Lowrance Recon Review
Electric motors have always been a core part of modern lure fishing. Whether you’re working edges for bream, holding on a reef, or creeping along a flat chasing flathead, they’ve gone from a luxury to an essential bit of kit. Over time, as sounders and motors began to integrate, things stepped up again. Spot-lock replaced anchors, GPS control improved boat positioning, and suddenly anglers had a level of precision that just wasn’t possible before. But for a long time, if you were running Lowrance or Simrad electronics, you were missing that full integration. That gap is now well and truly closed with the release of the Recon electric motor. I’ve been running a Lowrance Recon on my Stacer 589 Crossfire,
Hooked Up 168 May 2026
The May issue is packed with smart, technical fishing for a cracking time of year on the water. Our cover story focuses on the southern estuaries, winter is prime time for big bream and estuary perch holding in the timber, with EPs in particular hitting hard as they push into structure. As we move into late autumn, it’s all about finesse, refinement and making the most of the conditions. The tuna bite is firing, and inside this issue we look at cubing for southern bluefin tuna, a proven technique that can be deadly when the fish are holding deep and aren’t taking lures. We also look at fishing lighter to get more bites, breaking down how subtle changes in line,
Evergreen Wide Seeker
I don’t recall when I first became aware of Evergreen — it was probably their squid jigs — but my eyes really opened when I first went to the Osaka Tackle Show in Japan in 2014 and saw the pandemonium around their booth. In terms of popularity and people trying to get onto a booth, it was Shimano, Daiwa and Evergreen that were the top three. I learned while I was over there, and have learned since, that they are widely regarded as one of the GOAT brands in Japan. It’s an extremely influential brand when it comes to rods, with Evergreen early leaders in the big bait rod scene as well as widely being accepted as the founders of
Daiwa 25 Revelry Review
The Daiwa Luvias, when it was in production, became one of the most popular light tackle reels in the country. I had quite a few of them and they were always a great reel. It was superseded in 2021 by the Revelry. The Luvias was Japanese made and the change came mainly because Daiwa Japan ceased production. Rather than face the backlash of a country of origin change (now Made in China), Daiwa Australia renamed it to Revelry. It also introduced FC (finesse custom) and HD (heavy duty) models, giving anglers a lightweight finesse option and a more robust inshore reel. HISTORY We were sent both versions of the original Revelry back in 2021 – a 2000 FC and a
Shimano Sustain FK Review
The Shimano Sustain has always been a great reel and one I’ve had a lot of experience with across multiple generations. I’ve owned several over the years and still regularly use the previous FJ models. These reels have seen heavy use — the 5000 as a snapper reel and the 3000 primarily as an egi reel — and they’ve handled everything thrown at them including saltwater, fish slime and squid ink. Both are still going strong with nothing more than basic self-servicing. For this test of the new Sustain FK, I opted for the C3000XD, as it’s such a versatile size. It allows you to run a wide range of line classes and target multiple species, which makes it ideal
Hooked Up 167 April 2026
This issue is stacked with plenty of fresh gear, including a heap of new lures, some seriously good reels for the cooler months, and technical apparel built for real-world fishing conditions. Our cover story dives into autumn squid, one of the most consistent and enjoyable fisheries of the year. Stable weather, clear water, and big, aggressive squid that are easy to access without burning through fuel. We also break new ground with our first ever feature on targeting western blue groper, covering how to catch them on both bait and jigs. On the review front, we put two of the hottest reels to the test, the Daiwa Revelry HD MQ and Shimano Sustain FK, along with a standout jerkbait for
Voortrekka Cape Review
The Voortrekka Cape is a clever travel bag designed to keep clothing organised and easy to access on fishing trips, camping adventures and road-based travel. As anglers, we probably spend about 98% of our packing time organising tackle, rods and the boat, and maybe 2% thinking about our clothes. But the reality is clothing matters a lot. Depending on where you live in this country and what season you’re fishing in, there’s a surprising amount of gear that needs to come along. Rain jackets, bibs, UPF shirts, T-shirts, thick socks — the list grows quickly when you’re packing for changing conditions. Here in the south we get that strange seasonal mix once autumn arrives where mornings and evenings are freezing
Hooked Up 166 March 2026
The March issue of Hooked Up Magazine is here: • Epic marlin action on the south coast • Golden perch tactics in our rivers • Sight casting to golden trevally on the flats Gear reviews: Salty Crew Apex & Fathom Shirts- Daiwa Tatula 200H- Tackle House Contact Node 150F