1 Name and birthplace?
Dr Ben Diggles, born Brisbane, QLD.
2 When did you first start fishing?
I still remember catching my first fish – a toadfish at Inskip Point on a family holiday to Rainbow Beach when I was around five years old.
3 When did you start writing for Fisho?
In 1995.
4 What’s your favourite form of fishing?
These days I particularly like any type of sightfishing using lures or fly, as well as soft plastic fishing for most things that swim.
Ben loves sight fishing especially for highly-prized species like this impressive bonefish.
5 What do you enjoy about writing for a fishing magazine?
My ‘fish facts’ column provides an opportunity to help people learn more about the biology and behaviour of fish and the various environmental aspects that affect fish populations. I hope my articles help anglers to understand fish more than at a superficial level, so they don’t treat them as mere objects that need/should/deserve to be pulled from the water. I believe the more anglers learn about the biology and life history of fish, the more they will appreciate them for the fascinating animals they are. In turn, I hope this leads to anglers caring more for the fish and their habitats, and in this way they can do their own bit to put back into the fishing community (which also inevitably means putting back lots of fish too). This sort of knowledge also helps people become better anglers as they understand their target species much better as a result.
Ben’s profession means he gets out on the water as often as possible to see how fish like this spangled emperor tick.
6 Who do you most admire in the fishing media and why?
Vic McCristal is right up there as one of the best photojournalists the fishing media has ever had. He produced quality writing that, even now, takes readers right to the spot where the action is while imparting knowledge and insight at the same time. McCristal was certainly ahead of his time and all budding fishing writers should make a point of reading some of his stuff.
Other top shelf writers who come to mind as providing more than simply fishing stories include Greenie, Harro, Starling, Steptoe and Clayton. As far as editors go, Harnwell is right up there with Calcutt in the top shelf – both have a gift for making the magazine an important vehicle that can give readers new insights into why they go fishing. Calcutt and Emery were responsible for the groundbreaking move of taking fishing into mainstream media in Australia with the Fishermans World series on ABC in the 1970s, while Rex Hunt can be thanked for broadening this appeal in the 1990s. Today, there are several good fishing TV presenters, but commercial pressures often mean that selling gear is one of the main priorities, which is a shame because there is so much more to fishing than that and often it gets a bit tacky. I think there is a lot more room on TV for the sort of stuff we saw from Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch in A River Somewhere on the ABC in the late 1990s. Classic stuff by two talented blokes that really got to the heart of why we go fishing. As far as international TV stuff goes, I think Jeremy Wade is the best of the bunch at the moment with his River Monsters show.
7 What do you reckon is the best or most satisfying article you’ve written for Fisho?
I recently had to move a pile of old magazines and happened to reread the article I did after my honeymoon at Lord Howe Island in the May 2001 issue. It was written with a sense of humour that made it a hoot to read even now, 12 years later. (Yes, I’m still happily married to Lisa, though she is more wary these days about participating in any so-called leisure trips to seemingly idyllic locations!)
8 What camera gear do you use?
In the field I have been using a Panasonic DMC FZ-18 for the past five years and have been impressed with its reliability in rugged saltwater environments. I know it’s not a top-of-the-line camera, but it has a good macro function that works well at low-light levels, which is important for the fish health work I do. For microscopy work I use a variety of cool imaging devices including large-format digital image grabbers, so I get my dose of cutting-edge quality from these.
Family man Ben enjoying some quality time on the water with the kids.
9 What advice can you give anyone wanting to get into the fishing media?
Please do it for the right reasons. By this I mean with the intent to give back to the fishing community with new ideas, insights or observations that are important to the development and education of the fishing community and the conservation and appreciation of fish and their environments.
These days we see quite a few budding writers trying to get into the field for what I consider to be the wrong reasons, namely for purely commercial gains (plugging fishing gear and so on), or superficial reasons like trying to get free gear or to generally try to make a name for themselves – often through shameless self promotion. In these sorts of activities, the fish and the actual fishing itself often seem to be a secondary consideration (if they are considered at all). Yes, there are commercial aspects to the industry, but I think a budding writer in today’s world would do well to concentrate on delivering high-quality and insightful stories about the fish, how to catch them and how to do this with an eye towards sustainability of the fish population in question while ensuring the health of the environment upon which the fish depends.
A good writer can entertain while imparting knowledge that helps other anglers maximise the positive benefits of the fishing experience. Remember, a great fishing experience is a journey towards a bundle of enjoyment, not a destination consisting of a big bag full of dead fish.
10 What’s your favourite fishing destination?
Any new location full of large and/or interesting fish I haven’t caught before.
Getting to exotic tropical locations that most of us dream about is all part of a day’s work for Ben.
