1 Name and birthplace?
Peter Zeroni, Darwin NT
2 When did you first start fishing?
Probably around 8 years of age. First targets were little yellowtail bait-stealers down at Fannie Bay rocks not far from where we lived. Then we graduated to chasing local pikey and yellowfin bream. Once we got throw-nets we started using a variety of live-baits to catch queenfish, GTs, macs, barra and blue salmon off the rocks at East Point. Great memories from those early days when your transport was a pushie and your high tech outfits comprised of two 50lb handlines!
3 When did you start writing for Fisho?
I started writing for Fisho by a twist of fate. In 2008 I photographed and produced a Top End fishing calendar for local distribution here in the Territory. As a long term fan of Fishing World I bundled 10 of my calendars together and simply addressed them to the Editor – Fishing World. As I was in a hurry at the time I enclosed my business card but no note. A few days later I got a call from a perplexed Jim Harnwell who thanked me for the calendars and then asked what I wanted him to do with them? I replied “Just hand them out to your writers to put up on their respective walls.” Jim paused for a moment and then said, “I see you can take a good shot, can you write?” I replied “Sure can” as previously I had been writing for local NT mags for some years. Anyway as they say the rest is history and I got the chance to join a great team of writers who are top blokes as well.
Pete is a keen jig fisher and his home waters provide plenty of opportunity to target fish like big fingermarks on metal.
4 What’s your favourite form of fishing?
Like most anglers variety is the spice of life. I certainly love all forms of jigging but especially using larger knife jigs on hard-pulling Spaniards, GTs and golden snapper. But if I had to choose one form of fishing then it would have to be sight casting to chrome saltwater barra holding tight on structure. After seeing the strike and first jump I don’t even care if the fish is lost as these two spectacles are more than enough for me!
Barra tagging reasearch in 2005.
5 What do you enjoy about writing for a fishing magazine?
I enjoy sharing my experiences, perspectives and of course photos with like-minded fishos who I regard as part of one big family with shared values (e.g. a love of the outdoors and a consciousness for the environment). If you can’t be out there fishing then the next best thing is reading and talking about it. Thus it is great to be a contributor to the conversation.
6 Who do you most admire in the fishing media and why?
There’s probably not enough space to list them all. Fisho’s own David Green has been imparting his wisdom for so many decades to we mere mortals, yet still remains the keenest fisho I have ever met. And he is all class. From a Territory perspective I admire Alex Julius for the long years he has fought for the recognition and acceptance of rec fishing – as a past president of AFANT, as a self-publisher of NAFA and Barra, Bream and Bass, and through his former TV fishing show which was huge up here in the 1990s. He’s also pretty sharp with a Nikon as well. Speaking of quality photographers, Col Roberts’ skill with a camera (this time a Canon) continues to set a high-water benchmark for the rest of us to follow.
Jigging adventures in the Coral Sea.
7 What do you reckon is the best or most satisfying article you’ve written for Fisho?
Some years back I did a piece about undertaking extended small boat trips into remote areas of the Top End. It was very satisfying to pull together a lot of my own and other peoples’ experiences on how to take on the challenges of long distance trips and to do it safely. Hopefully this assisted readers to think about broadening their own horizons as to what can be achieved with good planning and execution.
8 What camera gear do you use?
Most of the time I have a Nikon D800 attached to a f2.8 24-70mm lens in my hands. However, I also have my older Nikon D700 with an f2.8 70-200mm lens handy to capture longer range jump shots and general wildlife images. While the D800 takes a great shot with its 36mp sensor, it only shoots 4 frames per second which is not really fast enough for consistent barra jump shots. But sometimes you do get lucky…
According to Pete “a great barra jump shot is worth 2000 words”. Can’t argue with that!
9 What advice can you give anyone wanting to get into the fishing media?
Do it for the right reasons and stay true to yourself. Being a respected fishing writer (or presenter) is not about jumping on a gravy train to try to score free stuff from sponsors, or to big-note one’s self. And never fall into the trap of thinking that you’re now an expert and an innovator simply because you’ve got your name in print a number of times. In reality there are very few true innovators in fishing circles, so if you think you’ve come up with something new, more than likely someone else has done it before you. So where possible respect and acknowledge those who came before you, but make your mark with your own fresh perspectives. Finally, the more you write the better a writer you will become.
10 What’s your favourite fishing destination?
I love fishing my own home waters around Darwin where there is so much variety, whether it be out on the bluewater targeting pelagics and reefies or chasing barra and threadies in the big tidal rivers and creeks. The Tiwi Islands north of Darwin would be my all time favourite fishing destination and it is a true privilege to fish there.
Pete’s pride and joy, Barradiction, a 5.8m Custom Works Eliminator.
