Australian boater John Hughes tells his story about reef fishing down under with Australia’s first manual shade top by SureShade
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Australia boasts some of the best fishing in the world with hundreds of fish species to catch – from its famous barramundi to tuna and shark sport fishing.
John Hughes, an avid pleasure fisherman in Australia, was looking for a cost-effective shade system that would keep him protected from the hot Australian sun on his Haines Signature boat.
He discovered SureShade and became one of the first boaters to have the manual MTF shade system – and the first SureShade customer in Australia!
“The ONLY protection I need against the sun is SureShade.” – John Hughes, Nhulunbuy, Gove – Australia
SureShade recently interviewed John about his experience with SureShade, his new manual boat top shade system and how it has made fishing and boating in Australia even more pleasurable.
SureShade (SS): John, tell us about boating in Australia and what type of fishing you enjoy?
John Hughes (JH): My wife Glenn and I live in a very remote part of Australia; Nhulunbuy, Gove in Arnhem Land of the Northern Territory. It is tropical with wet and dry seasons, cyclones, crocodiles, snakes, water buffalo and best of all, the greatest fishing on the planet!
“We are very impressed with the new shade top. No flapping, even at 60 KPH, and dries off very rapidly.” – JH
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(SS): And how did the installation process go thousands of miles away in Australia?
(JH): When it came time for installation, they worked with me to make sure that everything went smooth. Even a last minute change to get wider poles to install the sunshade on top of the hardtop (instead of under it) was accommodated. They made sure the final install on my boat went so they would have a satisfied customer on the other side of the planet. How about that?
(SS): Yes, a happy customer is our number one priority! And how have you been enjoying the sunshade system?
(JH): Well, since December we have been showing off our shade… it turned out even better than expected! The shade now covers for full extent of the quarterdeck, with no side poles to get in the way of the fishing rods. It’s just a simple little exercise of winding the handle for the telescopic poles, and Hey Presto – instant shade.
We boat around our favourite spots at speeds between 40 – 70 KPH [25 – 44 MPH], with no problems for the awning. Rain protection as well, as the natural slope of the awning allows the water to run off. When we get back in, I leave it extended (to show off to the other boaties), trailer it and go to the wash bay. Maybe it’s got something to do with the climate here, but the fabric dries so quick, that when I park it home, I can roll up the awning – it’s dry and no risk of mould.
(SS): Fantastic. And do you recommend the new manual shade by SureShade to other boaters?
(JH): To whoever may read this, I strongly recommend SureShade, so don’t hesitate, just do it. I have one last thing to add, and that is:
The ONLY protection I need against the sun is SureShade.
More barracuda facts from John Hughes:
Most “cuda” are caught while fishing for other more desirable species. They will hit a lure hard and offer a spectacular jumping fight, often destroying lighter lures with their impressive array of big dog like teeth. Most fish are released to fight another day, the larger specimens are suspected to carry the debilitating disease ciguatera which causes severe problems like vomiting, headaches, loss of sensation and fever.