Meet Jonathon Bleakley, Media Manager for OzFish Unlimited

Jonathon Bleakley isn’t shy of the camera. Whether it be working closely with Ambassador, Michael Guest from Reel Action TV, or creating instructional videos to inspire the young kids to get out fishing, he’s done a lot more than most his age. He’s latest role as the Media Manager of OzFish Unlimited will go close to challenging some of his best fishing memories at Exmouth.  

What is your role at OzFish?  

My role is a new position at OzFish and is about growing our digital communities through creating engaging content. Whether that be working with project officers, ambassadors, corporate partners or rec fisherman or women, the goal is all the same, create content which prompts engagement, educates, and builds community. I am passionate about getting people out on the water to experience the joy of fishing. Personally, fishing has taken me to some incredible places and provided me with some of the most thrilling moments imaginable. With the young generation more dependent on technology for entertainment than ever, I love the idea of using this to motivate them to pick up fishing as a hobby and leaving the PlayStation behind. 

 What’s your experience to date?  

At the age of 16, I joined forces with Australian Fishing TV Presenter Michael Guest, on his National TV Show ‘Reel Action’. This started as nothing more than the odd film shoot where I would film with Michael in local fishing spots. By 18, I was doing 4-5 shows a season and took over the social media accounts of Reel Action TV. I now co-host and edit Michael’s podcast, the Reel Action Fishing Podcast, where we sit down for an hour each week and chat fishing to guests from all walks of life.  

 

Fishing background?  

Born and raised on the shores of Lake Macquarie in NSW, I was introduced to fishing at an incredibly early age by my father. I remember watching a video of Steve Starling when I was 10 years old, and he was fishing the Narooma inlet and was immediately hooked on the ideas of wetting a line. Since then, it has consumed my spare time ever since. 

Much of my fishing has been done in Lake Macquarie, navigating in and around the variety of reefs, sunken boats, sand banks and drop offs that the system has to offer. Whilst I find a lot of value in using bait, when fishing in Lake Mac I tend to focus on lure fishing more specifically, chasing those fish that tend to be considered an anomaly, such as mulloway or XL size flathead. 

Outside of Lake Mac, I spend months fishing around the Coffs Coast region. Here, the focus tends to turn offshore where the desired species becomes snapper, mackerel, or king fish.  

 

Best fishing experience?  

In 2019, me and four friends made the drive from Perth to Exmouth to celebrate end of year and to chase some species that we simply don’t get. Whilst 10 days supplied enough memories to write a book, it was one afternoon that stood out the most. 

It was our second day, and we launched the boat in a 30 knot south-westerly within the Gulf. We set out in search of a golden trevally, with a plan to jig them in deep water on 7inch soft plastics. As we got going, the motor stopped unexpectedly and didn’t want to start again. Whilst two of us were troubleshooting, one of the guys on board dropped his line and started to jig aimlessly for the sake of killing time. Just as I was about to make a comment along the lines of, “mate, good luck, we are in the middle of nowhere”, his line comes tight and is connected to a fish that would eventually turn out to be a 15kg golden trevally. For the next 4 hours, we didn’t start the motor again, as found ourselves being followed by a school of trevally and sharks that were seeking shade in the boats shadow.  

We caught over 20 fish this afternoon, all over 12 kg, and all because the motor stopped working. 

 Worst Fishing Experience?  

As a young kid, about 12 or 13, I tipped my little tinny in Swansea channel and lost my phone, wallet, and beloved fishing rod. I was standing up the front of the boat when my fellow angler accidently hit the throttle and propelled the boat forward. I still think about this today and how scary it was swimming with such heavy jackets and clothes on. I often tell this story to young fishers and encourage them to brush up on their safety knowledge and plan if something like this happens to them.  

Why OzFish?  

Fishing in so many different areas across NSW made me release one important thing when it comes to rec fishing – it doesn’t matter whether you are chasing bass on the mid north coast, or bream down south, the quality of habitat and structure will always be the decisive factor in success. 

OzFish is the one organisation ensuring recreational anglers have a chance to give something back and contribute to habitat restoration, whether it’s volunteering their time, donating, or wearing the member cap as a badge of honour. The work of OzFish ultimately helps us, as recreational fishers, continue to do what we love. What is not to love about that?  

I feel we are on the cusp of OzFish Unlimited becoming legendary in Australia for the great work they do. They are an organisation dedicated to helping Aussie anglers continue to do what we love and it is a group I feel lucky to be a part of.