Hooked Up 173 October 2026
This month, we’re targeting Port Phillip Bay snapper on soft plastics in our cover story, heading north to the Great Barrier Reef to explore bait fishing techniques, and taking an in-depth look at braided fishing lines, explaining the differences between strand counts and where each performs best. Plus, all the latest fishing tackle news, new products and plenty more. Read the October issue now!
Early Season Westernport Snapper
Gawaine Blake has chased Westernport snapper for close to three decades. Here’s how he finds, rigs for and lands the big early-season reds that arrive in the port each September.
Hooked Up Best New Tackle 2026
Our editorial take on the standout new tackle arriving in Australia in 2026 — 30 category winners judged on purpose, design, build, innovation and value, plus the Hooked Up Product of the Year.
Hooked Up 172 September 2026
The September edition is here and we celebrate the arrival of spring in a big way!On the cover is Colby Lesko with a chunky Lake Eildon yellowbelly taken on the new Samaki V-Prawn. Inside, Colby looks at everything spring has to offer in one of Victoria’s best inland fisheries, including yellowbelly, big Murray cod and trout.Gawaine Blake then delivers a detailed how-to on targeting early-season Western Port snapper, complete with rig diagrams, sounder screenshots and plenty of detail on where, when and how to target those big early reds.After visiting the AFTA Tackle Show, we’ve also put together our own Best in Show awards. We’ve opened up the categories and looked at the new gear from an angler’s perspective, creating
McLures Mogul 9in Review
Words & Images by Eddie Fischer When Kosta (Hooked Up’s editor) handed me a McLures Mogul 9in and told me to give it a run, I will admit I did not know a great deal about the brand. I had not asked what it cost, and Kosta never mentioned the price. I just looked at the lure, gave it the usual once-over, and thought: this thing looks pretty good. That is often how it starts with new gear. You do not always know the story behind it. You just look at the shape, the finish, the rigging potential and the overall build, then decide whether it deserves a spot in the spread. On this occasion I was heading out chasing
Hooked Up 171 August 2026
The latest issue of Hooked Up is the 2026 Tackle Special. If you didnt make it to Brisbane for AFTA this year, you’re not missing out. We’ve packed this issue with all the latest tackle drops, including new rods, reels, lures, accessories and gear from across the industry. Consider it your guide to what’s new, what’s coming, and what you’ll be seeing on tackle shop shelves over the months ahead. Read the 2026 Tackle Special now.
Yamashita EGI-OH Search Shallow Review
I have been using Yamashita’s EGI-OH Search range since it first came out, and I still rate it as one of the best squid jig series ever made. That is not a throwaway line. Over the years I have used just about every squid jig worth using, and the Search range has always had a way of finding squid when other jigs are not getting the same attention. The original appeal was pretty simple: Yamashita built a jig that combined visual, sonic and action-based attraction in one package. You had the 490 Glow, the tuned internal Search Rattle, a good fall posture, strong darting action and, later, the upgraded bodies, colours and sinker designs that kept the range evolving without
How To Dry Age Fish at Home
For years we’ve been told ‘fresh is best’. Jonah Yick explains why hanging your catch whole in a fridge for a few days delivers better flavour, texture, shelf life and presentation — and how to set it up at home.