Interview with Slim

Author: josh

Category: Interviews

Published on Thursday, 12 August 2010 19:06

Written by Josh

Slim, also known to many as Peter Bostock, is a Nth Coast kayak fisho with a resident knowledge that puts most to shame and as one of the moderators of Kayak Fishing Down Under, often finds himself playing host to unofficial tour guiding trips, a role in which he excells. He's an experienced and succesfull kayak fishing tournament competitor, he's just as capable in the deep backwaters chasing bass as he is pulling up snapper, tuna and mackerel species off shore and when it comes to targetting worthy fish and fishing environments he doesn't discriminate. Highly adept at strategizing his trips for maximum effect - and very often having the results to show for it, I figured Slim would be well worth talking to in an informal interview format so readers could get to know him better.

Yakass: Evenin Slim and thanks for taking the time to have a chat. Lets start out with some formalities: where do you live, where were you born, how old are you, what do you do for a crust, how long have you been fishing and what inspired you to start doing so from a kayak?

Slim: Well thanks for that Josh, I currently live on 50 acres at a place called Mororo, just north of the Clarence River. I was born in Sydney but raised on the North Coast at first Wollongbar and then Wyrallah on a farm near Lismore. I am 38 years old. I am fortunate enough to work at a research and development lab at Evans Head where we are working on mineral and water solutions, I am a marine biologist but seem to be drawn to labs for some reason, maybe it is the blowing things up I like. I started fishing from the age of 2. There is a picture of me holding a 10lb tailor that dad caught and it was twice the size I was. There was a time when I was either 6 or 7 that dad used to lower me down a rope at the iron peg headland at Lennox to chase tailor, you would go to jail for that now. Getting into kayak fishing was initially for weight loss, the fact that I could make it fun with the addition of a rod just made me want to go more and more. The best thing was it was guilt free. I also remember reading about Billy Bobs exploits off Noosa with the Spaniards that really got me hooked.

Yakass: You seem to be inclined to be more than willing to target just about anything considered worth targetting... of all the fish you chase, do you have a favourite, and why?

Slim: I don’t have a real favourite thing to target. I more love the thought of specifically fishing for one type of fish, and catching big ones of that species. I probably fish for the humble flathead more than anything else though due to the ease that it fits my exercise regime but I find myself these days getting edgy when I see flat seas in the arvo’s for the snapper or the thought of surface luring wild bass.

Yakass: You're a busy-bee come tournament season, participating in the ABT kayak series, Kayak Fishing Tournament and more - whats the attraction that keeps you so active? Is it social, is it competitive, or is a little bit of both?

Slim: It is definitely a combination of both. I find that I get far more focused on technique with the ABT bream rounds and the bass electrics than I do with the KFT rounds. I do love the KFT rounds but as the fisho’s there tend to be more relaxed and possibly less experienced, so I love talking techniques with them. I love the social side of comps like Wivenhoe and Clarrie Hall, but there is still a competitive streak in me, not against fellow competitors, but against the fish, my brain and the clock.

Yakass: If approached for advice as a sage of the tournament circuit, what wisdom would you share to the beginner tournament kayak fisho looking to get started?

Slim: I think you need to be willing to stick to 3 or 4 tried and true techniques, not taking 6 rods is a good start. Take 2 rods, one for plastics and one for hard bodies. You need to accept the fact that a full bag can come in 3 throws. Don’t get sucked into surface luring for more than 30 minutes, I am guilty of this one, but hey those surface strikes from a bream or a bass can make your whole day. If a fellow angler out there was seriously thinking about competing, my advice for them is just do it. These people are all good people, they have all spent far more than they will ever win and they all want the same thing, a fun safe day on the water, so practice your casts in the weeks before hand, say g’day when you arrive and remember to relax.

Yakass: You're the proud owner of both a Quest (paddle kayak) and an Outback pedal kayak and seem to use both almost equally. Why dio you have both and what are the various usage scenarios in which you eomploy them?

Slim: I use the quest daily. These days it is on the Evans river after work where I try to do 5km. The quest is my go-to kayak due to it’s superior layout for fishing. I fish the KFT’s in my quest despite the lack of hands free peddling with practice you can certainly paddle one handed. I fish all of the other comps in my outback. The main reason is the load capacity is 180kg so it can carry both me and my livewell. Initially I bought the Outback for my wife with the added bonus of being higher and dryer than the quest offshore. I was never happy with the hatch seals on the quest and was convinced that I was going to fill it with water offshore. With the mirage drive the water just drains away.

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