Fishing and boating is a popular hobby for millions of Australians. In the past decade, these pursuits have evolved dramatically, and the advancements in technology can only be described as mind-blowing. Let’s dive deep into all areas of this multi-billion-dollar industry and see where technology has grown these much loved hobbies.
BOATS
While major advancements in hull design have been limited, some manufacturers continue to make adjustments and fine tune. Changes in hull deadrise, chines and planing strakes are common areas to improve boat handling and performance. But the biggest improvements have come within the internal layouts. Cabin designs have become sleeker, making boats look more aerodynamic and more appealing to the eye. Large glass front and side windows give the user greater visibility with an increase in wave deflecting strength over conventional perspex/acrylic windows and zipped-up clears.
Big improvements have also been made with dash layouts, which now accommodate large flush-mounted screens for navigation and fish finding. This is now similar with centre- or side-console boats, with big improvements to increase the size of the console to accommodate more electronics and offer more protection to users when the weather turns nasty. Other areas of improvement have been the increase in fuel capacity, inbuilt refrigeration, compact anchor winches, suspension, seating and custom EVA foam flooring.
OUTBOARDS
The days of noisy, smoky, two-stroke outboards are well and truly over. Back in mid-2020, legislation was introduced that prevented selling or buying a new two-stroke outboard due to ever-tightening emission controls. Since the early 2000s, four-stroke outboards have become hugely popular and continue to dominate the market due to low noise, low emissions, reliability and great fuel economy. Two decades after two-stroke sales were outlawed, four-stroke outboards have come a long way, with technology playing a crucial part in performance and economy.
I’ve been lucky to experience these changes firsthand using Suzuki outboards. Areas of improvements include internal engine design, intake manifold/induction design, dual counter-rotating propellers, gearbox ratios and electronic control units. Suzuki’s unique ‘Lean Burn’ technology allows the engine computer to process real-time information from various engine sensors and deliver optimum air/fuel ratios. The system reduces fuel use dramatically.
With my own seven-metre boat I saw a substantial difference when I went with a Lean Burn outboard and picked up an extra 150km of range per tank of fuel! Another big benefit in modern outboards is the introduction of drive-by-wire throttle control. Drive-by-wire means instead of having conventional mechanical gear-and-throttle cables, a small wiring harness is used between the throttle control and outboard to achieve the same result.
The benefit is that it allows for a smooth transition between gears, eliminating any grinding commonly found with conventional cable systems. The latest in outboard design is the integration between the vessel’s electronic navigation/auto pilot and outboard steering. This allows for many features to be enabled, the most popular being ‘boat point/spot lock’ which gives the user the option of holding the vessel directly on a selected spot while they fish. It’s done using satellite GPS data, which then communicates with the vessel’s steering system and throttle to keep the boat precisely on a point set by the user.
ELECTRONICS
Without a doubt, the biggest advancement in modern day boating and fishing is in electronics. While most brands offer standalone fish finders or GPS plotters depending on the budget, the upper-level units are now commonly referred to as an ‘MFD’ – a multi-function display. An MFD that will display both fish finder and plotter using a split screen, or even have a four-way split screen and run radar or side scan if you have it. Adding many devices together is called
‘networking’ and allows for such things as a stereo controlled from the MFD, or even bringing up real time data from the outboard. The most important tool for fishermen is the fish finder.
Fish finders or sounders have become more powerful with far greater detail, allowing anglers to fish in deeper water and have a far better understanding of what is under the boat. Brands like Furuno have some excellent deep-water technology, including its DFF3D, which allows seeing double the depth you’re fishing in. This means in 100m of water, the 120-degree transducer beam will display close to 200m of the ocean-floor information on the MFD. It’s done by scanning 50 points per second of the ocean floor to create a 3D image. T
his data is also used to create Furuno’s unique ‘personal bathometric generator’, which overlays and converts the depth data into colour on the GPS plotter screen and gives detailed, 3D bathometry charts that are saved to the MFD. Any up, down, or side-to-side rocking of the boat would make any depth data incorrect, so an image stabilizer is fitted to the roof of the vessel which takes any boat motion into consideration and ensures depth readings and mapping are extremely accurate. While conventional sonar allows seeing the depth and fish under a boat in deeper water, it’s somewhat limited and ineffective if fishing an estuary or shallow water. This is where having side scan/structure scan fitted has huge benefits. It allows seeing structure such as rocks, trees, wrecks and fish in great detail a considerable distance from the vessel. The latest and greatest technology for dam, lake and estuary fishing is what’s known as ‘live view’.
A transducer is mounted on a pole and lowered below the hull where it can be rotated in the direction of an area of interest, say a log or tree under the surface. In real time it displays the tree or structure and any fish swimming around it. It can even display a lure sinking or passing the tree and the fish making a strike, which is amazing technology. Other areas of advancement with electronics are boat audio, lighting, custom switchboards, auto-pilot systems, radar and electric motors. Electric motors are mounted on the front of the vessel, and once at a destination, allow the boat to quietly move or hold on spots. It’s vital equipment for fishing estuaries, banks, bays and lakes effectively, and is now commonly used by bigger boats for reef fishing as well.
FISHING EQUIPMENT
Actual fishing equipment has also evolved. Rod and reel design has advanced to the point where there’s a different model to suit every individual species and technique. That may seem a little over the top, but it actually helps improve catch rates. A diehard fisho, you’ll want any possible advantage, so it’s not hard to have 10 or 20 – or more! – rod-and-reel set ups to suit all different applications.
Lures also continue to advance, and once again there’s a different type, style and colour to suit every application, so it can be a daunting process walking into a tackle shop and trying to choose one from the thousands on the shelf. General tackle such as hooks, swivels and sinkers really haven’t changed a great deal, but there’s no doubt braided lines have become thinner and stronger, which has big benefits over the standard monofilament lines.
Deep-drop fishing has become very popular across Australia and suitable equipment is required to fish depths of 100m to 600-plus metre depths. While some choose specialised rods and reels for deep-water jigging, large electric reels are dominant for deep-drop fishing. While a lot of people may think this is cheating or not very sporting, it’s actually great fun, and the skill comes from finding the fish and being able to position the boat to ensure the baits land where the fish are.
The benefit of fishing the deep is never knowing what you’re going to pull up, and the majority of the deep-water fish are absolutely delicious eating.