BNB Fishing mag | Feb 2018

Prime time to target pelagics

$

450 Includes GST

February 2018 Print Post Approved PP100001534 Volume 29, Number 2

Jet ski fishing

Boat review • Stessl 520 Bluewater

Barra set to begin

Moreton Bay pelagics

Prawning pointers

Game fishing tips for beginners How to catch more whiting Superb 1770 offshore action

Going bush over summer Impoundments impressing Proudly produced and printed in Australia

Estuary • Offshore • Freshwater • 4WD • Camping • Kayaking

ISSN 1832-4517

9 771832 451001

02

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 1

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Inside this month Trolling for jacks

Black marlin

P16

P34 1770 trip

Impoundment bass

P37

OUR COVER

DEREK MAYNARD caught and released this estimated 30kg wahoo at Wreck Reefs after hooking it on a Zerek Pelagic Z hard-bodied lure. For more pelagic action, check out a number of articles in this edition. Photo: GREG LAMPRECHT

Ben Collins Daniel Tomlinson Ben Collins, Kacie Hubbert Jo Hendley

Phone (07) 3286 1833 Fax (07) 3821 2637 Email: ben@bnbfishing.com.au Internet: www.bnbfishing.com.au PO Box 387, Cleveland, Qld 4163 Unit 2, 39 Enterprise Street, Cleveland, Qld 4163 AFTA PRINTER: Rural Press, Ormiston DISTRIBUTION BY: Fairfax Max. recommended retail price $4.50 (includes GST).

CORRESPONDENTS: Editorial contributions are welcome, as is news from clubs, associations, or individuals; and new product news from manufacturers. Entire contents copyright. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. It is the responsibility of advertisers to ensure the correctness of their claims and statements. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

G IN

FISH ING ’S

E TUR FU

A

LI

☛ continued P4

EDITOR: SUBEDITOR: ADVERTISING: PRODUCTION:

RA

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bush ‘n Beach Fishing magazine is published monthly by Collins Media Pty Ltd ABN 43 159 051 500 ACN 159 051 500 trading as Collins Media.

AUST

MARCH edition will be on sale in newsagents from March 2. See subscriber offer on Page 72 to go in the draw to win an awesome Mako Eyewear pack including one pair of Mako Escape sunglasses and a Mako fishing shirt valued at $369.90.

run-in procedure is critical for the longevity of the motor prior to doing the first bar crossing course and that keeps them in very good shape and absolutely issue-free.

One of my old motors is still running around with roughly 7000 hours clocked up, but I like to sell mine some time before 1500 engine hours and upgrade to a new one while everything is in tiptop condition.

Unlike others in the marine industry, my life can literally depend on the reliability of my outboard while doing challenging work with teaching clients how to cross coastal bars safely.

Yamaha is my choice of outboard as their long track record of being exceptionally reliable and not prone to the corrosion and failure issues of so many other brands of outboard makes them a standout, and those 4.2-litre V6s are really sweet motors.

While you may pay a little more for a Yammy, you get that back in spade loads of reliability and performance and the upside is they clearly have the best resale value too.

Some cracking weather has allowed plenty of access offshore of late and on the right days the fishing has not disappointed.

Dolphinfish have been around in good numbers

ATI ON

hours for the first service on another new Yamaha 250hp motor on the boat.

Following the proper

CI

That has allowed me to get away for a Christmas holiday and easily clock up the required 20 engine

Offshore

by BILL CORTEN

O

A

T the time of writing it’s been a few weeks since the last decent swell hit our shores.

N

FIS

AS

S

Running in new outboard while having fun offshore

Having fun offshore ....................by Bill Corten .......................................P3 What’s biting in the bay.............by Brian Webb.....................................P7 Moreton Bay sessions...............by Lachie Baker ..................................P9 Snapper showing in bay ...........by Sean Conlon .................................P12 Game fishing off SEQ .................by Adam Foley ...................................P13 Black marlin for beginners ......by Sean ‘Skip’ Thompson ...............P16 Prowling for prawns ..................by Mitchell Townsend ....................P18 Whiting on the menu..................by Leeann Payne...............................P19 Fish the Deep ...............................by Scott Van Burck...........................P20 Wilson Fishing puzzle page .....................................................................P21 Gold Coast options .......................by Wayne ‘Youngy’ Young ..............P22 Great pelagic run ........................by Heath Zygnerski ..........................P23 Dealing with summer heat.......by Brad Smith ....................................P24 Carp on fly .....................................by Darren Rama ................................P25 Northern NSW mackerel ..........by Gavin Dobson ...............................P26 Solid Ballina fishing ...................... by Brett Hyde ...........................................P27 Bumper bass biting ....................by Gary ‘Squidgie’ Palmer..............P28 Iluka fishing report .....................by Tye Porter ......................................P29 Sunshine Coast............................by Wade Qualischefski...................P30 Reef fishing trips .........................by Craig Tomkinson .........................P32 Jet ski fishing ..............................by Jason McColl ...............................P33 Jacks on the troll ........................by Melissa Frohloff ..........................P34 Brundaberg Region ....................by Brad Young ...................................P35 Fraser Guided Fishing................by Tri Ton .............................................P36 Fantastic 1770 trip ...................... by Jordan ‘Grinner’ Koschel .........P37 Tidal Talk .......................................by Peter Layton..................................P38 Achieving fishing firsts .............by Mick Clutterbuck ........................P39 Kayak fishing new areas ..........by Joel Johnson................................P40 Paddling the Mary River ...........by Dan Owbridge..............................P41 Yak Hunters round-up ................by Mathew Kouimtzis......................P42 Product News ..............................................................................................P43 Stessl 520 Bluewater review ..by Daniel Tomlinson........................P44 Boating.....................................................................................................P46-50 Trailer Talk ....................................by Sean Conlon .................................P50 Insights into insurance..............by Nautilus Marine ..........................P51 Charter Directory ................................................................................. P52,53 Readers Forum.............................................................................................P54 PNG Adventure Part 2................by Nathan Reid..................................P55 Recipe ............................................by Melissa Frohloff ..........................P56 Gladstone Region....................... by Gary Churchward .......................P57 Wait is over for barra.................by John Boon .....................................P58 Stanage Bay variety ...................by Von Ireland....................................P59 Break to the bush........................by Todd Eveleigh ..............................P60 Good 4WDing gear .................... by ‘Billabong’ Bazz Lyon ................P61 Outdoors ........................................by Paul ‘Chief’ Graveson ................P62 Freshwater Impoundments ..... by Matthew Langford......................P64 Monduran barra ......................... by Donna Gane .................................P65 B.A.S.S. Australia........................by Drew McGrath .............................P66 Tagging native fish .....................by Noal Kuhl ......................................P67 Moogerah Dam ........................... by Steve Wilkes ...............................P67 Competition Report.................... by Russell Nowland ........................P68 Glenlyon Dam...............................by Brian Dare.....................................P69 Reading the streams ...................... by Neil Schultz ........................................P70 Trading Post.................................................................................................P71 Subscription form ......................................................................................P72

PRO TE CT

Brad with a snapper from an isolated pinnacle on the 33-fathom line.

P64

HIN G T R A D E

W

ELL, it has finally happened – you can now get your monthly edition of Bush ‘n Beach Fishing magazine in a digital format.

With the growing number of people wanting information online, we needed to publish the mag on the web to meet market demands.

However, I want to make it clear, we will still be printing hard copies of the magazine each and every month, so for those who prefer the paper version (including me), don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere.

However, if you want a digital subscription, you can now sign up to receive the mag via Issuu.

You can buy single copies online too, with the current edition costing $4.50 (still the best value on the market), or you can take out a two-year subscription for only $40.

We are currently in the process (may already be done by the time you read this) of uploading back issues to Issuu.

Back issues will be free, so even if you don’t want to subscribe for a digital copy, you will still be able to check out old copies of the mag.

Make sure you head over to issuu. com and type in bnbfishing to find us, then click the ‘Follow’ button.

You will need to register with Issuu, which can be done via Facebook, Google Plus, LinkedIn or email.

If you follow us, we can notify you when the latest edition is available online.

I see the addition of the digital version as a positive move and something that will strengthen our brand and broaden our readership, which can only be a good thing.

While I feel like I haven’t really aged past 25 (even though the wife reminds me I’m actually closer to 50 than 30), my body (knee) tells me a different story, so I’d say I’m from the older vintage who grew up reading books and magazines.

But you can’t move forward by standing still, so I am excited for the new digital era and the benefits it can bring our readers and advertisers.

On the fishing front, pelagics have been going off in southeast Queensland and northern NSW! Everything from spotty and school mackerel to marlin have been hitting lures and baits up and down the coast.

If you are new to the latter species, we have several tips and tricks for beginners in this edition to help you hook up to a few.

Best news is you can probably use your existing offshore gear with just a few bits and pieces of new tackle.

Spotty mackerel have also poked their heads up in Moreton Bay (see pic above), with a few boats getting in early and scoring solid captures.

If you are chasing these fish, please be aware of the other boats on the water and try working together.

If done properly, quite a number of people and boats can fish a single school without sending the fish down.

Alternatively, you can stay away from the crowds because a number of schools are usually busting up all over the place.

Ben Collins

December prizewinner Congratulations to Lex Neal, Moorooka who has won a half-day fishing charter for three with Sean Conlon of Moreton Bay Fishing Charters valued at $300.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 3

Aaron enticed this pearlie with persistent slow jigging on a glassy day of no current when the fish were lethargic.

Mark Coman was impressed with the quality of the pearl perch on offer off Brisbane.

12-year-old Mac Kelley was very happy with his best offshore fish to date: a parrot from One Mile Reef off Point Lookout.

Running in new outboard while having fun offshore ☛ from P3

John Hoyland was happy to share with the crew some insight into the finer points of catching pearlies.

John Dash set the tone for the day with this cracking pearlie. Note how well protected he is from the summer sun.

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Page 4 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

thanks to those warmer summer currents and it has been rare to not see large dollies swim under the boat at some stage while fishing the reefs below.

At this time of year I always have a Venom spin stick and Daiwa Saltiga 5000 combination on standby rigged with a Wilson live bait wire rig.

It is just a matter of throwing some pieces of bait in the water to keep the attention of the dolphinfish while attaching a live bait to the 2/0 Hoodlum hook and size 2 treble rig and casting in the direction of the fish, then hanging on when it instantly hooks up.

When a pair of dollies is swimming together, the other fish always tends to hang around while the other is hooked up, so flicking something as simple as a circle hook with a livie in that general direction will do the trick on the second fish, which guarantees absolute mayhem with both hooked fish dancing out of the water and making erratic movements around the back of the boat.

Oh yeah, summer can be so much fun offshore.

Of late many people have connected with dollies as an incidental catch while trolling for marlin.

However, I haven’t the patience for the frequent long periods waiting to turn a reel, so focus on reef fishing or, when the moon is right, target spanish mackerel on the inshore grounds.

On the days of moderate current, I prefer locations where long drifts are possible and when the wind is very light I will drift the deeper grounds for an interesting mix of pearl perch, parrotfish and amberjack.

When the current ex-

tends further inshore and the water in there is that nice cobalt blue, the inshore grounds can light up with great fish.

Covering a bit of distance on the drift, you can quickly identify the hot spots holding the better fish and tailor the drift to focus on those areas.

Recently we have had amazing quality pearl perch on the back of the 29s and along the 33-fathom reefs by doing just that, and on the flatter sections of reef the parrot have been of very good size.

In fact, cracker pearlies have come from 55-70m of water, while the fish on the outer reef lines have been a bit smaller on average.

Just looking carefully at the sounder as you drift over the more isolated pinnacles can really improve your day.

If you notice a different

formation of fish, target that structure because it may be holding reasonable out of season snapper, with the occasional much bigger fish in the mix.

Well out of season, those bigger snapper are a welcome bonus, but still, give me a reasonable pearlie or a big fat parrot for better eating quality any day.

The new moon throughout summer brings out the bigger teraglin during the day and it isn’t unusual to see a lot of boats aggregating in those areas holding teraglin.

Quality amberjack will be mixed among them, making it worthwhile, and it can still be surprisingly easy to put a feed together in summer.

If the bait is abundant on the isolated deep pieces of structure and wrecks, they can be worthwhile targets for yellowtail kingfish through summer.

Live baiting will work

George Baumber held the pearlie of the day in the lead-up to Christmas.

well but try deepwater jigs for far more exhilaration and a greater sense of achievement.

If you aren’t that fit, the faster retrieve action required for kingies will wear you out, so targeting kings and pearl perch on the slower fluttering-style jigs could be more suitable.

The strength of the current and the barometric pressure on the day can be defining influences during summer.

Too strong a current and it is hard to keep those fluttering slow jigs in the right area for long enough to hook the targeted fish and conversely when there is virtually no current at all the fish become very lethargic and hook-up rates can be slow.

A slow-current day and not much bait holding on the targeted piece of structure can also result in an ordinary catch, so you

need a bit of flexibility in the game plan and be prepared to move about as necessary.

Low barometric pressure at this time of year due to the proximity of a nearby ridge off a lowpressure system on the weather map can really put the fish off too.

We had a few days recently where the barometer was down around 1005-1006hPa. Too low for reef fishing and just about the only species that will bite is parrot, and even then they will be very lethargic.

I prefer to wait for a day of higher barometric pressure to make the effort worthwhile, regardless of how flat the ocean may be.

Crew catching fish is way better than making lame excuses for taking them out on what you know will be a dud day.

Addy with a typical dolphinfish nailed while drifting the 100m line.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

New rules commence for hammerhead sharks

F

ISHERIES Queensland is reminding commercial fishers of the new requirements for hammerhead sharks, which commenced on January 1, 2018.

Fisheries Queensland Deputy Director-General Scott Spencer said the new regulations were designed to strengthen the management controls around hammerhead sharks and avoid the species being listed

as endangered.

“New logbooks and instructions for reporting shark catch in Queensland have been sent to affected net and line fishers,” Mr Spencer said.

“These changes do not affect recreational fishers.”

The new regulations include: • A total allowable commercial catch of 150 tonnes (split across the Gulf of Carpentaria (50 tonnes), Great Bar-

rier Reef (78 tonnes) and southern east coast (22 tonnes).

• Trip limits to apply and the hammerhead shark is to be kept in a whole form once 75 percent of the TACC is reached.

• More stringent reporting requirements to improve monitoring of the catch.

The Federal Government is still considering listing the scalloped and great hammerhead shark

as endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Cleveland Upholsterers & Marine Trimmers

A decision is expected

by March 2018.

For more information, visit fisheries.qld.gov.au or call 13 25 23.

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National 4x4 Outdoors Show, Fishing & Boating Expo partners with the Boating Industry Association for 2018

T

HE 2018 National 4x4 Outdoors Show, Fishing & Boating Expo is set to be bolstered by an exciting new partnership with the Boating Industry Association.

Held on March 16-18 at the Brisbane Show-

grounds, the event will be bigger and better than ever thanks to the new collaboration.

This year’s show sees the return of the BIA as its members take over the John Reid Pavilion in a display reminiscent of the old Tinnie and Tackle Show.

The BIA was last involved in the show in 2014, and a demand for exposure in the Brisbane area has led to a new partnership for this year’s event.

With Queensland laying claim to more registered boats (256,000) and boat licences (694,000) than any other state in Australia, the partnership makes perfect sense.

Event director Paul Mathers said the BIA’s involvement in the expo is great news for enthusiasts.

“We’re so excited to have the BIA back on board for this year’s event,” Mathers said.

“Not only is it great to have the backing of such a well-respected organisa-

tion for the show, but the addition of the BIA Zone adds some real weight to our offering for visitors who want real choices in buying a new boat or marine recreational vehicle.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have them back.”

As well as a host of appearances from Australia’s most popular outdoor experts including Pat Callinan, Jase Andrews and Roothy, this year’s show will feature thousands of bargains from all the best 4x4, camping, fishing, boating and outdoor brands.

There will also be plenty of action and things to do, with the return of the Eagers Holden Prov-

ing Ground, a new and improved interactive Base Camp, the always-popular Action Arena, fishing and 4WD seminars, test drives and 4WD training as well as cooking demonstrations.

To buy tickets and for further information about the show, visit 4x4show. com.au/brisbane

‘Good flows mean more fish’ – better understanding of fish and flows in the Murray-Darling Basin

N

EW advisory material explaining how native fish respond to flows and what it means for recreational fishers has been developed by the NSW Department of Primary Industries in partnership with the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

The video and series of infographics have been developed in close consultation with anglers across the NSW Basin through an Engaged Anglers Advisory Group.

DPI Fisheries identified the need to work more closely with recreational fishers following a statewide survey conducted in 2016.

DPI’s senior fisheries manager Dr Katherine Cheshire said fish play a critical role in the entire river system and are the basis of a billion-dollar recreational fishing industry.

“Looking after fish by using water for the en-

vironment can support spawning and growth to adults, and provides a range of environmental, social and economic benefits, including better fishing for target species such as yellowbelly,” Dr Cheshire said.

“It is important to have recreational fishers involved as the custodians of this shared resource.”

Well-known Mildura angler and advisory group member Vas Saris said it was the first time NSW fishers have been invited by government to help create targeted communications advice to inform and educate others on issues such as using water for the environment for native fish, fish ecology and water management.

“We’ve never had this level of engagement before from the government and we have helped them translate complex information such as river regulation, environmental flows and the science be-

hind it in simple terms that make it easier to understand,” Mr Saris said.

Mr Saris said he is one of many anglers committed to sharing information that will bring about a greater understanding of why fish need flows.

“It’s so important to understand what water managers, scientists and the

government are doing to help nurture and improve our fisheries through water management and that’s why we think it’s better explained by recreational fishers,” Mr Saris said.

The video and infographs are available at dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/ habitat/rehabilitating/fishand-flows

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 5

CONTACT YOUR NEAREST DEALER BRISBANE (NORTH)

BRISBANE (BAYSIDE)

Brisbane Yamaha Bruce Highway Burpengary, QLD T: 3888 1727

Wynnum Marine 31 Fox Street Wynnum, QLD T: 3396 9777

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wynnummarine.com.au

BRISBANE

BRISBANE (SOUTH)

Northside Marine 2294 Sandgate Road Boondall, QLD T: 3265 8000

Stones Corner Marine 117 Old Cleveland Road Stones Corner, QLD T: 3397 9766

northsidemarine.com.au

stonescornermarine.com.au

BUNDABERG

BOWEN

Bundaberg Marineland 95 Targo Street Bundaberg, QLD T: 4130 0500

Reibel Marine 34 Don Street Bowen, QLD T: 4786 2944

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GOLD COAST (SOUTH)

Stefan Boating World 27 Waterway Drive Coomera, QLD T: 5665 8400

Marine Tune 64 Kortum Drive Burleigh Heads, QLD T: 5576 7388

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marinetune.com

GYMPIE

HERVEY BAY

Watson’s Marine Centre 52 Wickham Street, Gympie, QLD T: 5482 2135

Buccaneers 19 Islander Road Pialba, Hervey Bay, QLD T: 4124 6988

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Moreton Bay tunas, both longtail and mack.

What’s biting in the bay S AND crabs are still on the crawl, especially in the northern end of Moreton Bay on the central and western bank near Pearl Channel.

A few are also hanging around the Sandhills, the Rous Channel and Amity Banks.

The Pelican Banks in the southern bay are turning up several sandies and whiting.

If crabbing the Sandhills, spend time fishing as whiting have also been caught in reasonable numbers down to the Blue Holes, Rous Channel, Chain, Maroon and Amity banks.

Drifting the sand and cockle banks to the west of the Pearl Channel is worthwhile for a feed of whiting.

Some are being caught on squid strips and peeled prawns, but bloodworms are doing the most damage.

If you want to get your feet muddy, the southern side of the boat passage at Wynnum is yielding worms at low tide, though this area is also home to professional wormers and you must ensure you are at least 100m from the high-water mark and outside the exclusion zone (visit the Useful Links page at bnbfishing.com.au for a map).

Moreton Bay

by BRIAN WEBB

Soft plastics are catching a few whiting, but not as consistently.

A solid drift with good tidal movement presents one of the better ways to catch whiting at present.

A paternoster rig or running sinker and trace are the main two rigs being used successfully.

About 90 percent of the whiting caught in the bay are diver whiting, so how do you tell the difference between them and summer/sand whiting?

Diver whiting have a distinct pale lateral line, while sand whiting don’t.

Divers also have very small pearly scales that come off easily.

They have a bag limit of 50 and no size limit, while sand whiting have a limit of 30 and minimum length of 23cm.

Remember the green zones while fishing the western side of Moreton Bay. Muddies have been caught in the southern bay creeks, the drains running into the Brisbane River, the creeks north

of the river and the mangroves south of the Port of Brisbane.

You have to get right up into the top of the creeks to find them, so small tinnies and canoes are your best option.

Bream are around but not in the same numbers as last month.

A lot are being caught in marinas, the Brisbane River, along the Wellington Point drop-offs, the eastern side of Mud Island (at night) and Lota Creek.

I’ll stick to frequenting Mud, the tug terminals and the rocky outcrops in the lower end of the Brisbane River up to Pinkenba boat ramp.

Spotted mackerel are being caught but they haven’t turned up in good numbers yet.

Most are coming from the northern end of the bay, particularly from the measured mile north towards the start of the Pearl Channel.

Bird activity has been the only key for finding them and mack tuna.

Two out of every three bait boils has been tuna. ☛ continued P8

CAPS Someone left their catch behind at Pinkenba ramp.

TWEED COAST

WHITSUNDAYS

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Whitsunday Marine 4/11 Shute Harbour Road Cannonvale, QLD T: 4948 3298

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A few nice snapper from the Mud Island contours.

Page 6 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 7

A grass sweetlip from the 10m contours around Mud Island.

Spotties and a doggy mackerel from a recent trip.

Plenty of squid are about on the weed beds.

What’s biting in the bay over summer ☛ from P6

Bream and mud crabs from the Brisbane River.

Northern bay sand crabs.

Whiting from the western banks.

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School mackerel can be found around the beacons and a few schools have shown up in the Rainbow Channel and at the start of the Rous Channel.

Longtail tuna have been caught in the shipping and Pearl channels by anglers trolling ganged pillies, chrome spoons and Rapala CD-7 and CD-9 lures.

The lower end of the Brisbane River has produced threadies along with pan size snapper and bream from the shipping wharves.

Just remember the 30m exclusion zone around the wharves.

Wynnum and Manly foreshores have seen anglers catching bream, flathead and the odd trevally.

Yellowtail pike have invaded the bay and become a nuisance, taking baits meant for other species.

Good catches of squid have been taken lately, so arm yourself with a 3-6kg rod, reels in the 20002500 range, 10-15kg braid and 10kg fluorocarbon leader and you’re set to tackle a squid.

You’ll also need a headlamp or good torch (a headlamp allows the use of both hands) for nighttime adventures.

Head over to the weed beds throughout the bay, from the Sandhills right down to the Pelican Banks, and you’re set to target squid, whether day or night.

Squid can be caught year round and will move around the bay depending on the clarity of water.

With a westerly wind, the banks on the western side clear up and on big high tides the squid move into the shallows.

Squid hang around seagrass beds and will come right up into the shallows on a good tide.

Any place with a weed bed and mangroves nearby is a perfect spot, whether on the western or eastern side of the bay.

Walking the rock walls in the marinas will also produce squid, especially at night.

Sight casting in clear water is a good way to attract squid.

When you see a squid move in on the jig, you should slow your retrieve, and when you feel weight on the line, set the hooks.

Once on board, put your squid straight onto ice if you’re going to eat them.

Snapper around 40cm have shown up on the shallow reefs, along with a few grass sweetlip and

moses perch.

Drifting the drop-offs and shallows has been the best option for enticing one to take your bait.

Soft plastic fish profiles in pink, red and green and natural colours have been best.

Areas including the Wellington Point drop-off down to Empire Point, the West Peel Artificial Reef, the structure at Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef and East Coochie Artificial Reef have held snapper.

The 10m contours on the eastern side of Mud Island have turned up the odd snapper in the 50-60cm range.

They’ve been undone by a single hook in a fresh squid, floated back behind the boat on a drift, especially early of a morning and just on dusk.

Drifting has seen more caught than anchoring and you have to fish light to entice them.

When drifting the dropoffs, throw a pillie out in

the deeper water on the other side of the boat and you’re in with a chance of a chopper tailor.

West Peel Artificial Reef has seen squire, moses perch and sweetlip along with a few school jew.

Out deeper, mack tuna have been hitting the surface, and many anglers excitedly thought they were mackerel, but it was not to be.

Raby Bay and Birkdale canals have seen the odd jack, trevally and bream landed.

The northeastern corner of Coochimudlo Island has produced flathead and whiting around the rocks.

I saw a first the other day – a vehicle heading down Lytton Rd towing a half cabin, I would say towards Whyte Island, with a canoe sitting inside the cab.

Maybe the person is planning on starting a new craze of fishing the shallows while the big boat is anchored out deeper.

I have also attached a photo below – can anyone guess the name of the place and where it is or used to be?

Email ben@bnbfishing. com.au with the correct answer to go in the draw to win a prize.

The mystery location.

Underwater wonder in never-before-seen detail

T

HE Australian Government has released the first high-resolution map of the sea floor of the entire Great Barrier Reef.

Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan and Minister for the Environment and Energy Josh Frydenberg announced the release of the data recently, saying it would be an invaluable tool for the future environmental management of this Australian natural wonder.

Minister Canavan said the data is the product of a four-year scientific partnership between Geoscience Australia,

James Cook University and the Australian Hydrographic Service.

“The Great Barrier Reef is an Australian icon and Queenslanders are lucky to call it their own,” Minister Canavan said.

“Having 1.5 million sq km of data shows us the reef’s structure and the underwater geography of the region on an unprecedented scale.”

The minister said this was the first highresolution dataset in a series that Geoscience Australia would release covering large parts of the northern Australian coastline in the collaborative project with JCU

and the AHS. “Geoscience Australia has provided funding and leadership to deliver these datasets over the next two years, and has worked with the AHS to bring its vast holdings of marine data to the project,” Minister Canavan said.

“This series will provide a detailed view of the marine geography of our northern coastline, assisting to maintain safety at sea, law enforcement and broader government and commercial operations.”

Minister Frydenberg welcomed the release of the data, which he said represented a big step forward for the environ-

mental management of the Reef.

“The quality of this huge dataset gives government agencies access to the information they need to make the right decisions to protect the reef for future generations,” Minister Frydenberg said.

“This is a treasure trove of data and it will be put to a range of uses, including research into marine ecosystems and oceanographic and tidal modelling, which among other things helps better predict storm surges along the Queensland coast.”

The full dataset is available at ecat.ga.gov. au/geonetwork

The new dataset covers the entire Great Barrier Reef.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Sweet sessions in Moreton Bay W ELL it’s all over now.

School holidays are finished and it’s back to the classroom for me.

Before this inevitable annoyance occurred, I managed to get out for a couple of sessions targeting squire and sweetlip in Moreton Bay. This was where my love for fishing originated, using both plastics and bait and fishing with relatively light gear to pick up nice reefies.

I have many fond memories from when I was a little tacker and heading out to fish Peel Island and the surrounding area.

Moreton Bay Young Gun

by LACHIE BAKER

It wasn’t uncommon for us to catch more than 40 fish in a session.

While the fishing is a little tougher nowadays with more people on the water and social media resulting in fishers finding more spots and catching more fish, enough fish are still out there to enjoy the fishery.

In four trips we tagged and released 78 fish including spangled emperor, grass emperor, squire, goldspotted cod

First drop of the morning produced this goldspotted cod.

and maori cod.

We also had an interesting couple of recaptures where we managed to catch all four maori cod tagged during the previous day’s session.

Then as testament to how they aren’t fazed by being tagged, we even recaptured one small model only an hour or so after we had tagged it.

Another fish we recaptured was a 35cm grassy we had tagged four days earlier.

The only fish that went in the Esky during these hot sessions was an unlucky grassy that happened to choke on the hook during the fight.

I am fortunate enough to have my father Glen as my fishing partner during most of these outings.

Dad has many years of experience chasing grassies and he has them fairly dialled in.

Grassies are his bread and butter targets.

On our first trip chasing them we fished with micro jigs, vibes and a variety of fresh baits.

The baits we used comprised poddy mullet, bottle squid and huge IQF pilchards (they were 2025cm long).

I don’t usually do a

lot of bait fishing, so I decided to start with an Infish Predator Prawn plastic, which enticed a few smaller grassies including one chunky specimen that was as fat as it was long.

This was quickly followed by a decent parrotfish but the fish soon shut down on the lure because the baits my dad and sister were using presented an easier target.

I believe successfully fishing is all about being adaptable, so being able to fish with a lure one minute and then switch to baits the next is key to keeping fish coming over the side.

I didn’t hesitate to thread on a fresh poddy and drop it down.

It didn’t last long, with a solid goldspotted cod jumping on it.

The first spot slowed as the tide picked up, so we moved to the next area where there wouldn’t be as much tidal movement.

The first bait to hit the bottom was mine, and I hadn’t even put my reel into gear when a beastly fish slammed the bait.

Before I could get one turn on the reel it had run me over the edge and cut me off.

My 15lb braid and leader simply wasn’t enough this time.

A little disheartened, we continued fishing for a couple of spangled em-

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peror as well as the pleasant surprise of a stack of little cobia.

I caught one while floating a plastic down after losing my bait rig, then another and another.

By the end of the session I ended up with 14 of these unusual little guys.

It was really great to see ☛ continued P10

This fat grassy grabbed an Infish Predator Prawn.

A solid 56cm squire from the bay.

The author with a nice grass emperor from Moreton Bay.

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This cobia was welcome by-catch from a recent trip in Moreton Bay.

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A decent 40cm grassy taken by the author.

such numbers of juvenile cobia in the bay.

They all ranged from 40-60cm in length and hopefully the tag data will be useful in studying their movements and growth because little is known about these cool fish.

The following day, we headed back out to the same spot where I had been busted off and this time I had upgraded my gear a little.

On this occasion I was fishing 20lb braid and 30lb leader on a baitcast setup and it worked an absolute treat.

We discovered what was the likely culprit of yesterday’s encounter: a large bay squire.

We had a super-productive session on these fish during a 15-minute burst of action.

Many snapper between 40cm and 55cm made their way over the side, as well as a couple of spangles of about 40cm.

All went home sporting tags.

We also picked up a few more grassies and cod that returned to their caves and hidey holes to live another day.

We enjoyed a few more sessions similar to this one with heaps of fish, plenty of laughs and just enjoying no-pressure, simple fishing.

When targeting these fish, I use a few different setups depending on water depth and tidal flow.

I like to run a 2 to 6 ball sinker and 20-30lb braided line with bait.

When fishing plastics, on some days a 1/4oz jig head will suffice while on others I may have to step up to a 1/2oz.

I like to fish around the turn of the tides because it’s easier to float lighter presentations down at these times.

It’s not uncommon for squire to eat your offering a fair way off the bottom, so be ready to engage the reel and set the hook.

I’ve been using three setups in this location: a 3000 size spin reel with 25lb braid paired with a 10-20lb Wilson Blue Steel

Snapper Spin rod; a Shimano Curado with 20lb braid and a 6kg Venom baitcaster; and a lighter rod in the 6-12lb range, which is perfectly suited for fishing plastics on light jig heads.

I choose the Blue Steel spin rod for running a single Mustad 6/0 Penetrator hook to rig my squid and flesh baits on.

On the baitcaster I’ll fish either a snell rig of two 5/0 Penetrators or potentially a gang of two 5/0 Mustad Big Guns, separated by a swivel.

The Christmas period was a busy one in the Baker household, but I managed to sneak out early one morning with my pop who hadn’t fished the bay for years.

I planned to do something a little different though, and because the current was running fairly hard I thought we might go and have a crack at targeting the little cobia.

We cast for an hour or so without any luck, but a few solid marks were showing on the sounder, so I hoped persistence would pay off.

I nearly made the call to pull the pin when I realised line was disappearing off my spin reel quicker than usual.

I flicked the bail arm over and felt a solid fish load up, and I knew straight away it was what I’d come for.

After a tussle around the boat and a few missed net shots (Pop was a little rusty), I had a 77cm cobia in the boat.

I was rapt until I discovered I’d left my beloved SLR camera at home, so the good old iPhone pic it was.

Pop did pretty well considering his Nokia is about 100 years old and he’d never taken a photo on an iPhone before.

A quick tag was inserted and off the cobia went.

Next cast I was on again straight away, this time handing the rod to Pop so he could catch his first cobe.

It wasn’t quite as big as the previous one but he was happy nonetheless.

The wind was picking up by this stage, so we decided to head off and run home.

As I write, I have just returned from a couple of days of camping on Moreton Island with a group of friends.

We snuck out in the boat and scored several quality spotted mackerel on slugs, stickbaits and plastics.

These fish are super fun to catch when they are feeding on the surface in large schools, ready to smash anything that swims in front of them.

I had good success on 20-40g Raider slugs rigged on a 50lb bite leader.

This was a fairly simple rig, consisting of a swivel connected to my normal leader and then about 10cm of 50lb fluorocarbon to the lure.

The Raiders as well as the new 115mm Zerek Zappelin sinking stickbaits worked a treat for long-distance casting, which is key to not spooking the fish feeding on the surface.

Nothing is more frustrating than positioning the boat in the right spot in regard to dealing with the wind and tide, then just as you’re about to let

fly, another boat drives right up onto the fish, scattering them in all directions.

If you are going to head out to chase mackerel, please remember to be courteous and considerate of other fishers, and don’t take more than what you need.

That will help ensure fish are around for everybody to enjoy in the future.

If you are going to throw fish back, I encourage you to do it quickly and perhaps sacrifice taking a photo with your catch.

Mackerel aren’t the most resilient fish when taken from the water.

I hope everyone gets out and has an awesome time on the water during the cracking weather we are currently experiencing in southeast Queensland.

Stay tuned for next month’s article as I have just turned 16 and obtained my boat licence, so hope to be doing a lot more offshore fishing.

Maybe a sneaky first marlin or mahi mahi could be on the cards.

Tight lines and smoking drags.

Glen with a 55cm bay squire tagged and ready for release.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 11

This squire was taken while trolling a Zerek Ripper Diver around the southern bay islands.

Trolling for snapper in 6-8m of water a bit of by-catch has been taken lately. Flathead have no problem attacking a 110mm lure.

While trolling hard-bodies around and searching for new ground, nice fish such as this 55cm squire/snapper can be caught.

Snapper showing in southern Moreton Bay

W A pan-sized squire hooked on a Ripper Diver.

Quality lizards are still around in the shallows. This one was hooked on a trolled Zerek Tango Shad.

HAT will February have in store for us?

So far this year we’ve had a mix of good and bad weather and around the southern Moreton Bay islands the water colour has been changing almost on a daily basis from absolutely putrid brown to a reasonable green colour.

I feel this is due to the bigger tides at this time of year and a bit of breeze.

So whether you’re fishing larger or smaller tides with strong wind or the odd storm, you really don’t know what sort of water colour you are going to be greeted with.

Finding the cleaner water has been key to catching reasonable fish and this will continue to be the case over coming months.

So just like any other summer, I find I cover more ground and burn more fuel looking for cleaner water.

This means I usually spend more time focusing on fishing from Macleay Island north towards Peel and Goat islands.

If we need to, we’ll go further than that.

As you probably know, I try to fish around the bay islands, so if I feel the water quality is good enough I will stay close around

Tick all the boxes and catch ch more fish! sh!

FISHING TUITION

Southern Moreton Bay

by SEAN CONLON

Coochiemudlo, Macleay, Russell, Karragarra and Long islands.

Unfortunately, with the bigger tides the water quality is often not good enough to guarantee us fish, so we put the fuel in the boat and go that little bit further.

During summer I really like looking around Peel Island in search of cleaner water.

If you can find good bait schools in clean water with a bit of current around the reefy edges, you will usually find predators.

Often I’ll drive around looking for current lines where the water is rushing off the reef.

It may be causing an eddy, and working those contour lines and dropoffs to see if there’s bait in the 4-6m range is a good tactic.

This is where you use your eyes to look for current lines and water movement on the surface and then your good-quality sounder to move in and sound around to see what you can find.

Obviously, birds working is a sure-fire way to tell if bait is around.

If they’re working a patch, from January on

you should be looking for mackerel turning up.

But don’t forget about the species that may be underneath the mackerel, picking up the scraps.

You might be quite surprised what you can catch under there.

One of the main species I try to target over summer is bay snapper/squire and one of my favourite ways to chase them at this time of year is trolling hard-bodies.

Summer presents a great time to bring out this technique because we’ve got those large tides and there’s nothing much else you can do because too much water is running.

You’ll be amazed what you can catch by tying on a hard-body and towing it around.

You can pick up anything from mackerel to snapper, bream and flathead depending on whether you’ve got your lures running along the bottom, in midwater or only a couple of metres under the surface.

By trolling you can cover a lot of ground quite quickly and by using the correct size lures eliminate many of the smaller fish.

Keeping an eye on the

sounder while covering ground may help you to find some of those secret spots you didn’t know were there.

This is when knowing your sounder to understand what you’re looking at and having it set correctly is very important.

People will ask you where you got an awesome mark and you’ll say you didn’t get it from anywhere, you

found it yourself.

This is all part of learning your area.

If you’d like to join me on a charter, give me a call on 0433 732 310 or visit moretonbaycharters. com.au You can check out the Moreton Bay Fishing Charters Facebook page to see more of our recent catches.

Until next month, stay safe on the water.

Alice landed her first-ever flathead. It went 71cm and was hooked on a trolled Zerek Bulldog Crank.

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A few great size fish such as this are around at the moment if you know when and where to troll hard-bodies for them.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Game fishing in southeast Queensland

H

APPY New Year to everyone and I hope you had a great Christmas.

What a cracking end to 2017 it was, with awesome weather and fantastic topwater fishing.

The water colour offshore has been amazing of late, with blue water right in to the 30m line.

The water temperature has been up around 2627C and the pelagics are loving it.

Some boats are seeing up to 12 blue marlin a day, with big catches of mahi mahi, wahoo, yellowfin tuna and of course smaller black marlin.

This month I thought I’d take the chance to write about my recent trips chasing these topwater species.

I am relatively new to game fishing so won’t pretend I know anywhere near as much as some of the gun game fishers in southeast Queensland but I am quickly gaining a strong passion for chasing blue and black marlin, not to mention the by-catch that comes with targeting them.

Blue marlin are undoubtedly the pinnacle of game fishing and now after catching a few and seeing the smiles on my mates’ faces when they are holding onto the bill of a blue marlin after sometimes hours of pain, I’m driven to keep motoring around in circles burning hundreds of litres of fuel.

My first trip out was a heavy tackle outing about 25 nautical miles east-northeast of the Gold Coast Seaway.

The Gold Coast is home to some of the best marlin fishing along the east coast of Australia.

The wind charts were predicting 15 knots of northeasterly wind for most of the day and they were spot on.

We were greeted with a sloppy sea as we punched 45km out in my 7.2m Sea Prowler named AXMYN. We reached our fishing grounds and set the spread of lures in about 180m of water.

Rule of thumb is you run darker lures in close because they will stand

Game Fishing

by ADAM FOLEY

After trolling around for about 20 minutes we had a hit on our short rigger, so the music was quickly turned down as we waited for the next strike. out more in the wash from your boat and then set bright or fluorescent lures on the outriggers.

On the shotgun, which is the furthest lure from the boat, I like to run a lure that creates a lot of attention and blows plenty of ‘smoke’.

In this case I was using an old ratty-looking pink lure I bought off a mate.

We had four Shimano Tiagra 80W reels with 37kg line and one Penn Squall 50W with 24kg line.

We put the lighter setup out at shotgun with old faithful pinky on it.

I swear you could see this lure in the water from the moon.

After trolling around for about 20 minutes we had a hit on our short rigger, so the music was quickly turned down as we waited for the next strike.

The fish soon came back up for another hit and then another.

One of the boys called it for a dolphinfish but after that many hits a dollie is usually hooked.

The fish went quiet for 30 seconds and for a moment I thought it was gone, until it spotted pinky.

It was the first time I had actually seen a blue marlin come out of the water and annihilate a lure.

I called the fish at shotty and we all witnessed a great show as it peeled 24kg line and a 9kg drag setting for a few hundred metres.

Driving on the fish is where the skipper does his or her work.

It’s not so much physically draining, more so mentally because you don’t want to let down

your crew by making the wrong decision.

On my boat we keep things pretty calm and everyone knows their job before we get that strike.

The remaining rods were stowed and the deck was cleared and my mate

Clinton Brown was onto a good fish on this line class.

Working together, we had the roughly 150kg fish boatside in 27 minutes.

Browny was a happy man with such a short fight, seeing as his first blue marlin experience in my boat was landing a double hook-up on big marlin off Breaksea Spit where he and another mate had fought for an hour and a half, one without a gimble and the other no harness.

The rest of this recent day off the Gold Coast was spent wasting fuel, listening to music and having a few beverages.

My next trip out came about after I got an invite to go on my mate’s 2800 Kevlacat Phoenix.

What a weapon this boat is.

Chris invited seven of us out for a day of heavy tackle fishing and the number of fish being caught east of Cape Moreton had us all excited.

The 2800 Kevla fished seven people like it was nothing.

The stability of cats is amazing.

With six of us on one side it hardly budged.

However, we had a shocker start to the day when the skipper slept in and had us worried he would be a no-show.

After half an hour of non-stop phone calls woke him, we packed the boat and collected the last two guys before heading to the ramp. ☛ continued P14

Browny with a roughly 150kg blue marlin captured on 24kg line.

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The author with a 30kg-plus wahoo caught in deep water.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 13

Jesse with his first GT. What a beast.

Ryan ticked off a bucket list fish.

Game fishing in southeast Queensland ☛ from P13

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We left the ramp only to realise one of the crew had been left behind because he went to get water.

So back we went to pick him up.

Hopefully this wasn’t a sign of things to come!

We finally left the ramp about 7am and steamed through South Passage Bar, ending up about 18 nautical miles east of Cape Moreton.

We set the lures and cracked a beverage.

I’d barely finished my first drink when we were smashed by our first blue marlin for the day.

Adam (Eggy) Devlin was the angler on the rod and got straight into it as we worked together and boated the fish in about 20 minutes.

This fish was green as and full of colour, so we took some great photos before the marlin was released and swam away happily.

The lures were set once again and not 20 minutes later another lure was nailed, with this time a 10kg mahi mahi boated and kept for dinner.

Another 20 minutes of lures in the water and we heard that beautiful sound of an 80W screaming with an angry blue marlin attached to the other end.

Sam was the lucky man this time, hooked up to his first blue marlin.

However, not far from

the boat the hooks pulled and we watched the blue swim away.

And so on went this pattern of blue then dollie, blue then dollie until the skipper decided to get on the rod and brought a blue to the boat for himself.

We ended up 5-4-3 on blue marlin (strikes, hook-ups and landed fish) and 4-4-3 on mahi mahi, which made for an epic day with good mates.

Between Christmas and New Year’s Eve I took AXMYN out off Point Lookout for a heavy tackle session chasing marlin once again.

It was very quiet for the first half of the day, so we decided to move south to some good-looking contour lines I could see on my GPS. On arrival we were greeted with birds diving into the water and bait flicking everywhere.

Behind the bait, big schools of large yellowfin tuna were busting the surface.

To say we were excited would be an understatement.

We trolled our lures around the edge of the bait schools waiting for a hook-up, and that’s exactly what we got on a 24kg outfit.

I was told it was my turn, so I jumped on the rod with line peeling off and thought we had a yellowfin but there were no

tail pumps, which puzzled me.

After 15 minutes we were pleasantly surprised to see a 1.9m, 30kg-plus wahoo come into the boat.

This was a bucket list fish for me and I was over the moon.

The lures were set and we worked the area once again.

Less than 20 minutes later it looked like a stick of dynamite had exploded behind the boat and this time we were onto a yellowfin.

Things were not so calm on AXMYN at this stage because we all wanted this fish so badly.

Ryan Baumgart was on the rod and working hard, and after about 20 minutes the fish was boatside and not happy.

Super deckie Aaron Wilk was on the gaff and he doesn’t miss often.

Through the boarding door came a 40kg-plus yellowfin tuna and we were cheering.

Out went the lures once more and on the first pass we were on again, with Wilky hooked up to another yellowfin.

With chaos all around us and three fish filling my 400-litre Esky with minimal ice, we pulled the pin on what was an awesome day and headed for home.

A couple of days into the new year, I took my tinnie and met Luke Cameron and Jesse Heelass at the

bar, following each other out to do some popping and stickbaiting for giant trevally, a fish I am hell bent on catching and will not stop chasing until I get.

We crossed the bar in the dark to be the first boats on the spot.

Camo and Jesse were having depth sounder problems and were relying on a contour line on their GPS to keep them on the right spot.

I drifted about 60m in front of them and marked a fish around a bait school.

I yelled back to the boys that there was bait under me.

They positioned their boat perfectly and began popping.

Next minute I heard Camo yelling “Yes, yes, GT!” and looked over to see Jesse buckled on a horse.

By this time a few boats had moved in and pushed the GTs down deep, so this fish was their only chance.

The beast GT of 30-35kg was boated and I could hear the boys cheering from ages away.

A Nomad Chug Norris popper in 180mm did the damage.

Congratulations Jesse on a true trophy fish, mate!

Well I hope everyone had as much fun as I did over the break and this great fishing continues.

Happy fishing.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 15

Black marlin for beginners H OWDY folks, I hope you made some New Year’s fishing resolutions, but if not, it’s not too late.

This picture shows you just how close to shore you can target marlin.

Find the birds, find the bait.

I must admit that in late-2017, catching a juvenile black marlin was at the front of my mind in terms of my 2018 wish list.

I was thinking it might have to wait until late-November 2018 or so and I would need to travel to the top end of Fraser Island.

Fortunately, I saw some pictures and posts of juvenile beakies from one of my fellow Mad Keen Fishing-sponsored anglers on the Gold Coast and before long I had lined up a trip with him.

So out I went with Jason Heller and not only got my first black marlin, but a second too and lost another just 10m from the boat.

All fish were caught by trolling skirted lures.

It was quite surreal to be catching marlin with the skyscrapers of the Gold Coast in the background and the beaches of South Stradbroke Island so close.

This article relays a bit of information I gleaned from that trip to pass on to those who haven’t chased marlin before.

While Jason is very quick to point out he is

Fishing Tips

by SEAN ‘SKIP’ THOMPSON

still learning too and no expert in this field, he clearly had a plan, stuck to it and it worked.

With nine fish landed by early January from only a handful of trips this season in a smallish 5.3m trailer boat, he is obviously doing something right.

With the right gear and safety precautions, a bit of preparation and time on the water, juvenile blacks are actually in more trailer boat anglers’ reach than you might have thought.

Key ingredients Warm water temperatures, blue water and the presence of lots of bait seem to be key to the arrival of the fish ‘in close’ to the Gold Coast.

These conditions generally occur from the first or second week of December through to February.

On the day we headed out, the surface water temperature peaked at 25.7C in the area we fished between 4km and 7km (25-35m depth) off the coast.

We were fortunate in that only the day before the water temperature had been about a degree cooler and was a much greener colour.

The key difference was the impact of the wind on the water temperature.

Wind and water temperature Several days of northeasterly wind had caused a drop in water temperature in the days before we went out.

Luckily though, a change in wind direction to the south had virtually overnight pushed the warmer, blue water back in.

How, you might ask?

In very simple terms, persistent northeasterlies move large amounts of warmer surface water towards the beach.

This water then gets pushed or sucked back out to the left (in the southern hemisphere) and out to sea.

In its place is colder water drawn from an upwelling of colder, deeper water, thus bringing colder water closer to shore.

When southeasterlies return, the wind and wave action deflect the warmer offshore water back to the left and towards the beach.

Planning for a catch Like all good anglers, Jason had a plan.

It was to target some areas just a few kilometres out from both the Gold Coast Seaway and Jumpinpin, as well as several spots in between.

The contours of the bottom here seem to attract concentrations of baitfish and had produced for Jason before.

Then when in the general area we would look for current lines and diving birds as signs of baitfish and hope the fish were there chasing them.

Another key part of Jason’s plan was his sounder setup and keeping track of what was happening.

He uses three Lowrance sounders; one at the front of the boat and two at the rear.

He will use one of the rear sounders for plotting his route on the chart and the other sounders for watching for bait, fish and the bottom.

When trolling for marlin he will look at three readings: left (DownScan), right (sonar) and bottom (StructureScan).

The key reason for this is the different frequencies and beam angles show different views and allow you to cross reference.

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The author with his first juvenile marlin.

Preparing to release one of the fish.

Black marlin fishing tips for beginners ☛ from P16

Sometimes the fish and bait will show more clearly on one sounder than the other.

On the day we went out, Jason marked some bait

that showed clearly on side scan but faintly on bottom scan and barely on sonar.

While we caught nothing initially, we soon returned and hooked three fish.

Jason’s well set-up boat and the trolling arrangement.

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The other part of our plan was what to do when we hooked a fish.

Trolling with four rods, we would retrieve the three without a fish (while keeping the boat moving forward at trolling speed) before we would fight the hooked fish.

Keeping a tight line to these fighters is very important, so manoeuvring the boat with bursts of speed can be just as important as the angler keeping the line tight on the fish.

Tackle The good news is the tackle used to chase these

juvenile fish doesn’t have to be top dollar.

Jason uses Shimano TLD 20 overhead reels, Shimano IFISH Series 1524kg overhead rods, 15kg mono main line, 100lb wind-on leader and topquality snap swivels (the cheap ones break).

The skirts that were successful were a luminous Pakula and a blue-ish Entice.

Jason uses Pakula lightgauge hooks in size 25.

If you are new to marlin fishing, pop into Doug Burt’s Tackle World at Labrador and the staff members will help you out with organising the best

spread of lures on the boat because they are experts in this field.

So there you have it.

Black marlin 4km east of South Straddie and North Straddie in a 5.3m tinnie and with relatively inexpensive tackle.

There is a little more to it, but with a bit of planning and tips like those from Jason, you too could soon be onto these great fish.

Don’t forget to jump on and like my Ontour Fishing Australia Facebook page.

Until next time – bag your mates, not your limit.

The skirts that hooked the three fish on the day.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 17

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F you are after a feed of prawns, now is the best time to get them as they are in abundance throughout the rivers surrounding Moreton Bay.

The recent weather patterns have seen them come in a bit earlier than usual because they are generally most abundant between February and April.

However, it isn’t as simple as throwing a cast net anywhere – you need to consider a few things when targeting them.

Prawns normally school in the deeper holes in rivers and creeks, so having a decent sounder is imperative.

To efficiently target prawns, I like to sound over the holes and find where they are congregating.

On an incoming tide, I often find them sitting on the edges of the hole rather than the middle of it.

They also tend to disperse easily on the runin and make their way up small creeks and onto shallow banks.

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Page 18 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

Prawning Tips

by MITCHELL TOWNSEND

I prefer to target prawns on an outgoing tide because I have found they school up in the middle of the holes in greater numbers and don’t move around as much.

It is crucial when prawning that you have a goodquality cast net with reasonably heavy sinkers or chain as well as a large top pocket.

When the tide is running, you need to ensure your cast net is retaining its spread and making its way to the bottom quickly.

If not, it will not land on top of the prawns and your catch rate will be dramatically reduced.

I recommend Pro Throw Cast Nets because they

have a chain bottom with an efficient sink rate and the top pocket is extremely large, which allows a huge number of prawns to be caught.

Pro Throw nets also have an extra-long rope, however it is always a good idea to take another 5m length of rope with you in case you find the prawns hanging in a particularly deep piece of water.

If you are after a Pro Throw net, call into Tackle World Lawnton to check out a great range of these cast nets at the best prices.

There are a variety of ways to throw a cast net, and I am a bit old school and put the cast net over

my left shoulder.

The over the shoulder technique is considered a ‘dirty’ method because parts of my body other than my hands come in contact with the net.

If you YouTube search for ‘clean’ ways to throw a cast net you will find a great array of tutorial videos.

It is important when prawning to ensure you get the biggest opening of the net as possible to give you the best chance of catching more prawns.

Once you have thrown your cast net, it needs to get to the bottom because this is where the prawns will be schooling.

When you feel the rope go slack, pick up the tension and give it three or four sharp pulls.

This will ensure the prawns skip their way up to the top of the net where

they will get caught in the top pocket.

Having an electric motor can also be extremely useful when prawning, especially if you are cast netting by yourself.

An electric motor with built-in GPS allows you to spot-lock on an area where you have sounded prawns.

If you are by yourself and the tide is flowing, it can be difficult to continually cast your net on top of the school, so having the electric motor will increase your catch rate because you are staying right on the school.

I hope you are able to get out and score a feed of prawns while they are in good numbers this season.

If you haven’t already, jump over to my Pine Boys Facebook page and follow all my fishing adventures.

Temporary recreational fishing exclusion zone to protect NSW

A

SIX-month closure of waters im mediately adjacent to three operational NSW prawn farms at Yamba has been declared by the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

The closure aims to mitigate the risk of spreading white spot disease to the prawn farms by excluding recreational fishing activity close to the water intake of the prawn farms.

White spot disease is a highly contagious viral disease that affects various crustacean species.

Detected in Queensland in late-2016, the disease caused severe impacts on the southeast Queensland

farmed prawn industry.

DPI Deputy Director General Fisheries Geoff Allan said white spot disease has not been detected in NSW and extensive sampling of NSW prawn farms and wild prawn stocks continues to show no evidence of the disease in NSW. “DPI is introducing the closure as an interim measure while prawn farmers develop onfarm risk management strategies for the virus in line with those being developed nationally by the Australian Prawn Farmers Association,” Dr Allan said.

“An independent report into the effectiveness of biosecurity controls on uncooked

prawn imports released by the Australian Government’s InspectorGeneral of Biosecurity Dr Helen Scott-Orr in December 2017 identified one measure to reduce the risk of infected prawns entering prawn farms is to prevent recreational fishing in close proximity to farms.

“White spot disease does not pose a threat to human health or food safety.

“It is crucial that people fishing or crabbing in our waterways do not use prawns intended for human consumption as bait or berley, as this could spread the virus to new areas.

“A white spot disease outbreak in NSW prawn

farms could result in a $6 million economic loss to the state of NSW.” The closure is declared under Section 8 of the Fisheries Management Act 1994 and will be in force until June 22, 2018.

Dr Allan said recreational fishers should refer to specific details of affected areas on the DPI website dpi.nsw. gov.au “The closure applies to waters on either side of the three prawn farms’ property boundaries, and about 100m offshore,” he said.

The temporary closure is necessary to minimise the threat to NSW prawn farms from white spot disease. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Wonderful whiting on the menu W

HITING certainly have the sweetest fillets to be found among our estuarine species and are a species that can be targeted all year round.

We are lucky that in southeast Queensland whiting frequent most of our estuaries, the Broadwater, Moreton Bay and the beaches.

We’ve been fishing the Gold Coast rivers now for three decades and continue to be simply amazed at how many fish can be caught right under an ever-growing city.

Trophy-sized fish in these parts measure 40cm-plus and are not an uncommon capture, though fish over 45cm become fewer.

Although whiting will take a lure, I enjoy sitting back and soaking a well-presented bait and in all honesty, besides tailor fishing, it’s the only time I will actually use bait nowadays.

Fishing Australia

by LEEANN PAYNE

Over the years I have tried a number of baits in the Nerang River, ranging from beach worms to jelly prawns, mud worms, soldier crabs and yabbies but have found bloodworms do the job best here.

Further to the north around Jumpinpin I tend to use yabbies more but my success rate with yabbies in the Nerang isn’t all that great.

Funnily enough, one of my friends who does use yabbies pretty much bags out each time he fishes the Nerang.

I’m certainly no gumby when it comes to fishing but I’m buggered to know how he does it, and he does it well.

Of course, the use of superlative baits is the number-one reason why ‘expert’ whiting anglers

Ready for filleting. These fish are suburb eating fresh and are suitable to freeze as well.

do so well while others question their elusiveness.

To us, live baits are a given and depending on work commitments, we will either dig them ourselves from a mangrove shoreline or pop into Gem Bait & Tackle and pick up worms while passing by to the Gold Coast.

Interestingly, we have had limited success with beach worms, though soldier crabs are good midsummer when not so many bream are around.

Sand or summer whiting are mostly caught over a sandy-bottomed area and that’s why the likes of the Nerang River can fish so well.

Most of my fishing is done from the Council Chambers upriver to Isle of Capri, however I certainly don’t limit myself to this region.

Over the years we’ve picked up anchor thousands of times and moved when locating new ground or when the fish aren’t biting in an area.

It certainly pays to have a back-up and to play around with location, and yes, a sounder is a must, particularly to find an undulating bottom, which these fish tend to hold on.

Now the holidays are over it’s certainly worthwhile fishing, with night-

time fishing for whiting generally the best, especially midweek because there is less boat traffic than on weekends.

You will still find idiots on the water though, such as the party boat that decided to do a U-turn behind our boat (we had our lines out and were anchored out of the channel).

We could almost touch his boat when he straightened up but he seemed oblivious to our presence, even with our lights shining through his cabin window… idiot!

Anyway, once anchored up, certainly use a second anchor out the side of the boat to stop it from swaying back and forth with any boat traffic or wind that may push the boat around.

A light monofilament line class of 2-3kg is perfect for both main line and trace material (75cm-1m), or you can use fluorocarbon for the trace.

Attach the swivel to the main line with a size 12 barrel swivel.

A size 4 or 6 long-shank hook such as the Mustad Baitholder (32813NPBLM) can be used for worms and yabbies.

Use a sinker above the swivel, with the weight of the sinker dependent on tidal movement.

Whiting feed on the bottom, so it’s important to have your sinker on the bottom yet fish as light as possible.

For example, if there is

very little tidal movement because you’re fishing the change of tide, you will be able to get away with using a sinker no larger than a 0 ball.

However, when the tidal flow increases you also need to increase the size of the sinker to keep the bait on the bottom.

A 10’ soft-tipped rod coupled with an Alvey 600B sidecast reel is ideal, though lightweight spin rods will also do the job.

After casting the baits out at varying distances, lay the rods on the transom of the boat (see pic of Rob).

A fish’s interest will be gauged by the tell-tale movement of the rod tip.

Plenty of whiting are still around at the moment, so go out and give it a go.

Most of the gear required to target whiting. It’s easy for young and old.

Fish placed immediately in an ice slurry after capture will ensure a tasty meal.

Rob with a healthy Nerang River whiting. Note the rod setup at the transom.

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@frogleysoffshore Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 19

Summer shines on Gold Coast

A An awesome striped marlin capture.

A cracking wahoo landed by Brent Fisher.

S 2017 floats into history and the new year comes crashing in, Fish the Deep reflects on the past few months and looks forward to ensuring the patrons of our charters are able to add to bucket lists or just enjoy escaping reality on the open seas.

December brought confidence back to the fishing industry as the change of season triggered the return of mackerel to coastal waters as well as the first taste of marlin.

With the previous marlin season low on quantity, it was good to see the early strikes and bucket lists being ticked off with a smile.

With December being Christmas work party season, luckily the weath-

Fish the Deep

by SCOTT VAN BURCK

er remained good and 90 percent of charters went ahead.

Bad weather throughout 2017 crushed many a weekend charter, so we found we were playing catch-up with earlier charters as they moved their bookings to the next available date with fingers crossed that the weather would hold.

Mahi mahi (dolphinfish to Gold Coast locals) have abounded in good numbers, so patrons have taken home numerous quality catches.

Although exhausting, most charters worked heavily through Decem-

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ber, only having Christmas and New Year’s Day off to enjoy some down time.

After a fireworks display and many resolutions made (some unfortunately already broken), 2018 heralded a promising new year.

Unsure if the Christmas holidays would bring in plenty of tourists for summer because the Commonwealth Games will dominate the accommodation facilities this year, it was pleasant to see the large number of visitors to the Gold Coast and hear the phone constantly ringing.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day was hectic, with perfect weather and solid quantities of fish.

Visitors tended to be a bit slower in booking charters as they waited on weather forecasts to ensure trips would not be cancelled.

With perfect sunny days, no wind and dependable catches, the new year saw all charter boats overflowing with numbers and a positive start to the 2018 season.

Dolphinfish are one of the fastest-growing fish in the ocean, and when there’s plenty for them to feed on, they’ll show up in huge numbers with voracious appetites.

Anglers who had never caught a dolphinfish were able to experience the adrenalin rush of the epic fight and land their dream catch.

Mackerel are starting their second run, so as the summer season advances through February, hopefully pleasing quantities will grace the waters of the Gold Coast.

Wahoo, with their razorsharp teeth, have bitten off many an expensive lure this season.

When finally landed, they have often been of impressive size and weight.

The tackle shops are loving it as the anglers and charter operators are constantly restocking

lures and the correct lines for summer fishing.

Marlin strikes have been constant most days, with both black and striped marlin being caught, tagged and released.

Those choosing to keep their marlin are enjoying particularly tasty marlin steaks, especially marinated in garlic and soy sauce with a small amount of sweet chilli sauce added.

One customer booked a charter to catch a dolphinfish and after ticking that off he was rewarded with a marlin to top off an exciting day in the sun.

Being pelagic season, the reef fishing has been very hit and miss.

Quantity and quality are a bit on the light side, with only plate size snapper and the odd samson fish coming aboard.

Many visitors want reef fish and at times it is difficult to explain the seasonal variations.

The main vision most tourists have is ‘a rod in hand and fish literally jumping onto the hook’.

Sorry, that only happens in cartoon world.

Educating the public is important for people to understand the seasonal variations of fishing.

Great expectations are often shattered but what should be remembered is sensational time away from the hustle and bustle of life to enjoy a relaxing time on the marvellous ocean waters of the Gold Coast.

Yes we all want that bucket list fish to take home, but in reality this unfortunately may not occur.

Hopefully our brilliant summer will continue with praiseworthy catches and many tales to chat about over a barbecue of the one that didn’t get away.

We’re counting down the days to the Commonwealth Games, with 70 nations visiting our shores.

We hope the visitors will want to enjoy activities on the ocean as well as the many sporting events.

‘Til we meet again next issue, keep those fishing lines busy while the splendid conditions continue on the Gold Coast.

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Joseph Allen with a dolphinfish.

Page 20 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

www.bnbfishing.com. au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 21

Plenty of fishing options on Gold Coast

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Young Rebecca with one of the many summertime snapper landed lately.

Pam held her PB snapper taken on the Gold Coast over the holidays.

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Page 22 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

Lots of fishos went chasing the little black marlin that turned up and plenty were landed.

I’m afraid as I get older spending hours trolling for marlin or sitting at Mermaid Reef hoping the mackerel turn up just doesn’t give me the fishing fix I need.

The great thing about living on the Gold Coast is there are always plenty of fishing options, so let’s see what we can do this month.

We have had some good rain lately, mostly from storms, and it should get mud crabs on the move.

The best locations are the Pimpama and Coomera rivers, as well as around the mangrove islands between the Aldershots and north to the Never Fail Islands.

Prime baits are always fish frames and whole mullet.

I have been told reef fish frames aren’t any good for crabbing but I’ve found this isn’t correct and they work just fine.

Just make sure your crab pots are marked with your name and address on the pot and your surname on the float so they meet current regulations.

Offshore, small black marlin have been in good numbers north of the Seaway, along with the odd dolphinfish and wahoo for those out around the 50m depth and wider.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing mackerel numbers were very disappointing.

Hopefully they have turned up by the time this edition hits the stands.

Over Christmas and the start of the new year, both Palm Beach and Mermaid reefs were fairly heavily fished for very few fish caught.

If the spotties don’t turn up this month, it could be that the large commercial catches from the Hervey Bay area have taken their toll on numbers of fish and we are going to miss out again.

Let’s hope not.

Spanish mackerel numbers should increase this month and this means either fast trolling lures such as Rapalas and Halcos or slow trolling rigged dead baits and livies.

I prefer the more peace-

Broadwater Region

by WAYNE ‘YOUNGY’ YOUNG

ful slow trolling of baits, as it results in a much smaller fuel bill and usually more fish.

Rigging live bait for trolling is reasonably simple.

Use a short 69lb wire trace with a black swivel and run a 5/0 hook though the mouth of the fish to keep its mouth shut and stop it spinning.

Another short length of 69lb wire is then connected to that hook and a treble hook is placed in the tail of the bait.

It is this rear hook that will catch most of the fish.

It can be a bit tricky to get dead baits swimming properly but like everything, practice makes perfect.

Use a gang of large 6/0 or 8/0 hooks, depending on the size of the bait, with either a lead cone or large barrel sinker squashed onto the first hook to keep the bait a metre or two below the surface.

The hooks are placed along the belly of the fish, with the top hook again going through the mouth to stop it spinning.

This rig works well but hook size will always depend on bait size.

For large baits such as legal tailor, bigger gangs are best and for smaller baits including yakkas you could even use hooks as small as 4/0.

I don’t mind mackerel season because it usually leaves me snapper fishing by myself, just the way I like it.

The hardest part of snapper fishing during summer is dealing with all the boat traffic.

Snapper can be a bit finicky when it comes to noise and a lot of boats roaring past is not good for the fishing.

We have had a great time over the holidays catching quality snapper and the odd pearl perch and trag as well.

The secret has been to find a few fish on the sounder, anchor and then berley as much as possible.

Our best catch came just after Christmas when we used a mixture of cooked prawn and chicken scraps leftover after Christmas lunch along with small cut

pieces of pillies.

They worked a treat.

An early start is essential, with an early bite period between sunrise and 8am most days.

These are not those monster winter snapper, rather just nice legal size eating fish.

As usual, pillies, squid and flesh baits will get you the fish, with float lining a much better option than bottom bashing with a paternoster rig.

Whiting numbers have been good and the lower sections of the Coomera, Pimpama and Nerang rivers have all provided a feed.

My preference is always the Nerang because it holds the biggest number of fish.

One thing to take into consideration when planning whiting trips is the big tides around the new and full moons at this time of year.

These can make the fishing a bit tough, and during these times you’d do well to fish wide sections of rivers and on the corners where the water flow is not as strong.

If all else fails, upgrade your sinker size considerably – those 6 and 8 ball sinkers aren’t just for surf fishing.

The best whiting bait will always be bloodworms but with a bit of dirty water around from the storms, yabbies can be worth a try as well.

Unfortunately, over the past few years tilapia and carp have become a problem in the upper reaches of our local creeks.

Fishing for these fish can be a lot of fun and very simple.

A loaf of bread for both berley and bait is all that’s needed.

Fish it on 6lb line with a small size 6 hook and you can kill a few of these invasive fish.

Just remember they must be killed after capture and never put their bodies back in the water because they are mouth breeders and the eggs will still hatch, even though

the mother is dead.

One thing I am looking forward to this year is seeing if the newly re-elected Labor government keeps its promise to close both Hervey Bay and Moreton Bay to commercial fishing.

Moreton Bay extends all the way south to Sundale Bridge and such a closure would be of great benefit for fishing in the Broadwater.

‘Til next month, fish for the future.

Daryl is 80 years old and loved his first Nerang River whiting trip.

Jessica with a tilapia. These fish should be killed immediately after capture and never returned to the water.

The author with a couple of nice muddies caught after heavy rain got them moving.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Andy was happy to open his account on spotties this season.

Mitch with a solid mahi mahi that hammered a Pakula lure.

Pelagic run doesn’t disappoint

S

UMMER is in full swing and so is the fishing.

Everyone was poised for a big start to the pelagic season and we were not disappointed.

The first wave of spotted mackerel hit the reefs just before Christmas and plenty of fish were to be had, with most boats getting a feed.

The fish hung a bit close at first, so those on the wider grounds missed out.

However, that changed within a week and the fish began hanging out wide, which meant the close ar-

Gold Coast

by HEATH ZYGNERSKI

eas were very quiet.

Couple that with a drop in water temperature due to a week of northerly wind and things quickly went very quiet.

But like clockwork, after a good southerly blow the water temperature rocketed to over 26C and it was mayhem, with spotties and spaniards taking baits and lures.

Even some small black marlin were caught in

about 20m of water.

Out wider, the water temperature has risen to an incredible 28C and thanks to that mahi mahi, wahoo and marlin are being caught regularly.

Skirted lures have been accounting for most fish, however when you run into a school of wahoo it can get expensive after you lose a few.

The size of the mahi mahi has been putting

smiles on most anglers’ faces, with fish regularly going better than 15kg.

One fish that has been missing in action and used to arrive a few weeks before the mackerel is cobia.

They have been nonexistent this year.

In the estuaries, heaps of mangrove jack have been caught in just about every river, creek and lake.

They have really become a sportfish and the level of catch and release sees them in an excellent position sustainability wise. ☛ continued P24

The author’s live bait lasted a matter of minutes before being belted by a nice spaniard.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 23

Dealing with the summer heat G

’DAY everyone, I hope you all had a very good holiday season and enjoyed some fishing between eating a heap of food and spending time with family while taking in a couple of cold beverages.

Mangrove jack will be hot on the bite this month. This one was hooked by Nathaniel in the Tweed River on an Atomic Shiner.

Let’s have a look at a variety of options for targeting our local species this month.

The water temperature in the mid to upper reaches of the Nerang and Tweed rivers averaged between 26C and 28C over the past month, with a few days reaching over 29C. The water is still very warm at the time of writing.

This hot water does not suit some of our estuarine species, but others thrive in it.

Jewies and bream and to a lesser degree flathead

The boys with a double hook-up on whiting caught on the surface using Bassday Sugapen lures.

Gold Coast Guide

by BRAD SMITH

are not fans of high water temperatures, so how do we go about finding them?

The answer is to sound around and find the deepest holes in the rivers.

There is every chance the water will be a bit cooler at the bottom of the holes compared to the sun-baked shallow water.

Another obvious option would be to fish very early in the morning or late in the afternoon and into the night when the water temperature will sometimes drop a degree or two.

When fishing the deep holes, try bouncing blade or soft plastic lures along the bottom.

I find 40mm blades and 2” to 4” plastics to be the best size because these smaller lures provide a more consistent result and a better chance of variety over larger lures.

Live baits such as yabbies and herring would be ideal for bait anglers fishing the deep holes.

The water temperature around the entrances of our rivers on the run-in tides has been a few degrees cooler but the boating traffic has been hectic due to the good weather and holiday period.

The entrances would be well worth a look this month now that most folks are back to work and school.

Things get easier from

here because a couple of our local estuary species absolutely love the warm water we’ve had this past month and that will remain with us all through February.

These species are whiting and the mighty mangrove jack.

When targeting whiting this month, bait anglers will get their best catches by drifting or anchoring along the edges of shallow sandbanks with live worms and yabbies, with some of the larger fish likely to be caught during night-time trips.

The week leading up to the new and full moons during February should see a peak in bite periods because they will be in an aggressive spawning mode on those moon cycles.

Anglers who like to target whiting on lures will do very well in the shallows this month by using surface lures.

This month is one of my favourites for topwater whiting fishing and this style of fishing is seriously good fun for both the numbers of fish caught and the visual excitement of them competing to smash a lure off the surface.

Bassday Sugapens and Atomic Hardz K9 Walkers are my first choice when targeting whiting for my clients.

Make sure the water is

less than 60cm deep for the best results.

As mentioned, the highly sought-after and sometimes highly elusive mangrove jack will fire right up this month in the hot water and balmy humid conditions.

Early morning and late afternoon as well as night sessions with wellpresented and well-placed lures and live baits are the way to go when targeting

these aggressive critters.

Fishing the most heavily structured areas you can find in the rivers and timing your trips around the tide changes will increase your chances of finding jacks.

Patience is often needed to reap the reward of encountering these fantastic fish.

Thanks everyone, I look forward to talking to you again next month.

Quality flathead such as this can be caught in the deeper holes where the water temperature is slightly cooler.

Gold Coast pelagic run doesn’t disappoint ☛ from P23

Good flatties have also been caught in the shallows, as have whiting.

The other sportfish, giant herring, are going nuts in this warm weather.

It’s great to see a lot of young kids getting into fishing of late.

Especially at a time when teenagers can be a handful, to have them mad keen on wetting a line is a godsend.

A tagged giant herring just prior to release.

A lot of the local boys have started tagging fish through Suntag.

This is a great organisation that keeps the records of tagged fish and shares data with various government agencies in the hope of increasing the sustainability of fishing.

For anyone who wants to get involved, head to suntaggers.com.au and register.

For a small fee you can be involved in a great tagging program.

Regular readers would know I’m pretty big on etiquette while out on the water.

That is, give the fisho who’s already in a spot a fair go.

Don’t anchor on top of

Spinning for mackerel four days in a row took its toll on Mitch’s fingers.

Page 24 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

them or so close that you hamper the throwing of a lure.

It is simply common sense.

There was one morning just after New Year’s Day when I held off going out due to a storm offshore, only for it to dissipate.

When I got out to the reef, I found it was a carpark.

I had to anchor where I could out of the way, simply because everyone else had turned up before me.

My bad, and bad luck for me.

But the number of boats I see come right in when someone is fighting a fish just defies logic.

It is simply rude and those skippers get told fairly quickly in no uncertain terms to move on.

Likewise, cutting across the back of boats chasing fish.

I had one ‘fellow’, to use a better word, cut behind me, picking up all three lines and just keeping on heading off like nothing happened.

About 1500m of line and all rigging, gone!

In total that cost me about $150 in gear and wrecked my day.

I can assure you, words were had but it didn’t make me feel any better.

Let’s all just give each other some room and use that brain we were born with.

Better still, get up an hour earlier and get on the water and to that spot before anyone else does if getting fish is that important to you.

Rant over – now onto the local bars.

Tweed River Bar has been behaving itself of late.

It is still shallow inside the walls and you need to watch that outer bank, which is only 3m deep in some places on the top of the tide.

Currumbin Creek Bar has improved slightly.

On the dead low, some skippers have had to resort to walking their boats over the bar into the second gutter to get out.

There was a tiny gutter you could thread the needle through but this has closed up.

Two hours either side of low tide has enough water for most boats to get over the bank.

Watch out for swimmers, paddle boarders and surfers as you drop

into the close gutter.

Tallebudgera Creek Bar claimed one victim over the break, with a beaten-up boat sitting on the rocks and greeting the early morning joggers just before Christmas.

Tallebudgera is shallow and you need to take care when using it.

The Seaway still has a bank building out the front as well as shallows

to the north.

Also, the Seaway Tower is out of action for a few weeks while some maintenance is done.

Council and the government really need to dedicate serious money to either renovating the tower or building a new one that will see us well into the future.

‘Til next month, smoking drags to you all.

Mitch scored an early morning mackerel.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

The author spotted this carp feeding with the help of his Spotters sunglasses.

Chris Shawy captured a solid carp on fly.

Cleaning up Gold Coast carp on fly F EBRUARY is a time of year when most anglers rub their hands together in anticipation because water temperatures stay consistently high, ensuring predatory fish are fired up.

In the rivers, about 30C seems to be the common temperature and offshore about 27C, meaning it won’t just be spotted mackerel showing up offshore but spanish mackerel will arrive any time now too.

People are still targeting small black marlin and dolphinfish by trolling skirts around the 50m lines at about six knots.

Having a spread of a variety of lures running at different depths and distances will increase your chances of hooking up.

Mangrove jack are still being caught consistently by anglers casting lures at structure and live baiting.

Throwing 3”-4” lures on

Nerang Rooster Report

by DARREN RAMA

a 5-10kg setup is generally more than enough to turn the head of these fish but sometimes it doesn’t matter how heavy you go, jacks can still pop you off in a heartbeat.

Fishing permanent structures that are in the water at all stages of the tide will give you a better chance.

Deep rock walls, larger tree lay-downs and pontoons and pylons are the key areas to target.

One thing to consider is jacks are known to strike out of aggression due to their territorial instincts, so don’t be afraid to cast at a particular area more than once, trying to bring your presentation back on different angles.

Surface fishing for these fish should really pick up in coming months as the

bait spawns, so plenty of jelly prawns and little fish will be wishing they could grow legs and jump onto land to run away from the jacks.

Trevally have been popping up but not in thick schools.

It seems to be two or three fish swimming around as a mini school, though it’s still hard to miss the sound and sight of trevally feeding.

Throwing surface lures for trevs is great fun and these lures also best replicate the feeding behaviour of their prey, so it is the best technique to maximise your chances.

I have been trying to pick up my fly rod a bit more because trying new things and trying to learn more is always rewarding.

One fish often over-

looked as a target on fly is carp.

They can be frustrating at the best of times but any carp caught and taken out of our waterways is one (or more) native fish better off.

Targeting carp on fly is not the easiest of tasks.

I use 5 and 7-weight fly rods, using line weights to match the rods, as well as 8-10lb leader.

As far as flies go, carp can be caught on different patterns and shapes from little leeches to worms.

I find the worms work better, but each to their own.

Generally, fly fishing for carp is all visual because they can be seen with their fins out of the water while their heads are down feeding on the bottom.

Maintain a decent distance from the carp to not spook them and then cast your fly in their direction, waiting for it to sink.

AUSTRALIA’S

#

With a good pair of polarised sunglasses you can often see the take, and strip striking or just a gentle rod lift often sets the hook and you’re on!

Something to consider is because you’re fishing so close to the bank, if you can see them, they can most likely see you, and if they aren’t fixated on anything they will often spook.

So when cruising the banks and searching for them, try not to make much noise, and as mentioned, a good pair of sunglasses can go a long way.

I use a pair of Spotters sunnies, which help cut the glare and enable me to spot the fish cruising or feeding.

Once you catch a carp, you must then bury the fish far from the water’s edge.

Even though carp are in abundance, one fish out of the water can mean ☛ continued P26

A carp caught on a 7-weight fly rod.

This good size carp kicked off the session early in the morning.

A big-eye trevally taken on surface after the sun went down.

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Brad Green caught and released this 90cm flathead. It’s probably still trying to spit the taste of his dirty old hand out of its mouth!

Mackerel begin making presence felt

A

S I sit here and write, we have some of the bluest, cleanest water pushing in against the coast you could ever hope to see.

I’ve got a mate who calls it Vanuatu water, and he’s not far wrong, with divers reporting up to 40m visibility.

As is common for this time of year, the warm and clean ocean water is just a surface layer, with divers at Julian Rocks commenting it starts to cool off below 10m in depth.

February is usually one of the best months for mackerel and early January has seen a few fish beginning to be caught.

At first the odd spanish mackerel turned up and a week later spotties began taking baits.

I’ve got my fingers crossed that by the time you read this both mackerel species will be turning it on.

It has been a great start to the pelagic season all round, with small black marlin streaming down the coast and giving inshore anglers a thrill.

Some of them are tiny

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It makes sense to target both spotted and spanish mackerel at the same time, whether anchored or trolling.

Tweed to Byron Bay

by GAVIN DOBSON

and I’ve seen several come in around the 10kg mark.

Mostly though they are 1.8-2.1m long and 3040kg, which is pretty standard for the juvenile black marlin run.

Out wider, from Windarra Banks to the 50-fathom region, the pelagic season has been great too, with mahi mahi and wahoo prevalent.

It has been one of the best mahi mahi seasons for many years and while the FAD off Cape Byron has only been producing small fish, those willing to troll the open ocean are being rewarded with regular strikes from fish averaging 10kg.

Aimlessly trolling anywhere outside the 30-fathom line will see mahi mahi being hooked, but to improve your results troll down the reef line.

The 32-fathom reef runs the whole way down the coast and is a great place to start.

The 50s are similar and will produce even bigger fish on average.

Wahoo are on the 50-fathom line too but they could venture closer inshore at any time.

The heavy tackle boats chasing blue marlin on the continental shelf are also reporting good numbers of wahoo destroying their precious and expensive skirted lures.

If you are reef fishing, I suggest you keep a rod rigged and ready to cast a bait at a free-swimming mahi mahi, as it has been common for them to swim around a boat for a minute or so to investigate before moving on.

A pilchard or live bait dropped in front of these fish will add a bit of excitement to the trip, but you have to be ready.

This happened to me recently when I was about to lift a 1kg pearl perch aboard and a 12kg mahi attacked it.

It pays to be ready, and

the live yakka I quickly cast out was a much better snack size for the mahi mahi than the pearl perch it tried to maul.

As far as all offshore fishing is concerned, I hope some bait turns up soon.

As it stands, very little live bait is around, especially the good stuff such as slimies and pike.

Even yakkas have been near to impossible to procure some days, so let’s hope this situation turns around soon and schools of slimies arrive.

If you are having trouble catching live bait, it always pays to take quality dead baits to troll for mackerel, but even the bonito haven’t turned up this year, so there’s not much trolling bait in people’s freezers.

A few chopper tailor are being caught off the walls and headlands, so most mackerel fishers are trying to stockpile legal specimens.

As you would expect, the rivers in the region have been chaotic, with holiday-makers hitting the water at every opportunity.

The good news this year was the weather really turned it on for the Christmas/New Year period.

A few storms rolled through but they weren’t

destructive and dumped some much-needed rain to colour the Brunswick River a little.

This brought on the mud crabs but it is the same old story – way too many pots for a small river like the Brunswick and unfortunately way too many share farmers.

I rate crab pot thieves up there with pond scum.

It’s illegal and immoral but unfortunately it’s rampant.

I don’t think anything short of the death penalty is going to scare people off doing it either, so I won’t go on about it anymore.

To those of you who do the right thing, I hope you got a good feed of crabs.

To those who stole their crabs, I hope you got the runs.

A few mangrove jack are getting around and the bit of fresh in the river pushed them downstream for a while, making them more accessible.

Trevally aren’t as numerous as they were a couple of months ago but they have improved dramatically in size, with some cracking 3kg specimens

coming from the Brunz over the holidays.

A big thick-shouldered beast is calling the harbour home and I often see it when I am packing up the cruise boat.

It is smashing the baitfish so hard they throw themselves up the rocks to get away.

Massive schools of white pilchards are in the river at present and this explains the presence of chopper tailor, but another fish that follows the bait schools is flathead.

It’s only in more recent years that fishos have begun to realise just how predatory these fish are, and a white pilchard swimming midwater or near the surface isn’t safe, even in over 4m of water.

So with the baitfish hanging around, it only stands to reason that those flicking soft plastics have been rewarded with a feed of flathead.

I’ve included a picture this month of my cousin Brad with a 90cm flathead.

Great fish, Brad, I wish I’d been there there to see it.

Tight lines everyone.

As Maxwell Smart would have said: “Missed it by that much.”

Cleaning up Gold Coast carp on fly ☛ from P25

thousands of eggs not hatching.

Every little bit counts.

Tilapia are becoming thicker in our lakes once more and it won’t be long until they spawn.

Hopefully people can get out and catch them before they do so, especially in systems such as Clear Island Waters.

Clear Island Waters

used to be well known for its great bass fishery and tilapia were unheard of.

Bass were everywhere from the lilies to the grass edges and under the pontoons but because of tilapia and the council’s effort to eradicate them, all the lilies have been removed, providing no structure or security for the bass and forcing them deep.

This has made it harder for lure fishos to target them, so every tilapia caught and removed from the water is a step in the right direction towards restoring a great fishery back to health.

In February, with warm water and everyone back at work, you’ll regret not going out because it should be a good month of fishing across the board! www.bnbfishing.com. au

Summer storms and solid fishing H

ELLO and welcome to this month’s edition of BNB.

While the water temperature has been inconsistent over summer, the hot weather has continued, with some amazing storms.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing the incredible amount of rain dumped on the area in a very short period has led to the Richmond River turning tea coloured.

The good news is some large tides around the next moon phase should see clearer water starting to push back in almost immediately.

A number of fish are congregating close to the river mouth, so concentrating your fishing efforts between the mouth and the Burns Point Ferry is a great option.

If you can time your fishing activities around the run-in tide, that will also help because clearer water should be pushing in from about half tide onwards.

Given the discoloured water and heat, I would be looking at the deeper sections of the river because there will be more salt and cool water in these areas.

White and frogmouth pilchards have been good bait options for flathead, while the majority of whiting have taken beach worms and yabbies, though the odd fish has also taken a liking to a peeled prawn fished in the discoloured water.

Bream and mangrove jack have not really been affected and some good-quality fish have been taken from the rock walls from the ferry up to Broadwater.

Suspending hard-body lures have worked for the jacks, as has the odd surface popper, while the bream have been crunching small cranks and lightly weighted soft plastics.

Mullet and chicken gut are always great bream baits when the water is coloured but you could also try mullet fillets, pilchards and even cooked prawns.

The easiest way to do this

Ballina Bait & Tackle

by BRETT HYDE

is grab fresh or even frozen green prawns and drop them into boiling water for a minute or two.

This will blanche them and turn them bright orange, making it easier for the bream to see them in the dirty water.

It will also harden them slightly and help them hang onto the hook a little longer.

Mud crab numbers have been a little inconsistent this summer.

Some fishers seem to be doing quite nicely while others are struggling to catch a feed.

The crabs seem to be congregating in small patches, so as much as possible spread your crab pots out to cover more ground in the hope of finding a patch.

Try to target some of the larger tides around the full and new moon phases because this is when the crabs have been a lot more active.

At this stage it seems we will be able to access the upper reaches of Emigrant Creek

by February, but I will have a further update in next month’s article for those who like to fish and crab this waterway.

For now, you can only go as far as the old highway bridge because it is still being knocked down.

Before the storms we had been seeing a number of small sharks around Wardell Bridge.

Since the storms and the influx of discoloured water, their numbers have increased further and the odd larger model is hanging around as well.

The run-out tide has been a better option if you would like to target them, and good bait options have been mullet, catfish and freshly caught eel.

Don’t forget to have pretty heavy wire on hand because they have an impressive set of choppers.

Try using circle hooks if you don’t plan on keeping a feed because this style of hook is a

lot easier to remove from the shark’s mouth.

We have seen fantastic fishing conditions for offshore fishers over the past month, with numerous beautiful calm days and light breezes.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the fishing because it has been a little difficult at times.

The ever-changing wind keeps messing with the water temperature, and the current can’t seem to make up its mind as to what it wants to do either.

At the time of writing, the water temperature had dropped once again from a week of northerly wind, but we have another southerly front coming and this should push the warmer water back in to the coast.

At present we have only seen a couple of individual mackerel on the close reefs, but I am expecting to be able to report good numbers in my next article.

The FAD and wave-rider buoy have been holding mahi mahi but some of the betterquality fish have been taken while trolling skirted lures around the 42 and 48-fathom lines.

We have also been seeing good numbers of small marlin in the 30-60kg range in similar areas.

If you have never caught a marlin, this is a great time to try your luck.

While the pelagic scene has been mostly kicking along, the bottom fishing has been a little disappointing, with only a handful of snapper and some kingfish coming from the wider grounds on a mix of baits and lures.

I am half expecting the current to once again start raging, so I would pack the heavy sinkers or jigs before your next trip out.

Well that’s all from me this month.

‘Til next time, tight lines!

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 27

A bright future for NSW commercial fishing

T

HE biggest reform in NSW commercial fishing in two decades kicked off recently, with the introduction of new quota and management arrangements.

NSW Primary Industries deputy director general Dr Geoff Allan said it was ‘day one’ of what will be a new and economically viable industry.

“The NSW Government has delivered what was promised last year – less red tape, linkages between shares and catch or effort and most of all, more certainty for fishers to grow their businesses,” Dr Allan said.

“We want to see a new generation of fishers coming into the industry because it’s now a place where people can invest with more confidence.

“After such a long process of trying to bring about change to commercial fisheries, it’s now time for the government to let fishers get on with the job of providing fresh NSW seafood.”

Since the reform’s inception, share linkages and revised management arrangements

in most share classes have commenced, as well as new minimum shareholdings.

This means, for example, a fisher out at sea has the opportunity to use more traps and unlicensed (unendorsed) crew to help them retrieve those traps.

They will now spend less time at sea and it will be quicker and safer for them with the additional help on board.

Their reporting of quota landings will be done through a new online app instead of a paper logbook.

They also have the opportunity to sell or lease out unused quota.

Additionally, there has been a waiver on boat licence fees and free transfers of shares online.

The NSW Government will now focus on modernising compliance, investing in programs that build community confidence, assist the setup of a peak industry body and look at innovative technology that will help to reduce the costs for fishers and the impact of their operations on the environment.

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Page 28 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

This bass was certainly hungry for a surface lure.

Teaching kids to use poppers young is a great idea.

High heat and bumper bass biting I T is damn hot and this means we need to be on the water early in the morning or late in the afternoon just to beat the heat.

Around Evans Head it’s been a long and hot summer, well for me anyway.

Some love the heat, but 25C is my comfort zone.

Once on the water in a river you can always find a tree or bridge to hide under and escape the worst of the heat.

The fishing has been a bit tough due to the holidays and all the tourists fishing but that’s what keeps our town going.

It’s been a bit hard for some to find accommodation due to the new highway going in and workers seeking housing, though you can get a spot at the caravan park.

Speaking of camping, we have had a spate of thieving, with people thinking they can just come onto properties and borrow other people’s gear.

This seems to happen a bit over the holiday period every year, so you need to be a bit more vigilant and don’t leave your valuables lying around.

This summer we’ve had a few big storms and the water has been a bit discoloured but it has not turned the fish off, with some very large whiting and bass around Woodburn Bridge in the Richmond River.

Even flathead have been caught around the pylons.

I use blades up that way and green and red seem to be the colours the fish like best.

Bassman Spinnerbaits also work a treat, as do beetle spins with green plastic grubs on 1/8oz jig heads.

You just have to remember this is a lure-eating area with plenty of rocks.

Idle in and have your motor trimmed up otherwise your prop will be damaged.

Bass are biting from the bridge to Lismore and above.

Very big fish are being caught.

I’d just use lures but some are gathering

Evans Head

by GARY ‘SQUIDGIE’ PALMER

shrimp, grasshoppers, worms and cicadas and all are catching fish.

I love fishing at the top end of rivers, such as around Cawongla and Findon Creek.

These areas don’t seem to cop as much pressure as the lower reaches.

You just have to be on your guard because a hell of a lot of snakes live up the top end and I have nearly walked on a few red-bellied blacks, which are super fast off the mark.

I’ve come across several mating pairs as well, though they just ignore you and continue about their business.

All in all, our bass season has not been too bad and decent numbers of fish have been playing the game.

Casino has also been going off for bass.

My mate Dwayne has sent me heaps of pics of big bass he has hooked on lures.

Even a few bream and flathead have been taken below the weir, which tells you the water quality is good.

I’ve captured a number of bass in Lismore around the cane drains near Bunnings and the wreck under the bridge at Lismore.

It’s pretty cool when you can go for a freshwater fish and catch bass, mullet and estuary perch and then in the same area land bream and flathead, all on freshwater lures.

Around the bridge and some of the snags at Wyrallah we’ve seen a lot of solid bass caught.

It does not matter if you’re using bait or lures, as all are working.

One of the guys who lives at Wyrallah asked me not to say anything, but he didn’t say I couldn’t write about it.

In the salt water, the Evans River is in ‘get me out of here’ mode because it was fished very hard over the Christmas period, with all manner of baits

and lures tossed at fish.

Things will be a bit slow for a while but if you persist and use nothing but fresh bait you could rustle up a feed.

I would be fishing around the bridge or higher in the river.

For me, the beaches and headlands would be the places to fish, with tailor, bream, whiting and jewfish about.

If you fish 40 Foot or Piano Rocks you may catch some of the razor gang but you will need heavy gear out there.

I take two rods with me, one for blackfish and one for bigger fish.

Sometimes I will bring a couple of spare reels with light and heavy line just in case I run into fish I didn’t expect to find.

You never know what will bite from the rocky points of our headlands.

Beach wise, whiting will be the main fish targeted and a few kidney-slappers have been taken.

Worms and pipis are the best baits but you could use thin strips of squid.

A size 6 long-shank hook will do the trick combined with the minimum amount of lead.

You only need the lead for casting, and don’t try to cast over the back

breakers because the fish are at your feet.

Bream and flathead will also be there, so you can expect a mixed bag to take home for a feed or release.

I love nothing more than a feed of surf-caught fish because I think they taste so much better than river fish.

I’ve heard a few rumbles about the quality of the Richmond River and a few meetings have been held to try to work out some plan of action.

I have been to so many meetings and have even voiced my opinion on my radio show (now not aired except when doing small fishing reports) for years on what needs to be addressed to try to fix some of the problems, and until the farmers around Broadwater let the gov-

ernment buy back useless farming land the water quality will never change.

Fellow scribe Brett Hyde and I have written and talked about this for years and it’s reached the stage where we just toss up our hands every time we hear that someone is going to do something.

The government offered $4 million dollars but that is just a drop in the ocean and will not cover much.

New snags have been added to areas that have been stripped just to get fish breeding, and fingerlings have also been released, so let’s wait and see how we go.

I’ve said my piece for this month.

‘Til next month, remember: limit your kill, don’t kill your limit.

Tight lines and smelly fingers.

Flathead just love topwater poppers.

A mangrove jack on a popper – it doesn’t get any better than that!

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Sensational start to 2018 H

OLY smoke bloke, 2018 sure kicked off with a bang fishing-wise here at Iluka after a very dismal last quarter of 2017.

Jewfish, mackerel, flathead and whiting were all taken in good numbers, and wait for it… even the big tailor came home to roost along Main Beach over the holidays.

Yes folks, after being scarcer than hen’s teeth for many months, Byron Bay anglers Jamie Llarwill and Peter Watts got stuck into beautiful fish averaging 2kg, with a few better fish tipping the scales between 3kg and 4.5kg.

The key to the lads’ success is their first choice of bait, which the vast majority of times is sliced bonito strips, followed by whole garfish when bonito is scarce.

Sure, the humble old blue pillies will still catch tailor as they always have, however if you want to consistently land genuinely big tailor then bonito or gar are the way to go.

Jewfish have been taken from both the Yamba and Iluka breakwalls on a wide variety of baits ranging from 6” soft plastic lures to whole and sliced squid, whole octopus and live baits such as yellowtail.

My youngest son Mischa fished the Iluka wall during the middle of the day on the large high tides in mid-January with whole octopus for a couple of nice schoolies, which put a smile on his face after having a bit of a dry run.

The best part is 99 percent of the gear used is or was made in Australia.

Alvey reel, Len Butterworth rod, Australian monofilament line by Platypus, home-made sinkers and local bait, with the only foreign equipment being the swivel and hook.

Just Jew

by TYE PORTER

I have been catching fish off the Iluka wall during the day on octopus since 1980 when a mate Ben Lovejoy and I found a nice rock that could be fished during both the run-out and run-in tides.

Sadly this is no longer possible since the new refurbishment works on the wall saw all the good spots filled in with boulders.

I suppose it is a plus for the jewfish stocks because the number of 15kg-plus fish I used to land on the hard run-out tide would make your head spin.

My fishing mentor and late dear mate Peter Bortolin of Ballina used to catch just as many fish on octopus during the day up on the Richmond River out of his old boat Sapphire.

Pete would fish the bottom end of Mobbs Bay wall and just east of the coast guard tower on the north wall.

Speaking of Pete, other anglers I owe my success as a jew fisher to are his brother Don, Ray Marcon, Gino Bordin, Frank and Billy De’Rae, Kel McKinnon and last but not least, the greatest feather man of all time Athol Sneesby.

The places where and times of day when Athol would land a jew on one of his home-made feathers had to be seen to believed.

And as with Peter, his knowledge and understanding of the mighty mulloway was and is unbelievable.

The respect and admiration I have for the above guys both past and present will stay with me until I die and then some.

Inside the mighty Clarence River, Grafton angler Scott Sutherland has been having a ball boating bream and school jew on lures, along with a few mud crabs from pots set while fishing.

Whiting continue to be taken from most vantage points in the river on small surface poppers, yabbies and worms.

Flathead are biting freely as well, with many of the bigger fish taken from the deeper channels on live baits such as herring and poddy mullet.

We’ve seen no shortage

of pan-sized fish along the weed beds and sand flats and they’re readily eating soft plastics and small blade lures.

The beaches are also holding fair numbers of flathead in the shallow gutters, with 3”-4” soft plastics on 1/4oz jig heads presenting the best way of catching a feed.

As in the river, whiting can be found along the beaches in good numbers by anglers using either pipis or beach worms as bait.

Those anglers prepared to fish an hour or so after dark are returning with solid bream and stonker tarwhine.

Offshore catches have been dominated by mackerel, with most boats enjoying the good run of

spotted and spanish mackerel and the odd cobia boated as by-catch.

The boaties who prefer to bottom bash are returning with catches of small trag, solid snapper and the occasional jewfish around 15kg.

As this issue hits the stands the land-based tuna and mackerel season will have kicked off in earnest, with anglers jostling for a spot from Ballina to Yamba.

I will be out along the Iluka wall this month, sight fishing for longtail tuna with a popper, so if you see a geriatric bloke wearing double-plugger thongs, come up and have a yarn.

‘Til next month, safe fishin’.

The author has been telling readers for over 25 years to fish during the day with octopus but nobody seems to listen. However, this pic is the proof in the pudding.

Whole octopus bait and a lot of patience is a must when fishing for jewfish during daylight.

While far from the targeted size of 20kg-plus, school jew of this size are still not to be sneezed at on a lovely mid-January summer’s day.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 29

Sunshine Coast rivers running hot

W

ITH the kids back at school and the crowds dissipated, this month will be perfect to get out on our local rivers for great fishing action.

Tyler Darbison from Sydney caught a 56cm jack in the Noosa River on a live herring. Tyler is allergic to fish, so his dad Kevin is holding the fish. Photo: fishingnoosa.com

We were blessed late last year to receive more rain than usual.

In one day we saw more than 100mm fall into our

Zac Selwood hooked these whiting while fishing from his tinnie in the Noosa River. He captured 10 all up, so got a great feed.

Sunshine Coast

by WADE QUALISCHEFSKI

local catchments, giving the Maroochy and Noosa rivers a well-deserved flush.

This has made for one of our better whiting seasons, with both rivers producing good catches.

I find the bigger whiting tend to head upstream when we haven’t had much rain and then return to the lower reaches once the river has received a fresh flush.

Whiting don’t like low salinity levels and you’ll find the fish a little darker on the back due to being upriver.

Finding whiting is not hard because they normally hold around the tidal flats.

Some tidal flats will fish better than others but a good one should have current flow and food.

If a bank contains yabbies and soldier crabs,

Jayson Milne from Viking Kayaks fished Sunshine Reef by trolling whole garfish under a squid. He hooked and boated two spanish and a quality cobia on the day.

there’s every chance it will hold whiting.

When rigging with bait, make sure you use a quality length of fluorocarbon leader to ensure your line’s inconspicuousness, then attach a Tru-Turn 063 size 6 long bait-holder hook.

This hook not only gives a better hook-up rate but also gives the bait longevity.

The best baits include worms, live yabbies and soldier crabs.

If using lures when it’s dead calm, you can find the fish a little skittish.

Lures perfect for this scenario include Bassday Sugapens and Ecogear PX55s.

When it’s rough, try cup-face poppers such as the Shimano Rise Pop. The Noosa River features awesome whiting spots in the lower reaches such as the Frying Pan, Woods Bays and the sand bars adjacent to Munna Point.

The Maroochy River has the Black Banks, Picnic Point and Goat and Chambers islands.

Of late the Noosa River has boasted plenty of the larger river species such as mangrove jack, with the best locations upriver from the Tewantin ferry to the mouth of Lake Cooroibah.

If the river is still a little dirty, try using Balista 70mm Trigger lures because they emit a lowlevel red LED that jacks find irresistible.

Flathead have been very active on the run-out tide, with the area from the sand bags to the Frying Pan producing the bigger fish.

Hydraulic boat steering for a hard day’s fishing Go wherever and whenever the fish are biting with confidence!

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move in to investigate, which is when you send down your live yakka.

Further out on the Barwon Banks is where the reef fishing is at its best.

Quality snapper, pearl perch, redthroat emperor and mahi mahi have all been boated on pilchards, mullet fillets and local squid.

The bigger snapper have mainly been snagged using floating pillies, with the others hitting a typical two-gang hook setup.

For a superior hook-up, try using Tru-Turn 711 5/0 hooks ganged with a swivel in between.

This allows the swinging hook to embed into the fish, ensuring a more secure hold.

On the beaches, quality whiting have been taken in the shallow gutters.

These fish are widespread, starting from Mudjimba Beach and being found right up to Double Island Point.

Live and cured worms along with peeled prawns are responsible for the better catches.

The rocky headlands off Noosa and Yaroomba have been popular for snapper and grass sweetlip.

As usual with all rock fishing, please closely observe the conditions before starting to fish.

Fish the top of the tide and the start of the runout with fresh mullet and salted bonito fillets and you should land a decent feed.

Finally, if you want to tangle with a trophy size tailor, head for the Pincushion Rocks at the mouth of the Maroochy River, with the occasional big fish to 5kg being taken.

Fish this big are always hooked at night during a run-in tide by anglers casting heavy swimbaits such as 150mm Nomad Madscads 150mm and 140mm Shimano Coltsniper Rockslides.

Don’t forget to check out fishingnoosa.com.au for all the latest up-to-date info on fishing and bar crossings.

The knowledgeable teams at Davo’s Tackle World Noosa and Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle Marcoola can provide you with the right equipment, bait and advice to ensure success.

Photo courtesy of Vindicator Boats.

For product information and to find your nearest authorised dealer contact Graham HyDrive Engineering Pty Ltd – Queensland Unit 12, 73-75 Shore Street, Cleveland 4163 T: 07 3821 6580 E: qld@hydrive.com.au W: hydrive.com.au Page 30 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

Drifting baby blue pillies on a snooded rig of 2/0 hooks or slow rolling 3” Curly Bait Chasebaits in Milk Flash will almost guarantee a strike.

Maroochy River jacks have been playing the game a little differently of late, with surface lures doing the job.

The trick is to fish up the creeks such as Coolum and Eudlo with surface walkers in the 70-120mm range on high tide.

At high tide the mangroves and fallen timber are well covered, making for the perfect ambush positions.

This style of surface action is better fished from a boat, enabling the lure to be cast tight against the edges.

Good flathead have been found on the mud banks outside Eudlo Creek and at the top of the jet ski run, with most fish favouring soft plastics.

The better tidal phase is the start of the run-out, with bloodworm-coloured lures a proven choice.

Offshore is pelagic city, with catches of tuna, spotted mackerel and spanish mackerel all on offer.

Fishing the early mornings has been best, simply because we get our traditional heavier northerly wind in the afternoon.

Big bait presentations including large pillies, yakkas and garfish trolled with rigged skirts or weighted SureCatch Chin Guards have been getting the best results around Double Island Point and the blinker off Mooloolaba.

The coffee rocks and North Reef have mainly produced spanish mackerel, with most fish holding deeper in the water column.

Perfect lure choices for this area have been the Spanish Special and Halco Laser Pro XDD 190mm because it dives to about 7m, making it ideal for these toothy critters.

Around the corner at Sunshine Reef is where coral trout, maori cod and tuskfish are on the chew.

The trick to enticing trout is to catch a few of the other reef dwellers first on local squid and pilchards.

This will be noticed by the trout and they will

Stan Anderson scored this spanish mackerel while trolling pilchards.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 31

Having a blast in old Haines Hunter ■ Care advised on coastal bars ■ Reef fishing trips

H

Dave with a nice snapper from North Reef.

I, it’s Craig Tomkinson here.

What can we expect in February?

More of the same in terms of hot and steamy weather with mackerel and pelagics on the chew and potentially rain and storms in full swing.

A few cyclones will likely form out in the Coral Sea this year according to forecasters and their swell will give our coastal bars a flogging.

When the swell comes in off these systems out of the northeast it is about 2m-plus, which means it’s not a time to be crossing

The author held a lovely grass sweetlip.

Noosa to Fraser Coast

by CRAIG TOMKINSON

coastal bars in small craft.

Especially the Noosa Bar; it’s a bugger with bad dumping waves coming at you front on.

About this time last year I saw the windows on a 10m Cougar Cat get punched in, giving the skipper and deckie a good bath.

It can happen to anyone at any time.

You just have to mistime a big set and it will hurt you.

One day two mates and I went out in my mate’s 5m tinnie, we mistimed a set and were about 30cm off the top of a wave when it broke and the boat took on heaps of water.

We were lucky that once past that breaker we were out of the bar.

We had so much water in the boat that we could only do four knots and it took us 30 minutes to pump it all out.

Before crossing a bar, I advise you to first sit on the inside of the bar and watch the sets come through.

If you think it’s too big, turn around and go home, as we now do.

Fishing wise, I have gone on two trips offshore lately because my mate Dave Anderson has the use of his brother Tim’s 5.2m 17L Haines Hunter.

I first suggested to Dave

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that we take the 17L up to Lake Cootharaba for a spin and to see how it would go.

Well it went flaming great!

The 90hp two-stroke Mercury pushed her along beautifully and gave me the confidence to go close offshore with it.

A week later, Dave, his other brother Paul and I headed out over Noosa Bar just on daylight and fished Sunshine Reef for a few hours for three small sharks (one landed) and one legal tuskfish.

The boat has a Lowrance LCX-25C colour combo GPS/sounder and what a complicated bit of kit it is.

While the boys fished, I tried to make sense of the flaming thing.

About an hour later I had it worked out but then the sounder suddenly stopped working.

By this stage we’d had enough and headed for home.

I suggested to Dave on the way in that we could take the two seats out to give us heaps more room.

The wiring needed a tidy up too.

Once back at the boat ramp, we soon worked out why the sounder had stopped working – the transducer had broken off its mounting and was swinging by the cable.

Over the next week or so we took the seats out of the boat and it made a big difference to the fishing room.

We also fixed the transducer by mounting it to a bit of 3mm alloy plate and rerunning the cable in flexible conduit to keep it away from the

other wires in the boat.

We then felt the boat was ready for another trip.

Dave and I headed out over Noosa Bar with just enough daylight to see where we were going and this time travelled to North Reef.

The sounder was working fine in the shallow water of 30m but once we got out in 50m it was nearly black and white and useless.

It would not pick up bait or fish, just the bottom and not very well either.

Once I increased the gain, it just blacked the screen out.

Flaming small combos.

The fishing was tough going and we didn’t have one fish in the boat by 11am.

We had one last hang to check out and on the first drop Dave was onto a nice fish, boating a lovely snapper.

I then caught three good size sweetlip.

We had the floater out too and away it went.

I called it for a spanish mackerel but it turned out to be a 1.5m bull shark, so we cut it off.

A heap of tuna or mackerel were chopping the water nearby and we were going to slip over quietly and flick slugs at them

from a distance but as we pulled the anchor a bloke in a big tinnie just roared over and trolled straight through the chopping school and they were gone.

Bugger me there’s some idiots out there.

So with that we headed home.

My mate Richard Gilson and Peter McGrath were out in Peter’s 4.9m AMM and caught five decent spotted mackerel around Sunshine Reef.

I have been trying to get onto someone who does canvas or vinyl work from home for about 18 months because our old pop-up van’s canvas is buggered.

I had contacted a few canvas places but they all wanted about $4000 to do the job, which I reckoned was too much.

However, I was recently told about a young bloke out at Esk, so I called him and he said he does heaps of them out of truck tarp vinyl, which is waterproof, UV stable and cool.

I asked the price and he said it would be about $1500 all done.

Ripper, I booked the old girl in.

I will do a write-up about it in a future edition.

‘Til next month, be safe on the water.

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www.kareemarine.com.au Page 32 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

Paul with his first legal tuskfish.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

The author with a Noosa reefs snapper captured on a soft plastic.

Rob held a longtail tuna taken from his ski by casting a 30g Halco slug.

Sunshine Coast jet ski fishing

H

ELLO jet ski fishos, this will be the first of my monthly fishing reports, jet ski tips and local stories from fellow jet ski fishers.

What an amazing run of weather we’ve had on the Sunshine Coast, with fish on the chew as well.

I had the opportunity to hit a couple of the local reefs off Noosa Heads with the crew from Fishski Australia and we were rewarded with a few spanish and spotted mackerel.

These are both great eating fish and were enjoyed over the Christmas break.

We were using baits while fishing from our jet skis.

I had one bait on a weighted rig to fish the bottom and another floating free on the surface.

At this time of year you will see a lot of watercraft in and around the reefs, so be aware many will have floating lines out or

Jet Ski Fishing

by JASON MCCOLL

be trolling lures or baits up to 100m behind their vessels.

I recommend giving everyone plenty of space and never crossing too close in front or behind another boat.

We have seen awesome bait ball action this year, with the bait being harried by a vast array of sharks and fish species.

Being on a jet ski gives you a great viewing platform on the water.

To get involved in this action, check out Sunshine Coast Jetski fishing on Facebook.

When fishing offshore on our jet skis we have the same regulations as boats and are required to carry all the necessary safety gear, so please see msq.

qld.gov.au or speak with your local coast guard before heading out.

I also recommend taking a couple of good hats and sunglasses, as on a jet ski things can quite easily go missing.

Coming weeks should see even more pelagics turning up and this will result in outstanding fishing.

If you have not already had a chance to get out there, keep an eye out for those days of light wind.

Also check out Fishski Australia for a jet ski fishing setup.

They are the best setups on the market and highly recommended by anyone who has used them.

Fishski will colour match any ski and also offers custom boxes.

I have had many different rack setups previously and have learnt from my mistakes, so when it comes to durability, I choose Fishski.

I have a few extras on my ski such as a dual battery setup and lights for those early fishing sessions before the sun comes up.

It would be great to see some photos of other jet ski fishing setups, or just photos of you fishing with your ski.

You can message me your pics or share them on my Sunshine Coast Jetski fishing Facebook page.

I look forward to seeing your photos.

If you are ever keen for a fish or have any questions about jet ski fishing, jump onto the page.

Well I hope you get out there in the next few weeks and I’ll see you on the water sometime.

Tight lines everyone.

A spanish mackerel caught on Sunshine Reef while jigging an 80g Halco blue and white metal lure.

Rob from Fishski Australia with a nice spanish mackerel hooked off Noosa Heads while trolling a dead bait.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 33

The author had a lot of fun playing catch and release with this lure.

The author has been nailing solid jacks with the Halco Trembler in her favourite colour Axel.

Mangrove jack on the troll F EBRUARY is a great time of year to target mangrove jack.

A Laser Pro 120DD worked well when trolling the deep edges.

This 40cm mangrove jack was taken home to bake in foil on the coals. Yum!

The creeks and rivers will return to normal after plenty of boat traffic and pressure over the past couple of months of school holidays.

Nothing is more relaxing than trolling an estuary system.

It is also a great way to fish when exploring new country.

Keep an eye on changing depths and take note of structure on the sounder for optimum coverage.

Discovering new patches of structure will often produce good fish.

Be persistent and give the areas a chance to fire.

Early morning and late afternoon tide changes will give you the best results when targeting jacks.

Troll on the inside edges as close as possible to rocky outcrops and fallen tree branches.

All these structures will hold mangrove jack.

Fishing Tips

by MELISSA FROHLOFF

A good skipper will always improve your chances of landing a jack by steering the boat away from structure, which is easily done on the troll.

The new Halco Trembler 70XS dives to 2m and has become one of my favourites for shallow trolls.

It is a bibless lure with a tight action and crazy rattle.

This lure in Axel colour has consistently proven its performance, catching some nice jacks.

Depending on the bait the jacks are feeding on, you may need to go to a larger lure such as a Halco Laser Pro 120MT or STD.

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If trolling the deeper side of the estuary or river, tie on a lure with a diving rating that closely matches the depth on the sounder.

Keep your rod tip low to get maximum depth out of your lure and remain in the strike zone.

If one colour or style doesn’t work, change it up.

The Halco Laser Pro 120DD is a top lure in these deeper situations.

I like using a Samaki 10-17lb Zing Xtreme baitcaster due to its graphite blank, tremendous feel and strength down low that enables it to land serious fish.

Keeping the outfit light, I couple the rod to a lowprofile Daiwa Zillion baitcaster reel spooled with 30lb Schneider braid.

The braid ties neatly to 40lb Schneider Crystal Clear fluorocarbon, which is extremely abrasion resistant.

You will not be afraid to put some hurt on a jack with this outfit.

A good skipper will always improve your chances of landing a jack by steering the boat away from structure, which is easily done on the troll.

Over the past couple of months we have seen extremely high temperatures.

Take extra care in these conditions and keep your lure trays out of the sun.

The heat has warped and distorted many a valuable lure left in a tackle box exposed to the elements.

Mangrove jack would have to be one of my favourite fish to bake whole on the fire.

A 38-40cm mangrove jack is a good size to feed a couple for dinner.

To prepare the fish for baking, remove the gut and gills.

Dwane and I also prefer to scale the fish so you only have to pick the meat from the bones and can eat the skin if you choose to.

Oil the fish with sesame oil and add salt and pepper on both sides.

I don’t like to use any other seasoning because this is one fish that tastes superb just the way it is.

Tear off a piece of heavy aluminium foil large enough to wrap the fish in.

Place the jack in the centre of the foil and wrap it around the fish to totally cover it, using another sheet of foil if needed to cover the fish and seal the edges so no juices escape.

Do this twice.

Place your fish on a bed of red-hot coals and cook the fish for about 10 minutes on each side if your jack is roughly 40cm long.

Pierce the fish with a fork, and if it penetrates without resistance, your fish will be ready to serve.

In a few simple steps you too can be baking your next mangrove jack on the open fire.

e be We won’t b

Caloundra Marine 8 BA L DW I N STRE E T, CALO U N DR A Q LD 4551 | PH 07 5491 1944 Baked mangrove jack ready to serve.

Page 34 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Warmer weather will see spanish appear

W

HILE the warm weather we have been experiencing may have some drawbacks in terms of comfort over Sunday lunch and when working outside, it also has some great benefits.

The barra at Lake Monduran always liven up after a few days of warm northerly breeze, while offshore the increasing water temperature sees spanish mackerel start to appear.

A mate of mine, Chris, has already been out on the water chasing these brutes, a favourite prey of his, especially with whole garfish and similar as baits.

He is always keen to chase spanish and his targeting of this species is an early indicator that they are about.

If you have not previously made the time to chase spanish mackerel, maybe 2018 will be your year.

All the mackerel species are ferocious predators and all require a reliable rig to ensure they do not pull knots apart as well as some wire to protect the terminal end of your rig from their razor-sharp teeth.

Rods, reels and line When targeting spanish, it is wise to have a relatively heavy rod to manage both their physical size and blistering initial runs.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bundaberg Region

by BRAD YOUNG

All the mackerel species are ferocious predators and all require a reliable rig to ensure they do not pull knots apart as well as some wire to protect the terminal end of your rig from their razor-sharp teeth.

I use a pair of 20-25kg roller-tip rods of about 5’6” in length.

Each has an ever-reliable Shimano TLD 20/25 reel spooled with 20kg braid.

I also use about 10m of 20-30kg mono leader to act as a shock absorber in the fight.

Eliminating the mono will most likely see you either pulling hooks early in the fight or dropping a fish as it gets closer to the boat when it is still a little green.

I have previously lost several fish when trying to boat them too early, with their short, sharp run

when they see the boat enough for them to pull the hooks.

At the end of your mono leader it is necessary to run a 1-1.5m-long wire trace.

I use single-strand 30kg wire and attach it to a black swivel on the end of the mono and directly to the lure/hooks at the business end.

If you have never twisted a wire trace before, ask the staff at your tackle shop to show you how.

The most important trick is twisting the leftover tag end off without leaving a sharp needle-like end.

Bait or lures As I stated earlier, all mackerel are ferocious feeders and with spanish being the largest, big baits are best.

In terms of live baits, garfish, slimy mackerel, yellowtail scad and the like are all suitable for mackerel baits.

When fishing these baits alive, it is best to have them sitting a few feet under a float to ensure they do not head straight to the bottom.

It is also sometimes necessary to sit a small sinker above the bait to keep it lower in the water under the float so birds do not attempt to take the bait.

Keep an eye on your rod tip if using live baits because the tip will often start to vibrate as a result of your baitfish seeing the jaws of an approaching mackerel, with the rod tip telegraphing their panicked attempt to swim away.

In terms of dead baits, you’re best using the same species listed above with the addition of WA blue pilchards and wolf herring.

When fished as dead baits, it is possible to have them set up as a swimming bait (possibly using a lead-headed rig to help ensure they swim more reliably).

They can also be fished under a float or closer to ☛ continued P36

A lead head garfish/pilchard rig.

Silver Blue Mackerel is a very effective colour in the Rapala range.

The ever-popular Red Head Rapala Clackin’ Magnum.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 35

Mega mackerel season ■ Longtail tuna ■ Trevally ■ Queenfish

W Schuey with a cracking longtail that was busting around other surface feeders.

Ben scored a monster golden.

HAT a cracking summer!

The spotted mackerel have not let up.

I was having a chat with one of the local commercial line fishers and we both agreed this has been the best mackerel season in years.

Without spotties, summer can be a long, drawn-out affair.

It is a great luxury to know that somewhere in Hervey Bay you are going to find a school of fish busting on the surface most days.

As a guide, it gives you some breathing room because you can go and fish some lower-percentage stuff with a bit more abandon.

Another great thing about the constant surface feeding is it attracts other predators.

We have caught many species over the years around schools of spotties and mack tuna.

At times, if you look closely enough you will see the trev-

A big longtail caught around spotted mackerel.

Fraser Guided Fishing

by TRI TON

ally, big tuna, marlin, cobia and others.

However, often you don’t notice until the rod buckles more than it would on the average school size fish.

Longtail tuna around and in schools of smaller species have been the main feature at the time of writing, but every now and then we see schools of purely big longies busting up.

It’s quite the sight to see, especially if it’s a school of high-flying fish.

Full air is the term that comes to mind.

Every now and then it’ll be queenies hanging around the surface action but usually it’s trevally of many types, with cobia sometimes there too.

One recent day we sat among the bust-ups while we ate lunch.

I noticed ridiculous soundings under the boat and initially dismissed them as big tuna, but after lunch was finished they still hung under the boat, very close under the boat.

As I peered over the gunwale I could see it was a mix of trevally, small cobia and a few very big sharks.

It goes to show it pays to know your sounder.

You can sometimes track these fish around the surface schools with side-imaging sounders.

You then require good boat positioning and lure presen-

Warmer weather will see spanish appear ☛ from P35

Mullet picked up a queenfish that was hanging with spotties.

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www.fraserguidedfishing.com.au > 0427 230 261 Page 36 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

tation to turn interest into a strike.

If you are lucky, they will stay in the area and allow you multiple shots and hence more fish boated.

Some of these bigger fish loitering around are difficult to land though, so use heavier gear if you can because the sharks will find you.

We recently had a big cobia on for an hour after it was hooked unexpectedly on lighter tackle.

Sharks harassed the fish relentlessly but didn’t attack.

Then eventually the rod bent further, buckled and unbuckled and we knew it was over.

Somewhere down there, the sharks were tearing the cobia to shreds.

We were thinking we might get a bit back because we could wind in some line before the sharks would grab the fish again, until eventually one of them took the bit with the lure in it.

Heartbreaking.

And that is the fate of a few of our big hook-ups.

A memorable one was a father and son team well beyond their level of experience with two longies.

We were about to boat one when a big bull shark came in slowly and claimed the prize.

It then turned around and took the other.

Both fish were spent and if

we’d had more experienced anglers or heavier gear we may have succeeded.

We were not to know that lurking beneath the little guys would be serious fish.

A week or two later the same thing happened but somehow we landed the fish.

I was amazed we had no sharks hanging around the seething mass of spotties.

On another trip we hooked up on a small group of big longtails feeding gently.

The fish were fighting without much fuss and stress, then as we got colour a big black shape emerged from the depths and claimed the big tuna right under our noses.

It was hooked on heavy tackle and beaten relatively fast but still taxed.

I guess that’s life these days, with sharks menacing anglers everywhere.

People often ask how I boat fish under these constraints.

Mostly it’s because I use heavy gear when required.

I make sure I know what the gear is capable of and use it to its maximum.

If a place is ‘sharky’ I avoid it and try not to hook fish in that area on purpose.

Targeting small numbers of fish often works too because they attract fewer sharks.

Working harder to hook that one fish on the sounder may be more productive than hooking a dozen and getting eaten every time.

At times the sharks are so thick that it seems like they are everywhere.

the bottom because sometimes spanish will feed deeper.

In terms of lures, my favourites are the large Rapala Magnum 30/40 and Clackin’ Magnums in the same sizes.

Red heads with white bodies, pilchard blue colours and even ghost styles have been successful.

I almost exclusively use lures while my mate Chris predominantly fishes live/ trolled baits.

Time to target mackerel Often, fish will seem to simply disappear as soon as the sun rises into the sky.

However, I have found the very first of the morning light is the best time for a hot bite, though on more than one occasion the fish have kept biting even after the sun lifted higher into the sky.

The first light on a morning after a new moon is an even better time to target spanish because these voracious predators will not have had any light to hunt by through the night and are likely very hungry after going without food for so long.

Bundy locations Being fast-moving predators, spanish mackerel can be found along most of our coastline, but more likely where there is a food source.

Close to shore, spanish have been taken near the

leads at the mouth of the Burnett River.

I have also enjoyed good sessions on them at Cochrane Artificial Reef where plenty of baitfish (scad/slimies) have been schooled up around the structure.

Four Mile to the south of the Elliott River is another area where spanish can be successfully targeted.

If you find baitfish schooled up when sounding an area, remember this is most likely because they are being attacked by predators, which means mackerel and other predatory species are around and under the bait ball.

It is always worth a drop around a ball of bait.

Beware their blistering runs When you hook a spanish, the first two to four runs can be simply blistering before you even start to retrieve line.

I usually count four runs before bringing them close to the boat because the sight of the boat in the water will inevitably see them make another one or two runs before they reach a stage where they can be brought within gaffing range.

It is during these stages of the fight that the 10m of mono will act as a shock absorber and help to prevent the loss of a fish.

Make sure you have a

strong gaff and that your gaff man/woman has the point of the gaff pointing away from the boat.

My preferred gaffing motion is upward from under the fish, targeting an area just behind the head.

Once gaffed, it is necessary to quickly get the fish into the boat and subdued promptly to prevent it thrashing around the floor of the boat, with razor-sharp teeth as well as hooks from the lure or bait a hazard to hands, legs and feet.

It is also good practice to bleed mackerel to ensure they eat well.

I hope these tips help get you started on this species because they are fabulous sportfish as well as a highly regarded eating fish, whether smoked, as poached steaks in curry/ coconut milk, cooked in butter with soy sauce or crumbed and battered.

However, you should note that spanish mackerel caught in the vicinity of Platypus Bay on the western side of Fraser Island should not be eaten because they have been found to have a high risk of causing ciguatera poisoning.

As always, I can be contacted via the BNB website, by email at fishnboat@ bigpond.com or post at PO Box 5812 Bundaberg West Queensland 4670.

Until next month… www.bnbfishing.com. au

Kale scored a spanish mackerel on a plastic.

Ryley held a solid jobfish, which was one of his firsts for the trip.

Fantastic first foray off 1770 F

ISHING a new place is similar to the first day at a new school.

You either make a heap of friends (catch plenty of fish) or you don’t get along with anyone too well and don’t enjoy your time (catch nothing and bomb out).

Fortunately, on my first trip north to 1770 I made a heap of friends.

To say it’s a whole new world of fishing there compared to Brisbane is an understatement.

I was lucky enough to get holidays over Christmas and into the new year, so we organised a weeklong trip to 1770, a place we had never visited, let alone fished, so a weeklong trip offered a really

Fishing Trip

by JORDAN ‘GRINNER’ KOSCHEL

good opportunity to explore and find out more about what this lovely place had to offer.

On arrival at Agnes Water/1770, first impressions were it is a hard-core fishing village, with boats and travelling anglers like ourselves everywhere.

First on our list was to head to the ramp and check out the facilities.

This is always a good option before you quickly go and dump your boat in the drink, especially if you’ve never used the ramp before.

Luckily for us, the facilities were top notch.

This solid bull dolphinfish was in the mix.

A black marlin ready for release.

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As we rolled down the hill and around the bend towards the ramp I could see a procession of trailers and trucks parked up.

This told me plenty of people were on the water and it was going to be a busy ramp in the mornings and late arvos.

We found a spot for my truck and Shortbill so we could go and have a chat to a few of the fishos returning from the ocean.

The first boat we walked over to had a pretty decent catch of coral trout and mixed reefies.

Chatting to a number of other returning fishos revealed plenty more of the same sort of catch.

This is when the nerves set in.

What if I couldn’t find fish and would end up looking like an idiot in front of my family?

The first day of fishing had arrived and the weather gods had not turned it on.

It was blowing 15-20 knots the whole day and it was a 60km punch out to the reef in short, sharp slop.

Eventually we made it out to the reef and as soon as we were within range I started using my electronics to mark every lump and bump so we could go back and fish them later on.

This is good practice if you’ve never fished an area.

It’s good to first explore and see what sort of country you’ll be fishing.

You can always fish along the way too.

While sounding around, set a spread of lures out the back and troll at about six knots.

You never know what you’ll pick up out on the reef.

After having a good sound around, it was time to go and do some fishing.

I set the drift up and told the family to deploy their gear.

Everyone was fishing a different technique and within 30 seconds everyone had a legal fish on.

When they all hit the deck I definitely breathed a sigh of relief.

We’d picked up a good mixed bag of redthroat emperor and tuskfish, which by any means was a very good first drop.

The unreal fishing continued for the whole time we were on the water and a lot of personal bests were set and broken.

Trophy fish after trophy fish hit Shortbill’s deck and every drop we would have a fish.

It was pretty rare for someone to miss out.

The ever-faithful lightly weighted float line produced a lot of the good fish, but then again so did plastics and soft vibes.

The number of ways to fish these fish-rich waters is what impressed me most.

Everything we sent out would get eaten.

It was an awesome spot to get techniques down pat for fishing off Brisbane.

After catching a really good box of fish, I wanted to go and look around for more ground to ensure I

had an arsenal of marks in the GPS for next time.

So we set a spread of lures in the hope of dragsquealing action while we sounded around.

As we came around the southern end of Fitzroy Reef I heard one of the reels going off and my brother screamed “Marlin!”.

I was blown away when I turned around and saw a black skipping around out the back.

What amazed me even more is we had hooked the fish in just 13m of water, which is a similar depth to the micro black marlin fishery at Fraser Island.

The spread was cleared and it was battle stations in Shortbill.

After a five-minute fight we had the marlin on the leader.

For my old boy and two brothers, seeing a marlin was completely new and they were amazed at how acrobatic they are and also how gracious they are in the water.

After swimming the marlin for a few minutes, it was raring to go, so off it went and watching it swim away brought a smile to everyone’s face.

It was an unreal trip and something we will be doing more often.

I could sit here all day in front of the computer writing about how amazing it was but basically it is something you have to experience for yourself.

If you’d like to come fishing with me one day, book a trip on Moreton Island Fishing Charters by giving me a bell on 0413 128 056.

The author picked up a little trout on a plastic.

Big Hammer’s stunning spangled emperor.

The author held a cracker redthroat that nailed an Infish vibe.

A ripper jobfish for the Ham Wallet.

The author’s dad with one of many redthroat emperor from the trip.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 37

Tide Times Sponsored by

Why the tide didn’t come in and other puzzling peculiarities pertaining to predictions

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Page 38 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

’DAY, Fred, we’ve been thinking about your phone calls to us over the years – the ones where you want to know why some of the things you have experienced haven’t been exactly as the Tide Guide predicted they would be.

Why didn’t the tide come in/go out?

Actually, Fred, it did.

But from where you were at the time, you couldn’t see it.

If this was the occasion when you went out to pump yabbies only to find that the tide was still over the sand flats, what you probably experienced was a localised tidal phenomenon.

Though ‘tidal’ isn’t really the right word.

We’ll bet that was the time when you were up at the northwest end of the bay, or working the mouth of a river or creek in that area, when the wind had been blowing fairly strongly and consistently from the southeast for a day or two.

And if you’ll remember, the entrance to the bay was down in the southeast, too, or just north of that.

What happened, Fred, is the wind helped push the water into the bay when the tide was rising (the waves would have dropped off with the incoming tide and the high tide in the northwest of the bay would have been higher than predicted).

But after the tide turned, when the water should have been flowing back out of the bay, the wind was holding it in.

The waves would have picked up, and as you stood there forlornly gazing out to where the yabby banks were still under crutch-deep water and silently (maybe not so silently) cursing us for getting it wrong, you would have had salt-laden wind driving straight into your face.

We remember describing the situation to you well, Fred, so well that you thought we had been there too.

But we weren’t.

We were more than 1000km away at the time.

The trick under those circumstances, Fred, provided the geography of the bay lends itself to it, would be to slip down to the southeastern side where the wind would be pushing the water away.

Chances are, you would find the yabby banks down in that part of the bay well and truly exposed.

And if the bay was relatively shallow, you would also have to look hard to find some deep water to go fishing in after you’d pumped all the yabbies you wanted.

Or you could slip the dinghy in and drift northwest with the wind, but it would be a bit of a wet trip back.

And probably a bit hairy to boot.

Local geography is

Tidal Talk

by PETER LAYTON

another factor that you shouldn’t ignore when making allowances for tides, Fred.

We’ll look at some aspects of that when we consider why the water is still running after the time of the predicted high or low tide has been and gone.

Moving water (tidal current) and slack water do not necessarily indicate a tide is rising or falling or stopped.

In short, Fred, don’t always believe what you see.

Why do your predictions show a different time and height to someone else’s for the same place?

Which one is right and which one is wrong?

That’s what you really want to know, isn’t it, Fred?

Well, you won’t like the answer.

Neither is right and neither is wrong.

Remember the time you rang just after the January ‘king’ tides, when you were worried about the height above high water of the new house you had bought fronting onto a residential canal in your new seaside home town, Fred?

The king tides you had experienced that January were higher than predicted.

They had risen above the bund wall and crept halfway up your lawn towards the front patio.

You had noticed our predicted high tide was about 10cm higher than someone else’s.

You wanted to know why we were right and they were wrong, and how much trust you could place in either, because you were concerned for the safety of your home.

Well, I’m sorry, Fred, but neither of us was right and neither of us was wrong.

Predictions are predictions.

They cannot take into account all factors on the day.

That almost brings us back to the weather and the unpredictable factors it involves.

But the first thing to consider is this: while our data providers might factor the actual tidal variables of one year’s tides into their calculations when generating the predictions for the following year, and while another data provider might calcu-

late theirs on an analysis of averaged annual variables over a tidal epoch (about 20 years – essentially over the term of a lunar cycle when phases of the moon recur on the same Gregorian calendar day as they did in the previous cycle), and while each of us might use marginally different formulae to calculate tidal predictions, the result will never be more than a few minutes or a few centimetres difference between their prediction and ours.

Provided, of course, that each of us is using the same datum for water level at the same location and the same harmonics.

Harmonics, Fred, not harmonicas.

We’re not playing a wind instrument now, even if you might think we’re blowing a lot of wind.

Harmonics are the constants the boffins use in their predictions – the known, proven, consistently regular factors that can be measured and calculated with accuracy when predicting tidal times and heights for a given region or location.

As we said earlier, meteorological, oceanographic and hydrological factors (those caused by the weather) cannot be predicted but can have an immense effect on the day.

The fact that ours was closer to the truth on the day last January was a fluke.

Nothing more.

It could easily have gone the other way.

We’re talking about 10cm in this instance.

As we detailed in a previous edition, barometric pressure on the day could have more than offset that amount.

Add a bit of breeze to generate some gentle wave action and 10cm is neither here nor there.

The simple fact is, Fred, that if you claim you can visually tell off the beach within 10 minutes or 10cm of the top or bottom of the tide on any given day, then your opinion of your abilities far exceeds the reality.

Either that, or you are about to get a job for life in tidal predictions anywhere in the world.

There are too many unpredictables (variables, if you must be specific) for anyone to be that accurate every time.

Not that far in advance.

The Tide Guide managing editor Peter Layton has responded with this article to the people who’ve rung him with complaints over the years.

Cartoons by the late Mac Vines and McGookin.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

A jack taken on a weedless-rigged plastic prawn.

Achieving fishing firsts G

ETTING that first decent model of a fish species can be quite challenging at times and very frustrating.

For Stefan Slomka it was the threadfin salmon which took several years and many trips to Rockhampton to finally bag.

For his son Robbie, however, it was the mighty mangrove jack.

He’d been trying for about three years and while he landed a pup at Bribie Island previously, the fish was smaller than some of the bream he’d caught, so the monkey wasn’t going to be off his back until he at least landed a decent legal size fish.

The wait hadn’t gone to waste though, with Robbie keenly watching and listening to how others

Power Boat Anglers

by MICK CLUTTERBUCK

plied their skills to entice the fish to bite, then play and land them.

He’d also learnt from his own experiences along the way with short bites and losing tails off plastics as well as bringing in the occasional scale on a treble.

For this trip the pair had driven 1500km-plus to Stefan’s hometown of Cairns, arriving in the early afternoon.

The tide was a late-afternoon low, which was ideal for the target species, and not wanting to let a chance go by the lads hatched a plan and were off to the ramp a mere five-minute drive away.

A sample of the author’s January winter whiting catches (scaled) from Moreton Bay.

Robbie Slomka with a mangrove jack hooked at Cairns.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

They tried a few promising-looking spots, peppering them with weedless prawn presentations, but just couldn’t raise a bite.

Just before the turn of the tide, Stefan decided to try a spot he hadn’t been to for over 15 years.

It was one of his favourites, having been shown it by a good mate a couple of decades ago, and had always worked well on the start of the run-in.

On arrival they began working one of the mangrove-lined banks.

Weedless presentations allow you to really get your lure up in the bones of the mangroves and work them out, but they have a slight downside in that the hook-up conversion rate is generally not as good as a bare hook presentation.

Both the boys experienced a few bumps and misses, with the occasional fish taking drag but not hooking up.

They swapped to the other bank and again the bumps and misses continued.

Frustration was increasing when suddenly Robbie yelled he was on.

It was pretty evident it was a jack because it just hammered to try to make it back to the snag.

Robbie was up to the fight and skilfully fought it, turning its head and guiding it to the boat.

Stefan did a masterful job on the net (so he says) and with the fish in the boat the jack monkey was finally off Robbie’s back.

The fish matched his shirt quite well too.

The next day, Stefan’s wife Sally accompanied the boys to try float fishing the same spots where they had so many missed hits the day before.

Of course she nailed a good fish nearly first cast, asking the lads what the big deal is with this jack fishing thing.

After the previous day’s fish, Robbie was also making it look easy, bagging another one while the skipper doughnutted.

A quick trip to the reef later in the week produced three nice trout for Robbie and although Stefan missed out again, he did get to enjoy the fish on the plate that night.

Continuing the list of firsts, Stefan finished his fishing adventures by putting his brother Martin onto his first large-mouth nannygai on a night trip.

December/January trips I finally got the chance to get the boat in the water a few times over the break, both in Gladstone and on Moreton Bay. The trip north was to chase mud crabs prior to the new year, and while not ideal tide wise it was a good chance to catch up with a couple of mates for a few days.

We headed to one of the creeks on Curtis Island and worked the pots for a tide.

The flow wasn’t really there on the small tide and with the same predicted for the next day we decided to take the pots back and reset them for the night in the mangroves off the Calliope River.

I don’t like leaving pots out overnight and the next morning again proved why.

It was very evident that every pot had been lifted and crabs taken but we had no way of telling how many.

For those asking how I know, the pots were in different spots, the floats in different mangroves and the door hooks in different places.

People who crab will know what I mean.

We managed to get a feed from the previous day but it’s really frustrating and pot raiding/ theft is extremely widespread.

I’ve noticed an increase in members of the public posting pictures of alleged crab/pot thieves on social media.

If you have any information regarding illegal activities, I strongly suggest you report it to the police and Fisheries Queensland (free call 1800 017 116) and let them deal with it because taking things into your own hands will probably only land you in hot water.

Back south, winter whiting still have a strong presence in Moreton Bay and still taste exceptional.

I’ve done a few trips of late, taking my son and several mates fishing on various occasions with great results.

The quality is there and so are the numbers, you just have to find them. ☛ continued P40

COMPETITION DATES COMPETITION

DATE

LOCATION

2018 Boondooma Yellowbelly Fishing Competition

Feb 10-11

Boondooma Dam – Terry Allwood 0400 860 122

Gamakatsu Team Series Round 4 North

Feb 11

Ballina, NSW fishingcomps.com.au

ABBT* X-Factor Teams

Feb 17-18

BP Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

ABBT* Bass Singles

Mar 10-11

Boondooma Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

Gamakatsu Team Series Round 4 Mid

Mar 11

Forster, NSW fishingcomps.com.au

ABBT* X-Factor Teams

Mar 24-25 Dam TBA – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

Moura Muddy Water Classic Family Fishing Competition

Mar 31Apr 1

Dawson River – Graeme McGreevy 0428 195 362 or Zelma Lewis 0428 971 932 E: m.a.f.s.g@bigpond.com

Gamakatsu Team Series Grand Final

Apr 7

Bribie Island, QLD fishingcomps.com.au

ABBT* Bass Singles

Apr 21-22

Cania Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

ABBT* Bass Singles

May 19-20 Borumba Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

ABBT* X-Factor Teams

Jun 9-10

Boondooma Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

Tweed Coast Marine Greenback Fishing Comp

Jun 9-10

Cabarita Beach – Stephen Duffield 0421 052 135 W: lionsgreenback.com

ABBT* X-Factor Teams

Jul 28-29

Cania Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

ABBT* Bass Singles

Aug 18-19

Somerset Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

Catch a Catty Family Fishing Comp

Aug 25-26 Mingo Crossing – John or Ruth Rokesky 07 4127 7252 or 0429 689 821

ABBT* Bass Singles

Sep 15-16

Wuruma Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

WTF Women That Fish Barra Classic

Sep 21-22

Rockhampton – Shara Vanhaeren 0429 923 243

ABBT* Bass Singles

Oct 13-14

BP Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

ABBT* X-Factor Teams Grand Final

Oct 27-28

Dam TBA – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

ABBT* Bass Grand Final

Nov 24-25 Cania Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

*Australian Basstasstic Bass Tournament To have your competition listed in the calendar please phone (07) 3286 1833, email design@bnbfishing.com.au or fax (07) 3821 2637

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 39

K AYAKING & canoeing Finding fish when kayaking the unknown

S

INCE buying a tandem kayak, finding hidden locations has been my primary interest and even though many fishless trips have come from these adventures, the thrill when it pays off is what keeps me searching.

Leeah Bahr with a great 62cm flathead caught while kayak fishing with soft plastics around a rock bar.

A cracking 55cm barred javelin fish hooked using a live yabby.

Through some inside knowledge, I caught word of a potential hidden gem not far from the Bundaberg ‘big smoke’.

This area can only be accessed by foot after a short boat trip, or by kayak, which is right up my alley.

After finally getting back to the weekly work routine after the Christmas and new year break, my girlfriend Leeah and I were itching for a camping fix.

When the chance of a kayak camping adventure came to mind, we were eager to go.

We packed our very limited supplies around midday on Saturday and travelled to our launching point at the local river mouth.

With no more than a swag, tinned food, bottled water and fishing gear, we set off into fairly choppy conditions that certainly made things interesting.

Luckily, we made it across with everything intact, so clambered across rocks and through bushland before relaunching the kayak in a separate body of water.

Having only fished land based here once prior, I didn’t have much of an idea as to what was be-

Achieving fishing firsts ☛ from P39

I’ve recently gone back to using a scaling bag to cut down my cleaning time and while the bag works well, be careful because you could lose the lot or damage the fish if you don’t watch what you’re doing.

I’m also attempting to speed things up on the filleting side of things by trying to learn a new filleting technique.

Search YouTube for ‘50 whiting in five minutes’ to see what I mean.

Here’s a quick question: who has ever replaced the O rings on the bungs in your boat?

Yeah, neither had I. I’d been getting a bit of water in my boat lately (‘bit’ being open to interpretation and ‘lately’ being over 12 months) and I found and fixed

a couple of things but they weren’t the issue, so screwed in the bungs and put some water in the hull.

This showed the main cause of the leak, with water leaking through the centre of one of the rivets securing the bung assembly to the boat, but both bungs were also leaking.

A quick check showed the O rings were badly cracked and one had actually split.

The O rings are about 50c each, while it’s roughly $6 for the entire bung from your local boating shop or marine dealer, so they’re really cheap to change every few years.

Don’t be like Mick, check your bungs.

I replaced the rivet too and all is now watertight again, just how a boat should be.

Page 40 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

Next meetings The first meeting for 2018 will be held on Monday, February 5, followed by the March meeting, again on the 5th.

Meetings are held on

the first Monday of the month at the Bulimba Bowls Club located in Quinn St, Balmoral.

Please feel free to come along and meet us.

Safe boating.

Gladstone muddies.

Kayak Fishing

by JOEL JOHNSON

yond the bend, so we paddled upstream hoping to find the camping spot I had been told about.

We finally found it and after setting up camp we were ready to fish.

We decided to head to a small creek that I had spotted on a map, hoping to score a mangrove jack in the low-light period, but after countless casts right up until darkness fell, we were yet to see a fish come aboard.

After a tiring day of paddling and trekking, we headed back to camp for some chunky soup and shut-eye, with the hope of finding fish the following day.

Bright and early the next morning we were determined to catch fish, so I started by digging yabbies on the sand bank in front of our camping spot on low tide.

It wasn’t long before we had a good number of yabbies to use on top of our selection of soft plastics and lures, so we set off on a drift, using the wind to our advantage and looking for key fishattracting structures along the way.

When fishing new areas, it can often take time to discover the best spots.

It’s not always as easy as casting a line and hooking up instantly, even in fishrich waters.

This area in particular didn’t have any visible rock bars and had very few submerged trees, simply a shallow mangrove-lined mud bank and sandbanks that slowly descended into deep channels.

Using our paddles as depth indicators, we discovered where the deeper areas were, but after some time fishing with both soft plastics and yabbies we began to wonder if our persistence would pay off.

Finally I hooked up to what felt like a big fish.

It took line with big head shakes and I was just hoping and praying it would stay connected.

After pulling us in circles a couple of times, we caught a glimpse of silver and as the fish finally tired Leeah was able to net what turned out to be a thumping barred javelin fish (grunter).

Measuring about 55cm, it was my new personal best and the confidence boost we needed.

After a couple of quick snaps the fish swam off strongly to keep the fish population growing in this secluded destination.

After finally landing a fish, we began thinking about what was unique about that particular spot in relation to the fish’s feeding patterns and movements.

Having drifted into the shallows while landing the grunter, we noticed an abundance of baitfish and small prawns among the shallow mangrove roots on the bank, leading us to believe this was why that fish was in the area.

Obviously the primary key to successfully fishing is imitating a fish’s prey with your bait or lure, and in an estuarine environment, baitfish and crustaceans seek anything they can use as protection from predators as well as to find food for themselves.

Whether that be around solid structures, muddy water or even burrowing into sand and mud, locating bait is always a good start when searching for areas worth fishing.

Often our kayaking experiences lead us to new areas, so taking the time to think about the types of places fish might be holding in a particular environment greatly improves your chances of catching fish.

Our previous kayaking trip led us off the beaten track to a creek system riddled with fallen trees and rock bars.

After finding a large cluster of rocks in the creek’s centre with mullet and small baitfish seeking protection in the shallow sections, we knew a fish had to be nearby.

Sure enough, Leeah scored her personal-best flathead of 62cm while fishing here with a soft plastic that closely imitated the baitfish we had seen.

It is successes like these that can be referred to

when searching for fish in other destinations.

Back to our most recent trip, and trusting we were fishing the right area, we continued to fish along the tree line that brought us the grunter, which led us to a series of shallow channels flowing into deep water with the incoming tide.

Knowing this looked like a prime area for predatory fish to ambush, we fished from the sand with very small ball sinkers running straight to the long-shank hooks our yabbies were rigged on to give the baits the most natural look possible.

It didn’t take long to hook up, and we landed a number of small bream and silver grunter, but nothing worth bragging about.

After a short move to a nearby sand flat, I instantly hooked up to something much more substantial: a cracking whiting around the 40cm mark, which was just what we were after!

Using yabbies as bait around yabby banks on the incoming tide matched the feeding characteristics of a whiting perfectly, reinforcing that if you find the bait, the predatory fish can’t be too far away.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t tempt any more whiting but we were stoked to have found some quality fish in this pristine environment that was previously unknown to us.

Exploring new places and fishing for different species is a great way of learning new things and furthering your fishing knowledge.

It enables you to think about what worked and more importantly, what didn’t work, so you can figure out what to do differently the next time around.

Above all, catching fish is always a bonus.

It’s the adventure that truly keeps the thrill alive.

A 40cm whiting enticed by matching the hatch and fishing with yabbies around yabby banks on an incoming tide.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

K AYAKING & canoeing A typical example of the long, deep pools found on the Mary River.

The new launch site at Attie Sullivan Park.

There’s something about Mary

I

N the late 1800s, the Mary River, then called the Wide Bay River, was an important northern port and point of entry into the thencolony of NSW.

Its fertile banks and consistent water supply grew a thriving dairy and cropping industry and fostered a gold rush in Gympie until the early 1900s.

The Mary is unusual for a river in Queensland.

Unlike most everywhere else, the Mary flows in a northerly direction, from its headwaters in the Conondale Ranges to its mouth in the Great Sandy Strait near Maryborough.

It was the focal point of a bitter protest that gained international attention in the ‘90s to prevent a dam being built at Traveston Crossing, and continues to be an important preservation zone for some of Australia’s most endangered turtle, fish and frog species.

The Mary Valley region, particularly the upper reach, has continued to grow and diversify over the years and has now become a major tourist destination in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

The river itself is a major drawcard for those who love the outdoors.

As it passes through the hills and gorges of Conondale and Kenilworth it provides stunning views of long, deep pools surrounded by tree-lined cliffs and sandy banks perfect for diving into for a swim.

It constantly changes from long, slow-moving sections to fast-moving and narrow twisty runs, which will provide a bit of excitement for paddlers travelling down the river.

You never know what you will find around the next bend!

And that’s why the Mary River is one of my favourite paddling destinations.

What the Mary offers better than most other locations in Queensland is a trail.

A trail offers a challenge and some excitement on a paddling journey.

It gives a traveller a sense of purpose, a oneway journey through new country with new things to experience around each bend in the river. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Canoeing

by DAN OWBRIDGE

It’s this sense of anticipation that make downriver trips so exciting, with the opportunity to spend two or three days on the river, paddling downstream and camping on the riverbank at night.

It’s like a Mark Twain book come to life.

Gympie Regional Council has recognised the potential of water-based trails and commissioned a study in 2015 to investigate the potential of establishing water trails on the Mary River and its tributaries.

In its study the council has identified a range of water trails in the region to suit paddler capabilities from novice to advanced over distances ranging from 2km to almost 150km.

The plan outlines a series of project stages to introduce regular river access points along with the necessary infrastructure at each, including allweather roads, picnic shelters and launching ramps.

To date, council has installed six new launch sites in the region, with three on the Mary River along the town reach section of Gympie and a further three in the townships of Imbil and Kandanga.

Plans are also well under way to have improved access points installed at Moy Pocket and Walker Rd bridges, opening up one of the most scenic and ecologically diverse sections of the river.

With increased access to the river comes increased risk of damage to the delicate ecosystem.

I asked the Gympie Council what we as users could do to ensure the long-term sustainability of this project.

The answer I received was a timely reminder of the responsibility we all have to protecting our natural environment.

“Our waterways are unique, diverse and incredibly ecologically significant, and we want others to love them as much as we do. It will be very important for users to take an active role in caring

for the environment they are paddling in, including taking rubbish with them, staying in the river, protecting our native species and their habitat and being safe.”

While many of the proposed water trails may take some time to be formalised, the good news is you can already paddle in most of the stretches of river nominated.

Here are a few of my personal recommendations for great day paddles on the southern section of the Mary River.

Moy Pocket to Walker Rd (11.5km) This section of the Mary River is stunning!

It consists of clear, deep pools overlooked by sandstone cliffs, with native timber interspersed with twisty and quick flowing gravelly runs.

It’s a short and reasonably challenging section of the river that should present no problems to paddlers with a bit of experience.

Walkers Rd Bridge is not a great access point and has limited parking, though it may be OK to leave a car for a shuttle back to the departure point.

Return trips on this section are not advisable.

Another option is to carry on to Vic Olsen Bridge.

Walker Rd to Vic Olsen Bridge (15.4km) Similar to the Moy Pocket section, but slightly longer and with similar conditions.

Allow adequate time to portage canoes and kayaks through the gravelly shallow sections on low water.

As mentioned above, Walker Rd is not a great spot to park multiple cars, so arrangements should be made to car shuttle.

Return trips on this section are not advisable.

Another stunning section of the river.

Vic Olsen Bridge to Traveston Crossing (22.2km) A longer section but somewhat easier because sections between shallows tend to be longer and

deeper for more continuous paddling.

This section will suit experienced paddlers because 22km is a long way to paddle in a day.

Access points at Vic Olsen and Traveston are good and have been established, if informally, for quite some time.

As with the upstream sections of the river, allow time to portage canoes and kayaks through shallow sections of low water at times.

Traveston Crossing to Carlson Rd and return (14.6km) An easy section of the river to paddle without having to organise a car shuttle.

Traveston Crossing is a good place to leave a car and access to the water is easy.

The river is wider in this section and as a consequence the current is not too strong for the return journey.

It’s still a pretty section of the river, with opportunities to see lungfish and turtles as you paddle along.

The Mary is a seasonal river and as such river levels should be checked prior to departing on any section.

Low water will mean a lot of carrying or dragging craft through shallow sections, which are often just too shallow to paddle through.

The reward however, is great.

Few rivers in Queensland provide such an opportunity for an extended trip through pristine countryside.

The Mary features an abundance of wildlife in and around the river that can’t be seen in many other places, and the untamed element of the upper reaches will excite adventure buffs.

So, don’t delay!

Grab a canoe, kayak or stand-up paddleboard and get out onto the Mary River today.

Because there really is something about Mary…

For further information on the Mary River and the canoe and kayak trails, visit gympie.qld.gov.au or call Natureline’s showroom team for advice on this and other destinations on 0424 001 646.

Canoes present the perfect method for traversing the Mary River.

The standard gravelly and shallow run found between pools.

OUTRIGGER FISHING CANOE NEW RELEASE

re u t a n to Get back • Canoes naturelinecanoes • Kayaks • Accessories • Repairs 07 • Boat hire natureline.com.au • Lessons

3390 4106

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 41

K AYAKING & canoeing Cracking action for Yak Hunters

T

HE Yak Hunters team members have been busy in preparation for the start of the Elite Series, which launches on January 28.

Jimbo James and a golden perch from South Australia.

Greg Rigby chased bass and was rewarded with this solid fish.

Luke Lispet scored a beautiful saratoga.

Page 42 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

However, some had a chance to take time out for themselves before the beginning of the Elite Series, with both myself and Chris Thompson smashing out new personal-best fish.

My PB fish was a 51cm mangrove jack extracted from the Tweed River on a new custom-built rod by Pure Custom Rods.

Chris’s new PB came in the form of a tilapia that measured 46.5cm while he was doing his part in eradicating these pest fish from killing off the natives in our waterways.

Meanwhile, Yak Hunters Australia founder Luke Lispet has been on the hunt for the elusive saratoga, enjoying a good deal of success in the southeast Queensland region.

Luke has also been busy creating several ‘how-to’ videos on a few methods anglers can use to target bream and saratoga.

These videos can be found in each state’s Yak Hunters Facebook group.

Yak Hunters would also like to welcome our latest sponsored angler, David Hopper.

David has been working hard by fishing and doing a lot for Yak Hunters, and in doing so has earned his way into the Yak Hunters sponsored team.

David has been going really well with his fishing lately, absolutely cleaning up on mangrove jack and plenty of other species such as flathead and groper.

Venturing across the border into NSW, Daniel Brown has been on the hunt for bass and managed to catch and release a beautiful golden bass.

This is great to see because it shows these native Australian species are growing healthily and bodes well for the future of our waterways and for Australian fishing.

But Daniel isn’t the only one out on the water targeting bass – a handful of other NSW members have been out as well, with Greg Rigby, Ben Reay, Scotty Waine and Jason Besley all fishing hard.

Some of these anglers are preparing for round one of the Elite Series.

Heading down into the land of the Great Australian Bight, South Australian Yak Hunter Jimbo James recently teamed up with visiting Queensland Yak Hunter Tim Bishop and the two set out on a day trip to chase golden and redfin perch.

The guys had an awesome day out and landed fantastic catches of both species, with plenty of

quality fish caught.

We’ve also got an update on the Elite Series, with both the Elite and ProAm classes now featuring major prizes for the end of year national champions.

The Elite prize is a Wilderness Systems Radar 135 kayak plus extras valued at $4000.

The Pro-Am prize is a Perception Pescador Pilot 12.0 pedal-drive kayak valued at $2600.

If you would like any more information on the Elite Series, head over to yakhunters.com and follow the links.

We have been overwhelmed by the support from our members, sponsors and supporters and would like to thank each one of you and look forward to seeing you during the series.

On a final note to anyone with a kayak and living in Queensland or NSW who wishes to win some awesome online prizes, Savage Gear Australia has come on board in sponsoring the Fish of the Month competition in both states.

FoM is an online fishing competition where a code is supplied at the beginning of each month in each Yak Hunters state group.

A different species

of fish is selected each month.

You then simply take a photo of the fish on your brag mat with the code in the photo for your chance to win the great prizes.

Prizes are also supplied for our other states from numerous other sponsors and supporters.

Mathew Kouimtzis

The author with his PB 51cm mangrove jack.

Christopher Thompson held his chunky PB tilapia.

David Hopper with his first two jacks of 2018.

Tim Bishop picked up a nice redfin in South Australia.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Send details to Bush ’n Beach Fishing magazine E: ben@bnbfishing.com.au PO Box 387 Cleveland 4163

Wilson’s Big Willy

Ultra series is proving so popular, especially with increasing numbers of bluewater anglers using braided line such as Power Pro Hollow-Ace in conjunction with a mono topshot.

Factory built, but with that custom rod style, the componentry on the Tiagra Ultra series is first class: braid-friendly Alps RX guides, Winn foregrips for comfort and grip and either detachable Pacific Bay Channel Lock straight carbon or curved butts depending on the model.

The blanks all this wizardry sit on though is where the action begins: Biofibre High Pressure Carbon 300 blanks across five line classes from 10-15kg to 24-37kg, with sweet, smooth parabolic actions.

This is just what you need when fishing braided line for marlin, tuna, swordfish and sharks.

Match one of these beauties up with a Talica overhead reel and enjoy all the advantages braided line brings to game fishing.

For more information, go online at shimanofish.com.au

Mustad Worm Binder

PUMPING worms and yabbies is a great way to get the freshest of fresh bait for your day’s fishing.

Having the right tool to get the job done is an important step to success and one that needs careful consideration.

The Wilson Big Willy Bait Pump gives users an extra-long 39” shaft, meaning you do not have to bend down so far when pumping.

This is a great asset for those who want to collect bait comfortably and easily.

Stainless steel and brass construction means this pump will go the distance, giving you years of faithful service and opening up your fishing options.

Available at all leading tackle shops, the Big Willy will become a vital part of any bait collection trip.

For more information, visit wilson fishing.com/Products/Accessories/ Bait-Pumps

Shimano Tiagra Ultra rods

GAME fishers are a discerning bunch who recognise that the equipment they use needs to be up to the challenge of prolonged fights with exceptionally large fish that generally have lots of stamina.

This is why the new Shimano Tiagra www.bnbfishing.com. au

MUSTAD has just released two Worm binders, a single and double.

Constructed from tough, waterproof 500D tarpaulin, these Worm Binders are sealed with a waterproof zipper for the ultimate in safety for your gear.

Zip-locked inner plastic pockets for lure storage (10 in single and 20 in double) allow anglers to carry more than enough rigs, hooks, plastics, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits for any fishing session.

The bags also contain plastic accessory pockets for things including jig heads, snips and small leader spools, while a larger mesh pocket can also store gloves, larger line spools and other accessories.

The plastic pockets are held in place with a rust-proof nylon split ring, ensuring longevity in this traditional weak area, and there is also an elastic small tool storage area inside the binder.

Outside are two Velcro straps for attaching the binders to backpacks, tackle bags or boats and the handles are finished with soft neoprene for the ultimate in angler comfort.

Available at all good tackle shops. www.wilsonfishing.com

Z-Man 2.75” Finesse FrogZ

Z-MAN’S bite-size 2.75” Finesse FrogZ features a realistic frog profile and twin paddle feet that create noise, water movement and a bubble trail that predators can’t resist... boof!

Rig it for surface fishing on a TT Lures 2/0 ChinlockZ or ChinlockZ Finesse hook, hold the rod tip up and wind the Finesse FrogZ until you hit the magic speed where the feet are bubbling and it’s calling predators to attack.

Alternatively, you can rig the Finesse FrogZ on a TT Lures 2/0 SnakelockZ or ChinlockZ SWS to fish weedless through cover or even on a standard HeadlockZ or DemonZ jig head for sub-surface fishing.

A bottom hook slot and deep top hook pocket protect the hook from fouling and snagging when weedless rigging and the softness and flexibility of the Z-Man 10X Tough ElaZtech ensures the plastic clears on the strike, exposing the hook and pinning the fish.

Deadly on bass, saratoga, mangrove jack, barra and more, this little frog is also sure to get eaten by a few surprises in both the fresh and salt water... boof!

Available in six colours with four per pack and a SRP of $10.95. www.zman.com.au

Wilson Marine and Leisure Liquid Lanolin

WILSON Marine and Leisure Liquid Lanolin protects marine hardware, cabling, outboard engines and fishing gear from the harmful ef-

fects of corrosion.

Lanolin is an environmentally friendly, non-conductive salt and acidresistant product that protects, rejuvenates and lubricates many different materials.

The lanolin lubricates and protects moving parts on tools, reels, zippers and chains, while being robust enough to resist high-pressure cleaning.

Lanolin can also be used to penetrate and free up rusted equipment, effectively working as an anti-seize agent in the field.

Application is via a directional nozzle that allows the lanolin to be placed exactly where it is needed, including tight and hard to reach places ordinary spray nozzles cannot reach.

Wilson Marine and Leisure Liquid Lanolin cleans, lubricates, rejuvenates and extends the life of metals, vinyls, plastic, leather, fibreglass and powdercoated surfaces.

Available in a 24-unit counter display pack of 60g spray cans, Wilson Marine and Leisure Liquid Lanolin is a very handy add-on sale item for countertops in all marine and tackle outlets. www.wilsonfishing.com

New Bone Dash 90S

Shimano Ocea Jigger rods

JIG-eating fish are usually at the nasty end of the spectrum and the Japanese domestic market Ocea Jiggers have the power and design features to keep the biggest of them away from trouble and heading towards the boat.

Built on Shimano’s exclusive Spiral X and High Power blanks, they range in length from 1.88 to 1.91m, so they’re all one piece, which makes them a delight to fish with.

Depending on the target species and jigging technique required to entice them, the Ocea Jigger line-up has spin rods for slow jigging for demersals right through to overheads that are ideal when targeting deepwater species such as kingfish and samson fish as well as tropical muscle including dogtooth tuna.

Custom Shimano Ci4+ reel seats and comfortable EVA grips mean the high-intensity fights these rods will be a part of ensure the angler’s comfort for the duration of the fight.

The guides are Fuji titanium frames with SiC inserts. www.shimanofish.com.au

Mustad UltraPoint Flasher Rigs EVER wondered what lure is the ultimate search bait?

Introducing the Bone Dash 90S, a dual-function sinking pencil and vibe!

It is the first lure produced by Bone Lim. The 33g, 90mm Bone Dash 90 flutters on the fall and slides on the retrieve, giving the angler options like never before.

By attaching the line to the front MUSTAD has released two new eyelet, the Dash 90S will work like Flasher Rigs onto the market – the UltraPoint Octopus Flasher Rig and a sinking pencil bait, fluttering on the UltraPoint Circle Flasher Rig. the fall with a side to side glide on a These are user-friendly two-hook straight retrieve. rigs that can be used to target snapper Smart anglers can give the Dash 90S and any other reef species. a realistic sliding, darting action with Suitable for jigging while drifting clever rod work. and also for bottom fishing, these rigs Attaching your lure on the top eyelet are built using high-quality Mustad will enable the vibe mode, giving the UltraPoint hooks and 60lb leaders to Dash 90S a tight wobble on a straight maximise the flasher’s action while still being suitable for serious fish. retrieve.

The rigs are also suitable for tipping This tie-off position also creates less resistance through the water on the with bait to enhance their appeal to a retrieve and still maintains the flut- wider variety of fish including pearl perch, flathead, kingfish and more. tering sink.

The Octopus Flasher Rig uses the Bone recommends anglers fish these famous Mustad Octopus hook and has incredible lures with the Bone Voyage series of rods such as the BVC774H, blue and red flashing with a generous BVC684XH, BVC704XH or BVS- pearlescent Fish Skin across the back of the hook, while the Circle Flasher 704XH. Rig uses the Mustad 39953 circle Small in profile, but big on ac- hook and is finished with chartreuse/ tion and options, the Dash 90S is a green flashing. dual-function lure that will appeal to Fishing deep or shallow, with or predators in any water. without bait, the new Mustad Flasher Available in 10 colours, head to Rigs will provide great options for wilsonfishing.com/Products/Lures/ anglers across the country.

Bone-Lures/Dash-90S to find out Visit wilsonfishing.com for more more. information.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 43

BOATING & marine

New release Simrad NSO evo3 navigation system S evo3 navigation system, the premier integrated display solution for larger cruising and sportfishing boats.

The new NSO evo3 design simplifies installation while preserving

the power and flexibility that make the NSO series the perfect solution for customising a system for larger cruising and sportfishing vessels.

Connect NSO evo3 to Simrad premium network modules and add GPS, autopilot, keypad controllers and other accessories to create the ideal vesselwide system.

NSO evo3 includes a true high-definition display (1920 x 1080) that puts you in total control of your on board electronics through an easy-to-use touchscreen interface.

The bright, multi-touch

display features unbeatable clarity and can be viewed from any angle, even when wearing polarised sunglasses, and supports up to a six-panel split-screen layout.

The display is powered by a high-performance iMX6 quad-core processor that takes responsiveness to a new level with quicker chart redraws, the fastest updates and instant response to every tap of the touchscreen.

NSO evo3 can easily power current Simrad system technology such as Halo Radar, the S5100 CHIRP sounder module,

ForwardScan forwardlooking sonar and StructureScan 3D sonar imaging, with power to spare for any future high-performance innovations.

The NSO evo3 can connect to smartphones, tablets and internet hot spots with integrated wireless connectivity and features advanced networking including HMDI input/output, OP50 support and direct connection and control of audio, autopilot and NMEA 2000 and J1939 engines.

NSO evo3 displays can be bought as part of a system kit, which comes

more dry, less spray.

More room, more features, more stability.

More of everything for a great day on the water... all thanks to our revolutionary Apex Hull.

7KH UDGLFDO YDULDEOH ÂľDUHG ERWWRP VKHHW extends to the bow gunnel as does the wide FKLQH 7KDW PHDQV PRUH LQWHUQDO VSDFH DQG storage, which lets us build new consoles, FDVWLQJ SODWIRUPV EXQNV XSKROVWHU\ DQG HYHQ

QX100CMAPEXMORE002

IMRAD Yachting, a leader in the design and manufacture of world-class marine navigation, autopilot, radar, communications and fishfinding systems, has announced the new NSO

WUDQVRPV GHSHQGLQJ RQ WKH PRGHO :H­YH DOVR added thicker and higher topsides and raised WKH GHFN IRU PRUH IUHHERDUG :LWK WKH QHZ $SH[ +XOO \RX JHW PRUH RI WKH all the good things - like a softer ride and less spray.

0RUH LV PRUH RQO\ IURP a Quintrex!

*Size and features comparison made with 2016 Quintrex models.

The new Quintrex APEX Hull gives you more room, more features and more stability.

Check it out at your nearest dealer: Brisbane | Brisbane Yamaha 174 Eastern Service Rd, Bruce Hwy Burpengary Q 4505 T: 07 3888 1727 brisbaneyamaha.com.au

Bundaberg | Boats Galore 142 Enterprise St, Bundaberg Q 4670 T: 07 4152 6744 boatsgalore.com.au

Page 46 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

Gold Coast | Surf Coast Marine 50-54 Brisbane Rd, Labrador Q 4215 T: 07 5563 7733 surfcoastmarine.com.au

Sunshine Coast | Caloundra Marine 8 Baldwin St, Caloundra Q 4551 T: 07 5491 1944 caloundramarine.com.au

Tweed Heads | Tweed Coast Marine 32 Machinery Dr, Tweed Heads South NSW 2486 T: 07 5524 8877 tweedcoastmarine.com.au

Toowoomba | Water Skiers Warehouse 91-93 Neil St, Toowoomba Q 4350 T: 0400 379 514 waterskierswarehouse.com.au

with everything needed to build a glass helm system, including a GPS antenna, chart card reader, NMEA 2000 Starter Kit and OP50 Remote Controller.

The OP50 provides keypad control of up to six separate displays, perfect for a multi-display helm layout.

Available in 16�, 19�

and 24� integrated displays, Simrad NSO evo3 is available from authorised dealers and distributors throughout Australia.

For more information on the Simrad NSO evo3 or the company’s entire line of marine electronics, please contact 1300 NAVICO or visit simradyachting.com

Vessel tracking policy and guidelines released

T

HE Queensland Government recently released a draft policy and guideline to support the roll-out of vessel tracking on all commercial fishing boats.

Fisheries Queensland Director of Operations Mark Doohan said the department was seeking feedback around the rules and scenarios that commercial fishers would need to follow, starting from the end of 2018. “Vessel tracking is part of a larger effort to help us make better decisions to ensure our fish stocks remain sustainable into the future,� he said. “Vessel tracking will be required on all crab, net and line boats by the end of 2018, and all other commercial and charter boats are to have it in place by 2020. “The government is committed to working with industry to ensure the policy and guidelines are practical and achievable for smaller inshore boats. “We are encouraging commercial fishers to have their say before February 23, 2018 when the feedback will be reviewed and the policy and guidelines finalised. “Film and education resources are available to help commercial fishers understand the purpose of vessel tracking and some of the benefits to industry.�

Fisheries Queensland staff will be visiting regional centres in January and February 2018 to listen to commercial fishers.

Visit the vessel tracking page at fisheries.qld. gov.au to book a time to speak to a Fisheries representative during the regional visits.

Mr Doohan said vessel tracking was not new and had been in place in some Queensland fisheries for more than 15 years. “It’s important that commercial fishers understand why vessel tracking is a positive

step for their industry and the overall benefits to ensuring the sustainability of fisheries resources,� he said.

North Queensland commercial fisher Richard Taylor said vessel tracking brought a number of benefits. “We would not be trawling in a world heritage area without a doubt, without vessel tracking,� he said.

Fisheries Queensland is currently trialling three new vessel tracking units that are smaller, more portable and more affordable than older units used in the trawl fishery.

Mr Doohan said one vessel tracking unit being trialled was small enough to fit in the palm of a hand and could be easily moved between vessels. “With technological advances, the size and cost of vessel tracking units has reduced significantly compared to when they were first introduced in Queensland’s trawl fishery in the 1990s,� he said. “The cost of one unit is about $200, with monthly data costs of around $30-$40. “About $2 million has been set aside to help subsidise the costs to industry. “An approved list of units available to fishers to buy will be available in early 2018, along with the subsidy scheme’s details.�

The introduction of vessel tracking on all Queensland commercial fishing boats is one of the reforms under the Queensland Government’s $20 million Sustainable Fisheries Strategy.

The vessel tracking policy, guideline and film are available online at fisheries.qld.gov. au or you can call 13 25 23 for more information.

The latest fisheries information is also available on social media at twitter.com/fisher iesQLD and Facebook at facebook.com/Fish eriesQueensland www.bnbfishing.com. au

BOATING & marine

Overall proportions of the Stessl 520 Bluewater are pretty much bang on, making for one very tidy-looking rig.

The Yamaha F115 four-stroke on the back of the 520 Bluewater had awesome midrange to make light work of getting out of hairy situations.

Superlative Stessl 520 Bluewater “ D AMN, that’s a good-looking boat” were the first words out of my mouth upon laying eyes on the 2018 Stessl 520 Bluewater.

Dash layout is basic but covers the essentials well.

With a striking teal and black wrap and sharp, aggressive lines all over, this particular Bluewater was one of the best-looking rigs I’d ever seen.

Developed using Stessl’s exclusive Platerix Series heavy-duty plate alloy construction, this is one solid boat designed to withstand the rigours of serious offshore fishing.

Boat Review

by DANIEL TOMLINSON

Utilising sturdy 4mm plate bottom and side sheets, the 520 Bluewater adds offshore pedigree in the form of fully welded gunwales and side decks, an enclosed transom with twin hatches and acres of fishing room.

Ubiquitous underfloor flotation is standard, as is a massive 150-litre fuel tank tucked under the floor, providing a serious

cruising range of 350km when teamed with Yamaha’s superb 115hp fourstroke.

That impressive range would increase even further with the recommended 90hp on the back, instead of the maximum 115hp.

I wouldn’t have it any other way however, as the test rig powered by the Yamaha F115 four-stroke

proved to be an absolute gem.

The F115 was almost unbelievably quiet at all speeds, barely whispering whether idling or punching through chop and swell in the Tweed Bar. In fact, another boat on the test day was powered by a 90hp Yamaha fourstroke, and despite the two engines being largely similar with the same 1.8-litre engine block and identical bore and stroke, I found the F115 to be a good few decibels quieter than the F90LB. Possibly the F115’s dou-

ble overhead cam head design had something to do with it (compared to the F90’s single-cammer), but whatever the reason, the F115 was the notably quieter engine and raised voices were not needed to converse at the helm when under way.

I felt the test rig was perfectly powered, jumping on the plane with no fuss whatsoever, and in the Tweed Bar showing the sort of instant, midrange grunt necessary to safely navigate most * continued P45

FEATURES Samurai Hull • Fully Welded Checker Plate Floor • Wash Down Deck with Scuppers • Swept Bow • Capped Keel • Reverse Chines • Live Bait Tank • SPECIFICATIONS Beam 2.35m • Length 4.6m • Maximum 70 hp • 90 Litre Under Floor Fuel Tank • 4mm Bottom / 3mm Sides •

NEW MODEL RELEASE

460 RANGER For more information visit

www.seajayboats.com.au

www.fb.com/SeaJayBoats

Page 44 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

www.bnbfishing.com. au

BOATING & marine

Superlative Stessl 520 Bluewater * from P44

coastal bars.

And this wasn’t just thanks to the motor, as I could really feel the Platerix hull working underneath us to slice through the substantial waves and push spray well clear thanks to effective reverse chines.

We decided these ugly conditions would also present the perfect opportunity to test the boat’s stability, and with three ‘full-size’ adults sitting on the gunwale in over a metre of fast-moving swell, the 520 Bluewater wasn’t

fazed, which is great news for those keen on offshore fishing.

Heading back to calmer waters further up the Tweed River meant punching through some of the shortest and sharpest chop I had ever encountered.

With 20 knots of wind blowing into our faces against who knows how many knots of tide, these were brutal little waves, but sitting happily at 4000rpm and 40km/h, the Stessl 520 Bluewater just ate it up, skipping athletically over the worst of the chop to provide a

mostly cosseting ride.

And this is despite the driving position being almost on the bow of the boat.

In the pursuit of maximum fishing room, Stessl has pushed the seating position as far forward as sensibly possibly, and amazingly (unlike some other brands that follow this design ethos), the ride didn’t unduly suffer as a result.

Once back in smooth water, opening the taps on the Yamaha F115 saw us tickle 66km/h at 5800rpm.

Stessl’s unique Platerix hull carves water with aplomb and provides a beautifully cushioned and stable ride.

Internally, the 520 Bluewater’s raised foredeck is constructed from fibreglass, which makes for a tidier finish and nicer touch points than regular aluminium.

The seats both fore and aft are excellent and overall layout is perfect.

A ‘luggage rail’ runs around the floor following the dash, which is great for tucking tackle bags and other items out of the way and for resting feet on while under way, and a sports spoke steering wheel adds a classy touch.

The centre portion of the curved three-piece windscreen opens out and works with a recess in the fibreglass dash to allow easy access to the anchor well that is ‘sunk’ into the fibreglass foredeck.

The carpeted floor throughout features storage hatches underneath and the test boat had a sizeable kill tank tucked under there too.

A swing-opening rear door leads out to a dualstep, non-slip boarding platform and grab rail with a heavy-duty folding dive ladder.

The test boat was kitted out with an optional bait

board with live bait tank, which was an excellent setup, as well as a rocket launcher on the bimini, two options I can definitely recommend for anyone keen on doing some serious fishing in their 520 Bluewater.

On that note, anyone in the market for a moderately sized, well laid-out fishing rig that is as happy in the estuaries as on the offshore reefs would do well to take a very close look at this boat.

And don’t forget, with that teal and black wrap it looks damn sexy to boot.

Packaged on a quality Dunbier trailer, driveaway prices from Marine Tune on the Gold Coast start from just $42,490 when paired with a 90hp four-stroke.

As tested, our boat ran to $48,990 thanks to the bigger motor, Raymarine Axiom sounder/GPS and other options mentioned earlier.

For more information on the great-value Stessl 520 Bluewater, head to stessl.com.au and to learn more about the exceptional range of Yamaha outboards, visit yamahamotor.com.au

For a 5.2m boat the cockpit is expansive and perfectly laid out for fishing.

A generous 2.4m beam maximises fishing room, while the rear deck design and swing ladder make boarding easy.

Quality aluminium boats to suit tough Australian conditions

www.stessl.com.au

Established in 1973

Contact your nearest dealer: BlueFin Sports Rockhampton 07 4922 2211 www.bnbfishing.com. au

Marine Tune Gold Coast 07 5576 7388

Rising Sun Townsville 07 4779 0211

Whitsunday Outboard Centre Cannonvale 07 4946 7286

Holt Marine Brisbane 07 3353 1928

Precision Marine Darwin 08 8931 1140

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 45

Brisbane’s best-kept secret MARINE

6m Aluvan $

59,999

Suzuki 200hp 4-stroke

The 6m Aluvan plate centre console is a unique dive/fishing platform, fitted with a fly-by-wire Suzuki 200hp with 70km/h performance. Garmin touchscreen GPS combo, VHF radio and deck wash.

MARINE

Aluvan 4.4 Katana $

26,399

Suzuki 60hp 4-stroke

The Aluvan 4.4 Katana is fitted with a side console, 60-litre underfloor fuel tank, electric motor bracket and powered by a Suzuki 60hp 4-stroke.

Includes all regos and safety gear.

MARINE

Aluvan 4.4 Razor S $

19,890

Suzuki 40hp 4-stroke

The Aluvan 4.4 Razor S is fitted with a 4-stroke tiller-control Suzuki 40hp. Has a plumbed 86-litre kill/keeper tank built into the cast deck. Includes safety gear and regos.

MARINE PICTURES FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY

Northside’s exclusive Suzuki dealer

MARINE

MARINE

motorsportmarine.com.au www.bnbfishing.com. au

07 3888 0555

11 Brewers St, Burpengary QLD info@motorsportmarine.com.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 47

BOATING & marine Pretty to watch P

ICTURE yourself in a Formosa Tomahawk Offshore 550 Territory, one of Formosa Marine’s iconic models and tried and tested in the top end of Australia.

Everything on a Formosa is well designed, with the distinct curved chine line everyone will notice on the water and the many practical optional extras to create your perfect escape.

A boat for every budget...

FISH HUNTER 459 centre console

...Stessco has it!

ur new o y h t i ater w w e h t n Get o today! o c s s e t S BRISBANE | Karee Marine

IPSWICH | Ipswich Marine Centre

1776 Ipswich Motorway, Rocklea kareemarine.com.au 07 3875 1600

45 Huxham St, Ipswich ipswichmarine.com.au 07 3294 3944

BRISBANE NORTH | Motorsport Marine

SUNSHINE COAST | Laguna Boating Centre

11 Brewers St, Burpengary motorsportmarine.com.au 07 3888 0555

16 Project Ave, Noosaville lagunaboating.com.au 07 5442 4872

Page 48 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

Buying a Formosa is easy At Australian Marine Centre, the philosophy is simple: boating is fun and the AMC team likes to make it easy for customers by providing expert knowledge and exceptional customer service.

Years of experience This year Formosa Marine is celebrating 20 years of building strong, excellent value, trailerable, aluminium plate boats.

Formosa boats are designed to maximise your boating experience and allow you to discover more activities and more waterways, all in the one boat.

Formosa has earned a solid reputation for quality fishing boats and when you step on board you will very quickly discover the ingenious craftsmanship involved in the build.

Australian made Made on Brisbane’s bayside for Australian conditions, Formosa’s boats offer exceptionally solid performance.

If you love to spend your leisure time on the water, whether it’s fishing or enjoying family time, you will relish every part of the experience these boats offer.

Large range Australian Marine Centre stocks a wide range

of quality family fishing boats and Formosa Marine is no exception.

Formosa boats range from 4.55m to 7.40m in length and are offered in many configurations such as Centre Console, Half and Centre Cabin, Bowrider, Territory, full lockup cabin and many more; in fact there are over 75 models!

Visit Australian Marine Centre Speak to the team about creating the perfect Formosa Marine package and learn all there is to know about these awesome fishing boats.

AMC ‘makes boating better’ by supplying and servicing Suzuki Marine motors, the ultimate fourstroke outboards.

When it comes to Formosa Marine, AMC has a proven track record for selling all makes and models and it’s safe to say the team members know what they are talking about.

Discover more Visit the yard located near IKEA at 3491 Pacific Highway, Slacks Creek.

For sales and service, call 07 3808 7333 or visit amcboats.com.au Discover more with a Formosa at formosama rineboats.com.au

New Ocean Craft square-nosed bow

O

CEAN Craft is proud to release its latest model with an aircraft carrierstyle square-nosed bow for maximum deck space and dune buggy ramp loading.

This new release is available in three options: 1. Cruiser extreme party barbecue boat.

2. Aircraft carrier square-nosed bow for maximum deck space.

3. Dune buggy transporter.

Standard features include an above-waterline self-draining deck, fulllength heavy-duty folddown bimini top, belowdeck hatch, airtight buoyancy section under deck and an ocean-going wave-

punching hull.

Customers can choose from a wide variety of options such as a storm refuge V berth cabin, underfloor live bait tank, kill tank, a second weatherproof below-deck hatch, on board toilet, fitted kitchen, worktop, fridge, dual-burner cooker and basin, stereo and 12V power points.

Whether it’s going surfing, spearfishing or weekending around the islands, the Ocean Craft Cruiser extreme party barbecue boat is ready to do the job.

This setup is priced from $38,283 for the 5.2m and $44,995 for the 6m model.

For more information, please visit oceancraft. com.au

www.bnbfishing.com. au

See your authorised Mercury MerCruiser Dealer today AIRLIE BEACH | Whitsunday Outboard Centre 17 William Murray Dr, Cannonvale Q 4802 P: 07 4946 7286 E: woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au W: whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au

BRISBANE SOUTH | Coorparoo Marine 57 Cavendish Rd, Coorparoo Q 4151 P: 07 3397 4141 E: info@coorparoomarine.com.au W: coorparoomarine.com.au

BRISBANE | Holt Marine 25 Queens Rd, Everton Park Q 4053 P: 07 3353 1928 E: info@holtmarine.com.au W: holtmarine.com.au

GOLD COAST | Onshore Marine Horizon Shores Marina, Woongoolba Q 4207 P: 07 5546 2480 E: onshoremarine@ozemail.com.au W: onshoremarine.com.au

BRISBANE NORTH | Brisbane Marine 306 Duffield Rd, Clontarf Q 4019 P: 07 3889 3033 E: info@brismarine.com.au W: brismarine.com.au

IPSWICH | Ipswich Marine Centre 45 Huxham St, Raceview Q 4305 P: 07 3294 3944 E: enquiries@ipswichmarine.com.au W: ipswichmarine.com.au

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 49

BOATING & marine SeaTrail delivers terrific trailers A BOUT four years ago I came back to the boat ramp after a day on the water to find someone had decided they needed my boat trailer more than I did, which left me with a few problems.

The new C-channel design is great because you don’t have to worry about corrosion inside the trailer with no box section to hide anything.

One, my vessel was still in the water with no way of getting it home, and two, being a commercial operator I needed to get back up and running as soon as possible.

After dealing with all the paperwork with the police and working out that insurance money would nowhere near cover the price of a new trailer,

It doesn’t matter how old your boat is, they always look good when you put a shiny new trailer underneath them.

Trailer Talk

by SEAN CONLON

I organised a marina berth and immediately got on the phone to start ringing around to find a new trailer.

After a few phone calls to the standard trailer makers in the industry I realised it was going to cost me at least $6000 for the trailer and nobody had one in stock, yet I needed to get back on the water ASAP. I ended up ringing a mate of mine in the boating industry and told him my dilemma.

He recommended I call the team at SeaTrail here in Brisbane, so I did and luckily enough the boys were able to set me up with a trailer within two days.

The trailer wasn’t quite as long as I had wanted but it was enough to do the job.

I can honestly say four years later that it was the best money I’ve spent on a trailer and it cost no-

where near $6000.

Four years of commercial use later, I was able to sell that trailer and it was still in good condition.

I’d never even changed the bearings on it.

The bloke who bought it is going to give it a bit of a touch-up and it’ll go straight under his boat and keep on going.

I guarantee he’ll get a lot of years out of it in a recreational application.

That brings me to the new trailer I’ve decided to buy from SeaTrail.

I don’t get my trailers for free, I have to pay for them, so like all of you I want to get the best value for money.

So far I can’t fault these trailers.

We’ve put a new one under the work boat and hopefully we’ll get plenty more years out of it as well.

I decided to buy a new C-channel galvanised steel trailer this time be-

cause we know when boat trailers decide they want to rust it’s not the rust on the outside we worry about, it’s the rust on the inside of the tubing.

So being a C-channel trailer means there is no box sections and any rust you get on the outside can be spotted and worked with.

This is a really big plus.

And unlike aluminium trailers where you may have dissimilar metals causing corrosion, my new trailer is all one material.

Something I noticed about these trailers is they

are constructed with quite a thick-gauge C-channel of about 6mm (though don’t quote me on that).

Overall the trailer is heavier than a standard box-section trailer, which I’ve found has made it ride particularly well when towing my 6m boat at speed.

This has definitely opened up longer trips than I probably would have attempted with the lighter trailer.

I put the biggest C-channel trailer SeaTrail had available under my boat.

SeaTrail manufactures a ☛ continued P51

An older vessel getting a new trailer put under it.

SeaTrail can lift your boat off your old trailer and professionally fit it on the new trailer.

Create your adventures

485 SUNRUNNER Featuring a Hydro Lift hull, wide beam and live bait tank.

Built tough with 3mm bottom and sides.

TOWNSVILLE | Townsville Marine 943 Ingham Rd, Bohle Q 07 4779 6569

ROCKHAMPTON | Bluefin Sports 57-59 Musgrave St, North Rockhampton 07 4922 2211

SPRINGWOOD | Neptune Marine 7 Judds Crt, Slacks Creek Q 07 3290 6370

HERVEY BAY | Barney’s Marine Shed 3A Nissan St, Pialba Q 07 4124 3170

GOLD COAST | Marine Tune 64 Kortum Dr, Burleigh Heads Q 07 5576 7388

WHITSUNDAYS | Whitsunday Outboard Centre 1 William Murray Dr, Cannonvale Q 07 4946 7286

H O R I Z O N B O AT S . C O M . A U Page 50 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

www.bnbfishing.com. au

SeaTrail delivers Insights into boat insurance terrific trailers ☛ from P50

wide range of trailer sizes and varieties and if you go to seatrailqld.com.au you’ll find all the models.

Alternatively, give the team a ring on 07 3393 9463 and the guys will definitely help you out with a trailer at the right price.

If you’ve got the time, drop in and see the team at the shop in Hemmant where you’ll find a really good range of everything you could need in terms of trailers and accessories.

One service SeaTrail offers, and one I wish I’d taken advantage of after spending a fair few hours crawling around underneath my trailer and driving it on and off to work on it in the car park, is if

EN

The boys put the final touches on the trailer before the author took delivery.

D

OR

,

B

you go into the shop with your vessel and you’ve bought a new trailer, the team has the machinery to lift your vessel off your old trailer and put it onto the new one.

The guys will even adjust it correctly and get it set up.

I think this is a great idea and next time I get a new trailer I will be taking advantage of this service.

Even if you’ve got a preferred trailer supplier, why not give SeaTrail a call and check out the range.

You never know, you may save a few bucks and get yourself into a new trailer earlier than you thought.

USH ‘n Beach has brought Nautilus Marine Insurance on board to expand the fine print and provide readers with clear, easy-tounderstand and helpful tips on protecting their boating assets.

You’ve got a buyer lined up for your current boat and you’re finalising your thoughts on which of the extended new year boat specials is right for you.

Bewdy, it’s going to be a fantastic 2018.

But before your current boat heads out your driveway in the hands of its new owner and before you sign on the dotted line for your new rig, you need to be very clear about where your current insurance policy stands – or perhaps, even falls over.

If you are insured with a leading specialist marine insurer such as Nautilus Marine, things are already a long way down the track to panning out perfectly.

For example, your current insurance policy ordinarily will give you 21 days’ automatic coverage for your new boat.

And here’s a major win for you – the value of your new boat is not a problem in this regard.

Time to break it down a little.

Let’s assume your current boat, which your neighbour Tony is keen to buy, is worth $23,000 and is insured for that value.

Let’s also assume the boat, motor, trailer and electronics package you intend to buy on Saturday from your local marine dealer is worth $85,000.

Nautilus Marine will give you 21 days to update the details of your new boat and in the meantime, provide coverage for it at the new boat price of $85,000.

So it doesn’t matter if your insurance broker or other businesses are closed on the Saturday afternoon, you can still proceed with the purchase knowing you have three weeks in which to sort things out.

However, be aware that some insurers do not offer this temporary cover for the new, highervalue boat – they will only cover you for the $23,000 proportion of your $85,000 boat.

OK, so what about Tony and your ex-boat?

Basically, that’s an issue for Tony.

He needs to arrange his own insurance cover,

perhaps by going online to take out cover on the $23,000 boat he bought from you.

Even better, he should phone Nautilus Marine before finalising the purchase of your boat, satisfy himself about the terms of cover and his eligibility to secure insurance cover in his own right and get the paperwork under way.

Bottom line: your policy will not cover both boats simultaneously.

The key point to understand is while the policy coverage might automatically transfer from boat to boat, it does not automatically transfer from owner to owner.

While you own the boat and your insurance policy is in place, you are covered.

Once someone else such as Tony takes own-

ership, there is no longer coverage of that boat until the new owner organises it.

You, as the former owner, do have an insurance credit sitting for the unused proportion of your annual insurance fee.

It is this credit that is used to provide coverage for your new $85,000 boat in the interim.

If you are selling your boat and not buying another, you can ask your insurer for a refund on the unused proportion of your policy.

Say it’s February now and your policy would have been due for renewal in July, you would have a credit of four months’ insurance.

Finally, as with all insurance policies, always check your product disclosure document and if

you have a query, ask for clarification.

If you need further information, you can contact Nautilus Marine Insurance on 1300 780 533 for any boat insurance requirements.Win a Nautilus Marine rod Nautilus will also be answering your boat insurance questions of a general nature and offering a great bi-monthly prize for the best questions received.

The prize is a custombuilt 15-24kg Nautilus Marine-branded overhead 5’6” light game and reef fishing rod crafted

by Gary Howard and featuring Fuji guides, a graphite reel seat and roller tip.

Each rod has a retail value of about $300.

Just email your questions to qld@nautilusin surance.com.au

Any advice contained in this article is of a general nature only and may not apply or be right for you as it does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.

Before acting on any advice provided in this article, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

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www.fishncruisecharters.com.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 53

Hi guys, I recently caught an endangered winghead shark (part of the hammerhead family) from the mouth of the Brisbane River.

These sharks are quite rare and it was tagged and promptly released.

Cheers, Matt Hughes

Hi Ben, Happy New Year!

My son Hayden caught this tailor by trolling a 50mm Zerek Tango Shad in shallow water near Amity Point.

Lex Neal My daughter Taylor with the first fish she caught by herself.

Taylor landed the bream on a combo she received for Christmas and fought it like a pro.

Damian Perry

Lex Neal scored a dolphinfish off Caloundra by trolling skirts.

Hi Ben, My son, Nathan Hanlon of Sheldon, picked up these tasty Moreton Bay mud crabs to assist with our Christmas/New Year festivities.

Kind regards, Sue Hanlon

Hi Ben, This is a photo of Ben Manfield who caught his first Moreton Bay grassy sweetlip, which measured 37cm, while using squid for bait.

Thanks.

S Manfield

I captured this 12kg large-mouth nannygai around Bowen.

Mitch Deas

Hey Ben, I managed to catch a few nice dart on my recent trip to Moreton Island.

Cheers, Josh Bell

To have a photo of your catch featured in Readers Forum, simply email ben@ bnbfishing.com.au with a good-quality picture, your name and details or hop onto our Facebook page and send us a message.

G’day Ben, Here is a nice trout I caught at the back side of Hook Island in the Whitsundays.

Cheers mate, keep up the good work!

Troy Cursio

Hi Ben, Wondered if you guys could use this in your magazine.

We recently stayed at Riverview near Elliott Heads in the Bundaberg area and this 77cm barra was caught by my hubby Bradley on a 4” pumpkinseed curly tail plastic while flicking for flathead.

Kelly Weller

■ Readers Forum ■ Readers Forum ■ Readers Forum Page 54 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Terry with an 18kg unicorn.

Mud Clack held an absolute cracker.

Welcome to the PNG jungle

P

ICKING up where I left off in my last article, let’s get straight back into my Papua New Guinean black bass fishing adventure.

Day five This day saw a change in partners, so I joined Brian Rake, a fellow Queenslander and long-time friend.

We hit the usual first haunt but today was another day and while we were still smacking fish, they were not as thick.

The success around pressure points was heavily dependent on tidal influence.

They were much more defined in the mornings than the afternoons.

Brian managed a few big barra in the high-90cm range that we dropped off to the villagers for the feast they were having to commemorate the passing of their chief.

Already downstream, Billy suggested we try a new spot, so we headed further downstream to another pressure spot.

This one was different and felt like more of a bass haunt.

Brian got hammered by a couple of big barra, and remember these barra are wild in heavy current.

The locals call them black barra due to their power.

We had all caught plenty of big fish back in Australia but we felt these 90cm barra would pull our 120cm fish backwards.

Suddenly we got a double hook-up and the spot was looking up, with our totals on the rise.

We cut a corner on one trolling pass and I was hammered by a big fish that knew exactly where home was.

With the motor in reverse, a locked drag and my thumb on the spool, www.bnbfishing.com. au

PNG Adventure – Part 2

by NATHAN REID

this fish was still in control.

As I leant back, something had to give and it was the braid.

I went tumbling back in between the seats as Billy spotted my braid floating in the water, so he grabbed it and it was back on in hand-to-hand combat with a mighty black bass.

I grabbed the leader, jammed the net under the fish and completed the most unbelievable capture I have ever seen.

Brian and I laughed hard about that one in coming days.

Day six I would be fishing with Terry Phillips from Victoria for this day.

This was Terry’s second trip to the Fly River and he had hopes of busting a personal best.

We worked the deep edges with our guide Mea and Terry experienced a couple of very quick dustups that snapped his braid, leaving him wondering what to do next.

When 80lb braid is breaking, there isn’t much more than a bit of luck keeping you hooked up.

By this stage I was convinced black bass are the hardest-hitting, dirtiestfighting fish in the water.

We relocated to another spot, I put a Noeby lure on and was cleaned up straight away.

Terry was out of Noeby lures, so I gave him another because my fish tally was starting to increase fairly quickly.

As we worked the dropoff, Terry buckled over and we sang the Noeby chant, which by now most of the guides were shouting after hook-ups.

Terry’s hooked fish was big.

It held deep as the rod thumped with purpose.

In the strong current I grabbed the net so Mea could hold the boat in position.

Then up came the unicorn: a beastly 18kg black bass.

With a dip of the net, the magnificent fish was in the boat.

Terry was ecstatic and I was so stoked to not only see it happen but also be part of such a moment in someone’s fishing life.

Terry was converted and told me Noeby lures are off the hook.

After some quick pictures, we watched the king of the jungle swim off.

We regained our composure, checked our knots and cast out once more.

Bang, Terry buckled over again on an even bigger fish.

It was doing all the same things as the previous fish but was even stronger.

Then it decided today was not its day, running back across the drop-off into a snag on the bottom in 4m of water.

I couldn’t believe the power of this fish.

It was almost like it was playing with Terry at first.

We managed to salvage a very well-punctured lure and half a small tree.

After that epic action, we continued fishing with consistent results until dinner.

We arrived at K20 on a huge high with Terry grinning from ear to ear.

We gorged on another massive dinner and cake and had a few celebratory drinks with Terry as the anchor rose from the depths and we relocated

downstream.

The run downstream took the next 12 hours, so we had a pleasant night’s sleep as we cruised down the turbulent waters of the Fly. Day seven As we awoke the next morning, we started with the usual banquet breakfast and going over a plan of where to fish.

This time we were deep in the jungle to the point of having to bash and plough our way into the creeks due to log jams.

We anchored across from a small village and I had to pinch myself as I was amazed at how these wonderful people lived.

The women were singing as we beached the boats to work on the log jam and the feel of what might be the haunt of a big bass was thick in the air.

Yet today would be a tough day in new water with a different feel.

We worked hard for what we caught.

I fished with Scott from Wisconsin in the US, who by this stage had become Peter’s and my best friend.

All three of the rods Scott brought with him broke within the first two days of the trip, so we lent him a Noeby slow-jigging rod that would see him out for the rest of the trip and catch some impressive fish along the way.

Though we did manage several fish, it was to be my toughest day in PNG. I boated four bass for the day and one was the smallest for the trip at a whopping 10cm.

The highlight was a surface hit from a bass on the first cast.

Gee they move water!

All that aside, I was on the verge of a new milestone.

No one in the history of Sport Fishing PNG had ☛ continued P56

A singalong at Munda village.

A beautiful PNG sunset.

A solid bass hooked on the cast by Pete.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 55

Unforgettable fly fishing on the virgin flats

K

EEN anglers and enthusiastic amateurs are heading to COMO Maalifushi to fish the unspoiled sand flats on the fringes of this private island resort in the Maldives’ Thaa Atoll.

In partnership with Fishing Holiday Maldives – with 30 years’ experience in the country’s marine sports and recreational fishing industry – guests of COMO Maalifushi have access to professional guides and world-class fly fishing equipment at the resort.

These experienced guides use their local knowledge to help guests find the atoll’s best fishing spots, taking them there by flats boat (Hewes 18 Redfisher).

The shallow Indian Ocean waters of Thaa Atoll are teeming with marine life including bluefin, reef and giant trevally, bonefish and triggerfish – all alluring catches for anglers.

The main fishing destinations are within a 30-minute boat ride from the resort.

Other parts of the atoll can also be reached on full-day trips where anglers will discover a further 150sq km of unexplored and unfished sand flats.

Fishing Holiday Maldives founder Hamish Taggart said, “We are thrilled to be launching these fly fishing experiences in the almost totally virgin Thaa Atoll, in partnership with COMO Maalifushi.”

“With over 20 years’ experience fishing in this part of the Indian Ocean, I can honestly say the

surrounding flats and diverse ecosystem near this resort make it the ideal location for anglers seeking the ultimate fishing adventure.”

COMO Maalifushi general manager Pietro Addis said, “Fly fishing has yet to take off in the Maldives, so we are really excited to be among the first to offer this experience in the area.

“We hope to attract professional and amateur anglers alike to showcase the best of what this isolated patch of the Indian Ocean

has to offer.”

COMO Maalifushi’s fly fishing experiences are available from January to April (weather and tide dependent).

As part of COMO Hotels and Resorts’ sustainability ethos, strict catch and release rules are practised for all fish caught on the flats.

Fly Fishing experiences at COMO Maalifushi start from $US200 for a three-hour fishing expedition by kayak, and $US500 for a three-hour fishing expedition by boat.

Welcome to the PNG jungle ☛ from P55

by MELISSA FROHLOFF

Stir-fried seafood noodles Ingredients • 3 garlic cloves, crushed • 40g prosciutto, finely sliced • 200g green prawns, cleaned • 100g squid, cleaned and sliced • 1 small golden shallot, sliced • 1 tbsp soy sauce • 1 tbsp fish sauce • 1 tbsp chilli jam • 1 tbsp sesame oil • 2 tbsp chicken stock • 1 tsp ginger • Pinch of white sugar • 1 cup bean sprouts • 60g thin hokkien noodles • 30g vermicelli noodles soaked in hot water and drained • 1/2 red chilli, sliced

• Lime wedge • Shallot, sliced Instructions 1. Heat wok to medium, add sesame oil, garlic and shallot until they start to colour.

2. Add seafood to pan and lightly fry.

3. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, chilli jam, sugar and ginger to the wok and stir fry for a couple of minutes.

4. Add all the noodles, chicken stock and combine. Cook until hokkien noodles have softened.

5. Stir in bean sprouts and serve.

6. Garnish with sliced red chilli, shallots and a squeeze of lime juice.

Page 56 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

caught 100 fish, and by the last day Peter and I were well on our way.

I had seven fish to catch and Peter 12 to crack the tonne.

Day eight – the final chapter We had arranged for a big day on the water today that would see Peter, Brian and I on one tender, with Moli on camera and tunes detail and Billy as our guide.

We made a massive run upstream to a spot where Peter had managed a few fish the day before.

Arriving after nearly an hour of gunning the Yamaha 60hp at full noise, we found two drains running out of the swamp into the main river and a big underwater snag that was showing fish.

We worked the snag, picking up bass and barra with each pass, and then we worked the smaller of the two drains.

First I was smoked by a big bass and then in the next hour we pulled a dozen fish out of the drain, scoring a double hook-up on bass and going very close to a triple when the hooks pulled on Brian’s fish.

We were having the dream end to a dream trip as we decided to start making our way back downstream to Suki village.

Before we got too far, Moli said hold on, let’s work this edge.

By this stage I had one fish left to crack the 100

and Peter six.

We tied on some deepdivers and worked the edge hard before seeing a snag below the surface.

Running three lures, Pete and Brian thought they were in a tangle, so gave the lures a few quick cranks and then crunch!

Brian was buckled over and sucking in the big ones on a massive fish.

As it slowly came up, a huge boil of water rolled across the surface and we knew this was another unicorn.

After some great angling, Brian had his 18kg bass.

We all celebrated and cheered as pictures were taken.

Upon release, we all cracked a beer and saluted in a tribute to this massive fish.

Brian was stoked and for the next 30 minutes he just sat drinking a few quiet beers at the front of the boat.

Meanwhile, Peter smacked two 10kg fish in quick succession and then wham, I hooked number 100.

Again the celebrations erupted on the boat.

What a day!

We were so pumped.

After we calmed down, we went back to the drain to see if we could get Peter up to 100.

But after another two fish each, we called it because the trip back to K20 was going to be even longer as it had pulled anchor and headed to Suki village.

Suki is a beautiful and large village covering both sides of the river and it was where we would fly out the next day.

After many celebrations and a stack of fish, we called it an early day to have a few beers in airconditioned comfort and see out the last evening in style.

We awoke cloudy but ready to travel as we would travel for an hour through the village to the airstrip where we would bid farewell to the crew of K20 and the wild rivers of PNG. As we took off over the Fly River Basin and gazed down at the land, we pondered the week’s events and relived the trip highlights.

Ours was the most successful trip in PNG for Sport Fishing PNG. Our team total was 500 fish, Peter and I set a day record of 89, I set the record for the most fish caught by one angler with 102, Peter caught the heaviest cast and retrieved fish ever at 16kg, and two anglers got their unicorns.

This was absolutely the trip of a lifetime and I

would like to sincerely thank Sport Fishing PNG (sportfishingpng.net), Moli and the crew of K20 (Alex, your food was amazing!).

And the guides, without you guys and your knowledge we would not even have come close to achieving what we did.

Thanks also to John Cruz and the lads in Moresby as well as Jason Yip, the owner of the company.

Finally, I want to thank my sponsor Greg Wright of Wright Fishing Tackle (wrightfishingtackle.com. au).

The Noeby gear was absolutely brilliant and never looked like failing.

Peter and I landed nearly 200 fish on the rods and reels without a problem.

If you’re thinking about doing a trip like this, all I can say is: do it!

It is an out of this world experience in the PNG jungle.

When you talk to John from Sport Fishing PNG, he will happily work out your needs and payment plans to suit your budget to get you there.

Until next time, tight lines.

The 12th double hook-up for the author and Peter.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Barra season set to begin

W

E received cracking storms during early January, bringing good falls of rain with them.

This saw many rivers and creeks run dirty for a short period, sending most fish into deeper water.

Ever since, schools of small grunter have been making a pest of themselves by mixing with the bait schools and taking your lures meant for other fish.

These fish have been far from legal size, with grunter from 20-30cm common, though we did find a couple just on legal (40cm) mixed in.

Also feeding on the bait has been the odd blue salmon and tarpon.

It’s great to see so many smaller fish around.

They have been fun to catch on lighter line and rods on small metal vibes and plastics.

If you can, move away from these schools to find the good fingermark that have been taken in deeper rocky areas of the Calliope River and Gladstone Harbour.

Vertically jigging soft vibes has accounted for most of these fish, with the odd one taking a 3” or 4” plastic.

The trick is to find bait sitting along the deeper rocky sections.

Blubber-lip bream have turned up in good numbers and size.

These fish pull hard and will have you thinking they are something else.

They are sitting in the same locations as fingermark and the number I have caught recently has surprised me.

In the past few years I would have seen maybe two a year, but over the past month we’ve been getting two to four each trip.

They are also eating vibes and plastics fished around the bait schools and rocky dropoffs.

It’s that time of year when many people start to get barra madness and look to get their fix on these awesome fish.

Yep, from February 1 the closed season is finished and you can start to prowl your waterways in search of a chrome beast.

Whether you’re a lure or bait fisher, when you see a big barra erupt from the water attached to your line, you will get a serious shot of adrenalin.

Plenty of barra were being

Gladstone Region

by GARY CHURCHWARD

caught around the region before the closure, and I have only caught and released a couple of smaller fish since then while targeting other species.

Fishing the deeper water around central Queensland presents the most consistent way to entice large barra.

While you might get a couple on shallow snags and drains, larger fish will more commonly be found in deep sections.

I classify water over 5m as deep, and as most of these locations will have a large amount of current that can make it hard to fish during peak tides, they are best fished as the tides get towards the top and bottom.

The joy of deeper water is it can be fished on both tides because you are targeting fish that are not moving very much with the tidal flow.

This is where vibration lures have come into their own with their ability to quickly get down deep.

Soft plastics rigged on heavy jig heads work just as well, with a paddle tail or grub from 100-125mm doing the job.

Trolling with hard-bodies that dive from 4-8m depending on the water depth will score you good numbers as well.

Lethal Lures, Classic, Bomber, Killalure and Lucky Craft all make good deep-diving lures that will cover most depths.

You need to make sure your lure is getting close to the bottom, if not hitting it every now and then.

If you’re trolling an area with a lot of structure such as fallen timber, choose a lure that runs across the top of the snags and a barra will rise to hit it.

Because they are relatively snag resistant, Original Prawnstars are a good option if the area you are fishing has a large amount of structure.

Large live baits such as mullet, pike and whiting are some of the best.

Don’t be afraid to use a bait that looks too big, because large barra will easily inhale a 25-30cm mullet.

Barra will be found in areas with no visible structure on the sounder, as they will hold in areas where food is readily available.

Places including the junction

of a creek and feeder creek or a main channel are good places to start looking.

Bridge pylons in the Calliope and Boyne rivers hold numbers of barra that sit behind the pylons waiting for a feed.

They also sit in these locations to get out of the current because the pylons create eddies behind them for the fish to sit in.

Rocky drop-offs in Gladstone Harbour, a lot of the Boyne River and Devils Elbow in the Calliope River are other great places to find barra.

The Fitzroy River has a number of river edges that drop off quickly into deep water and fish will move around these edges during the tides.

Fishing around the town reaches of the Fitzroy will give up fish from 20cm to well over the magic metre mark.

This has to be the mostfished area in the Fitzroy but it still produces plenty of fish.

On any given weekend you will see quite a number of boats trolling backwards and forwards.

While I haven’t fished much of Port Alma, it covers a vast area and people who have put in the effort there get good results.

Pikes Crossing will produce fish for anyone who wants to drop a kayak in and flick along the edges.

The odd school of tarpon will make it up there and it might be worth taking a lighter rod as well if you’ve got the room.

Pikey bream are harassing the small prawns that are thick now, and these fish are willingly taking a small soft plastic or hard-body lure.

Prawn baits will entice a heap of pikey bream but you will get lots of small ones because the bigger models will be more interested in live herring and small mullet.

Flathead are being taken around the Lillies and Wild Cattle Creek on 100mm soft plastics and 65-90mm hardbodies.

Hopefully we get a good stretch of fine, not-too-hot weather during February and we can get out and find some fish.

Cheers and happy fishing from Gladdy.

Blubber-lip bream have been around in good numbers and put up a strong fight when they reach bigger sizes.

This barra took a Samaki Vibelicious Thumper Tail just after dark on a rock bar prior to the closed season.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 57

The author held a chunky Fitzroy River barra taken before the closure.

Anthony Millican with a top local trout. Anthony was the winner of the Secret Spot Bait and Tackle gift voucher.

The wait is over for barra I

T’S been a long three months, I can assure you, but we can now celebrate by getting out onto the estuaries and having a flick for old pink eyes.

Multiple barramundi found hanging on no structure. A great find and time to put the electric motor down and get the rods out.

Squidding guru Dan Baker with a fine Keppel Island tiger squid.

Page 58 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

Yes, the time is upon us, with saltwater barra season open as of February 1.

Here on the Capricorn Coast, we have many options for chasing barramundi.

Corio Bay in the north is a great choice if you know the place well.

It can be a bit treacherous for the first-timer because it gets very shallow around low tide.

The area features enough rock bars and snags to keep you entertained for days.

Cawarral Creek is an underrated option.

Many of the locals know it as Coorooman Creek or by its other nickname, Starvation Creek.

I have spent many hours sounding and fishing this estuary and can assure you the area is anything but starved of fish life.

Timing is a key factor when fishing here.

The Fitzroy River is what I would call ‘old faithful’ when it comes to targeting barramundi.

If you can locate numbers of barra in this system, they are generally willing to bite.

The Fitzroy is regarded as the jewel in the crown when it comes to our local area.

Let’s just hope enough salt has pushed back up the river by the time you read this to make the town reaches worth a flick.

The last main system, and I would have to say my favourite place of all, is Port Alma.

It’s a massive area and can be quite overwhelming to newcomers.

Before you take the plunge, drop into any of the local tackle shops for some advice.

The staff generally have a finger on the fishing pulse.

When I first started fishing Port Alma, I invested in one of the Fish Finder magazines.

Sure, everyone else can go and grab a copy and fish similar areas, but at least you’ve got some starting points such as deep holes and rock bars

Capricorn Coast

by JOHN BOON

to investigate.

Exploring is another exciting aspect of fishing.

I do most of my barra fishing with a few close friends.

Observations and experiences are regularly shared between us, which builds our database for future trips.

Just make sure your friends are trustworthy.

I’ve been caught out a few times in the past by trusting the wrong people, so make sure your fishing mates are genuine and on the same page.

More often than not, we hit the water with a thousand tackle trays and a hundred or so rods, all to chase just one species of fish.

It may seem like overkill, but it’s better to have the gear with you when you need it.

However, there will be trips where the fish only seem interested in one particular lure.

We had consecutive trips where all the barra were keen on was Samaki Vibelicious Thumper Tails.

We joked among ourselves, looking at all the rods and lures we had brought when all we needed was a tray of vibes and one rod each.

Still, it pays to be prepared.

A good-quality sideimaging sounder will give you an advantage when heading out to chase barra.

I’m sure if you asked which brand is best on any of the fishing pages on social media you would get a thousand different opinions.

I went for the Humminbird Helix G2N. The Mega Imaging is so clear, you always know exactly what’s below.

Once you have mastered the settings of your unit and understand what the screen is telling you, it’s time to go looking.

You’ll be amazed where barramundi will turn up.

Snags, rock bars, wrecks, bank slips and drains are just a few of the common areas.

Seeing schools of barra

hanging on absolutely nothing is what continues to intrigue me.

There’s no structure, so why do they hang in these particular areas?

It’s these sorts of questions that make barra fishing addictive.

The drive to answer questions keeps us coming back.

Finding barramundi with electronics is the easy part.

Then you need to figure out the best time to fish for them.

I’m not a bait user when it comes to targeting barra, so every time I head out, I’m using artificial lures.

Getting them to bite on lures, as opposed to bait, can be a greater challenge, but in my opinion to fool them with something fake adds more excitement to the capture and is far more rewarding.

It’s only my opinion, because at the end of the day, a barra in the net is a barra in the net.

For the opening of the season I have some close friends coming down from Emerald for a barra bender weekend.

I hope the weather plays the game.

Three days of trips dedicated to targeting barra for tag and release.

I can’t bloody wait and hopefully will have a great report and photos for next month’s edition.

Local report Happily, we have had good weather lately and plenty of boats have been able to head wide.

Talking with a few of the locals, they have been getting into quality largemouth nannygai, red emperor and coral trout.

I had good mate Luke Peisker on board for a trip out the front on Boxing Day. It was hard keeping the beers to a minimum on Christmas Day, but we all know the saying: “Time and tide wait for no man.”

We punched out through some slop early but by midmorning the ocean was glassed out.

We put some nice fish in

the Esky including a nannygai over 10kg, while our biggest red went a touch better than 8kg.

Goldspotted cod, lippers and other nannies and reds made up the rest of the Esky.

It had been a few months since my last offshore run, so it was good to blow the cobwebs off the Cruise Craft.

Black jew have been firing in the usual inshore places such as Finlays Reef, Corio Heads and the northern wrecks.

Unfortunately, this time of year is really bad for sharks both inshore and offshore.

If they become a nuisance, about the only thing you can do is move to another spot.

It’s no good just feeding the taxman.

Tiger squid have been another great option when the weather isn’t the best.

It’s a common misconception that tiger squid are only available throughout winter.

We have successfully caught them all year round, with our best session coming from a full moon during December a few years back.

Dan Baker recently headed over to Great Keppel Island with the family and between camping and relaxing they found tiger squid in numbers as soon as the wind dropped out towards the middle of the day.

I’m still waiting for my dinner invite, Dan. The winner of our Secret Spot Bait and Tackle photo of the month gift voucher is Anthony Millican with a top local coral trout.

Well done mate and great photo.

If you would like to be in the running for our photo competition, head over to the Fishing Central Queensland Facebook page, request to be a member, and then it’s as easy as posting a photo.

There’s plenty of reports, photos and information on there to keep you entertained for hours.

Well that’s it for me this month.

Hopefully I’ll have a few tales to tell in the next edition after a central Queensland barra mission.

Stay safe and tight lines. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Superb variety at Stanage Bay S

TANAGE Bay Marine & Accommodation has finally proven it is more worthwhile fishing and mud crabbing here than in the Northern Territory and here is why.

The view while driving into Stanage Bay is simply awesome.

The township is within a day’s easy drive from Brisbane in the south, Townsville in the north and Mount Isa in the west, and on the east we have the beautiful Coral Sea with an abundance of islands.

Here you’ll find reef fish, barramundi and mud crabs, and yes you can

Stanage Bay

by VON IRELAND

still swim here, with no known crocodile or shark attacks and only a small number of stingers once a year during the northeasterly wind.

The only surf is during a cyclone.

Over the next year I will prove the abundance of aquatic life to you via pictures.

With barramundi season about to begin, these big exciting fish are enjoying the heat and storms.

The coastline concret-

ing crew, staying at Pacific Oasis, proved they can catch the mighty barra even when not trying, believe it or not, on dead bait.

You name it, the barra hit it.

Muddies were being potted with baits of both mullet and kangaroo.

Most muddies were huge and still filling with meat, while smaller ones were chock-a-block.

Remember the legal size limits and throw back both female and

Sam captured this stunning spanish mackerel offshore.

Coral trout are a prized catch around Stanage Bay.

undersize crabs.

Happy faces have been coming through Stanage Bay Marine & Accommodation’s tackle shop daily.

Even Rob, who was literally hooked by his son while getting their boat No Excuses ready for a reef fishing trip.

It was a rushed trip to Rockhampton to have a doctor cut the hook out of his eyelid, as no locals put up their hand for that party trick.

Simply put, the 6/0 hook just scraped his eyeball, with the barb and all piercing his eyelid – ouch.

The estuary has not been prolific with jewfish, mostly I believe because of the huge tides and not enough fishers to chase them and give me reports.

I think the heat chased the sooks back to their airconditioned homes.

Plenty of barra have been incidentally caught and released due to the closed season.

Luckily, they release the best out of all the fish in the region.

The reef has been producing when the wind and tides have allowed fishos to get out there, with grassy sweetlip the most popular target along with a dribble of red emperor, coral trout and spanish mackerel.

Mel and Joel weighed in a couple of huge muddies

Small barra are a sign of a healthy system.

and a beaut big parrot, and while I did take a pic, I’m sorry to say the photo quality isn’t worthy of the mag but can be found with other Stanage Bay fishing pics and videos on YouTube, Facebook justfish ingstanagebay.com Have a look and then ring me and book your fishing accommodation for 2018, as we’ve got plenty of vacancies but the perfect tide dates are going fast.

Until next time, enjoy the pics.

Barra have been prolific through the closed season, hitting baits and lures intended for other species.

A cracking estuary cod taken around a headland.

This young fellow was happy with his barra catch.

Cairns plays host to Japanese marine experts

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A I R NS - b a s e d Yamaha marine dealer Bills Marine recently hosted a team of specialists from Yamaha Japan, who ran a number of on-water service clinics for local marine operators.

This specialist team of marine engineers, product development and quality control experts visited commercial fishing and tourism operators based in Cairns and Port Douglas.

The aim of this exercise was to see how Yamaha outboards perform in real-world commercial situations and how they stand up to the harsh operating conditions experienced in far www.bnbfishing.com. au

north Queensland.

These clinics gave operators the opportunity to provide important feedback to Yamaha and the chance to speak directly to the people who create and manufacture the product.

Scott Heinemann from Bills Marine said, “It is great to see such a large corporation taking an interest in our local marine industry and reinforces why Yamaha continues to lead the industry.”

“These clinics provided a fantastic opportunity for our experienced operators to give their direct feedback to Yamaha, while allowing Yamaha to share knowledge and educate

operators on how to better maintain and get the most out of their outboard engines.”

Yamaha Japan runs annual clinics in Australia, with a focus on visiting regional areas.

The data collected from these visits is fed back into the design and development process to ensure Yamaha marine products continue to evolve and maintain the status as the world’s most reliable outboards.

Bills Marine, a licensed Yamaha dealer, has been operating from Cairns for over 40 years, providing boat and outboard sales, parts and servicing to both retail and commercial custom-

ers in Cairns and surrounding regions.

“I would like to thank all our commercial operators for giving up their time and allowing Yamaha access to their

boats for this important exercise,” Scott said.

“I look forward to seeing what new products and innovations will be launched to market in coming years.”

Stanage Bay Marine oAccommodationoBaitoIce oTackle

Aparadise fisho's Yamaha engineers ran diagnostic checks on Port Douglas-based tourism operator Reef Sprinter.

Monster crabs

Awesome fishing stanagebay.com Call Von 07 4937 3145 Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 59

The author with a quality sooty grunter.

The canopy camping setup.

Welcome break to the bush I ’VE been having a break from guiding in recent weeks and have spent quality time with my family and kids.

The author’s daughter Bridie held a sooty.

I really love getting out bush with no phone reception, no Xboxes, iPods or iPads, just nature at its best and amazing skies at night with millions of stars.

You may recall last year I talked about the new camper setup we made for the back of our HiLux and

The author’s son Dustin with a red claw.

Hinchinbrook Fishing Full and half-day charters

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Todd & Raylene Eveleigh T: 07 4777 2968 M: 0417 192 318 E: barra@crackfish.com www.crackfish.com Page 60 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

Hinchinbrook News

by TODD EVELEIGH

we have been giving it a bit of a run of late.

We recently headed out to a cattle station at the headwaters of the Burdekin River where we camped with the kids and friends of ours.

We had a fantastic time taking the kids on bush walks, putting the kayak in and heading up the creek, swimming, bush cooking and of course fishing and chasing red claw.

These trips really are all about the kids and getting them back to nature and into fishing, and boy wasn’t it fun.

Having five kids all fishing from about a 3mwide piece of land chasing sooty grunter resulted in lots of tangles, lots of laughs and most importantly lots of fish.

The kids really did catch heaps of fish, over 65 in one narrow part of the creek right in front of our camp.

It’s really important when fishing with kids that you try to keep it as basic as possible.

We were using little Shimano Sedona and solid fibreglass-tipped rods running 12lb monofilament.

To this we added small ball sinkers leading directly to small size 4 Mustad 540 French hooks.

This setup did the damage during the trip.

Bait-wise, when fishing for sooties in these remote creeks it doesn’t really matter.

Anything from prawns to pieces of pilchard, ox heart, liver and steak will work.

It doesn’t seem to matter too much, as these fish will eat it all.

With some of the sooties measuring about 40cm and being hooked in snaggy running water, they gave the kids a great fight and even pulled them off their feet occasionally, which was really fun to watch.

The swamps and lagoons out west are the perfect habitat for red claw.

A simple opera house

trap works best for these critters, and the smaller funnels reduce the catch of turtles, which are also prolific in these areas.

Baits for catching red claw can vary depending on who you talk to and where you go.

We used crushed pilchards and half-boiled potatoes, and I think the potatoes caught more than the pilchards, much to our surprise.

On our last night, Wade

cooked up red claw tails with scallops in a creamy garlic sauce as a topper for our steak and man was it good!

The red claw tasted like crayfish.

It was just sensational and I can still taste it now.

Back in the real world, we’re doing some boat and tackle maintenance in readiness for a big 2018.

I’m looking forward to getting stuck into those GTs and relishing the opening of barra season.

I hope you all enjoyed the school holidays and got to spend time with family as I did.

Dustin was stoked with this sooty.

Chloe scored the biggest sooty grunter.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

4WDING & off - road Some good 4WDing gear T

HE wealth of camping gear and four-wheel-drive accessories available these days is absolutely staggering.

So much so, it can be tricky deciding what is really useful and necessary for your particular needs.

After all, you only have so much room – and cash!

One of the best accessories that has become widely available in recent years is the vehicle awning.

Being able to quickly set up some shade or shelter from rain is an absolute boon, whether stopping for lunch or smoko or when camping.

We have a Supa-Peg awning fitted to our Land Rover Discovery 4, which not only extends out from the side of the roof rack but also swings around to cover the tailgate area.

It’s very practical.

And although it cost a little more than imported versions, the Supa-Peg is a truly quality product, and also made here in Queensland.

Regardless of the brand you buy, it is vital to peg down the poles if there is any chance of even a moderate wind.

Many are the disaster stories of awnings being wrapped around roof racks and otherwise being fatally rearranged during unexpected wind gusts.

We often rope down the poles to tent pegs or trees as well as peg down the bases.

This proved to be a lifesaver on our recent trip to Tasmania, when gusty wind changes were virtually the norm – and usually occurred in the middle of the night.

We’ve also had a couple of years now to thoroughly test the rear drawer and fridge slide, fabricated and fitted by Outback Touring Solutions at Beerwah.

It still works beautifully despite having a hard life on Cape York.

Apart from the shelter it provides, my favourite feature of this rig is the table that slides out from under the fridge slide.

Cape York by ‘BILLABONG’ BAZZ LYON

Many are the disaster stories of awnings being wrapped around roof racks and otherwise being fatally rearranged during unexpected wind gusts.

Along with the Disco’s tailgate, this provides a really good area for preparing food and performing other tasks.

In fact, we find we don’t need to break out the camp table on overnight camps.

Sometimes you don’t realise how good or important something is until you haven’t brought it along, for whatever reason.

On my way back from a trip to the northern Cape recently, I decided to drive down a mostly dry riverbed for an overnight camp.

Storms had caused a small run in the river, so I got out and checked two places for softness before crossing and found it to be all good.

The third one I didn’t check, and my old Landy sank deeply into it.

If it wasn’t quicksand, it was a close relation!

It was then I remembered having recently transferred our set of MAXTRAX (the Australian-designed and made traction aids) over to the new Discovery.

I’d also failed to bring along the hand winch.

So to make any progress I had to resort to using the high-lift jack, longhandled shovel and some plastic camping floor mats and rocks to place under the wheels.

Had I had the MAXTRAX, I would have got

out in probably 10 minutes or less.

Needless to say, each vehicle now has its own set of TRAX! Recording your fishing and camping trips with still images or film has become so much easier these days, with a wealth of high-tech cameras and smartphones as well as editing programs available.

Having an aversion to getting non-waterproof cameras splashed by salt water, I now use a compact Nikon Coolpix for fishing outings.

Shockproof for up to a 1m drop, waterproof to 30m and featuring a reasonable zoom, it’s an ideal camera for both in the boat and kayak and snorkelling as well.

Photos and films are not as high a quality as a DSLR camera but are still pretty good.

Over the past few years I’ve got into making nature/outdoor documentaries and initially bought a Canon 70 for this as it had good reviews for both still pics and video ability.

It has been a great camera and filmed a lot of country and wildlife without any problems.

Looking for a second, backup camera a year ago, I ended up buying one of the mirrorless, ‘Micro Four Thirds’ cameras; a relatively new design.

This was a Panasonic

Lumix G85 along with a macro and zoom lens, the latter from Olympus.

The camera is compact, really easy to use, weather and dust sealed, and best of all, films in 4K, which is roughly four times the resolution of high definition.

It’s simply brilliant, and has actually become my main camera.

It is so much lighter to carry and use than a traditional DSLR. Both cameras are housed in waterproof Vanguard cases for protection from shock and the elements, which I painted yellow over the original black plastic exterior to reduce heating when in the sun.

Both Panasonic and Olympus make a range of Four Thirds cameras with plenty of lens options, and they are well worth considering if you are new to the camera scene or thinking of upgrading.

Barra time Once again that magic time of year is here: the opening of the barramundi season in Queensland on February 1.

The slight dampener is of course this is slap bang in the middle of the wet ☛ continued P62

A well-packed Land Rover Discovery with very practical Outback Touring Solutions fit-out including retractable table.

The awesome Supa-Peg awning.

Left the MAXTRAX at home – big mistake.

Premium stainless steel underbody protection

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 61

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The large flaps that cover the zippered areas.

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KNOW it’s late, but happy New Year.

I hope you enjoyed the holiday season and took advantage of the great camping weather.

It was fantastic to see good numbers of visitors to the Mary Valley, with camping grounds filled to capacity.

This beautiful piece of country offers a real cross-section of good old-fashioned outdoor fun, whether four-wheeldriving through the state forests, fishing the creeks and impoundment or just camping and taking in what nature provides.

I’ve been lucky enough to join in on the holiday fun, enjoying the company of our children (now all adults) and grandkids.

When we all get together there is always chatter about new products such as fishing kayaks, or in this instance what my oldest son Clint has done to his Mazda BT-50 such as a dual-battery install, a new light bar and how the new Micky Thompson tyres perform.

This is when I first saw the Adventure Kings Big Daddy Deluxe double swag.

We were impressed with this product and the value for money it provides.

It is a generous-sized swag with plenty of room for two.

The substantial floor material and the quality of the zip system throughout surprised me considering the price.

Even my wife was comfortable on the standard 70mm high-density foam mattress with its removable and washable cover.

I mentioned it is a dou-

Outdoors

by PAUL ‘CHIEF’ GRAVESON

ble swag but if you’re lucky enough to be sleeping solo, you can store a considerable amount of goods such as bags, a bow or gun case and other general items.

One feature I feel is important, especially at this time of year, is the large insect-screened area that allows airflow through your swag.

It really felt as if I was sleeping outside under the stars and picking up even the slightest breeze.

The Big Daddy may have ample ventilation but when those dark clouds close in the freestanding swag is able to shut up shop with its 400gsm poly/cotton ripstop canvas material and overlapping zip flaps.

The boys recently went on a Moreton Island trip and were very happy with how the Big Daddy withstood the downpour of a typical Queensland storm.

An important feature in these conditions is how the floor and ripstop canvas are joined.

The floor material continues up the walls of the swag for about 80mm, so the whole floor acts like a basin, which is important in heavy showers where a lot of water pools on the ground and has the opportunity to seep through seams.

The unit comes with its own carry bag and is easily secured to the ground with steel pegs provided.

At both ends of the swag you’ll find gener-

ous shrouds over the windowed areas.

These can be secured with a steel peg and rope, allowing airflow to continue even when you have the swag closed up in moderate to heavy rain.

I’ve seen this product offered for under $200 but if you check around you will find various package deals where you can buy the Big Daddy swag with two large sleeping bags or a freestanding bed.

The Big Daddy is quick and easy to erect and simple to take down.

I must admit, rolling the swag took two attempts because our first was a little sloppy.

On the second attempt we rolled it nice and tight

and it was easily placed in its carry bag.

In fairness, we did roll the unit with two sleeping bags on the mattress.

It’s a habit I have so at our next destination we simply roll it out, erect the swag and climb in as snug as a bug in a rug.

The swag and two sleeping bags weigh in under 25kg combined, so I found

the carry bag with its substantial straps easy to lift onto the shoulder to move around or simply load onto the back of the ute.

To me, this seems the ideal product as a weekend camping setup for a couple exploring the bush or beach.

Do yourself a favour and check the Adventure Kings swags out.

Both sides of the swag have large insect screens to allow ample ventilation.

The Big Daddy swag in its carry bag on Clint’s ute.

Some good 4WDing gear ☛ from P61

season, which limits travel and thus fishing options on Cape York.

And while fishing in pouring rain is not that bad, care needs to be taken in thunderstorms due to the often-abundant lightning.

At this time of year it is best not to venture too far north.

The Cairns to Cooktown area is a good option for run-off fishing at this time of year, as is the area around Karumba and Normanton, so long as there is no risk of flooding.

As I’ve written about previously, targeting any drains, creek junctions or waterfalls/cascades

can be hugely productive for barramundi during the wet season, with soft plastics often dominating as the most successful lure types.

As always, it’s important to be mindful of crocodiles, which are particularly active at this time of year.

Don’t even consider going into the water for any reason (like trying to retrieve a snagged lure) because it’s just not worth the risk.

Anyway, here’s hoping for a good wet season to rejuvenate all the aquatic ecosystems and allow species such as barramundi to breed big time.

Have fun fishing!

The compact and weather/dust-proof Panasonic Lumix G85 has proven an ideal camera for bush work. It takes great stills and excels with video. Matched beside a 9cm-long Leatherman Rebar to give an idea of size.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

C AMPING & outdoors Incidental bowhunting opportunity

T

HERE’S always something happening or incidental outdoor activities occurring when you live in the country.

With new calves hitting the ground, the sound of a howling dog early of an evening brings concerning thoughts.

You realise it comes down to the life of the calf or the wild dog.

With that in mind, I had to get a crossbred dingo out of the equation, so out of nowhere came a bowhunting opportunity.

Lady luck was with me when I spotted the dog from about 600m away, but unfortunately it was in open ground.

I managed to use a ridge to keep out of sight and make a quick 500m in a stooped crouching approach.

The wind was in my favour as I attempted to

cover another 35m to a pile of fallen trees.

The dog sat in open ground and I was left with a stalemate and nowhere to move.

It felt like an eternity until the dingo cross started to move towards me before it baulked and turned away.

My patience was wearing thin but I couldn’t blow my position and the sketchy opportunity.

Though not ideal, it was the best I was going to get.

Again the dog decided to move, but this time away from my hide, so I made the decision to break cover and take a 60m shot.

The dog was concentrating on something else, so I picked up another 5m before settling to take aim.

From the moment the nock left the string, I knew the arrow would find its mark.

It was only a split second between release and the sound of the projectile passing through the dog’s chest.

The 100g broadhead took out the vital organs and the dog was down for the count.

There was an instant feeling of relief as I realised those new calves were safe once more.

I know the disappointment of waiting through the entire gestation period of a cow, only to lose the calf soon after birth.

These scenarios reinforce why I live in this part of southeast Queensland and why the outdoor lifestyle is so important to me, whether hunting, fishing or just enjoying our bush.

You wouldn’t be dead for quids.

Until next time, Chief.

Paul Graveson

New Rhino-Rack shovel mounting bracket

W

H ET H E R you’re an outback adventurer covering remote Australian roads or a weekend warrior looking to escape the city, the Rhino-Rack Shovel Mounting Bracket is the perfect accessory to keep your shovel at the ready when you need to dig yourself out of snow, sand, mud or any other type of terrain.

The Rhino-Rack Pioneer Shovel Mounting Bracket mounts directly onto the Rhino-Rack Vortex crossbars or RhinoRack Pioneer systems.

Rhino-Rack’s Pioneer

systems were designed to maximise your load capability while freeing up space inside your vehicle for ultimate comfort on the road.

With easy installation and removal, you will be able to mount a shovel onto your vehicle with multiple configuration options.

The brackets can be inverted to position the shovel above or below the tray and the hinged design allows mounting of a wide variety of handles as well.

The safe and secure roof system holds your tools to prevent any cabin damage from occurring.

Constructed from steel

with a high-quality powder-coated finish, this mounting bracket is built to last and to hold your shovel in place for the rough road ahead.

Backed by a three-year warranty, the Rhino-Rack Pioneer Shovel Mounting

Bracket is a must for any adventurer looking to take their outdoor pursuits to the next level.

RRP is $79.

For more information on Rhino-Rack and to view the full product range, visit rhinorack.com.au

The last cooler you’ll ever need

P

ELICAN Products has protected defence, emergency and scientific expedition equipment through some of the harshest conditions on earth since 1976.

This same premiumquality DNA is now available to you in Pelican Elite Coolers.

Made in the US, the new Elite 50QT and 80QT Coolers are built to the

www.bnbfishing.com. au

highest standards and are, without a doubt, a cut above the rest.

The Pelican 80QT is resilient to whatever life throws at it, and corrosion-resistant stainless steel hardware, ultratough handles and heavyduty wheels will see your new cooler in action for many years to come.

In fact, all Pelican Elite Coolers are guaranteed for life.

Despite being the smaller of the two, the 50QT is no less impressive.

From the latches to the freezer-grade seal, the toughest handles in the business, the really clever features such as a graduated floor for draining and the moulded-in tiedown points, every part is engineered to Pelican’s extreme durability and performance standards.

The brand-new 50QT Elite Cooler also comes in a range of exciting colour combinations to further set it apart from the rest.

Thanks to a freezergrade gasket and seal, as well as a 2” polyurethane insulation system, the impressive Pelican 50QT and 80QT coolers – like the entire Elite Cooler range – boast up to 10 days of ice retention so you don’t have to worry about luke-warm beverages ever again.

Not just good at keeping things cold, the Elite 50QT and 80QT Coolers are easy to operate too.

Simply press and pull to open and close.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 63

Freshwater festive fishing in the South Burnett

T

HIS is a great time of year to be outdoors with family and friends and it’s also the best time to be on the water because the temperatures are hot, the beers are cold and the fishing is accessible to every angler of any ability.

This bass was hooked by slow rolling a green 1/2oz Bassman Spinnerbait.

Shaun Ezzy held a nice bass taken on a spoon.

If you haven’t been out yet, make sure you start planning your next trip because now is your best chance to get yourself onto trophy size native fish from Lakes Barambah and Boondooma.

Boondooma Dam Over the past couple of months, the fish have moved into the thermocline in Boondooma Dam and are a real target for avid trollers.

The 4.5-7.5m zone is where you will find them and the most productive areas on the dam are the deeper sections of water around the dam wall and buoy line.

This dam’s most productive bite time is from lunch time through until dark when the day is at its hottest.

The key to finding a good school is using your electronics to slowly sound over likely areas.

If you don’t have a sounder, tie on a couple of deep divers or a 5/8oz spinnerbait and start trolling.

If you get a bite or a fish, troll around the area where you had the action.

Remember to be patient when looking for fish because it may take a while to locate them if you’re not familiar with the dam.

Lately I’ve been catching my best-quality fish suspended in deep water.

They have been sitting in the thermocline at 4.56m.

I target these fish using a variety of baits, initially starting with a soft bait of a 1/2oz-rigged soft plastic.

I cast this out and count to seven to let the lure sink into the strike zone.

Freshwater Impoundments

by MATTHEW LANGFORD

Once the plastic reaches the desired depth, I start a slow roll and add a few twitches every now and then to change the swimming pattern as the plastic glides through the water.

Continue this until you get bites, but keep rolling the plastic until you get a solid hook-up.

If this method doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to change your lure until you are happy.

Bass can be fussy about feeding when they are suspended in the water.

I like to try plastics first and then move to a reaction bait.

My preferred reaction baits for summer suspended fish are 12-20g spoons such as the Nories Wasabi, Halco Twisty and Palms Slow Blatt.

With these lures, make a long cast and let the lure sink for five to 10 seconds.

Once the lure is in the zone, start a fairly rapid retrieve with a few twitches every now and then.

This is where the fish are forced to either ignore the lure or react out of instinct to bite as the bait zooms past.

It’s a very effective method, with bass well over 50cm regularly hitting the deck.

Trollers are catching really nice fish using deep-diving hard-bodies and 5/8oz Bassman Spinnerbaits around the same areas mentioned earlier.

The key is to be patient.

Bait fishers are picking up good numbers of bass and yellowbelly using live shrimp caught from the dam.

Try to anchor over prominent points in the dam in 4.5-6m of water and also try the timbered sections.

Red claw have been a little slow but drop your pots around the rocky banks of the dam and just wide of the weed beds.

Lake Barambah Barambah (BjelkePetersen Dam) has been very consistent over the

past two months, producing numbers of fish of varying species and sizes.

The fish are in great numbers but it just takes a bit of moving around to put yourself onto some quality.

Areas to target are the deeper water out the front of the dam wall, wide of Bass Point and any main dam points that feature deeper water of about 6m.

The fish have been sitting in the 4.5-6m depth range and I’ve been catching the majority using a 1/2oz-rigged plastic fished with the same method as explained for Boondooma.

Heavier spinnerbaits and chatterbaits have been working well on the bigger fish when focusing on the reaction bite.

Big yellowbelly are being caught but generally they have been a bit quiet.

The key to catching a few goldens when it’s quiet is to focus on fishing the bottom or around the many weed banks that encompass the dam.

In this case, tie on a blade and hop it gently off the bottom or out of the weed. ☛ continued P65

Sam and Ernie Bushell with a couple of cracking bass caught by casting near the wall at Boondooma.

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Magical conditions for Monduran barra

W

E have had some really hot, humid days with good constant winds, which are ideal conditions for catching a monster barra.

Conditions at Lake Monduran have been positive to say the least.

Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to fish because the change in light makes barra more active and the temperature is much more comfortable for anglers.

Some awesome surface popping sessions can be had in the late afternoon and into the night around the weed edges.

This type of fishing is

Monduran Dam

by DONNA GANE

so much fun.

Seeing a barra smashing your surface lure is truly unforgettable.

You can find plenty of great poppers on the market but I use the Halco Roosta, Killalure Cone or for a large alternative the River2Sea Bubble Pop 130.

If the wind is blowing from the north, try the back of Bird Bay, the Rainforest and the bay behind White Rock.

In south to southeasterly wind, try Insane Bay, North Arm B and Heart Bay.

Looking at the year ahead, we’re set to see some phenomenal special moons.

Word is the barra bite better two to three days before and after a full or new moon, especially if the wind and water temperature are perfect.

If you want to catch a trophy barra this year, consider the moon phases when looking at dates to come to Lake Monduran.

The first special event is a blue moon as well as a full moon eclipse span-

ning January 31 and February 1.

The barra were on the bite just after the first full moon of 2018, so here’s hoping this one is awesome.

We’ll have a new moon eclipse on February 14 at 7.05am, so an early to midmorning fish would definitely be worthwhile.

March 31 sees our second blue moon for 2018 at 10.36pm, so night fishing would be an absolute yes for me at this time.

July has two powerful moons: a new moon eclipse on July 13 and a total lunar full moon eclipse on July 28 at 6.20am.

If this year’s winter is like the past couple, July

will be an ideal month to pencil in some time to fish Lake Monduran, especially around the above dates.

To check out all upcoming moon dates and times, grab an Angler’s Almanac, available at Barra Havoc.

As a final note, I remember once being told by an experienced angler: “Moon by day, fish by day; moon by night, fish by night.�

Make sure you pop in and see us at Barra Havoc when passing through to get the latest on Lake Monduran and surrounds.

Good luck and happy fishing.

Yellowbelly are real suckers for a hopped blade and it won’t take long to catch a few fish using this technique.

The smaller bass also don’t mind this technique but it won’t be long before you’re in contact with some fat golden perch.

Trollers are getting good bags of fish by trolling 5/8 Bassman Spinnerbaits and deepdiving hard-bodies.

Areas to target are the deep water in front of the dam wall, Bass Point, Lightning Ridge

and around any prominent points.

Bait fishers are scoring plenty of fish just wide of the steeper rocky banks.

Don’t try to head up the back of the dam because the water level is low and you will get stuck in the mud.

Red claw are about and coming from the steeper banks with scattered timber.

Make sure you book your campsite for the 2018 Boondooma Dam Yellowbelly Fishing Competition on February 10 and 11.

Entry is $20 for adults

If you don’t have a boat, try walking the edges of the dam while throwing hard-bodies. It can be a very effective way of catching some native fish.

and $5 for juniors 16 and under.

There are live and dead weight divisions with prizes for bass, yellowbelly, silver and spangled perch.

Thousands of dollars’ worth of prizes are up for grabs and food and drinks will be available.

It’s one comp you don’t want to miss.

Call the Lake Boondooma kiosk to make a campsite booking on 07 4168 9694.

If you’d like to keep in regular contact with what’s happening on the dams, don’t forget to like the Yallakool and Boondooma Facebook pages.

I have recently started a fishing charter business on BP and Boondooma dams.

If you’d like a great day out with all the info and knowledge to catch bass and yellowbelly in our two great dams, give me a call on 0408 658 592 and I’ll be happy to take you out for a great day’s fishing.

Until next month, tight lines and bent rods.

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A barra being released.

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www.barratackle.com.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 65

You’ll see some serious boats in the tournaments.

Matthew Langford in game mode for 2018.

B.A.S.S. Australia scene in full swing

A

S 2018 starts to take shape, the B.A.S.S. Australia tournament scene is already in full swing and this is one of the busiest times of the year for anglers.

Dylan Fryer will be trying to win a boat this season instead of a trip to the US.

Dean Silvester with the best bass of his US trip.

Proper preparation is the factor that separates a standard weekend recreational fisher from a hardened tournament guru, and over the well-earned Christmas break every angler has the opportunity to get his or her gear and mind together for the big season ahead.

Not only does the boat have to be up to scratch with the mandatory motor, trailer and hull checks but the kill switch, live well and electronics must be up to date and ready for what lies ahead.

The tackle prep is enormous, with evolving techniques seeing brands constantly introducing new lures.

Some anglers will have over 30 rod and reel combos to respool and service for 2018.

Lure trays will be cleaned out, rod lockers stacked in order of useability, and of course past results and fishing maps need to be examined.

The research is end-

The field was set on Lake Somerset.

The sport is growing fast.

Page 66 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

B.A.S.S. Australia Nation

by DREW McGRATH

less, no matter if you have fished a location a hundred times or never before.

Each little edge will help you put larger bass in the boat.

The best place to start looking is the internet.

With careful wording, different search engines will produce differing results.

Each engine will give its interpretation of what is more popular and looking down the list can open up small but detailed descriptions of past fishing stories that can turn the tide of information in your favour.

Even the most accomplished anglers such as Dean Silvester look over countless web pages searching for something special.

When Dean recently travelled to the US to compete on the global stage in the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, he spent three to four hours every day in the lead-up sifting through websites and past results.

Yes, preparation is huge in the off season and with 16 events scheduled over the next nine months, the B.A.S.S. Australia anglers are ready and willing to take on the challenge to become the best angler in Australia.

This season we have events in NSW and Queensland for the Berkley B.A.S.S. Australia Pro-Am Series where a lucky Co-Angler will win a TABS boat matched to a Honda outboard for a major prize valued at well over $20,000, which will give the angler the opportunity to step up into the big league and have a crack at the top level of competition in Australia.

The best two Pro anglers for the season will win their way to the US to represent Australia in a tournament with over $300,000 worth of cash and prizes on offer, giving them a one in 20 shot at making the Bassmaster Classic (the world championship of bass fishing).

This is the best tournament they will ever fish.

In the TABS Boats B.A.S.S. Australia Teams Series we again have events run over NSW and Queensland, with the top prize being a trip for two to compete in a team event in the US against a massive field of well over 160 boats.

This is the trip of a lifetime with a mate, wife, husband, son or daughter and will give you an opportunity to travel overseas to fish one of the most exciting tournaments in the world: the Bassmaster Team Championship.

Imagine travelling with a good friend or family member with expenses paid for you to both compete for major cash and prizes.

It is a tournament angler’s dream.

We also have the Native Watercraft B.A.S.S. Australia Kayak Series that is scheduled across NSW and Queensland, and at each round a Native Wa-

tercraft kayak is up for grabs as first prize, with the major prize being a trip to the US to compete in a B.A.S.S.-sanctioned event.

All these tournaments are open for anyone to compete in and are not just about super-serious fishing – they are social and a lot of fun.

You will learn a huge amount about lure fishing

for native fish too, which will give you the edge on your next fishing trip.

All three series are set up for anglers to fish on a budget and give maximum exposure to the winners of each round, so grab a mate and come along to have some fun.

For more on the B.A.S.S. Australia tournaments, check out bassaustralia. com.au

Dean Silvester and Mark Ferguson lined up in the Bassmaster Team Championship in the US.

Team comps are good for families.

The Kayak Series sees the anglers head to amazing places.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Getting back into tagging native fish

W

ITH riparian rehabilitation playing a major role in returning the Darling Downs waterways to their former fishable glory, I decided to get back into tagging native freshwater fish.

Previous attempts at tagging weren’t a failure due to the lack of fish, rather due to the large amount of treated effluent being discharged into the system and causing unsightly sores on recaptured tagged fish.

Since then, the local coal mine has piped most of this water directly from the treatment plant to a more suitable location, so there is only an environmental flow that remains to be diluted with natural run-off.

Around the townships of Oakey and Dalby were good starting places to fish and due to large releases of fingerling by the local stocking groups in the past, the downtown

Fresh Water

by NOAL KUHL

sections weren’t to be ignored.

I teamed up with some of the local regulars, with the deal being they catch and I tag.

That lasted until I turned up.

As the old saying goes: a rod in the hand is worth more than two sitting unused in the car boot.

Since I was having no luck after 20-odd casts, I handed a spinnerbait outfit to Graham and on his second cast he jagged a decent golden perch.

At that point I would have preferred to tag him in the rear end for showing off.

After a couple of quick snaps and a tag secured with the fish details noted, we went about looking for more.

Golden perch don’t mind

Hopefully Graham’s tagged golden perch may shed light on whether this species can or will roam out of the headwater streams and head downstream after spawning runs.

travelling and can move great distances.

One specimen originally tagged in South Australia was later recaptured in a western Queensland river over 2000km away.

So with our yellowbelly released, I’m looking forward to seeing where it might be recaught.

Murray cod, on the other hand, are more of a settled species.

Once they occupy a site, recapture data shows they are often caught repeatedly at the same location.

When a river rises due to upstream rain, most cod and other native fish tend to move to spawn.

And once business is done it’s usually the cod that return to the very same spot they started from.

That arrangement seems to work out for them and their partners.

Scotty joined me on this latest tagging crusade, and as usual, with patience he nailed several Murray cod perfect for tagging.

Small surgical stabs saw two more natives freed to tell a tale.

Good fishing is just beginning on the Darling Downs, with recent weather bringing high humidity and thunderstorms, which are often a great trigger for a rise in native fish activity.

Lures of any description, whether surface or divers, will provide results.

Graham Turner held a quality golden perch caught on his second cast with a spinnerbait.

Isla and Lacey Martin with a quality golden perch ready to be tagged.

Two anglers working the same spot can be viable when one is using a surface lure and the other casting spinnerbaits. It can often quickly solve the problem of which lure is the better choice for the session. Though in this case both varieties did the job.

Scotty Vlietstra with a cod for tagging that may solve a mystery on population density. The author and crew have often wondered when fishing the same locations if they are recapturing the same fish.

Moogerah bass bounce back

T

WELVE months ago, Moogerah Dam experienced a massive fish kill due to the extreme heat.

You can still catch medium to good size bass at Moogerah, as Stirling proved here, despite the large bass at Moogerah taking a hit 12 months ago.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

The water temperature soared, and as a result, reduced the amount of oxygen in the water.

The end result was thousands of large bass died.

During this time, the edges of the dam were littered with floating bass.

The distinctive element was they were all large bass.

Seqwater rangers did a terrific job removing the dead fish from the water.

It wouldn’t have been a pleasant job, that’s for sure.

However, the good news was the yellowbelly and smaller bass held on.

It will take some time before the large bass population rebuilds, but it’s been encouraging to be catching small bass that were recently stocked in the dam as well as medium-sized bass.

Freshwater Fishing

by STEVE WILKES

The good news is what’s been lacking in trophy-size bass, the dam has been making up for with quality yellowbelly catches.

Yellowbelly have really fired up over summer.

Spinnerbaits, soft plastics and live baits have accounted for solid specimens.

The FishNutz anglers are regulars at Moogerah, choosing to stay at the Lake Moogerah Caravan Park to provide access to the boat ramp and allow them to fish in the summer prime times of early morning and late afternoon.

A recent trip saw the team fish the timbered areas, focusing in about 5m of water.

Methods included floating live shrimp and using soft plastics.

The soft plastics that

produced were Z-Man Curly TailZ rigged on 1/8oz TT jig heads.

Working a slow jig off the bottom netted over 80 fish, which comprised a combination of cracking yellowbelly, small silver perch and a few decent size Australian bass.

During the FishNutz

trip, the barometric pressure played a big part in their fishing success.

The group enjoyed their best session of the trip by fishing immediately after a super cell passed over the dam.

Being able to get straight onto the water is an advantage if you’re staying on site.

If you’d like to be a part of the FishNutz group, follow them on Facebook and tag along for a fishing trip.

Jai Whell from FishNutz knows the yellowbelly at Moogerah well.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 67

Basstasstic Australian bass fishing Teams Championship Grand Final

I

N December, teams who qualified attended the Basstasstic bass fishing X-Factor Australian Bass Teams Championship held at Somerset Dam.

Team Gatton Home Brew and Camping comprising Gary McCabe and Gavin Sticklen are the 2017 Basstasstic X-Factor Champion Team.

Joe Kanowski and Barry Reynolds claimed first place in the prize section.

In total, 21 teams turned up to try to take home the title of Champion Team.

With some of the best anglers in the country at the event, we knew it was going to be a great competition.

On the Friday night the anglers were sold off in a Calcutta auction and some big money was outlaid on teams punters thought would get the biggest bags.

Following the auction, a draw was run to see who would face who in the fish-off on day one.

The Saturday was hot and in session one some good fish were measured in.

On day one, your best two bass over two sessions will determine whether you fish in the cash pool or are knocked out into the prize pool.

In the second session on Saturday, cracking fish were measured in.

Steve Kanowski brought in a whopping 528mm fork-length bass and many more whopper fish were captured by other teams.

On Saturday night the scores

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DAM LEVELS CURRENT AS OF 15/01/2018

DAMS

PERCENTAGE

AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN Atkinson 6 5 6 18 18 14 Awoonga 98 97 118 100 100 100 Bjelke-Petersen * 22 19 18 18 19 19 Boondooma * 45 51 49 47 46 45 80 Borumba * 75 83 99 101 100 Burdekin Falls * 91 86 81 82 82 74 Callide * 86 85 86 85 84 83 Cania * 95 92 104 100 99 98 Coolmunda * 93 89 86 83 79 67 Dyer/Bill Gunn * 7 7 7 7 7 9 Eungella * 99 98 97 93 95 92 40 Fairbairn * 38 36 34 32 28 Glenlyon * 75 74 72 73 72 68 Hinze 99 98 98 99 100 100 Julius 87 84 80 78 77 74 Kinchant * 81 75 66 67 77 54 Leslie * 18 17 15 14 14 13 Macdonald 89 84 106 101 103 98 Maroon * 99 98 98 98 98 98 Monduran/Fred Haigh * 98 97 141 102 101 101 Moogerah * 97 94 92 92 92 92 68 North Pine/Samsonvale * 67 70 75 76 75 Peter Faust/Proserpine * 77 75 73 72 72 68 Somerset * 76 75 78 79 80 77 Teemburra * 100 98 97 97 99 92 Tinaroo* 48 44 41 41 40 36 Toonumbar 100 98 101 101 100 99 Wivenhoe * 68 66 68 71 72 71 Wuruma * 97 95 104 100 100 100 Wyaralong 98 97 97 97 97 98 For updates on dams, visit sunwater.com.au or seqwater.com.au *This symbol indicates that a Stocked Impoundment Permit is required to fish these dams.

www.livelyluresonline.com.au Page 68 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

Competition Report

by RUSSELL NOWLAND

were tallied and teams were told who would fish the cash pool and who had missed out and would go into the prize pool.

Very good prizes, and two of each, were up for grabs, so no team misses out in the end.

On day two everyone starts fresh in both sections, though three cash prizes are up for grabs for the best bags of four fish overall for the weekend.

Many fish were caught on Sunday, and some big ones at that.

In the end, all anglers had a great weekend at Somerset.

Congratulations to Gary McCabe from Brisbane and his Team Gatton Home Brew and Camping partner Gavin Sticklen from Gatton on winning the crown as Australia’s best bass fishing team.

They won $2500, special shirts to go with the title, winners’ trophies and Trevor’s Leathers keyrings with the winning total engraved on them, which was 874mm.

In addition, they won $800 in the Calcutta after backing themselves to win the event.

Second place went to Team Legends made up of Freddie Sawyer and Casey Blundell from the Gold Coast.

They had a great score of 867mm and won $1500 and second-place trophies.

Third place in the cash division went to Team Mad Keen made up of Jason and Mark Caneris from Ipswich.

They finished with 829mm of bass on Sunday and won $1000 cash.

Steve Kanowski and John Brider had the biggest total bag of bass over the weekend, taking home the trophy and $500 cash for their four-fish score of 1845mm.

Steve also picked up the Evakool Big Bass award and the cash pool of $420.

In the prize section, first place went to Team Num Nuts comprising Barry Reynolds from Nambour and Joe Kanowski from Brisbane after their ripper Sunday bag of 942mm, walking away with two Lew’s reels.

Second place was taken out

by Team Legends Aust and Warwick Outdoors made up of Garry Harman from Brisbane and Sean Haynes from Warwick with 878mm of bass.

They won two Lowrance sounders.

Third place went to Team Barra Jacks comprising Steve Otto and Gavin Lightbody from the Sunshine Coast.

Their score of 871mm won them two $100 BCF vouchers.

For more results, check out the tables.

It all starts again on February 17 and 18 at Bjelke-Petersen Dam for the first round of this year’s qualifiers.

CASH WINNERS Place

Team members

Score

1

Gary McCabe, Gavin Sticklen

874mm

2

Fred Sawyer, Casey Blundell

867mm

3

Jason and Mark Caneris

829mm

4

John Noble, Andrew Carlyle

819mm

5

Steve Kanowski, John Brider

817mm

BIGGEST BASS BAG Steve Kanowski and John Brider

1845mm

PRIZE WINNERS 1

Barry Reynolds, Joe Kanowski

942mm

2

Garry Harman, Sean Haynes

878mm

3

Steve Otto, Gavin Lightbody

871mm

4

Toby Gibson, Corey Gear

867mm

5

Russell and David Nowland

783 mm

Steve Kanowski and John Brider had the biggest bag for the weekend and Steve caught the Big Bass.

Casey Blundell and Fred Sawyer finished second in the cash section.

Sean Haynes and Gary Harman placed second in the prize section.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Terry Marshall enjoyed a day on the river.

Ursula Tilgner from Mullumbimby caught this cod on a handline while fishing for yellowbelly.

She’s pictured with husband Ray.

Good Christmas had by all W

ITH Christmas and new year holidays over, it is time to look at this season’s fishing options.

Glenlyon Dam will be releasing water during the next two months, and it would be best to phone ahead to check river heights.

All too often people arrive at a fishing location and plans get pushed out of shape due to either man-made events or Mother Nature.

Large releases from storages make for poor launching locations on the dams.

The state government has been promising to resolve the problem for years now.

Every three years we get a visit from a small team making a big show on arrival and saying “Yeah we’re going to fix the problem” but it never happens.

We don’t see much return from that $50 fishing

Glenlyon Dam

by BRIAN DARE

permit we buy each year.

“Hang on, don’t touch that money, it’s for restocking fish only.”

If these government departments want extra funding, give us an allwaters licence throughout Queensland at the price of $30 a year for all persons over 18 years of age, which includes people my age over 65.

We catch and take fish plenty of the time.

During the Christmas holidays we had a release of 65,000 yellowbelly into Glenlyon Dam, with the money for these fish coming from the permit system.

At the same time we also held our auction and 30-prize raffle, which raised over $3500.

Thanks to those campers who stayed at Glenly-

on Dam over New Year’s Eve. Debbie and our stocking group would like to thank all those who donated items for the auction night.

A special thankyou also goes to Steve Bradford for running the auctions.

The biggest cod caught on the Christmas weekend was just over 111cm, which had to be let go as it was over the maximum legal size of 110cm.

Yellowbelly up to 53cm have also been captured, as have silver perch to 46cm and the good-old catfish to about 4kg.

Getting back to the rivers, the flow is downstream from Glenlyon and being helped along by ground water from rain and hail.

Or perhaps I should say

‘rocks’, as some of the local farm sheds and houses were trashed by hail, not just with dings but to the point of holes through roofs.

No doubt we will have more rain events that should improve things for Easter and river fishing.

The fishing is good at the moment, with the water level only dropping to 68 percent from its 73 percent level in November.

Come on rain!

While talking about fish, some cod have been kept to eat and no doubt people will ask why they weren’t let go.

For those who complain, remember it’s a put and take fishery.

The cod don’t get out of the storage; they’re here for life.

And here’s one for you to think about.

All those big fish over a metre that you let go will eat fish that are growing up after being released into the dams.

If you want to be the catch and release person, good for you, I also do that on the rivers, but on the dams I will keep and eat a cod if I feel like it.

Bush or the beach – get your school involved.

Every camp is tailored to your needs.

Freshwater or saltwater fishing.

Other activities include: Stand-up paddle boarding, canoeing, high ropes, abseiling, archery, boogie boarding, body surfing with hand planes, raft building and open fire cooking.

For further details visit www.sportstuition.com.au or phone 0403 154 510.

Anywhere. Anytime

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Ph: 02 6737 5266 E: glenlyondamtouristp@bigpond.com Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 69

Estuary perch will often hunt among fine, twiggy timber where schools of baitfish try to take cover from predators.

This water is racing along, but plenty of fish-holding eddies exist, marked by those clear pockets among the foam.

Reading the streams B

ACK in December I outlined a few pointers for anglers fishing without the aid of electronic devices on freshwater lakes.

Some snags look impressive, but remember it is what lies below the water that is important. Enough depth is required for decent fish to be in permanent residence, along with a sizeable log.

This is the type of stream anglers dream of: overhead trees providing shade throughout the day, vegetated banks to provide a terrestrial food source and scores of nooks and crannies among the rocks to hold fish.

A couple of basalt boulders on the outside edge of a lily bed was home for this handsome cod.

Page 70 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

This month I’ll share some random thoughts about reading streams, gleaned from a lifetime of experience of floating along rivers.

Compared to the expansive waters of lakes, rivers and streams are relatively easy to read.

The laws of physics dictate that running water behaves in certain ways under given conditions and those laws are constant.

As you spend time on the water you’ll pick up general rules of thumb by observation.

You will notice that the outside of bends is the deeper side of streams, as those banks erode and the action of the water scours sediment from the stream bed.

When chasing fish during hours of bright daylight, those outside corners are worth a little extra attention because fish will seek the shade provided by the depth.

Where straight sections of streams flowing through softer substrates (clay or hard-packed soil) narrow, they are usually deeper and/or faster flowing than adjoining wide sections.

Streams with beds of stone often have narrow sections that are shallow but very fast flowing by necessity to allow the volume of water to traverse.

Exceptions are those rivers with sections of sand or coarse gravel.

These can have sections that all but disappear as the water flows beneath the stream bed, through the substrate.

This can be frustrating

Fishing for Sport

by NEIL SCHULTZ

for the angler as pools with large snags that should be ‘fishy’ reveal themselves to be shallow and virtually devoid of fish life.

Numerous streams in Australia have been significantly degraded by siltation caused by poor riparian land use practices that have filled the beds with sand, through and under which the water now flows.

The southern Boyne, upper Stanley and Don rivers leap to mind, all of which once had deep, green pools alive with fish where now dry beds of sand exist.

Most of the native fish species we anglers target with our lures are drawn to hard cover for both shelter and ambush positions.

Obvious to the naked eye are fallen trees or “snags” in anglers’ vernacular, which are magnets to both fish and those who pursue them.

All snags are not created equal and learning which are most likely to hold fish can make your time on the water more productive.

Knowing that the outside of corners is where the deeper water lies, any snags on those bends are worth a few casts.

Older snags that have been reduced by the ravages of time to have just the main trunk and substantial branches remaining are ideal.

Those large timbers create shade and cover for fish including cod, golden perch, sooty grunter and other favourites.

An added bonus is the lack of small branches means less time-wasting

snag-ups for anglers.

Fish won’t always be sitting underneath the logs of those long-drowned eucalypts, but it is always worth running a lure parallel to the main trunk to tempt fish in its shade.

Large logs or root balls of fallen trees sitting in current will have a vortex on the upstream side.

Ambush predators will position themselves in those vortices on the leading edge of snags where they have first grab at any prey swept along in the current.

Murray cod in temperate waters and sooty grunter in the tropics are particularly fond of this hunting tactic.

Even in times of moderate flooding I’ve had great success on Murray cod streams by casting at the upstream edge of snags and rocks.

Now I’ve extolled the benefits of targeting the largest logs with the fewest branches, let me tell you about the exceptions to the rule.

In the freshwater upper tidal limits of a river during the height of summer, juvenile baitfish take cover among twiggy snags with lots of fine branches.

Predatory species including bass, estuary perch, jacks and more can become attuned to targeting those shrubby snags during the runs of baitfish at this time of year.

Hard cover in the form of stone is also very attractive to our structureoriented predators and is particularly favoured by Murray cod.

Boulder-strewn sections of streams tend to hold more fish per kilometre than those with

solid rock walls.

Those boulders break the current, just like large logs, and similarly will hold fish in any pocket of lower velocity, whether it is in front of or behind the rock.

Even waters that look to be flowing too fast for fish to swim against will have vortices and eddies where fish can hold station with no effort.

When scanning the stream, look for upwellings, which give away the position of submerged logs and rocks.

Clear areas among the foam below cascades indicate a spot of calm water.

Some streams are so densely strewn with hard structure that fishing it all is impossible.

In those wonderful streams, look for spots that contain multiple forms of cover.

A group of boulders on the edge of a weed bed or expanse of lilies is more likely to hold a fish than just lilies on their own.

Likewise, a huge hollow tree trunk wedged among a stretch of rocks will most often be selected by the dominant fish in the area.

Fish will naturally take advantage of whatever is available in less-thanideal locations.

In silty or sandy streams, substantial beds of aquatic vegetation often grow, and these will hold predatory fish when no hard structure is available.

Any cover, whether it is vegetation, logs or rocks, will be more likely to have active fish in residence if it is in the shade of bankside trees.

Again, this involves simply using your eyes to notice two or more types of fish-attracting real estate, no electronic gadgetry required. www.bnbfishing.com. au

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Bar crossing courses: • Hands-on experience crossing ossing sing coastal bars safely • Direct supervision p masterin mastering all bar crossing skills • Fine-tuning of skills in bbreaking swells wells an and white water • On-water training in the safety of a Cruise Craft Explorer 685 filled with upright buoyancy to naval architects’ specifications • Overcome your fears and learn vital skills as part of an onwater course

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Contact Bill Corten T: 07 3286 3647 M: 0447 233 247 0447 ( a f f a i r ) E: reel_affair@yahoo.com Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018 – Page 71

Subscription offer for February* Subscribe this month for your chance to win y an awesome Mako Eyewear pack including cape sunglasses and a one pair of Mako Escape Mako fishing shirt!

JM Gillies acquires Tasmanian Devil Lures

Valued at

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w w w.makoeyewear.com.au * Valid until February 28, 2018. Picture for illustration purposes only. ly

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Return completed form to: Bush ’n Beach Fishing PO Box 387, Cleveland 4163 ph 07 3286 1833 or fax 07 3821 2637 or go online www.bnbfishing.com.au

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Page 72 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2018

M Gillies is delighted to announce the acquisition of the iconic and world-famous Tasmanian Devil Lures.

This Australian-owned and family run business of the past 39 years formally changed hands on January 1, 2018.

Pat Levy and Garth Wigston are pictured (inset) in front of the production facility in Tasmania,

which will continue to operate unchanged.

The acquisition of this fantastic and world-class brand into the JM Gillies stable will continue JM Gillies’ focus on quality Australian-owned brands being manufactured in Australia and distributed all over the world.

The legacy Garth Wigston has created with this iconic brand will con-

tinue, with Garth remaining as a much-valued consultant for the business.

His inventive mind and engineering skills are world class and JM Gillies looks forward to working with him and all the team at the production facility.

For any further information, please contact pat@ jmgillies.com.au or bil lyparsons@jmgillies.com. au

The Catch: The Story of Fishing in Australia

I

N every Australian coastal town, there’s a bait shop and a boat ramp and, in garages around the country, fishing rods await their next outing.

Many of us have a special fishing spot and, from generation to generation, families pass on tips and exchange fishy tales of amazing catches and near misses.

But the rich history of Australian fishing hasn’t been told – until now.

In the new book The Catch: The Story of Fishing in Australia, author and avid fisher Anna Clark celebrates the enduring pleasure of fishing.

Clark provides a unique insight into its history, from the first known accounts of Indigenous fishing and early European encounters with Australia’s waters to the latest fishing trends; from the introduction of trout and fly fishing to the challenges of balancing needs of commercial and recreational fishers.

Readers learn fascinating stories, such as: • The innovative ways Indigenous women did line fishing; • The challenges faced

by the colonial fishing industry to sell fish before they spoiled; and • How fishing for trout in Tasmanian rivers evolved once the trout became uninterested in artificial flies.

As the only illustrated general history of Australian fishing, The Catch provides a captivating insight into the history of one of Australia’s favourite pastimes.

Dr Anna Clark is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow and co-director of the Australian Centre for Public History at the University of Technology Sydney.

In 2003 she was awarded the NSW Premier’s Prize for Australian History and the Queensland Premier’s Prize for Best Literary or Media Work Advancing Public Debate for The History Wars, coauthored with Stuart Macintyre.

Her most recent publication is Private Lives, Public History (2016).

The Catch, her seventh book, is a perfect marriage between her love of fish and fishing and her passion for Australian history.

Available to buy online from bookshop.nla. gov.au with a RRP of $39.99.

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