitating flies off ultra-light spinning gear or fly tackle. Starlo joins his good friend Matt Tripet of The Fly Program to chase a few of these fat, fit brownies on a frosty May morning.

Each autumn and early winter, tens of thousands of brown trout run up the feeder streams pouring into massive Lake Eucumbene, in the Snowy Mountains Region of southern NSW. These trout are on their way to gravel spawning beds higher up the rivers to drop their eggs. One of the most effective ways to target them is to cast trout egg and nymph imitating flies off ultra-light spinning gear or fly tackle. Starlo joins his good friend Matt Tripet of The Fly Program to chase a few of these fat, fit brownies on a frosty May morning.