Expanding Your Fishing Knowledge Beyond Home Waters

There are countless incredible fishing destinations worldwide, each with their own local experts who have truly mastered their home waters. These skilled anglers represent one of the most valuable resources for anyone looking to improve their fishing techniques. Every dedicated angler should challenge themselves to step outside their comfort zone and broaden their perspective on the sport.

What you discover in different locations—whether across town or across the globe—can fundamentally transform your approach to fishing any species. Limiting yourself to only local fishing methods means missing out on valuable knowledge that could enhance your success. Expand your horizon with In The Spread.

The Importance of an Open Fishing Mindset

Too often, I hear fellow anglers make limiting statements like, "I only need to know how to fish in my area" or "All the best fishermen come from my home port." While local pride is understandable, this perspective can be both narrow-minded and presumptuous.

No single angler has completely mastered fishing. The most accomplished fishermen consistently:

Remain eager to learn new approaches
Stay open to trying unfamiliar techniques
Recognize the value in different fishing styles

While learning from local experts is valuable, restricting yourself to regional methods limits your growth. Every opportunity to expand your fishing toolkit is precious, as other successful anglers around the world bring fresh perspectives worth studying.

How Global Fishing Knowledge Enhances Your Skills

Growth in fishing comes through continuous learning and challenging yourself. Fishing alongside more skilled anglers exposes you to innovations that could prove invaluable in your home waters. Your fishing knowledge should remain dynamic—constantly evolving and adapting.

The global fishing community contains countless talented anglers who all learned from others before them. When you step back and become more observant, you'll appreciate the beauty in these variations. Incorporating tips from diverse sources often leads to greater efficiency and success on the water.

The Value of Diverse Fishing Techniques

Fishing methods vary dramatically worldwide. Different approaches to:

Rigging
Tackle connections
Boating techniques
Angling styles
Equipment selection

Even when targeting identical species, techniques can differ significantly across regions. This diversity is what makes fishing so fascinating. Interacting with international anglers broadens your horizons and facilitates knowledge exchange, regardless of your current skill level. Fishing alongside highly skilled anglers exposes you to brilliant innovations worth adopting.

My Western Australia Fishing Experience

I recently traveled to Western Australia to fish with clients of In The Spread. The family running Reel Teaser Fishing Adventures invited me to film content with them. I had no preconceptions about their multi-species fishing expertise, but was delighted to discover their exceptional knowledge.

Their understanding of:

Species behavior
Boating techniques
Bait selection
Rigging methods
Angling skills

Their expertise across inshore, backcountry, reef, and offshore fishing proved impressive. Everything seemed effortless for them—wisdom gained through years of on-water experience refining various techniques. These are precisely the type of anglers you want to learn from.

Learning New Species and Techniques

We targeted several gamefish I'd pursued elsewhere, while others were completely new to me—like the sailfin snapper, a uniquely aggressive light-tackle gamefish. My approach is never to dictate methods to experienced locals but rather to absorb their distinctive style and fishing philosophy.

I listen carefully and implement their techniques, selectively incorporating valuable elements into my fishing repertoire. I then share this knowledge with you, making you a beneficiary of these experiences as well.

The Extraordinary Rowley Shoals Experience

My adventure to the Rowley Shoals—located 150 miles offshore from Broome, Australia on the continental shelf—ranks among my greatest fishing experiences. The fishing quality there is exceptional, providing many first-time experiences.

The Rowley Shoals consists of several atolls—essentially flat-topped underwater mountains or reefs rising from the seafloor. At high tide, water covers the atoll; at low tide, the reef becomes exposed. Inside the atoll, calm waters typically 20-30 feet deep with coral heads and drop-offs consistently produce:

Coral Trout
Giant trevally (GT)
Sailfin snapper

Outside the atoll, powerful swells crash against the reef wall. Combined with channels cut into the reef, this creates incredible fishing opportunities. Large GTs patrol the shallows, pushing bait against the reef wall and feeding on organisms swept off the reef during outgoing tides. These reef channels serve as prime feeding grounds for GTs and dogtooth tuna, making casting into these areas explosive.

Additionally, pelagic species cruise in 150-foot depths, with trolling close to shore highly productive for:

Sailfish
Tuna
Wahoo

Deep-water atoll fishing represents reef fishing at its finest, attracting all major reef predators.

Learning from Expert Australian Anglers

The fishing videos I filmed with Reel Teaser Fishing Adventures will be released over coming weeks. You'll meet exceptionally skilled fishermen Chris Rushford and Ross Newton, whose techniques derive from extensive on-water experience and strategic thinking about more effective fishing approaches.

Several reef species encountered on these atolls leave no margin for error—requiring both proper tackle and the knowledge to maximize its effectiveness. Both anglers bring considerable experience, with Chris being an outstanding instructor whose humble eloquence makes complex principles seem accessible. His drive and wisdom beyond his years make working with such knowledgeable people always rewarding.

Learning Australian Fishing Techniques

Giant Trevally - Reef Fishing Tactics Rowley Shoals

Ballyhoo - Bait Rigging Aussie Garfish

Sailfish - Techniques for Switch Baiting

coral trout caught by Thomas Hilton jigging soft plastics at Rowley Shoals on a jig head rigged with a soft plastic

Reef Fishing - Jigging Soft Plastics

Coral Trout - Reef Fishing

Sailfin Snapper Fishing

Giant Trevally - Reef Fishing from the Mothership

Indian Ocean wahoo caught trolling a swimming plug

Trolling Lures - Swimming Plugs

Rigging Marlin Fishing Lures and Terminal Connections

Blue Marlin - Rigging Lures and Terminal Connections

Upcoming Instructional Fishing Content

The In The Spread fishing videos we filmed showcase their approaches to:

Casting lures from large boats to reef edges
Jigging soft plastics on shallow water reefs
Switch-baiting sailfish
Trolling plugs
Rigging techniques for marlin
GT (giant trevally) fishing on reefs
Coral trout fishing
Sailfin snapper fishing—one of my most exciting experiences

For anyone fishing the Indian or Pacific Oceans, these videos offer valuable techniques to enhance your next fishing adventure. The principle remains constant: fish with the best, learn from the best, and fish smarter.

Never Stop Learning as an Angler

The most successful anglers understand that fishing knowledge is never complete—there's always something new to learn from others with different perspectives and techniques. By remaining open to diverse fishing methods from around the world, you'll continuously improve your own fishing success, regardless of your home waters or target species.

[Learn more about advanced fishing techniques and global fishing destinations at In The Spread.]

If you want to fish with Chris, Ross and Tracey aboard the Reel Teaser, the times you have will exceed your expectations, without a doubt. Contact them here: https://www.reelteaserfishingadventures.com/

In The Spread is one of the world's premier sport fishing video companies and educational outlets for demonstration, explanation and insight on how to catch fish. Get inside access to our video library by becoming a member.

Seth Horne In The Spread,
Chief Creator