News

Fishwreck is known world wide for its unique style, world renown artists, personal service, quality materials and attention to detail on all of our boat wraps an apparel.

We regularly deal with international clients and on occasions requested by them to not only design and manufacture the wraps but to also install onsite outside of Australia.

Several months ago we were contacted by a company that has the reputation of being at the pinnacle of every sports fishing enthusiasts to do list including ours, Ocean Blue Fishing, Vanuatu.

 After watching Ocean Blue Fishing on shows like “Mark Berg's Fishing Addiction”, “Big Angry Fish” and “Fishing with E.T.”, we could only have imagined having the opportunity to fish the pristine waters of Vanuatu with them. After being approached by them to wrap their entire fleet, we knew that this is one that we just had to do.

ARTWORK: The obvious choice was to use some of the magnificent artworks we have available depicting many of the Game fish species on offer in the fertile waters off Vanuatu. However it was decided to use simpler design elements that would compliment and not distract from the beautiful clean lines of the Edgewater boats whilst making a feature of their internationally recognisable Ocean Blue logo. For this we chose the “Insidious Camouflage” as the background, designed by our artist Nick Laferriere in a dark Blue. The camo created interest without taking anything away from the logo whilst the deep Blue would make the remanding predominately white exterior pop.

Our own Deep Blue Insidious Camo Background

The measurements we required for the hulls were emailed to us from the crew at Ocean Blue so we could create the print template. After artwork approval we immediately started the process of printing, laminating and packing the wraps into 2 large boxes to take with us to Vanuatu.

THE PLAN: Fly into Port Villa, Vanuatu on the Sunday afternoon, spend 5 days wrapping 3 x 32ft and 1 x 17ft American built EdgeWater boats (port, starboard and stern), slip a little fishing in somewhere and fly back to Australia by the next Sunday.

That's 4 boats in 5 days, a total of over 100 metres of wrap, installed by one person in a tropical location during their wet season in 30+ temperatures and near 100% humidity. Sounds near impossible but thanks to the organisational skills of the Ocean Blue crew this task was an absolute pleasure.

THE INSTALL: Wrapping boats in tropical conditions brings its own share of challenges but Ocean Blue had everything needed on hand to complete the job comfortably thanks to fishing guide extraordinaire and head of maintenance, Andrea Traverso.

Surface prep after years of UV exposure

Can't let a little tropical downpour stop you

A good idea of the size of these boats

By day 4 there was still 2 x 32ft boats to go and only 2 days to complete. This is when I decided to give Donny and Alex a lesson in wrapping boats. These guys were naturals and picked up on the skills very quickly. Buy the 5th day all the boats were complete with the 3rd 32ft EdgeWater being almost entirely wrapped by Donny and Alex in approx. 4 hours, an amazing effort considering their experience.

 Donny making sure I trim correctly

 Donny and Alex working their magic

Looks like I'm out of a job, trimming & sealing

FISHING

AZZURRA wrapped and put to work

Having completed the wraps with over a day spare I decided to go for a half days fishing with JM or JC as I think I called him all trip, sorry JD :).

One very excited 11 year old

Within 30 minutes from the jetty we were popping for a myriad of species in over 200m of water. It wasn't long before Layden had landed his first Yellowfin Tuna with another coming on board soon after.

JM decided it was time to do some micro jigging and it proved to be a lot of fun with my 11 year old getting hat tricks on small Yellowfin. Before we knew it lunch was waiting back at the “Trees and Fishes Resort” and our half day had gone in a blink of an eye.

During the week of our stay many prized species had been landed by other guests. These included Yellowfin Tuna, GT's, immeasurable reef species, Wahoo, Mahi Mahi, Blue Marlin and the mighty Dogtooth Tuna.

Checkout the smiles on these diles

It is a must for any sports fisherman to experience fishing with Ocean Blue Fishing in Vanuatu. The variety of species on offer is mind blowing and with everything seeming to be on steroids, the crew at Ocean Blue are geared to everyone from the most experienced to the complete novice.

 STAY IN COMFORT

TREES AND FISHES RESORT: When fishing with Ocean Blue, the “Trees and Fishes Resort” is the choice of accommodation. Situated right on the water with the Ocean Blue boats docked directly in front, it is a stunning sight to wake up to everyday.

Looking out from our front door

The lower pool

There are several different accommodation options to suit different budgets. The resort has 2 pools but with crystal clear water at your front door that has a thousand-and-one species of fish with snorkelling and paddling equipment supplied, I think you will spend the majority of your spare time exploring all this beauty. 

Time to explore

 Jeanine and Mia were amazing

Jeanine the host is something special and so is the entire staff (Lucy, Michael, Emma and Squid - a nickname we gave William, as well as all the other staff). The fact that I can remember their names speaks volumes, they are all fantastic and made us feel at home. The meals are 5 star and all served overlooking the beautiful Port Havannah in a very relaxed atmosphere.

 Layden trying his luck

Nothing is too hard for these guys, watching my son pop for GT's from the jetty at the front of the resort was a proud moment but seeing the staff hop on the paddle boards to retrieve his popper whenever he snagged a rope was something special, all done with a huge smile. Of course I would have done it myself but I was busy with the boats :).

 A great place for a meal and a brew

Evening meals were another highlight. Where you dine is completely your choice, fortunately for us everyone staying at the resort chose to dine together. It was fantastic to sit back and listen to all of the fishing tales from the days adventures while enjoying a 3 course meal washed down with a few of the local brews. We met some fantastic people and will keep in touch with them for sure.

 Sunset over Port Havannah

CONCLUSION: It doesn't take a genius to workout that we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Trees and Fishes and the experience with Ocean Blue. They are both extremely professional and are at the top of their game in both sports fishing and hospitality with a common goal of making your experience the best it can be.

We are very grateful for the opportunity of wrapping these fine boats in one of the worlds best fishing destinations for a company considered to be at the pinnacle of their industry.

 Thank you Ocean Blue, we will be back!.

FULL TIME ARTIST SINCE 2010

South African born Craig Bertram Smith, grew up in Johannesburg where as a child, fishing played a big part in his life. Fishing trips with his Dad and brother, specifically their annual Wildcoast trips are among some of his fondest memories. From a young age he had a keen interest in all ocean creatures, and would spend hours sketching and drawing various species of animals and fish

His passion and focus is portraying the natural world in all its beauty and mystery. He strives to elicit reverence in his art showing animal and habitat wild and untouched, and to bring the viewer to a alternate world, showing a perspective from the animals point of view. As an artist he studies every creature he paints to bring out each of their characters as accurate to nature as possible, explaining their habits, movements and showing anatomy in detail

CLINK ON THE BELOW LINKS TO CHECK OUT SOME OF THE GEAR USING CRAIG'S ARTWORK

His body of artwork was inspired by what I experienced through my observations in nature. It's what drives my creativity and sparks my imagination. Throughout my life I hope to continue to pursue and excel in this career. It allows me to do what I love the most, experiencing and recreating the beauty of Mother Nature.

Native Floridian, Jason Mathias was born in 1981 in Stuart Florida where some of his earliest memories are of the ocean aboard his grandfather's charter boat "Do Stay." As a child, Jason's two favourite pastimes were drawing and fishing, it wasn't before long that he started combining the two

Jason Mathias is one of the top saltwater fish artists and has appeared in many magazine spreads, on the cover of Florida Sport-fishing Magazine, newspaper headlines and has been featured artist among many prestigious organizations such as the CCA, IGFA and ASMA. Mathias has also appeared in many prestigious museums and galleries from the Cornell Museum of Art and American History, the American Society Of Marline Arts and the Quinlan Visual Arts Centre.

Jason's unique, vibrant style derives from countless hours studying and observing the fluid motion of water and its reaction to light and surrounding the objects

USE THE BELOW LINKS TO CHECK OUT SOME OF THE GEAR USING JASON'S ARTOWRKS

Nick Laferriere

“I remember vividly drawing silly hand art with little characters battling it out on a battlefield which was constructed from my hand outline. I’d get lost in my own world and even go as far as creating sound effects. I was a strange little boy….”

Hailing from the prairie region of central Canada, Nick was raised in the country surrounded by nature. His passion for art started at a very young age with countless hours spent scribbling pictures and getting lost in his works.
“I remember vividly drawing silly hand art with little characters battling it out on a battlefield which was constructed from my hand outline. I’d get lost in my own world and even go as far as creating sound effects. I was a strange little boy….”
Early childhood for Nick was spent mostly outdoors. Fishing with his father, playing in the mud, collecting insects, the sad part of Nick’s day was coming in for dinner and washing his filthy hands. His passion for the outdoors was etched into Nick’s life at a very young age from his parents.
“I’m eternally grateful for the way my parents raised me. I absolutely love the outdoors and will one day pass this on to my future children.”
Many of his hours were spent tracing birds and animals from library books. Eventually he’d traced so many birds that he no longer needed to trace them.
“I can remember begging my mom to take me to the library so I could get some fresh new books to draw from, always leaving with more books than I could carry! I couldn’t wait to get home and get to work! I would not only draw birds and animals but I’d also read everything I could about each ones  songs.”
Nick still studies his subjects just as much, the only difference is they have fins not wings.

USE THESE LINKS TO CHECK OUT SOME DESIGNS USING HIS ARTWORK

A lot of you will remember the GT wrap layout we did that leading boats sales company, boatsales.com.au picked up on describing us as "Queensland's boat wrap powerhouse" and getting well over 1000 likes, loads of comments and over 400 shares. Well we are now currently working on an even bigger, more epic project.

This time it's a 46ft charter style boat that the client wants an original full colour reef scene featuring a Coral Trout, Red Emperor, and a Golden Snapper. Getting excited all you Reef dwellers!. You have been asking for reef species for a long time, I know, I have had to answer all your messages smile emoticon.

Because of increased international interest, we thought it might be a good idea to make it known closer to home that we don't only produce the best apparel in the Southern Hemisphere but we also produce the most epic boat wraps here in Australia!. We use Nicks' unique drawings to turn your boat into a piece of art that you cannot get from anywhere else.

All of our boat decals and fishing shirts are Australian species and depicted in Nick's own unique style in exceptionally detailed pencil art.

One of the most exciting things is that most of our products are produced in Australia by us, guaranteeing you quality.

We design, manufacture and ship them all over Australia and around the world where either you can source someone for application or we can help arrange that for you.

www.fishwreck.com.au

0424 011 428

For those who know anything about our artist, Nick Laferriere, he is by far no Green.  When Nick isn't drawing or guiding he is either fishing or hunting.

This award winning artist, Nick Laferriere, is a one of a kind. No just because of his insanely detailed artwork that's done in a style that only he can do but also for his honesty and the generosity he shows both in business and with his fans.

We have just received an unexpected package from Nick and to say the least we were very excited to see what it just might be.  As it was very carefully packed we knew it had to be something he didn't want to get damaged from being transported all the way from Canada to Australia.

In it was a hand written letter along with 2 original signed pieces of artwork that Nick had drawn for Fishwreck.  The letter was very humbling and the drawings were incredible with the detail and style.

Now here is where he shows his colours.  Nick has requested in the letter that one of the original drawings is to be auctioned off with all proceeds going to a conservation project of our choice.  What incredible insight this fine man has and we are very proud to have him on board.

We have decided to keep the Big Bad Barra as the Barramundi was the first species Nick drew for us.  That means that the GT will be auctioned and all proceeds going to a project that we haven't decided on as yet.

Thanks Nick, not just from Fishwreck but on behalf of Australia, we are privileged to be able to use your artwork and we wear it with pride.  Bring on 2015.

Fishwreck are proud to be fitting out The Big E, one of Australia's best known Flathead fisherman and organizer of the Southern Bream Series.

A lot of you would know Ian by either meeting him at tournaments or by watching fishing shows would have seen him take personalities to catch the big Flathead he is well known for.

The Big E will be fitted with our new Flathead UVP 50 rated sublimated fishing shirt and his boat is being fitted with an insane Fishwreck Flathead boat wrap.

As fishwreck do things different to everyone else, it won't be hard to spot The Big E out on the water now.

You to can have this setup, go visit our website at www.fishwreck.com.au

After exploding onto the Australian fishing apparel and boat graphic industry just over 12 months ago, fishwreck have set the new standard in quality and design.

It comes as no surprise that some companies have tried to piggy back on Fishwreck's success, using unique artwork that has never been seen on our shores.

There are several things that they can not copy. Our originality, awesome artist and the trust that the 3 core members have displayed in each other.

Beside the fact that we are the only company here that uses actual hand drawn artwork from an award winning artist by the name of Nick Laferriere.  We do not use computer generated images, a very important aspect that sets us apart from any of our competitors.

Until now, neither Nick, my myself or the other partner not yet revealed, has ever met each other, in fact we have never spoken to Nick but have only communicated via messaging.  This alone shows the belief and trust we hold in each other and this is very rare in the present business environment.

We are committed to keep bringing you, our faithful fans, the very best quality gear, using the most exquisite artwork used to produce both the products you all want and be the most intuitive fishing apparel and boat graphics company you have ever experienced.

Yours,

Fishwreck.

Available in 2 colors, Gold/Brown and Grey.

Manufactured by your fishwreck team using quality material, you wouldn't expect anything else.

Beat the rush as these are going to be popular judging by the interest we have had so far.

We released yesterday 3 different species in our new range of shorts as well as a range of BBQ aprons.

The response has been incredible so far and as word spreads will only increase.

It has also increased the sales in our awesome tournament fishing polo's with customer now being able to see real photos of the shirts now on our site.

All this plus our new faster delivery times and more of our artist Nick's fine art work is just the beginning of the positive changes we are making to our already popular apparel.

Who would have thought that in just over 12 months fishwreck would have come so far, then again with customers like you we should have expected it.