BNB Fishing mag | Feb 2020 by bnbfishing

Raw deal for QLD rec ﬁshers

450 Includes GST

February 2020 Print Post Approved PP100001534 Volume 31, Number 2

Gold Coast mackerel Bass and barra near Brisbane Mud crabs on the move Big fish in Hervey Bay

Mega jack attack Tactics for Tin Can Bay Land-based locations around Moreton Bay Barramundi madness begins Rain gets prawns going

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

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www.bnbfishing.com. au 20/1/20 10:22 am

Inside this month Soft plastics

Tin Can Bay

P32

P16

Fire aid

Barra season

P54

P52

unbelievable, their stance would also appear to threaten the very livelihood they claim will be lost. Now, these attitudes are nothing new! There are precedents all over the world where commercial fishers, and even some scientists, believed in a fisheries resource that would always sustain a high level of exploitation. The majority of those

OUR COVER

MITCH ZYGNERSKI scored this spanish mackerel on the surface while throwing a Halco Roosta Popper Haymaker offshore from the Gold Coast. For more Gold Coast mackerel action, check out HEATH ZYGNERSKI’s article on Page 26.

Ben Collins Daniel Tomlinson 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 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

☛ continued P4

EDITOR: SUBEDITOR: ADVERTISING: PRODUCTION:

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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 February 28. See subscription form on Page 64 to go in the draw to win one of five Okuma Avenger 3000 spinning reels at $69.96 each.

businesses are no more. The ones that survived relied on a mutual arrangement between managers, commercials and recreationals that put the health/stocks of the fish first before husbanding the resource accordingly. Our fish stocks are not inexhaustible – as many of our politicians, managers and fishers seem to think. These days the magic buzzword is sustainability – but the quantitative interpretation of what constitutes a sustainable fishery is very open to interpretation by the different interests. Suffice to say that according to environmental biologists, a fisheries resource needs at least a 60 percent original stock level to be truly sustainable – and most Queensland stocks appear to be nowhere near that mark. Again, I emphasise that any fisheries management must put the fish first, and all else must fall into line behind, including their major users – commercial and recreational fishers. I have raised that point a number of times with senior fisheries personnel but they seem more interested in managing people rather than fish. Focusing on users is a major dereliction of duty in my view because the community pays these people to preserve, protect and allocate our marine resources, not to be conflict resolution psychologists! While our fisheries management regulations continue to pit the commercial sector against recreational fishers, the department will never be efficient or effective. We all have the same goal here – a healthy fishery – and the task of good management should

ATI ON

by DAVE DONALD

The fact that a very vocal section of the commercial fishing industry seems to be (successfully) trying to hijack initiatives designed to rejuvenate our fish stocks not only shows their serious lack of understanding of the precarious state of many of our prime piscatorial species but, even more

Fishy Issues

DITOR Ben’s comments on the ‘commercial sector … apparently not supporting their part of the (fisheries reform) process’ (BNB January) should sound a wake-up call for all Queensland recreational fishers.

FIS

Raw deal for Queensland recreational fishers

PRO TE CT

Lochie is one of a legion of young blokes who are keen as mustard! Surely Queensland should be following the other states and making sure he catches plenty more like this in the future.

Fishy Issues ..................................by Dave Donald ...................................P3 Land-based locations ................by Brian Webb.....................................P7 Fishing smart................................by Sean Conlon .................................P10 Luring Moreton Bay....................by Peter Herbst..................................P12 Bass to barra around Bris............ by Sean ‘Skip’ Thompson....................P14 Pro Staff Pointers ........................by Sean Bekkers...............................P16 Bountiful captures in the bay ..... by Mark Templeton................................P18 Mud crabs moving......................by Keith Stratford..............................P20 Fishing options in SEQ .................. by Leeann Payne ....................................P22 Manic mangrove jack ................... by Clint Ansell .........................................P24 Spotty and spanish mackerel.....by Heath Zygnerski ..........................P26 Fab Feb on Gold Coast ...............by Brad Smith ....................................P27 Brunz River a good bet ..............by Gavin Dobson ...............................P28 Ballina speedsters.......................... by Brett Hyde ...........................................P29 Doomsayers don’t have a clue... by Tye Porter ............................................P30 Pelagic fun filters through........by Grant Budd ....................................P31 Tactics in Tin Can Bay................... by Chris Rippon.......................................P32 Tide Times .....................................................................................................P32 Competition Dates ......................................................................................P33 Aussie Living................................by Paul ‘Chief’ Graveson ................P34 Big fish in Hervey Bay ...............by Tri Ton .............................................P35 Tips for tackling whiting...........by Brad Young ...................................P36 Power Boat Anglers...................by Mick Clutterbuck ........................P37 Readers Forum.......................................................................................P38-39 Puzzle page...................................................................................................P40 Boating & Marine .................................................................................P42-47 Insights into boat insurance ....by Nautilus Marine ..........................P47 Charter Directory .................................................................................P48-49 Curtis Coast holiday ....................... by Dan Owbridge ...................................P50 Barra madness set to start .......... by Jason Kidd ..........................................P51 Capricorn Coast...........................by John Boon...........................................P52 Cape York........................................... by ‘Billabong’ Bazz Lyon ......................P53 Help those hindered by fire......... by Bill Corten ...........................................P54 Exploring inland of Noosa ........... by Craig Tomkinson...............................P55 Caravanning trip..........................by Todd Eveleigh ..............................P56 Monduran update ........................... by Dale Smith ..........................................P58 Fishing for Sport ..........................by Neil Schultz ..................................P59 Wyaralong Dam comp ...............................................................................P60 Recipe ............................................by Melissa Frohloff ..........................P60 Fantastic freshwater fishing....by Matt Langford...............................P61 Glenlyon Dam...............................by Brian Dare.....................................P62 Trading Post.................................................................................................P63 Subscription form ......................................................................................P62

HIN G T R A D E

S I pen this month’s editorial, most of the east coast of Australia has received much-needed and very welcome rain.

However, while it might have greened the grass and filled the water tanks here in southeast Queensland, fires are still raging in other parts of Australia. The rain was truly welcomed, though it hasn’t been all good news because we are now seeing erosion and flooding in some areas. These issues have been exacerbated by the severity of some hail events. We certainly live in a glorious but also very challenging part of the world and I guess that’s what makes us true-blue Aussies, the tenacity of which has been shown though enormous generosity in the form of donations and volunteers working on the ground. Plenty of charities are helping those in need, which is awesome, and I thank all who have donated. However, if you are still wanting to help and want to assist the recreational fishing industry, Australian Fishing Trade Association president Michael Starkey has set up a GoFundMe campaign (gofundme. com/f/australian-fishing-industrydisaster-appeal) to help fishingrelated businesses affected by the fires. The campaign had already raised over $100,000 by the time we went to print, but if you are able to donate, please do, as your money will be delivered to those who need it. Unfortunately, as mentioned, the rain has been a double-edged sword, and while it has put out fires, it has also washed ash and sediment into waterways, which will negatively impact water quality and ultimately result in the death of native fish. Ash in rivers can also lead to algal blooms, which could result in more fish kills due to the reduced amount of oxygen in the water. On a brighter note, the recent rains will have a positive effect on fishing in coming weeks and months. The old saying “a drought on land means a drought at sea” is very true, so the recent flush was welcomed by anglers. Initially it might be a bit tough but as things settle the fishing action should increase both in and offshore. January saw loads of mangrove jack caught and the pelagic action off the coast has been awesome. Hopefully things continue to improve as the water clears and the bait gets pushed down the rivers. Another species that should relish the fresh prawns. The start of the season was a little lean due to the lack of rain, so fingers crossed they are about in good numbers soon. I can almost taste them now! Better get the cast net out. Ben Collins

December prizewinner Congratulations to Ron Crane, Petrie who has won an Evakool icebox and fishing gear valued at over $500!

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 3

Raw deal for Queensland recreational fishers ☛ from P3

In December, the author addressed the National Recreational Fishing Conference in Hobart on his citizen science-based findings on Gulf of Carpentaria fish stocks.

be to reach consensus on how each stakeholder can work towards such an outcome co-operatively. Putting new regulations on recreational fishers and then watering down those proposed for commercial users is a sure way of inciting conflict. There are no winners with such a system!

Families that go fishing regularly are usually much more healthy in both body and mind – it’s a proven fact. It’s in the community’s interests to make fishing better!

Our fishery is a community-owned resource – another important fact that seems to have slipped under the radar in the reform process controversy. A commercial fisher can buy a licence and netting endorsement for as little as $723.60 per year, a relatively small outlay when compared to property rates, for instance. Surely, a business operator entitled to net anywhere from Tweed Heads to Cape York should be liable to a fee greater than a few cents per hundred square kilometres! Now that quotas are becoming established, a cost per unit fee is being introduced to some endorsements and this may be the way to go if handled appropriately. Nevertheless, it’s blindingly obvious that fishers making their living from our resource need to pay a much higher price for that privilege than the peanuts they have in years past. And the buck shouldn’t stop there! I have supported the

Victoria’s Women In Recreational Fishing initiative aims to increase female involvement in the sport – and has found the program already very successful. The popularity of Weipa Ladies’ Gamefish Day indicates Queensland women would be just as interested!

establishment of a welladministered recreational fishing licence/fee/levy since 1986 and nowadays, we need it more than ever. In fact, I’ve just renewed my NSW fishing licence due to a habit of visiting friends in that state annually for the past four years. It’s a contribution I pay gladly. If Queensland had bitten the licence bullet all those years ago, recreational fishers here would be in a much better situation these days! National Recreational Fishing Conference I was fortunate to be invited to make a presentation to the National Recreational Fishing Conference held in Hobart on December 10 and 11, 2019. A diverse range of intensely interesting subjects based on the theme of ‘citizen science’ were discussed over the twoday event, with much of the content at the very cutting edge of the major issues we fishers face today. Statistics based on daily log sheets from my Weipa-based charter operation over a 10-year period provided the essence of my address highlighting significant depletions in Gulf of Carpentaria fish and marine fauna stocks in the period following the introduction of powerhauled offshore nets per the 1999 Gulf Fisheries Management Plan. The reaction from conference delegates and online streaming viewers to these findings was overwhelmingly complimentary. Quite a number expressed alarm that Fisheries Queensland has largely ignored the serious issues identified in what some scientifically qualified attendees regarded as a ‘unique and irreplaceable’ citizen science data source. From my perspective, it

This graph represents the author’s 10-year assessment of major Gulf fish species. Most show a decline of more than 70 percent following widespread offshore netting that commenced in 2000.

Page 4 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

was a relief to finally reveal this critical issue to a wider, eminently qualified audience and to find that almost everyone in the auditorium shared my concerns about the quality of fisheries management in our state. What became very clear to me as the conference progressed is Queensland is far behind all the other states in its attitudes towards its recreational fisher community, so much so that it became embarrassing to hear what was happening in some of the other parts of Australia. Victoria is currently leading the way with its Victorian Fishing Authority Target One Million campaign that aims to lift the numbers of people going recreational fishing in that state to more than one million. At last count, comprehensive surveys of the number of Victorians going fishing in 2018 identified 838,119 participants who spent $7.1 billion annually, with more than 16,000 people employed in the industry. Their fishers made 6.1 million fishing trips in that year at an average cost of $326 per trip. The new Victorian Government has invested $46 million in Phase 2 of their Target One Million initiative that features as its brands ‘Let’s Make Fishing Better’, ‘More Fish To Catch’ and ‘More Places To Fish’. Their most recent initiative, Women In Recreational Fishing, involves getting more females involved in the sport and has already been spectacularly successful. Fishers themselves are represented by VR Fish, an independent nongovernment organisation funded by a recreational fishing licence, administered by a Board of 12 members and three permanent staff. The range of community activities and social media outlets run out of VR Fish are impressive and could be a blueprint well worth adopting if anything similar should ever happen in Queensland. Another significant, and very welcome, change centres on the role of fisheries enforcement officers. They are encouraged to adopt education and advocacy as a major part of their work ethic rather than the standard ‘bad cop’ attitude. This helps to encourage the community to see them as helping to make the fishery better and safer in the long term, a more engaging way to encourage compliance. When you compare what is currently (not) happening in Queensland to this mind-boggling package of positivity that has transformed commu-

nity and government attitudes in our southern neighbour, it is obvious we aren’t even on the same page these days. Our state certainly had its chances – the kids’ fishing clinics held on the Gold Coast for many years are just one example of what can happen in the right conditions – but recreational fishing initiatives will keep going nowhere while that sector remains under the control of a department that has commercial fishers as its chief focus. While the stories from Western Australia, the Northern Territory, NSW and Tasmania are not quite as spectacular as the Victorian example, the other states have mostly identified the basics of what Queensland has to change if we want to try to catch up. That would include the government finally recognising the massive revenue generated by recreational fishing and the economic benefits that come by encouraging its expansion; its significant contribution to community mental and physical health; the introduction of a recreational fishing licence; and, most importantly to follow Victoria’s example – more fish to catch and more places to fish! With an election scheduled for later in the year, it’s time for recreational fishers to start thinking about what sort of policies they’d like to see from the major parties for their future. There is much to consider, starting with the future of our net-free zones and those that missed the boat last time – Moreton Bay, Hervey Bay and Albatross Bay (Weipa). The LNP took a hostile approach to their declaration and have since openly sided with commercial fishing interests who want them to be rescinded. Queensland cannot afford to take such a backward step! As I’ve pointed out above, we are already a couple of decades behind the other states and would only move further into the fisheries ‘dark ages’ if such negativity was allowed to prevail. There are about 800,000 of us out here in voter land, so we can move political mountains if we have the will. Voting for the same old, same old and expecting a better outcome for recreational fishers is crazy. Waiting for politicians to ‘fix’ things is fruitless. It’s about time we brought back the old ‘I fish & I vote!’ campaign – and meant it! Remember, doing nothing and expecting things to get better never works. If you want better fishing, you’re going to have to get off your bum and say so! www.bnbfishing.com. au

Coral parenting put under the microscope

TOWNSVILLE scientist is undertaking new research to investigate the best way to produce diverse corals that might be used to restore and maintain healthy reefs.

Researcher Annika Lamb has mixed the eggs and sperm of multiple corals together and is using genetic markers to identify the parents of the larvae produced. “We recently collected corals from the field and crossed their eggs and sperm during spawning

to create the coral larvae,” she said. “These parentage experiments are relevant to reef restoration if we can identify and then grow brood stocks that can generate diverse corals to choose from for restoration initiatives.” The work by University of Melbourne postgraduate student Annika Lamb is supported by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority through a Reef Guardian Research Grant. The Authority’s Reef Knowledge director Dr Roger Beeden praised the

Annika Lamb. Photos: Australian Institute of Marine Science.

innovative work of early career scientists who received these grants. “We’re delighted to provide these grants to assist students undertaking research projects to improve the future management of the Reef,” Dr Beeden said. “Ms Lamb’s work is exactly the kind of innovative science we support – practical, forwardthinking and targeted at enhancing our knowledge of the ecosystem. “Given the pressures facing the Reef, we need to consider all options for ac-

tive intervention that could enhance the natural resilience of corals to a changing climate and we look forward to seeing the results of Ms Lamb’s work.” Ms Lamb conducts her research at the Australian Institute of Marine Science’s National Sea Simulator, under the guidance of AIMS’ senior principal researcher Prof Madeleine van Oppen, as part of important reef restoration and adaptation research. Ms Lamb is one of seven postgraduate student recipients of the annual

Divers at the site of baby hybrid corals on the Great Barrier Reef.

Reef Guardian Research Grants – from James Cook University, University of Queensland, Griffith University, Macquarie University, Southern Cross University and the University of Melbourne. The successful research projects cover a range of topics such as coral genomics, species management, impacts of microplastics in the marine environment, water quality improvement and development of tools to better predict bleaching risk. The awards provide funding from $1000 to $5000 and are open to students working towards a doctorate or master’s degree in the physical, biological and social science disciplines throughout Australia. A full list of award winners is available on gbrmpa.gov.au For more than 40 years, the Marine Park Authority has supported a number of students early in their career, with more than 300 grants awarded on topics related to addressing key threats to the Reef.

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The new computer program for the fisherman. Keep your catch, mark and GPS records in a database for quick and easy entry and analysis. The package also features: Graphical tides (moon and sun times) Mark and GPS waypoint databases with map display Coastline maps covering all areas of Australia Fishing knots and ‘Fish Facts’

Fish near a FAD before February 13 to win wicked prizes

AKE a selfie with one of Queensland’s fish-attracting devices and enter a competition to reel in some wicked prizes! Ten FADs have been deployed from Double Island Point to the Gold Coast, so show Fisheries Queensland how much you’re loving fishing this summer and you could win one of the prizes listed below. How to enter To enter, take a photo with one of the FADs (GPS marks below) and upload it using the entry form found by following the link at bnbfishing.

com. au /f ish-ne a r-fadfebruary-13-win-wickedprizes Entries must be uploaded by 11.59pm, February 13, 2020. Don’t forget to download the Queensland rec fishing app for instant access to Queensland’s fishing rules anytime and anywhere. Prizes • 1st prize: Garmin echoMAP Plus 95sv (donated by Garmin) and four lures (donated by Wilson Fishing). • 2nd prize: ATC Virtuous 5000H Reel on a Venom VS12 Spin Rod (donated by Wilson Fishing), $500 BCF voucher (do-

nated by BCF) and four lures (donated by Wilson Fishing). • 3rd prize: $500 BCF

voucher (donated by BCF) and two lures (donated by Wilson Fishing). • 4th prize: four lures (do-

nated by Wilson Fishing). • 5th prize: two lures (donated by Wilson Fishing).

Southeast Queensland FAD GPS marks Ordered from bottom to top when looking at the map FAD 1

Gold Coast 24s

Latitude: 27° 59.268’S

Longitude: 153° 31.747’E

FAD 2

Gold Coast 50s

Latitude: 27° 55.790’S

Longitude: 153° 45.198’E

FAD 3

Gold Coast 36s

Latitude: 27° 48.408’S

Longitude: 153° 37.472’E

FAD 4

Stradbroke offshore

Latitude: 27° 17.029’S

Longitude: 153° 37.672’E

FAD 5

Moreton offshore

Latitude: 27° 05.797’S

Longitude: 153° 34.177’E

FAD 6

Bribie offshore

Latitude: 26° 55.735’S

Longitude: 153° 31.775’E

FAD 7

Mooloolaba 10nm

Latitude: 26° 35.908’S

Longitude: 153° 19.686’E

FAD 8

Mooloolaba east

Latitude: 26° 32.149’S

Longitude: 153° 34.429’E

FAD 9

Noosa

Latitude: 26° 19.868’S

Longitude: 153° 19.284’E

FAD 10

Double Island offshore

Latitude: 25° 53.075’S

Longitude: 153° 21.907’E

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 5

THE

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Page 6 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

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CONTACT YOUR NEAREST DEALER BRISBANE (NORTH) | Brisbane Yamaha T: 3888 1727 Bruce Highway, Burpengary, QLD brisbaneyamaha.com.au BRISBANE (BAYSIDE) | Wynnum Marine T: 3396 9777 31 Fox Street, Wynnum, QLD wynnummarine.com.au Pine River prawns.

BRISBANE | Northside Marine T: 3265 8000 2294 Sandgate Road, Boondall, QLD northsidemarine.com.au BRISBANE (SOUTH) | Stones Corner Marine T: 3397 9766 117 Old Cleveland Road, Stones Corner, QLD stonescornermarine.com.au BUNDABERG | Bundaberg Marineland T: 4130 0500 95 Targo Street, Bundaberg, QLD bundabergmarineland.com.au GOLD COAST (SOUTH) | Gold Coast Boating Centre T: 5576 7388 64 Kortum Drive, Burleigh Heads, QLD goldcoastboatingcentre.com.au GYMPIE | Watson’s Marine Centre T: 5482 2135 52 Wickham Street, Gympie, QLD watsonsmarine.com.au HERVEY BAY | Buccaneers T: 4124 6988 19 Islander Road, Pialba, Hervey Bay, QLD buccaneers.com.au TWEED COAST | North Coast Yamaha T: 02 6680 3322 4 Lucky Lane, Billinudgel, NSW northcoastyamaha.com.au

Discovering land-based spots around Brisbane Q UIT procrastinating and get out into some of Brisbane’s fishing spots – it doesn’t matter if you’re an avid angler or fishing novice.

Grab a rod, some bait and go and catch a few of our finned friends. We have a multitude of fishing spots where land-based fishos can try their luck and take the kids for a fish. Hornibrook Bridge, Redcliffe Though this bridge is no longer bridging the gap, its preserved archway provides a lookout to the North Pine River and Bramble Bay. This junction where the river meets the bay makes for excellent fishing. The pylons offer an ideal habitat for fish to feed and the current refreshes the area with scores of whiting, bream, flathead and the occasional bull shark. Shorncliffe Pier, Shorncliffe Beside Moora Park is Shorncliffe Pier, one of the longest recreational piers in Brisbane. You’ll be breaming with joy at this spot, with epic sunrises and sunsets and plenty of space to set up then cast off. If you are unlucky and don’t hook anything, visit Sinbad St where you can buy fresh, trawler-caught seafood and mourn the ones that got away. Boggy Creek, end of Sandmere Rd, Pinkenba Boggy Creek is a small arm

Moreton Bay

by BRIAN WEBB

that runs off the Brisbane River with a few great spots for landbased fishing. We recommend starting at the mouth and working your way back along the creek. The best time to fish here is a couple of hours either side

of high tide. More access points can be found further downstream near Piped Rd if you are looking for something more secluded. You’ll pick up flathead and bream and if you have a small ☛ continued P8

A sole from the Brisbane River.

Bait for jewfish and threadfin salmon.

SUNSHINE COAST | Sunshine Coast Yamaha T: 5346 9981 14 Machinery Avenue, Warana, QLD sunshinecoastyamaha.com.au WHITSUNDAYS | Whitsunday Marine T: 4948 3298 4/11 Shute Harbour Road, Cannonvale, QLD whitsundaymarine.com.au

A big Brisbane River catfish.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 7

Discovering land-based spots around Brisbane â&#x2DC;&#x203A; from P7

tinnie or kayak, jewfish and threadfin salmon from under the pipeline entrance, and if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re into cast netting, prawns, poddy mullet and herring as you pass the pipeline on the left-hand side as you enter the creek. Cameron Rocks Reserve, Hamilton In Hamilton you will find a fishing platform and picnic area to make life a bit more comfortable during your landbased fishing adventure. This area has strong currents that can make lure fishing difficult, but if you are up to the challenge itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth a try. You can catch bream, flathead, mangrove jack and threadies on live bait such as herring and mullet. Redcliffe Jetty, Redcliffe One of the Moreton Bay regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most identifiable landmarks, this fishing spot holds a special place in localsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hearts. A prime fishing spot for families and friends, with a large covered area halfway along the jetty. Grab a rod and reel and relax while you wait to catch dinner. Species encountered in-

A flathead from Caboolture River.

A whiting from Hayes Inlet.

This bream came from Hayes Inlet.

clude whiting, bream and the occasional flathead and even tuna. Newstead Park Jetty, Newstead Breakfast Creek to Newstead House is a landbased hive of activity for anglers. Where the Brisbane River bends and meets Breakfast Creek, a deep hole with strong currents has formed a perfect fish hideout. During the slack tides you will enjoy easier fishing, so check the tidal schedule. The jetty is an ideal spot for night-time fishing and both live and dead baits will work. Likely species include snapper, jewfish, bream, cod and catfish. Woody Point Jetty, Moreton Bay This jetty is very popular because it offers a decent catch all year round. Experienced and beginner anglers can succeed here because there is a lot of real estate. Anglers can fish from the jetty into deeper water, while incoming tides bring new schools of fish to target. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll come across theadies, jacks, jew, bream, cat-

fish and the odd flathead. Gateway Bridge, Nudgee Fish here during the turn of the tide. Find a comfortable spot under the bridge at the base of the columns and settle in. The strong current is brutal, so during the hours outside the turn youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be working hard to get any attention. Around the pylons at night youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have more of a chance of hooking jacks and threadies. Wynnum Jetty, Wynnum Wynnum Jetty offers anglers access to deeper water compared to most jetties in Brisbane. With two undercover pergolas, you need to get there early to claim a prized spot to set up to try to catch bream, flathead, whiting and the occasional trevally. Take a squid jig too because you will often capture squid close to the pylons. Wynnum Creek, Wynnum If things get too busy at the jetty, you can always walk further down the esplanade to the opening of Wynnum Creek. Follow the bend of the creek and find a place on

the rock wall that hugs the banks. This is a popular shallow water spot for anglers. When you cast, be careful of the weed that can snag your line. Wellington Point Jetty, Wellington Point This iconic wooden jetty is 22km southeast of Brisbane and the perfect place to connect with nature and cast a few baits. Set up the kids along the railings and for the more experienced cast into deeper water and see if you can land a bream or two. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll often hook bream, flathead and even snapper in the cooler months. West End Riverside Parklands, West End This inner-city suburb is often packed on the weekends. It boasts an awesome fishing platform in Riverside Parklands, where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll catch the odd bream, bull shark and if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re lucky, a bass. So if you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a tinnie, try some of these land-based fishing locations and take the kids along to give them some fun. And always have a big bait out with decent hooks because the rivers are full of bull sharks.

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Mark with his first-ever flathead at 63cm enticed on fresh green prawns.

John’s nice little GT hooked on a Zerek Bulldog Crank.

Gracie with her biggest-ever fish: this southern Moreton Bay nannygai.

Working hard and fishing smart

T hasn’t been a great start to 2020 for a lot of people with the horrible fires and still much of the country in drought, so let’s hope it eventually settles down.

A nice squire on a Zerek Live Flash Wriggly for Lindsey.

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The key is of course rain, but unfortunately whether we see it or not is up to the weather gods. On the fishing front, they say a drought on land is a drought at sea. Yes we’ve been able to enjoy some good fishing but there’s nothing easy about it. We have had to work for the fish we’ve caught. I’ve done a few tuition sessions but more charters this month, which I don’t mind because it gives me a bit more freedom with the fishing, chasing some different species and doing some bait fishing as well as using lures. One of the most important things is no matter if I’m doing charter fishing or tuition, I can’t emphasise enough that getting good tides around good moon phases (the week prior to the full, and the week prior to the new) is producing the best fish. To get the best out of those neap or smaller tides, I’ve gone to areas that would normally have a lot of current around the full and new moons, fishing with plenty of berley and bait to produce reasonable fish. On the tuition side of things, the trip that stands out most was when I went out with a fella by the

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Southern Moreton Bay by SEAN CONLON

name of Lindsey. He completed my offwater tuition course and then we went out to put it into practice . We were lucky to get into a few nice fish by casting and trolling plastics around. Lindsey picked up nice squire and trevally and even a nannygai when learning how to troll Zerek Ripper Divers for snapper. All in all he learnt a bit and we had a cracking day on the water. The tuition course is not just for us older fellas. I had Mark and his young son Darcy come and do a course and they wanted to do more bait fishing than using lures. So I tailored a course for them and after they completed their off-water session we went out and did a day on the water where we used a combination of

lures and bait. Mark was lucky enough to catch his first flathead and it wasn’t a bad one at 63cm. Darcy also got a few flathead and squire on soft plastics, which meant he got his first fish on a soft plastic. The guys caught a few fish, learnt some important information and the best thing is I got a photo three weeks later of them on holidays where Darcy got a nice flatty on a soft plastic fishing off the bank with one of the techniques he learnt in the classroom. A number of jewfish have been around and I took out some of my regulars to chase them. We found rather large schools of these fish but it’s not easy to tempt them onto the hook. We tried a few soft plastics but the standout lure

to get these fish to bite was the Zerek Fish Trap. I’ve teamed these lures with the new Wilson Blade N Tails 6-20lb rods and 3000 size ATC Virtuous reels spooled with 20lb braid and 30lb leader. Casting at the schools or working the lures straight up and down on top of them has produced the best results. Some good size fish are in the schools but a lot of smaller fish from 65-75cm have been hitting lures. Having a good sounder setup is key. Once you’ve found the fish, you’ll need persistence and patience. When heaps of fish show on the sounder, you expect an immediate bite, but sometimes it takes a while to annoy them into biting. We tried bait which unfortunately caught us the catfish mixed up in the schools. When you eventually do hook up to a jew, the everpresent bull sharks will be ready to steal a few. You can expect reason-

able flathead as by-catch because they feed underneath the schools. Trevally have been about too and are always good fun on light gear. We’ve caught them casting Fish Traps and trolling little Bulldog Cranks. Most fish are around 5055cm in length and can be quite a handful on 6lb line. The trevally have been found along the mangrove lines on high tide and drains at low tide. It’s been a bit of a mixed bag of fishing over the past month and probably will continue into February. Hopefully mackerel will show up in Moreton Bay in February and March to give us another species to chase. Other than that, let’s hope we get a bit of rain that might help change a few things around the place. Last month I mentioned the new Blade N Tails of rods and Virtuous reels ☛ continued P11

Simon and a nice jewfish that fell victim to a Fish Trap.

Tane landed this nice grunter on a Zerek Fish Trap.

A good patch of jewfish spotted on the Lowrance sounder.

Simon caught this flatty on the new lure distributed by Wilson Fishing: the FishArt Magnus.

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I’ve added to the boat. They’ve been going really well on the charters, and so far have done everything I’ve expected of them. We have caught plenty of fish, the reels are nice and smooth and the rods are rather sensitive, so you feel all the little bumps and taps you need to when you’re lure fishing. They have also been durable enough to take the knocking around they

naturally get in a charter situation. All in all, I think they were a great choice for the boat. On another note, a young fella by the name of Malachi on the northside unfortunately had his boat stolen just before Christmas. The guys from Mudzilla and another kind-hearted member of Mudzilla hatched a bit of a plan to get this young guy another boat prior to Chrissy. They got in touch with

me and a few other people around the place and everybody chipped in to get Malachi another boat and new fishing gear to get him back on the water. Malachi and his mum were going through a tough time, so it was great to see a bit of community spirit. I would like to thank everybody who took part. Hopefully I remember everybody… Thanks to Aaron and his wife Bridget from the Facebook page Mudzilla -

Mud Crabbing for getting everyone organised. Great job. Also the anonymous Mudzilla member who provided a boat he bought with his own money from John Crawford Marine. Merv’s Cast Nets, Tackle World Lawnton, Leisure Direct, BCF, Mr Bait, SU Queensland, Mitchy’s Itchy’s and Custom Designs – thank you all. Great job guys and girls, I think everybody involved turned a very big negative into a positive.

Darcy sent the author this photo of one of the flatties he landed at Jacobs Well Darcy with his first-ever fish on soft using the techniques he learnt in his offwater tuition session. plastics.

The community rallied around Malachi after his boat was stolen just prior to Christmas. Thanks to the guys from Mudzilla and other businesses for organising a new boat in time for Christmas.

Clint nailed a trevally on a Zerek Fish Trap.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 11

Rain brings relief and ramps up the fishing ■ Jewfish ■ Giant herring ■ Pelagics

The recent rain will help those targeting mangrove jack.

AIN at last!

At the time of writing we are finally receiving muchneeded rain, with some areas getting more than enough. This rain is long overdue all across the country and really needed to help improve the fishing here in southeast Queensland. Before the rain, fishing had been very hit and miss due to the extremely dry conditions, as we would normally have had decent rain by this time

Solid GTs have been working around the bay islands of late. This fish hit one of the new colour Molix RT Shads.

This giant herring took a liking to a Molix 3.5” RT Shad. It was unhooked in the net and then released, never leaving the water.

Luring Moreton Bay by PETER HERBST

in summer. Low wind over the holiday period saw heavy boat traffic on the water, which contributed to tough fishing as well. Jewfish While jewfish have been caught at times over the past couple of months, in general they have not been in normal summer numbers. I believe this is a direct result of the lack of rain. On the positive side, this should improve as the influx of fresh water pushes bait that has been scattered throughout the rivers and Moreton Bay into better concentrations. Prawns will be a hot topic following this rain because they love a good flush of fresh water and as a result will become the main food source for jewfish and many other species in the next few months. The usual jewfish hangouts will be worth a look if the water is clean enough, and you’ll do well by fishing with prawn-imitation lures as well as the normal soft plastics and soft vibes generally used to catch summer jewies. As always in summer, sharks may be a problem, and again I would advise anglers not to sit on a school if they are just feeding the sharks and hoping to get one fish past them. Sharks are certainly relying on us anglers to make it easy for them to feed. They identify our boats near fish aggregations and wait for us to hook them so they can get a feed with less effort. It’s kind of scary seeing the number and size of sharks in Moreton Bay these days and how comfortable they are with boat noise. There is potential for

big fish to be caught at this time of year, with the larger schools sometimes holding good numbers of fish in the 90-110cm class. They sure are a tonne of fun at that size and it’s definitely worth getting out and chasing them. Giant herring Just like the jew, giant herring have been about but are also very hit and miss when they should be a lot more consistent. By the time this article hits stands, it should be the usual end to the run of these speedsters, but with such late rain, who knows? Hopefully they take up residence in their usual haunts and fun sessions continue until we get closer to winter. When they have been about, they have been their usual crazy selves – smashing lures, jumping everywhere and running anglers around their boats as they change direction and run under the boat at sizzling speeds. These are premier

sportfish in most people’s books and the larger fish over 90cm can really burn line off your reel unlike anything else. Hands down my favourite lure for giant herring is the Molix 3.5” RT Shad in bright yellow, fished up to a 1/2oz jig head. They have very hard and abrasive mouths and can chew through leader pretty quickly, so I suggest using 20-40lb goodquality fluorocarbon. I use Sunline FC100 in 30lb and 40lb and check it after every fish because giant herring have a habit of damaging the leader. Handling is a big issue with these fish. They are very fragile and anglers need to either be aware of this or like feeding sharks, as they will be killing every fish they catch if care isn’t taken. We all like to get photos of fish but I highly suggest the majority of fish landed should be kept in the net in the water, unhooked and released without taking them out of the water. Fish taken out of the water for a picture should be out of the water for as little time as possible, with cameras out and

ready before the fish is brought over the side. I urge the careful handling because these are such cool fish and hopefully we will see them in good numbers for years to come. Pelagics Mackerel and tuna have been about in Moreton Bay, and more so at the northern end from all reports. School mackerel have at times been in good numbers off the channel markers and spotted mackerel and tuna have appeared randomly on surface bait schools. Any freshwater run-off will help with a pelagic season, but mostly we need consistent wind from the southeast. It feels like we have had northerly wind 90 percent of the time during late spring and summer. Southeasterly wind seems to help push the pelagic species further into the bay. The next three months can be prime time, so hopefully we’ll see the wind swing around and mackerel and tuna running throughout the entire bay and smashing baitfish off the surface.

One of Moreton Bay’s best sportfish, the giant herring. This one was quickly taken out of the water for a picture and then immediately returned to the water to ensure a successful release.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 13

The author’s son with his magic metre barra from Bli Bli Barra Fishing Park.

The author with a good score of prawns.

Bass to barra – summer options a short drive from Brisbane I Rods and Alvey reels set low to the water ready for nightfall on the Nerang River.

Catching hard-fighting bass with the direct-wind Alvey was a heap of fun.

HAVE to admit that summer in Queensland isn’t normally my favourite time of year for fishing.

That is because as a very keen beach and estuary flats angler, a number of my main target species of tailor, jewfish, flathead and bream are well down due to higher water temperatures and bait and migratory patterns. So this summer, particularly with teenage sons keen to tackle new target species, I have really mixed it up and started chasing new targets including bass and barra.

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Mangrove jack are next on the list! All three are great target species in the hotter conditions and water temperatures and have proven a lot of fun. So in this article, I’ll talk a little about how we have gone about chasing and catching these new targets not too far from Brisbane, as well as report on some of our more traditional summer targets. Barra As I wrote in this magazine in the November edition, while the odd wild barra is caught in and around Brisbane at this time of year, a good option for chasing them locally (or practising for a trip up north) is the Bli Bli Barra Fishing Park. The fish have really started to fire on the hot and humid days over summer, so this place is a great option over the next few months. My sons and I returned to the Barra Park for another late afternoon/early evening trip in late December and landed five fish but lost even more. We took the time to go back to Dave at the office and discuss tactics over the lost fish and our changes led to my son later catching the fish of his life to date – an awe-

some 104cm barra! A good idea is to cover your bases at the Barra Park. You can actively chase more of the ‘smaller fish’ while at the same time giving yourself the chance to land a bigger fish on a set rod with a big bait. Barra Creek has about 1500 fish of mostly up to 70cm, but my boys and I have caught 83-86cm fish in there too. These fish are best targeted on the supplied pellets on tiny size 10 Mustad bronzed French hooks.

You need light leader to fool these fish, with about 8lb fluorocarbon a good choice. Be prepared to lose a few fish in the snags. For the bigger fish, we use whole pilchards and following Dave’s advice we upped our leader from 20lb to 30lb fluorocarbon and 3/0 big mouth circle hooks. This made a big difference, and even with 30lb leader, checking the trace after my son’s metre fish showed it had almost worn through. Don’t use any sinker and just cast the bait out near structure (or close to shore during night sessions); put the rod in a secure rod

holder, run a reasonably firm drag and use a bell to alert you when it goes off. Our next plan will be to start targeting these fish on lures. Bass Another great summer fishing option in Queensland is targeting Australian bass. These native fish are a good choice for anglers wanting to tick another species off their bucket list in summer. They respond well to a variety of lures, including casting and trolling, but at times cannot resist a wellpresented bait. This was certainly the case when I visited Lake ☛ continued P15

Tony from Alvey with one of many bass caught on shrimp.

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Bass to barra – summer options a short drive from Brisbane ☛ from P14

Somerset early in the new year. I was fortunate enough to go out in the Alvey Fishing Team boat with 40-year Alvey technician Tony Robinson who also used to be a regular on the ABT Bass circuit. I had never chased bass before in my life, with my only freshwater fishing being in Leslie Dam as a kid before it was stocked, and the mountain lakes of NSW where I used to regularly chase trout. To ensure I got onto fish, Tony set some shrimp pots overnight with fish frames for bait, snaring enough shrimp to go fishing. We left early morning on New Year’s Day, before the New Year’s Eve hangover campers got out on their jet skis and speed boats. Tony showed me a few signs to look for on the water including the presence of pelicans and gannets. These are a sure sign of bait and often fish feeding on them, and Tony showed me on his Garmin sounder that this was indeed the case. We then moved to another location, which the sounder clearly showed was the edge of an old riverbed. Here Tony put the electric motor on spot lock because of a great showing of fish and bait around the thermocline (change

in water temperature). We caught 18-20 bass in this spot. Our method was using 6lb main line, 6lb fluorocarbon leader, a small size 4 finesse Tru-Turn hook and a small pencil float. We set the floats so the bait would sit among the fish showing at about 6m on the sounder in roughly 8m of water. We had an absolute ball catching them on our respective Alveys, mine the older direct-wind 55B and Tony on the new Kayak Adventurer 45KGCZ, which incorporates a drag and a line guide. Check out a video on my Facebook page (Ontour Fishing Australia) for a look at the action. Other summer targets The other fish species my son and I have been chasing is mangrove jack, with my son landing his first on a soft plastic at a Gold Coast marina on his first try. Hopefully I will have a bit more to say about catching jacks in the future as we refine our techniques. Whiting Of course, other more common targets available at this time of year include summer or yellowfin whiting. These are a great option to chase from the beach over summer if you can get your baits past those pesky dart. Generally you have a

better chance of catching whiting in more shallow beach gutters, as deeper gutters are often frequented by dart at this time of year. For summer whiting off the beach, I prefer either the blind ends of low tide gutters or very shallow high tide gutters with a shore break. Both will hold whiting close to shore, so do not wade into the water and spook them; instead cast from the sand. Some good size whiting have come from the beaches of late, particularly around Teewah and Rainbow Beach. Check my Facebook page for a video of the type of water you want to be looking for. In terms of river whiting, I got a feed in the Nerang River at night recently, but like me, even the great whiting whisperer Wayne Young struggled that night. He told me he did return a couple of nights later with thinner mangrove worms which were far more productive than the shop-bought bloodworms. Youngy also added that the fish are more dispersed due to the dry weather, so fingers crossed for some rain soon, and not just to help the fishing! Prawns Good news on the banana prawn front is they have started to appear, though as of early Janu-

ary, some days they were thick and some days dispersed. I went for a session with a mate who kindly took me to one of their local haunts north of Brisbane, an area I hadn’t prawned before. Unfortunately, it was a case of “you should have been here yesterday” because the prawns were around but not in big numbers. We got enough for a feed but threw a bunch of casts for only a handful of prawns, albeit some very big ones. By the time this goes to press, the numbers will be more consistent. Regardless, prawning is addictive, fun and a great day out, especially with good company like I had. The trip was also a great testing ground for my new 10’ Seahorse top-pocket chain linked net. This net has just been released by Tacspo Distributing. I was very pleased with it and think it excellent value as a midrange net. I got fed up last season with the twisting and snagging in my couple of leadbottom nets and was very impressed with the faster sink rate and lack of kinking in this chain-linked net. The top pocket is easy to open, with other features including triple-tied braided line and a very heavy-duty swivel.

My only suggestion is that the 8m rope, standard with most manufacturers, needs to be a little longer. The good news is the manufacturer has taken on board the feedback and 14m rope will be added very soon. Keep an eye out for them. I know my local tackle shop, Water Tower Bait and Tackle, will stock them, along with a few other Brisbane dealers and one in Townsville. That’s it for another month. I hope you’ve been able to get among some fish this summer and have added to your own fish bucket list. Until next month, check out my Ontour Fishing Australia Facebook page.

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The author and a barra caught on a set rod in Big Boy’s Pond.

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A go-to soft plastic presentation H EY folks, as this is my first time writing for Bush ‘n Beach, I thought it would be appropriate to base this article around my first fishing trip for 2020.

A hungry flathead.

A quick rundown on myself before I get stuck into the good stuff: I’ve been fishing for over 30 years and don’t mind fishing in either fresh or salt water, however my all-time favourite style of fishing is throwing artificial presentations from my boat around the estuary systems and wider waters of Moreton Bay. During 2019, I got

A chunk of a grunter.

Dinner in the boat.

The author’s first fish of 2020.

Page 16 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

Pro Staff Pointers

by SEAN BEKKERS

hooked on a little presentation that performed so well I feel it would be a shame not to share it with you. This was the Z-Man Slim SwimZ (Slimmy), and when used with light leader and line it can be a super-effective presentation as it matches most of the small baitfish found on the flats, weed beds and around structure. For the avid Z-Man lover, this pattern is probably nothing new, however I only started using it last year. This lure comes in either a 2.5” or 3” model, with various colours to choose from. The two most used among anglers are Motor Oil and Midnight Oil as both have UV-reactive qualities (to play up to the UV receptors in fish’s eyes). Rigging wise, I usually won’t run anything heavier than a 1/4oz TT Lures HeadlockZ jig head, and how light I go depends on the water depth, wind and current. Rigging on a heavier jig head doesn’t do this presentation justice, and the only time I would go bigger is when chasing tuna hitting small whitebait. Back to the colours, and though the two mentioned are favourites for a lot of anglers (myself included), people tend to get locked onto a particular colour and not take into account the weather and bait holding in the area they intend to fish. Have you heard the old saying “match the hatch”? When thinking about the bait in the area, water clarity and weather (overcast or sunny), you may find your favourite is not the best presentation for the day. First fishing trip for 2020 Like most of my trips, I only had a short window

to head out and smack some fish, about three hours tops, and there was little tidal run, with maybe 0.7m difference between the top and bottom of the tide. This can be a frustrating time because the fish don’t really move up on the flats and sometimes just don’t fire at all. The bait and fish just seem to be in cruise mode. With this in mind, I chose to work a deeper gutter where the flats drained into a depth of 3-4m, where the small baitfish were more likely to be stacking up. The target species were grunter (javelin fish, either barred or spotted) and flathead, both of which are heaps of fun on light gear such as my Okuma Helios combos. These setups are loaded with 8-10lb Platypus P8 braid and 10lb Stealth FC fluorocarbon leader. All my rods had Slimmies rigged on 1/8oz HeadlockZ jig heads. I was running Motor Oil, Blue Glimmer and a new colour for me, Baby Bass. The day was very sunny and I had my fingers crossed the Baby Bass colour would get some attention, especially because it was a Christmas present – who doesn’t like fishing gear at Christmas!? Using a lighter jig head meant that on the drop the plastic would get more hang time and I would have to slow everything down when retrieving. My first flick for 2020 landed just short of the edge and I proceeded to slowly work it down the bank with a hopping retrieve. About halfway down it was hammered and once I set the hook the drag started screaming. The fish had obviously been up there feeding on the edge and took a liking

to the Baby Bass Slimmy. On the 1-3kg outfit this fish had me running all over the boat and I was rolling the dice between calling it for a small jewfish or grunter. After a few minutes and some awesome heart-inthroat head shakes, my first fish of 2020 turned out to be a 47cm barred grunter. Not a bad opener on the new colour. Following some happy snaps and re-applying Pro-Cure Super Gel scent (Sardine/Pilchard) to my Slimmy, I threw another cast a little further down the bank. While working it back to the boat, the Slimmy was hammered again! I couldn’t believe my luck, two casts and two fish. This time a mid-50cm flathead had grabbed it and was super angry, jumping around and trying to throw the hooks. At first glance it was obvious I had to land this fish quickly because it had inhaled the Slimmy and I couldn’t see the jig head, meaning the only thing

between me and dinner was the leader. With some swift netting action, I had dinner sorted. Continuing to work the bank, I managed a handful of smaller grunter and flathead for the remainder of the trip before heading home. Reflecting on the day, I managed to nail the presentation right from the get-go, which doesn’t happen often. While casting I saw a lot of small baitfish with a subtle green back, most likely small hardyheads, and the Baby Bass colour matched them perfectly. As for my go-to colours of Motor Oil and Midnight Oil, they didn’t even get a look in on this occasion. Handy hint: The general rule of thumb when choosing colours is if it’s a super-bright day, choose a brighter plastic and in low-light or overcast conditions, choose darker silhouette-type colours. Screaming drags and I hope you’re getting amongst it.

Being quick with the net paid off.

This lit-up grunter was still pretty green when it came on board.

A combination of gear used for the trip.

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Northern Moreton Bay by MARK TEMPLETON

line while catching up. It was great to see quality fish being caught, both on Moreton Bay and at inshore locations as well. What was even better was the number of new fishos who picked up a fishing rod for the first time and decided to go fishing with a mate or just by themselves. Well done and welcome to an awesome fishing family! I spent a considerable amount of time out and about over the holidays, checking the catches, testing to see where the fish were and more importantly, how our fishos were doing out there and what they were catching. I had the privilege to witness something pretty special on one of my trips. A family came in store to buy bait and basic tackle because they received rods from Santa. Because they had zero experience, we taught them a basic knot, some rigging techniques and how to put bait on the hook. I knew where they were fishing, so decided to take the opportunity to go out and check on them.

On arrival, I saw the family group fishing but they had an extra couple of people with them. I sat back and watched the group for about 10 minutes before I went up and asked how it was all going. The father was overwhelmed with the support shown to him and his family on their very first fishing adventure. He explained that within 10 minutes of arrival they had gear going everywhere, line wrapped under spools and around the rods – it was a disaster. Two young fishos who I

Summer

Offshore from Moreton Bay was hit or miss over the break but thankfully there were more hits than misses out there. Young Corey ventured out with dad Scott and had a cracker time on dolphinfish, nailing three crackers. Corey had an awesome session, as you can see from his ear-to-ear grin. Does it get any better!? Luke and Veanna spent a couple of days on the water and lost a few lures, but also brought home a very nice selection of fish including a cracker wahoo. Well done to you both and thank you Veanna for letting Luke bag at least one fish! ☛ continued P19

Maddie’s Shorncliffe Pier jewfish.

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know very well saw their predicament and jumped in, sorted the tangles, rigged their rods and got them in the water fishing. They even caught a bream within minutes – not a big one but it was a fish! It humbles you a little to see two young lads jump in without expectation and help a family have an awesome first fishing experience. So well done lads, we know who you are and you should be proud of yourselves. If you see someone out there who looks like they could use a little of your experience, don’t be shy, offer a hand and you might just make someone’s day even better.

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Blessed by the weather and bountiful captures ☛ from P18

Pumicestone Passage has produced a great range of quality fish including estuary cod, mangrove jack, grass sweetlip, snapper and jewfish. Jim and grandson Ryan put in a few night sessions together and brought

home a great feed of bream, cod and a mangrove jack. Well done guys and great to see you’re passing on some great techniques to the juniors, Jim. For those who are landbased, there are so many locations where you can

Jim and Ryan picked up a mixed bag.

wet a line and bring home a feed. Maddie went for a session on the Shorncliffe Pier with Ben and the last thing she expected was a solid jewfish to come over the rails. Well done Maddie and Ben, that’s one you can talk about for a while. Still out on Shorncliffe Pier, Dylan floated out live herring at the turn of the tide and was rewarded with an awesome queenfish. A few queenies are being caught on herring, hardyheads and lures. I was watching Tyler out there trying to convince an 80cm-plus queenie to take a plastic on 12lb line. It would have been an epic battle and I think the queenie would have

emerged the victor if he hooked up. Maddison has been fishing all over Moreton Bay with her dad and brother, catching everything from stargazers to whiting. Maddison’s last trip to the Ted Smout Bridge saw her land a stonking 39cm bream on a live bloodworm. Many more were caught but that one was her trophy. Next time you decide to take off for a fish, try inviting a mate who has not been out before and introduce him or her to one of the most rewarding pastimes there is. Be safe in your travels, respect the waterways and fish responsibly. Maintain the passion!

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 19

Mid-January rain means mud crabs moving

HE holiday season has finally come to an end, which is good news for the waterways in southeast Queensland.

Mud crabs will be on the move after the recent rain.

Colleen Levy had fun landing plenty of fish on light gear over Christmas.

Alethea Levy travelled up from Wagga Wagga and caught loads of fish off the bank in the Maroochy River.

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The rivers and creeks are really busy during December and January, which can make the fishing and crabbing a lot tougher. The Gold Coast through to the Sunshine Coast copped a good downpour of rain during the middle of January, with some areas receiving over 300mm and possibly more to come. This has given the rivers a much-needed flush and will improve the fishing and crabbing greatly. A lot of the action has been in the upper reaches, with baitfish and prawns getting right up into the brackish areas. With a bit more rain, the bait and prawns will be pushed back downstream and be more concentrated, making it easier for the predators and anglers to find them. I had my crab pots in one of the local streams in Brisbane when the rains hit. The mud crabs cop a real flogging over the Christmas break, so I wasn’t holding too much hope. The first night I only got a couple of legal muddies and a sand crab. Then the rain started and the water began to get some colour about it. This got the crabs on the move and we ended up potting 10 good muddies. The number of males that were just undersize was frustrating, but this is pretty normal after Christmas until they get a break and the stocks replenish. One of the edges where I had my pots was also loaded with prawns after the rain hit. We received about 100mm in one night and this was enough to bring the prawns back down to the area I was crabbing. Hopefully the rain continues to keep some colour in the water and we should see excellent mud crab numbers turning up over the next few months. There are plenty of better crabbers than me out there, but if you stick to a few basics it’s not that hard to catch a feed. Fresh bait is the first rule I always follow. Most fish frames work really well, with oily fish such as mullet and tuna a standout. I often have a few flathead frames in the freezer and these always attract the attention of the crabs. Chicken frames are good crab baits too and easy to find at the local butcher. Placing the pots in areas where the crabs will be moving also puts the odds in your favour. Creek mouths are an obvious area to most crabbers and rightly so, as they often produce good-quality crabs. Steep mangrove edges

Local Luring by KEITH STRATFORD

are also worth placing a few pots along, especially after rain. Shallow banks can be excellent areas to target crabs, again particularly after heavy rain when the water is dirty. Many years ago when I was a young fella, we would run witch’s hat dillies (which are now illegal to use in Queensland) over shallow sandbanks when the water was dirty after rain and we rarely missed. They were a lot of fun to use, but needed to be checked regularly, which is one of the reasons they ended up being banned. The pots available now are designed to look after the crabs a lot better and make it easier to release any female and undersize male crabs. Prawns have been on the move nice and early this year, with good numbers turning up in December and continuing through January. The size hasn’t been great, but February should see better quality showing up. They can be very hard to predict at times, so it’s worth having a cast net on board at all times and keeping an eye on the sounder as you’re motoring around. They aren’t always where the other boats are casting, so keep an open mind. Over the Christmas break we had some family come up from down south. We had a couple of quick fishing sessions off the bank among the crowds and found a few hungry fish. The areas we were fishing were populated with a lot of other anglers having a go with very little luck. A group of guys fishing near us asked me why we were catching so many fish. A quick look at their

gear and bait revealed the answers quickly. The water was crystal clear and they were using heavy line, heavy sinkers and dirty old stinky mullet flesh. I don’t often talk about bait fishing because I mainly use lures, but a few basics will help you catch more fish. Always fish as light as possible. When fishing in clean water chasing bread and butter species such as bream and whiting, drop your line down to something in the 4-8lb range. Fish can also be shy when the sinker is fished straight on top of the hook.

This works well in snaggy areas, but in other places try using a light trace about 60cm long. A light sinker will also allow the bait to drift around in the current and look a lot more natural. Fresh bait will see you catching more fish. Bait can be very expensive, so consider buying a yabby pump.

Yabbies are one of the best baits you will find and absolutely everything eats them. Pumping yabbies is also plenty of fun for the kids – and once they’ve learned to pump yabbies, your life will be a lot easier! That’s it from me this month. I hope to see you on the water.

Mullet is an excellent crab bait.

Plenty of flathead have been getting around during the past month.

This purple claw muddy was on the move after the recent downpour.

Ashlee Levy scored this nice whiting fishing light with a yabby for bait.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 21

Summer fishing options in SEQ S

UMMERTIME on the water in the southeast corner of Queensland tends to be a little on the hot side, so wherever possible, we venture out either early in morning or in the afternoons when the conditions are cooler for the kids.

Brodie from Melbourne with his first bass.

Obviously, this isn’t going to coincide with the tides every time, however it’s possible to work around species and locations to get the best result for the time on the water. Over the holiday period the traffic on the waterways was crazy and boat ramps chaotic but somehow, luck was with us and we managed to avoid the worst of it. Some good catches of sand crabs were being taken in the Broadwater, so we decided to take

Demonstrating how to clean the crabs prior to cooking.

Fishing Australia by LEEANN PAYNE

the kids out for their first ‘sandy’ expedition. Hubby Rob absolutely detests using bait and probably avoids crabbing because of this, but with two keen kids pushing for a trip, he had no choice. Driving to the boat ramp a little later than usual, leaving home at 8.30am, we made our way to the Gold Coast and as we got closer to the ramp, we drove past dozens of cars and trailers parked along the side of the road and knew we were going to be kicking ourselves for not being there earlier. Amazingly, there was no queue at the ramp and better still, we managed to gain the second-closest carpark. Winner, winner! The feeling was good on board and we were confident luck would remain with us. First up we ventured to some banks in the Broadwater that were away from the main stream of traffic, loaded the bait envelope with whiting frames and dropped the crab pots off along a 2m contour adjacent to the banks and weed beds. With the trip concentrating on crabs, we followed up by exploring the banks and searching for sea creatures (the tide was rising), and swimming for an hour before

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checking the pots. We used the kids as slave labour to pull in the pots and had a very excited family when the first pot emerged showing a good-sized buck within its confines. Further along we caught a medley of small crabs, jennies and bucks, but overall managed a good result. Returning some pots to the water in the productive areas and moving the other pots to another area, we followed up with an hour of non-fishing activities close by so as to keep the kids happy and ensure no one else decided to check them for us. Pulling the pots for the second time didn’t give us the same numbers, however we were happy with the nine keeper crabs we got for minimal effort. Other fishing options that have been quite good for us included chasing whiting in the Nerang River, giving our usual spots the flick and exploring new sections of the river. We’ve been launching in the late afternoon and fishing for a few hours into the night to avoid most of the boat traffic and giving ourselves a reprieve from the heat. Wriggler worms have produced the results, and though we tend to have very good results during the run-in tide, the runout has also been quite productive. When looking for new ground, we use our Lowrance HDS-12 sounder to locate the undulating sandy bottom (we try to avoid the channels, especially with the ferry and cruise boats working the river). When it comes to technique, we really haven’t changed much over the years that we’ve been fishing for them, with

light lines, long leader (shorter with fast-flowing tides), sinker weight that keeps the bait close to the bottom without anchoring it and two anchors to stop the boat swaying from side to side. Away from the salt wa-

ter, the family has been giving Australian bass in Wyaralong Dam a bit of a touch-up, but the numbers have certainly come down over the summer period compared to what we’d been ☛ continued P23

Measuring the catch is important, as is making sure that only males (bucks) are kept.

Rob Mendham with a 42 cm whiting.

John with his first sand crab.

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The author held Selina’s PB bass.

Summer fishing options in SEQ ☛ from P22

catching during spring. We’ve kept with using unweighted shrimp baits to keep the kids entertained because we’ve found bait fishing has been way more productive

than lure fishing… for us, anyway! Children are funny little creatures and though John has always been keen as mustard, Selina is taking more of an interest again and kudos to her. She’s been casting nicely and

John with a good capture from Wyaralong Dam using shrimp for bait.

has managed to keep the fish out of the snags quite well with a few little hiccups along the way. Just a bit of a heads-up regarding leader. If you are fishing snaggy country, you don’t necessarily have to use very heavy leader because this can be quite detrimental to your results. A mate had been using 50lb, and while only fishing 20m from us (with fish showing on the sounder), he was unable to get a bite. After more than halving the leader size, he caught his first fish within minutes. We’ve also tried our hand at tilapia fishing, having come across some of their circular nests along the edges of the dam. We’ve failed at catching them so far but will no doubt cross paths with one sooner or later. With the dam fishing we’ve been making early starts as soon as practical after the gates open in the morning and leaving the water by about 10am because the dams inland tend to get a lot hotter than our coastal estuarine systems. We return to this electriconly dam due to its proximity to home and the lack of motorised craft. I’ve said it before: I just love fishing without having ski boats and jet skis roaring within metres of where we fish.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 23

Ricky with his first mangrove jack.

Henry nabbed a 58cm mangrove jack – his first ever!

Manic mangrove jack mayhem continues on Gold Coast

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It’s great to see a huge number of people getting involved to ease their pain and we should all do our bit to help in some way. We can only continue to think positive thoughts and hope change is near in the form of soaking rain for the whole country. My feeling is even if climate change is not real, we should still search for better ways to do things. Here on the Gold Coast it has been all about the mangrove jack. The big red devils have been on the move and hunting in schools to feed themselves up to spawning condition. So far this season, we have caught 38 jacks on our night charters and released 35. The average size has been 52cm.

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We release all jacks unless they can’t be revived. It’s been the best start to a jack season in many years. With such clear water around, they are sitting tight in their snags during daylight and roaming around after dark, feeding vigorously on baitfish. Trolling deep-diving hard-body lures during the day will be more productive after heavy rain. Dirty water gives the red dogs confidence and cover to sit out in the open and ambush prey at close range in low visibility, thus putting trolled lures closer to the strike zone. Another great way to catch jacks is casting 3” and 4” soft plastic paddletail lures rigged on 1/2oz jig heads. Aim casts as close to snags as possible and be prepared to turn their heads quickly or they will smoke you in seconds. Soft plastic colours that cover all bases are red, white and green. Mix them up to see what works and keep casting for hours on end. It’s an awesome feeling seeing guests catch their first-ever jack, and an even bigger thrill watching it swim away after release. These fish live for over 50 years and are too beau-

tiful to catch just once. We should have future generations in mind when fishing. These are not the easiest fish to catch, and for such an aggressive fish they are surprisingly elusive much of the time. The biggest key to catching a jack is time on the water. It takes a lot of persistence, fishing close to heavy structure and using live bait. Another big tip is timing your fishing around the tides. You don’t want too much or too little flow, with moderate run ideal. If you’re fishing an area subject to strong current,

time your efforts within an hour or two of the tide changes. Like other ambush predators, jacks like to sit and wait in current breaks and pounce on unsuspecting baitfish travelling along with the tide. The Gold Coast Broadwater is an amazing system, with a massive variety of other species also

on offer for keen fishers. Flathead have been scarce, with only the odd 50-60cm fish around, but good numbers of winter whiting, sand whiting, tarwhine, flounder, squire, tailor and squid are being captured. We catch all the above on vibe lures such as the ☛ continued P25

Anthony and Jack with a 71cm estuary cod caught and released while fishing for jacks.

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Page 24 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

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Manic mangrove jack mayhem continues ☛ from P24

Samaki Vibelicious and Ecogear ZX40. Smear some Sax Scent in GoldPrawn on the vibes every 20 minutes to

help the hook-up rate. It is strange that the tailor were so quiet over winter but are now around in great numbers in the Broadwater.

The author boated a 59cm jack.

Archer was very happy with his 55cm flathead, tempted on a beach worm.

There are days when yabbies outfish everything else. They never fail and can be pumped at low tide on the big sandbanks in the Broadwater. Try drifting with the tide on the edges of the main channels where the depth drops to about 6m. Use a 2-4kg rod of about 7’ in length combined with a 2500 size reel, 6lb braided line, a running 3 ball sinker, then a small swivel with a metre of 10lb fluorocarbon leader attached to a size 4 Mustad baitholder hook. Best areas to fish with yabbies are South Currigee, Runaway Bay, both sides of Carter Bank, near Sea World Resort and along the main channel at Southport. We catch squid nearly every day all year round and they love hanging around channel edges and weed beds. They are suckers for vibes tea bagged in clearer water. Get them in a bucket as quickly as possible or they will squirt ink everywhere! Squid are delicious to eat and only need to be fried for a few minutes in a hot pan. They are also excellent bait, either cut into thin strips for whiting or used whole for mulloway in the Seaway and snapper offshore. We have found the

Nerang River to be very quiet during the day due to the prolonged drought. It desperately needs a flush to reset everything and get the baitfish and jelly prawns going. Night fishing in the river is most productive. Large schools of big bream from 30-40cm are on the bite in the deeper holes, and using live bloodworms and yabbies while anchored over sandbanks will usually get you a haul of large sand whiting, especially in the leadup to the bigger moon phases. Only keep what you’ll eat in one day and check the limits. Fisheries officers are very active in this region. In the month ahead we can expect mangrove jack and sand whiting to remain active. Any decent rain will further improve the fishing and crabbing. The mud crabs have been scarce but blue swimmer crabs are available in good numbers and size in the northern Broadwater. Please avoid placing crab pots in navigation channels, as big boats will run over them at night and cut off their floats, leaving ghost pots behind. To book a charter with Brad or me, or if you have any fishing-related questions, SMS 0432 990 302 or email fishingwith clint@gmail.com

James with a 60cm flathead taken from the Broadwater on a blade lure.

Simon and Kerri from Victoria got their first experience of jack fishing.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 25

Joe the ‘good luck charm’ proved again that if he is on the boat the fish will come.

The author landed this solid blue on a live bait.

All smiles during spanish season S O here we are, already screaming through 2020 faster than an angry wahoo. On the Gold Coast, we were blessed with magnificent weather over the Christmas and New Year period and made the most of the good weather window. The few months leading up to summer had been really lean on the boat and it was frustrating coming home with a few just-legal keepers. But as we fishers know, one trip can turn it all around and remind you why we keep hitting the water. We had a few days of northerly wind and I was itching for a fish, waiting for the perfect morning to have a crack at spanish mackerel (blues).

Mitch with the biggest blue of the trip after dropping five fish.

Jason came up with a good spotted mackerel on a quick trip before work.

Page 26 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

Andy was all smiles when he opened his account on blues for summer.

Gold Coast

by HEATH ZYGNERSKI

Reports had been sketchy, but with the water temperature climbing and conditions right, I was quietly confident of getting a few fish as I moved away from the main pack of boats. My old man Andy and I had a couple of young bucks on the boat and it was safe to say they were in for a fishing lesson. Right from the outset, as the first bait was deployed, it was just one of those mornings where we had the feeling the fish were going to turn it on, and it didn’t take long for them to do so. Mitch’s rod was the first to go off with a scream as he hooked up solid and the fish peeled line. Suddenly my rod buckled too and the Shimano TLD 20 was squealing. Both fish played the game by fighting out opposite sides of the boat. My fish was the first to come over the side, leaving the deck clear for Mitch to land his fish. Right at the boat, a quick flick of its head was all it took for Mitch’s fish to earn its freedom and swim off to live another day. This was to set a trend for Mitch for the rest of the morning. With baits checked, it was discovered Andy’s bait out the back had been hit too. Three new baits were deployed and it was a matter of minutes before the TLD 20 was singing again on a good fish. The fish felt really weighty and didn’t fight like a mackerel. Soon we discovered the fish had been hooked in the side and with the current there was no way of getting it close to the boat. The anchor was pulled and I regathered line. Just as I was getting close, Mitch’s rod got hit with a noise like a zip, but it was all over before it began. With my second blue in the boat, it was turning out to be a great trip. We reset our position and with new baits de-

ployed it was only a matter of time before a rod buckled. Mitch’s rod seemed to be the flavour of the month, being hit five times in succession. The one fish he did manage to stay connected to peeled a couple of hundred metres of line in a few seconds and had us calling it for a wahoo. We were surprised when a solid blue was at the side of the boat and after a few tense moments Mitch was assured of not going home with a doughnut. I don’t like using braid for this type of fishing and the proof was in the pudding as far as I was concerned, with the young fella using the stuff and having lost far more fish than he’d landed. Things slowed a fair bit for the next hour as the boat traffic increased around us, with only one run and a fish for young Brandan, who was a deadeye dick on the gaff I might add. Things then turned into the ‘Andy show’, with the old man boating the next three fish in the space of 40 minutes. Slow and steady wins the race, with each fish fought to exhaustion and easily landed. With the morning getting on, our last two baits where hit in quick succession, ending the live bait session. We decided to troll for

a bit with shallow divers, just to see if we could end the trip on a nice even number of two keepers each. On our second pass as I was commenting that this is where our baits would have been sitting, my rod buckled and that lovely screaming sound was heard from the TLD 20. The fish was a smaller mackerel and quickly landed. Days like this make you forget about the hard going of previous trips and ignites the flame within to get back out there. The young guns hit the water a few days later for an insane topwater session, which is something I would like to try, so it looks like a new combo might be on the cards for my upcoming birthday. Hint, hint! It is hard to leave good fishing, but for sustainability it is necessary to not smash the hell out of the schools. So the boys left the mackerel biting and headed out wide to try their hand at marlin fishing, and again they weren’t disappointed. With big arches sitting on bait schools, it wasn’t long before a livie was swallowed. Being a marlin virgin, Mitch was ecstatic to get the monkey off his back and land a nice fish. Many boats fishing the same schools were getting better than six fish a session, which by marlin standards is exceptional fishing. With such good weather, even 4m tinnies were get-

ting into them. It would be remiss not to mention the spotted mackerel fishing on the close local reefs. Typical of the spotties, they’ve been there one day and gone the next. It has really depended on whether you have just been lucky enough to be on the water when they decide to chew their heads off. With the water temperature now getting to 26C, they seem to have stabilised and anglers are getting regular good catches. Just get out on the water early because you’ll be sharing your quiet fishing spot with anywhere from 50 to 250 mates. The local bars are really doing a number on boaties. Tweed River Bar has shallowed up inside the walls, making it very dangerous on the outgoing tide. Currumbin Creek Bar is shot. It is shallow and the sand bars are moving regularly. You’re best to run it on a half tide and not get caught out waiting too long to come back in. A boat flipped on it on the way in after an arvo fish, so take care. Tallebudgera Creek Bar is also very shallow and you have nowhere to run if you mis-time your sets. The Seaway remains your best bet for the easiest run, just don’t wait too long if you need to punch back to it when the wind gets up. ‘Til next month, bent rods to you all.

Mitch was stoked to land his first marlin. The fish munched a live bait.

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Fabulous February on the Gold Coast

’DAY everyone, I hope you all had a great New Year and holiday break with productive fishing sessions.

I must admit this year’s holiday break threw out some challenges for myself and other local anglers, as I have never seen so many boats and jet skis

Gold Coast Guide by BRAD SMITH

on the water in my region. The fishing was also not up to its usual standards due to the serious lack of rainfall. Speaking of rainfall and the drought, my condo-

This is a great month to target mangrove jack.

Marc with a nice whiting caught on a surface lure.

Try for flathead in the deeper holes this month.

lences go out to the poor people who have been affected by fires all around the country. The lack of good seasonal rain that has allowed the fires to rage has also really affected the fishing this summer. The rain induces breeding of both fish and bait and stabilises the water temperature, which on some recent days has climbed past 29C in our rivers. As history tells us, this month can provide our largest amount of rain for the year, so let’s hope for it and create a fabulous February. February offers excellent variety because all our summer species are still in full flight, with the mighty mangrove jack being one of them. Casting and trolling lures around heavily structured areas during the very early morning and late afternoon tide changes, or using a combination of live and cut baits at night are the ways to go. The night sessions this summer have been the most productive, probably due to the lack of rain and heavy boat traffic during the day. My guiding partner Clint has been well rewarded for his many late nights on the rivers. Whiting are another popular species for most anglers, and this is an exceptional month to target them with both bait and lures. Live yabbies and worms are their favourite foods, but as most people know, I like to target them on lures. The week leading up to the new and full moons sees a definite spike in this fish’s feeding activities, so factor this into your planning. Whiting respond well to trolling as long as you keep your trolled lures small in size. Anything less than 50mm is perfect and it is vital the lure continuously taps the bottom when trolling. Finding areas that are wind affected with discoloured water also generates better conditions and

results when trolling for whiting. Another fun and productive technique for targeting whiting is using surface lures, because it is visual and this species fights hard on light gear in shallow water. The areas to look for when surface fishing are shallow and provide some food and structure. Places that have yabby banks fringed with seagrass beds are ideal. Flathead are another species to target this month, but I suggest if we do not receive good rain, the deep holes in the rivers will be the best place to find them. With the very warm water in the rivers, flathead prefer the deeper water because the temperature on the bottom of the deep holes is a bit cooler, which suits them best. Also keep a constant lookout for any bird or surface activity this month and through to April because this could indicate the presence of trevally, queenfish, tailor and even tarpon. Tight lines and I will talk to you again next month. Bring on some more rain!

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Dallas caught this quality whiting on a MMD Splash Prawn surface lure.

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This is a great month to target the hard-fighting tarpon.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 27

A double-header of parrotfish and maori cod.

Jewfish saved the snapper trip while the fires still burned in the mountains.

Offshore OK but Brunz River a better bet

VER the holiday period I heard of great catches being taken here in the Brunswick region.

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The river especially delivered some awesome captures. Just after Christmas, mackerel arrived in a beautiful lick of blue current that pushed in hard against the coast. Unfortunately, it lasted just a few days and the cold water came in from somewhere and ruined all the fun. It’s possibly the coldest I’ve seen the water at this time of the year, with some days being as chilly as 18C. Even out wider the water has been cold.

Tweed to Byron Bay by GAVIN DOBSON

I recently visited the FAD off Cape Byron and was disappointed with the cold water out there shutting the dolphinfish down. All was not lost though as despite a good clip of current we managed to hold bottom long enough to put together a good feed of reef fish. On this particular day I had Pat Carroll with me and we certainly didn’t set any records for numbers or size but by chipping away at the usual 32-fathom suspects, the Esky didn’t look like a

complete failure. Come to think of it, one suspect was missing – we didn’t catch a flathead all morning, which is a bit unusual for the 32s. While we saved the day, it was really just a fillin while waiting for the water to warm and the mackerel to come in. All this past week my Tweed and Kingscliff mates have been regaling me with stories of mackerel but they aren’t going to turn up here until the water changes for the better. Lewan caught a few nice

Fish hard all day with no worries no more jammed, seized or broken cables

snapper on the local reef one day, both in the morning and afternoon, and then he got them again the next morning. So that afternoon we headed out to the same spot in my boat to see if we could get a couple more. With a beautiful drain of tide and the float lines working well we waited for a snapper but with no joy. Oddly enough, we caught three jewfish, which was not what we were expecting but a pleasant surprise. One of the jew did a really odd thing. It took a bait on the bottom, swam straight to the surface and then took line out wide before arcing around the boat, still on the surface. I called it for a cobia but Lewan reminded me they are extinct and that I was talking rubbish. Even Lewan didn’t expect it to be a jew, but it was, and I’ll take it! You’ll notice in the photo the fire smoke still hanging around. Since I wrote last month, things have only gotten worse down south. I have family in the Bega Valley, some of whom went within a whisker of losing their houses.

I also have a couple of mates who went down there to fight the fires and even with 20 years’ experience each the Cobargo fire was an eye-opener for them. It was no ordinary bushfire that one. I speak for everyone I know when I say we hope it stops soon, and fingers crossed for 6” of rain across the whole of the fire-affected areas. Over the holiday period, all those fishing the beaches came back with the same reports of cornflake weed and shovelnose rays. Apparently juvenile shovellies were pretty thick, and I know plenty are in the lower reaches of the Brunswick River too. Always the great disappointment, they are actually pretty good chewing, so keep one and let the rest go. The Brunz River has been going off in the red fish department. Jacks are coming from the walls in the lower reaches to the sticks above Mullumbimby. Not just one here and there, more like numbers of five and eight. It’s great to see and there is some size to them too. ☛ continued P29

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Page 28 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

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Quick current can’t stop the speedsters

ELLO and welcome to this month’s edition of BNB. What a Christmas/New Year break it was all over the country. First, I want to say thank you to all those firefighters up and down the coast who have been toiling away and doing their utmost to save lives, houses and animals. It has been a mammoth task and you all deserve enormous praise and accolades. To those who have lost family, friends, loved ones or property, my heart goes out to you and my thoughts are with you. What has been fantastic to see is the show of support for those who need it. I have seen so many different fundraisers, raffles and donations, which just goes to show how Aussies will help each other out in a time of need. From here I think the best thing we can do is visit, stay, play and fish in the areas affected, helping these areas get back on their feet in the long run. As for the fishing this month, we have finally seen the current pick up, and with it has come warm water and a little rain. At the time of writing, the current was running somewhere between four and seven knots depending on the location and

Ballina Bait & Tackle by BRETT HYDE

individual day. This has made bottom fishing a very difficult proposition over the past few weeks. Even on the 32-fathom line, a massive amount of lead has been required just to reach the bottom, let alone stay anywhere near it for any length of time. Having said all this, a few snapper, trag and flathead continue to be caught mostly on the 32s. The wider most boaties have gone, the more difficult the fishing has become. I am hopeful this incredibly strong current only lasts a week or two and then backs off to a more manageable level. In the meantime it will be worth concentrating on pelagic species such as mahi mahi, marlin, tuna and of course mackerel when they show up. At least with the heavy current you can still troll a lure or live bait around and tempt one of these warm water speedsters. Mahi mahi have been around the FAD and wave rider buoy of late, as you would expect. They have been taking live yakkas and slimy mackerel, as well as soft plastics and skirted lures.

Bass are loving Bassman skirted jigs.

More natural colours such as blue and green have worked well for most types of lures, but I always have a luminous or pink lure handy in case they like the look of something different on the day. The weather or light conditions can also change on the day and you might need to make an adjustment on the fly. If you get to the FAD and are struggling to find any mahi mahi, it may be worth heading a little wider until you can find a temperature change in the water or a significant current line. Mahi mahi will cruise up and down in these types of areas where the water is warmer or the current is a little faster, which helps them move south with minimal effort. Marlin are liking similar lures to the mahi mahi. I would also make sure you have a couple of darker colours up your sleeve for the marlin. I like to have a straight black or black/purple colour combination available because this can be a great addition to the lure spread when these pointynose terrors are around. It will also be worth taking the time to catch live baits before heading out because the marlin may decide a tasty live bait is more to their liking. Back in the Richmond River, we are still being plagued by cornflake weed in the lower reaches. It has started to disperse somewhat, but the bigger tides around the full and new moons have been stirring it up off the bottom and causing a problem for some anglers and crabbers. A number of better flathead have been taken on live baits in the lower reaches. Due to the warmer weather the deeper holes

have been good places to target during the run out tides. The eating-sized flathead are further upriver, between Pimlico Island and Rileys Hill, but we have also seen fish taken above Woodburn Bridge. White or blue pilchards and mullet fillets have been the best baits, with brighter soft plastics working well for the lure throwers. Plenty of mud crabs and blue swimmers are spread out in both the creeks and main river. Mud crabs have been caught above Woodburn Bridge over the past month, but please be aware you cannot use crab traps above the bridge. You are permitted to use witch’s hats/dillies in this area. Whiting have been a little disappointing so far this year, with most anglers reporting catches of four to 10 fish per session. Hopefully as the weed disperses their numbers will improve, but for now I would try above Prospect Bridge in North Creek and above the Burns Point Ferry in the main river during the run-up tides. The usual baits of worms and yabbies have worked, but a few fish have also been taken using peeled prawns. The long dry spell seems to have spread the bass out somewhat, with fish spread all the way from Coraki to Lismore and Casino. Most anglers are reporting good numbers of fish early in the morning and late in the afternoon

on surface lures such as Z-Man Finesse FrogZ, Tiemco Soft Shell Cicadas, DStyle Reserves and many other surface options. As the days warm and the sun rises higher, the fish definitely sit lower in the water column and it may be necessary to use spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and skirted jigs to get down to them. With the water so clear compared to normal, it will be worth trying more natural colours on the skirts and sticking to mostly silver blades on the spinnerbaits to cut down the amount of flash coming off them. That’s about all from me this month. ‘Til next time, tight lines!

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Offshore OK but Brunz River a better bet ☛ from P28

The Brunz is chockers with tiger (flat-tail) mullet at the moment, along with herring and small white pilchards, and as we know, where there is bait there are predators. Aside from the jacks, really good flatties are coming into creels (a tad old-fashioned that term). Lures and bait are both accounting for these fish in the lower reaches. Some big tailor are coming into the lower Brunz too, with fish to 3kg coming from the walls in the lower reaches. Tailor will eat all www.bnbfishing.com. au

the above baitfish that come into the river, so they have a smorgasbord at present. Trevally aren’t as prevalent as I would expect with all the food around, but it’s possible they are just further upstream than I am looking. Water that is almost fresh is no problem to our trevally species and they have to go a long way upstream to find that. Mud crabs usually start to fire this month. As expected, they have copped a hiding and it’s still wall to wall (bank to bank?) floats as I write. Whiting are also a bit on the slow side but

all things considered the river is going pretty well. The next few months will be all about pelagics for the offshore boatie brigade. Wahoo will start to show up at Nine Mile, Windarra Banks and the Mackerel Boulder. Yellowfin tuna should be frequenting the same areas. In close, surely the blue water will have arrived and hopefully spotted and spanish mackerel will be everywhere. Even in the cold water I have spotted marlin sunning themselves, so the juvenile blacks might turn it on as well.

r o f h c r Sea

V T F B N B

Check out in-depth video coverage of the latest boat and product reviews plus ﬁshing action and handy tips. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 29

Doomsayers just don’t have a clue S ORRY I didn’t get an article in last month but I was busy moving to higher ground on the top of the Great Dividing Range due to the horrific and devastating sea-level rises that have occurred and were predicted by the so-called scientists back in 1995.

Even though there was little swell, this solid school jewfish could not resist the 6” paddle-tailed MadZ Lure Mischa was using.

You know the ones, yep that’s right the same fools who are predicting all the doom and gloom today. The very same clowns who said back then that by 2020 the sea levels would rise by a metre and us folk living on the coast would be inundated.

Just Jew

by TYE PORTER

Well as far as I can tell, the sea level has not risen a metre, or a millimetre for that matter, but what would I know, as I only stand fishing on the lowest of low rock platforms and have done so for decades. Now before you all get your knickers in a knot, those same experts are now saying that sea level rises have affected Fiji and a lot of the coastline has indeed been inundated.

If this is the case, then those same fools should be looking at why Fiji is sinking... not why the ocean is rising because it defies all laws of physics for the ocean to rise around only one or two countries and not the rest. Actually, I am only joking as I have not moved from Iluka and have no intention of doing so. Why would I leave when I have just spent thousands of dollars hanging

After spinning for an hour or so in a solid swell, Mischa landed this 16kg jew at the Bluff using a Croaker Lure.

FADs from the trees in my backyard and making several artificial reefs in preparation for the sea to rise. Can you imagine how good it’s going to be catching spanish mackerel and kingfish off my patio... woo hoo, bring it on, I say! On a more serious note, January turned out to be a cracking month for jewfish here at Iluka, with plenty of big fish boated offshore and spun up off the headlands on lures. Woombah boatie Dan Pianta scored nice jew to just over 20kg offshore at Black Rocks using live pike for bait, while Iluka angler Allan Hepper scored a 29kg fish off Woody Head. The local charter boats have been keeping their customers happy with jew to 16kg from the same area. The seasonal run of spotted mackerel is in full swing along the coast, with quality fish being boated from the northern and southern grounds of the Clarence Coast. Visiting angler David Mulchay has been just one of many anglers boating fish around the 5kg mark. This run should continue through until May, but that depends a lot on how much rain we do or don’t get during that period. The Iluka Bluff has been on fire for good jew in recent times, with my youngest son Mischa scoring nice fish on both soft plastic and hardbodied lures, while other folks have taken fish from 6kg to over 20kg during the same period. This is to be expected at this time of year given the vast shoals of white pilchards moving along the coastline at the moment. Tailor are also in reasonable numbers due to the above bait shoals, with solid fish taken off most of the local headlands on lures, while Main Beach has seen the bigger fish to a tad over 4kg hooked on strip flesh baits such as bonito and mullet by the lads from Byron Bay. Inside the mighty Clar-

ence River, fishing has been fair to middling, with whiting and flathead the main focus for most anglers. This is the first summer in a long while where I didn’t have a fish for whiting, but those who did returned with a feed most days. Flathead are still to be found as far upstream as Grafton. The only anglers not getting a feed of late couldn’t catch a fish if you threw it at them, but those same anglers blame everything and everyone for their ineptitude. Mischa and his girlfriend Rebekah have been doing a lot of night-time fishing for flathead when the crowds are home watching Judge Judy. Not only have they been catching lizards to 78cm on soft plastic lures at night, but a wide variety of other species including trevally, bream, estuary cod and flounder. Their biggest bream measured a tad over 40cm. I have not fished in over four months, however I did recently walk the Iluka breakwall with a rod and reel. After sitting there just looking at the water for an hour or so, I thought ‘yeah, nah’ and came home. Does that count? I saw a hell of a lot of big bull luderick swimming around without a care in the world that day on the river side of the wall and not an angler in sight. All things being equal, February should see good catches of mackerel and jewfish continue, while whiting numbers will begin to drop inside the river towards the end of the month. Tailor will probably continue their trick of here today and gone tomorrow. Along the beach at Shark Bay, flathead, bream and swallow-tail dart should keep you amused for a while. Wherever you choose to fish this month, take care and enjoy your surrounds. ‘Til next month, safe fishin’.

Big jew will readily take a hard-body thrown from the stones.

Page 30 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

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Despite the heat, snapper have still been around. Photos: fishingnoosa.com.au

Cooper Vanderbyl with a 49cm bass pulled from Borumba Dam on Boxing Day.

Pelagic fun filters through T

HIS is the time of year when we start to see spanish and spotted mackerel show up in higher numbers throughout our bays and local reefs.

Being migratory, these fish follow the warmer southbound currents towards us from Fraser Island. All too often they can appear in numbers around Double Island Point and Cape Moreton and miss the bays in between, so it pays to look for signs of activity on social media pages and read local reports. With southeast Queensland in official drought status, things have warmed earlier than years before and the fish showed sooner than usual. These fish will use various inshore reef systems, headlands and rocky points to feed, making the Sunshine Coast the perfect spot for these speedsters to stop off. If you can find the bait, chances are these fish are not far away. Hooking a spanish mackerel is just the start of the battle because they are fast, strong fighters and often watched by sharks. They also have a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, so moving quickly is key to staying connected. The bulk of us tend to wait until the sun rises and look for diving birds. We then power off and begin the ritual cast and burn technique to get into the action. Another important method to use when the fish have gone deep is slow trolling. All too often these fish can be just out of eyesight or remain unspotted by birds, which leaves you waiting and drifting around. This is when slow trolling dead or live baits along the inshore reefs of Halls Reef towards Double Island Point and Old Woman Island from Mooloolaba can be deadly. Dead baits to use include yellowtail pike, whole bonito, garfish and slimy mackerel, with yellowtail yakkas the perfect live troll bait. For the live bait to swim, a stinger rig is best, so ask for it by name at your lowww.bnbfishing.com. au

Sunshine Coast by GRANT BUDD

cal tackle shop. If using a dead bait, a chin-weighted troll rig with 5/0-8/0 hooks is key. Be sure to break the backbone of any dead bait because that helps loosen it up and make it swim. Trolling baits works best when moving slower. Even clicking the boat into and out of gear may be required. The bait swims higher when under way and lower when out of gear, but you must always keep moving forward. This is one reason the kayak fishing fraternity continues to smoke everyone by landing the biggest fish, especially pre- and post-season. To keep the lure fishos happy, be sure to load up on Halco Laser Pro, Rapala X-Rap and Nomad Design DTX hard-bodies. When using lures, be sure to pick something small, especially if the baitfish are small. Lastly, remember all these lures have different swim depths at different troll speeds, so don’t lock into one steady speed. Don’t forget to have a short corner for the times you have to turn because your lines will pass over each other and the last thing you need is tangled lines during a hot bite. If the fish are feeding on the top, then have a good supply of Halco Twistys, Spanyid Raiders and Arma Metalik slugs in your box. Do not be one of those anglers who waits for the fish to arrive and finds someone has beaten you to it and bought all the lures in the shop. Always carry the smaller sizes because the spotties and longtail tuna often shy away from anything bigger than 20g. A good tip if this happens is to use a micro jig because the profile is generally shorter but heavier in weight, creating more strikes and longer casts. A top tip for casting jigs to mackerel is to use Cultiva JT-23 twin assist hooks with metal core assist cord. When using jigs as casting slugs, simply take your assist hooks off the

top ring and attach them to the bottom of the jig. You can then tie your leader to the top eye of the jig, which lets the hooks trail out the back away from your leader knot and ensures better hook-ups on toothy critters. Lastly, when using slugs and smaller lures with treble hooks, take a serious look at switching these out for inline single hooks like Decoy Sergeants. Single hooks make for fast and safe unhooking and are way stronger than the stock hooks found on most lures designed for big fish. I once had a treble hook break after a two-hour fight with a barrel-sized tuna and since that day I have never used a treble hook again. Continuing the offshore fishing theme, February is known for swell and wind, but north of the Noosa River Bar, Double Island Point holds a great mix of snapper, pearl perch, tuskfish, cobia, longtail tuna, mackerel and sizeable scarlet sea perch. If you decide to head here from Noosa, be sure to monitor the wind and come home with it rather than against it. Another option is to tow the boat to Tin Can Bay and head out through Wide Bay Bar. In closer to home, North Reef holds similar species but the focus will be on mahi mahi, wahoo, spanish and spotted mackerel, tuna and of course reef species including estuary cod. This area is a great place to break out the skirted or hex jet-head lures for mahi mahi and wahoo. Of course, having a trusty pilchard floater out works very well in these deeper waters on the turn of the tide. Mackerel will often come through this area and you get to enjoy them away from the more crowded inshore reefs. Sunshine Reef will produce quality fish including the reef favourites of coral trout and big sweetlip. Off the bottom, it’s all about mackerel and tuna as

well as cobia, which will become more abundant. These fish take a huge variety of presentations, from soft plastics such as Berkley Gulp 7” Jerk Shads in pearl white to high-speed jigs including Shimano 120g Pebble Sticks, as well as live and floated dead baits. In an ideal world, run 30lb braid or a high-quality PE3 braid so you can apply pressure with confidence because these fish are often followed by big sharks that love to take a bite once you hook up. In closer, when the swell drops you will find Halls Reef as good as any other stretch if you are after mackerel and tuna. Trolled whole bonito and garfish present the favourite method when set up on a troll rig. Take a look at the various pre-made options from Tackle Tactics and SureCatch. Jew Shoal can be a great place to be first on the scene, and when the swell drops it fishes very well. You can expect quality spanish over 20kg as well as tuna and mixed reef species around the edges. Once the boat traffic starts, you will find Sunshine Reef fishes better, or head north towards Double Island and stay in the shallower 20-30m water. In the Noosa River, trevally are on fire, with early morning and late afternoon the best times for surface anglers. These fish are so aggressive off the top, it is no wonder why it is so addictive to fish this way. Be sure to take a range of 70-120mm walkers and poppers with you to tempt these fish. MMD Splash Prawns are proving popular and have certainly racked up the species list. Mangrove jack are still very much on the target list for the bulk of anglers. These prized fighting fish will inhabit the entire river, from the Noosa Everglades down to the river mouth, depending on rainfall. Most fish have been caught around Noosa Sound, Weyba Bridge, the holes entering Lake Weyba and along the tree lines between the lakes and ski runs. Live baits work very well and a cast net of pod-

dy mullet is a great start. Be sure to have a big 20-litre bucket and aerator on standby so your baits stay alive and kicking. For bait anglers, after dark is the best time because heavy leaders can be employed, which will let you lock drags up when fishing around the river mouth rocks, for example. Lastly, the fresh water has seen a top-up from last year’s drought conditions. Be sure to check with Seqwater before hitting any lakes and dams because levels dropped more than 3m in Borumba Dam, which saw a closure of the ramp and four-wheeldrive only access. Once on the water, newer hidden snags are numerous just below the surface, so go slow and don’t rely on old tracks. Surface anglers would be advised to get in early and work smaller frog and bug-profile lures such as Chasebaits Bobbin Frogs. The hottest days often bring out the insects, and lures that create a good number of ripples such as the Lunkerhunt Phantom Spider are a must-have when flicking the timber for bass and saratoga. During the hotter days, smaller divers including the Bassday Sugadeep and Lucky Craft Pointer 78XD get down fast and find the fish. These work very well if trolling and searching for new ground. Always carry a lure retriever when using lures because they often pay for themselves in no time at all. Take a look at the Tackleback lure retriever for a cost-effective option. Lastly, be sure to have a Stocked Impoundment Permit on your phone for fishing the local dams and lakes and enjoy the month ahead. For all the latest information, log onto fishing noosa.com.au For up-to-date bar and fishing reports, don’t forget to drop into Davo’s Tackle World, Davo’s Boating and Outdoors in Noosa and Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle in Marcoola and get all the right equipment, bait and advice to start catching. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and remember: tight lines and bent spines!

Khy Lawrence with a 40cm-plus mangrove jack.

Greg Allan extracted a couple of spotted mackerel from Coolum.

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Toasty water tactics in Tin Can Bay

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;DAY crew, I hope the silly season treated you well and you were able to get out and wet a line! We got a good run of weather from Christmas right through to the middle of January in Tin Can Bay. We even got a few good downpours to top up the tanks and green the grass. To say mangrove jack are on fire at the moment would be an understatement. The water temperature is right up there and this always gets the jacks firing. I saw a water temp of 29.8C the other day while flicking up a creek. It was almost cooler in the boat.

Tin Can Bay by CHRIS RIPPON

A lot of people prefer to fish for jacks at night to beat the heat, with fresh bait the preference for a lot of people. Small live baits and fresh cut baits fished with a light ball sinker back into the snags seem to be the winner here, and the average size of the jacks is 45-48cm. Around here, the lure fishos have been getting runs on the board in the past few weeks with the water temps creeping up. The 4.5â&#x20AC;? Molix RT Shads rigged on OH1500 Tungsten Swimbait Hooks have been a great

The master Ron Cox doing what he does with a nice mangrove jack.

WADDY POINT - FRASER ISLAND

seller and are proving themselves a great soft plastic and hook combo. Good results have come from running the 5/0s on a 1/4oz jig with the 4.5â&#x20AC;? plastics for skip casting into the back of the snags and under pylons. Throwing topwater lures around the twilight times can see explosive fishing when jacks are home. Getting your lure in tight around the shadows and overhanging mangroves is the key. When you get that hit, it can be heart stopping. Poppers like the Lucky Craft 80mm G-Splash and walk the dog-style stickbaits, including the Bassday Sugapen, are a couple of the more wellknown names. If you are keen to give lure fishing for jacks a go, or any fish,pop into The Chandlery Bait & Tackle and see our new range of plastics, hard-bodies and poppers that are pretty mangrove jack-specific for this time of year. The boys will even show you how we rig them so they swim dead straight. On the topic of mangrove jack, our twomonth mangrove jack fishing comp kicked off on January 2 and runs until February 29. For more details, pop into the shop and have a chat to the team to get registered or give us a call on 07 5486 4744. So what else has been biting in the area over the past few weeks? Summer whiting have been around in good

numbers, with yabbies and worms working the best. The beach fishos from Inskip Point down to Double Island Point have seen great numbers and sizes, with fish from 400-480g a regular occurrence. Some nice dart are in the mix and up there in quality. Fishos who have been sneaking into a few of

the smaller, less-fished creeks in the bay and fishing the tides have been well rewarded with a good number of whiting. Mixed in are a few nice lizards and good size golden trevally. Teebar Ledge has produced solid tuskfish, sweetlip and cod. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also heard reports of spanish mackerel â&#x2DC;&#x203A; continued P33

Shane Kimlin scored a nice cobia.

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COMPETITION DATES COMPETITION

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2020 Boondooma Dam

Feb 8-9

Yellowbelly FC Mitch Copper with a ripper crab from the shallows.

Toasty water tactics in Tin Can Bay ☛ from P32

caught around Big Mick on 120-160mm Halco hard-bodies. While not in large numbers, it is a sign of things to come.

Running a 2m and 6m diver combination out the back has worked a treat and the average size of the fish is 6-8kg. Once we start seeing more bait in the system,

the queenfish and GTs will follow suit. For the nocturnal fishers trying to avoid the heat, good size grunter are being caught on squid bait and mullet flesh in

The author with a jack that took a Molix RT Shad.

Megan scored a nice snapper on board Keely Rose Fishing Charters.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

the creeks in the area. Bird Rock has been a popular spot, with the holiday-makers reporting nice catches of cod, jacks, bream and flathead. All have been taking a mixture of lures and baits. Mud crabs are also on the menu now. The quality of the crabs in recent weeks has been A grade. The better crabs have come from up on the flats, while the catches in the creeks seem to consist more of smaller, empty C grade crabs. Offshore, I’ve heard reports of good spanish mackerel coming over the side on trolled skirted gar, but first you need to get them past the taxman. Large schools of cobia are out there too and a few of our regulars have been finding them off the back of manta rays in close to DI. Casting stickbaits and slugs has proven the winner there. Tuskies, blackall, pearl perch, grass emperor and the odd summer snapper have been making up good trips for the crews that have made it over the bar. We have not yet had any reports from people fishing the new FAD off DI. I’m keen to get out there and pin a few dollies on the fly rod when it starts to fire. I’d be happy with a wahoo or even a small billfish! Anyway, that’s it for now. ‘Til next time, you can find us at the Tin Can Bay Marina, Emperor St for all your boating and fishing needs. Don’t forget to stop in and register for the mangrove jack fishing competition. Some great prizes are up for grabs!

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 33

Norman picked up this spaniard while trolling from his kayak.

Summer, northeasterly wind and bluebottles mean a busy time for Surf Lifesavers.

Bluebottles, spaniards and the old man’s truck

I all, how good has the beach weather been in beautiful Queensland?

Tonia is so excited about taking her dad’s truck on an Aussie adventure.

Don’t worry Graham, your daughter has it under control.

The new tow vehicle ready to meet the new caravan.

Page 34 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

Especially through our recent school holiday period. Unfortunately, those cloudless skies have not helped the land as fires continue to threaten our countryside and folk patiently wait for droughtbreaking rain. During January and February many hot and bothered Queenslanders flock to our beach regions looking for a cool sea breeze and the opportunity to plunge into crystal-clear waters. Our predominant wind in summer is a northeasterly and for inland areas this wind provides the sensation of a warm hairdryer blowing in your face. At least that same wind blowing off the ocean onto our coastal regions offers a cooler and more comfortable experience, but that same wind brings a small and sinister creature that invades our coastal waters and has the ability to ruin your day. Usually it’s the scream of a young child that alerts

Aussie Living by PAUL ‘CHIEF’ GRAVESON

beachgoers to the presence of the scourge of the beach: the bluebottle. The bluebottle or physalia utriculusis is sometimes known as the Pacific or Portuguese man o’ war. It uses our warm ocean currents as well as our onshore northeasterly wind to travel our coastal waters. I found it extremely interesting to discover the bluebottle is not just one single animal but a colony of individuals each depending on the other for survival and reproduction. If you divide the creature into four categories: the float, tentacles, digestion system and reproductive system, you have each of these components as a totally different organism. I’ve been guilty of thinking of the bluebottle as a simple jellyfish, but it’s actually a marine predator that hunts fish larvae, molluscs and other small marine organisms. Recently I’ve heard the announcements and seen signs at surf clubs warning swimmers of the presence of these unwelcome visitors. Though we’ve never seen a fatality in our southern hemisphere, our youngest family members are most at risk of a painful sting that can leave its victim in distress and pain for hours. I endured four stings while surfing in the week before writing this and found the pain can vary greatly according to where on your body the sting is inflicted, as well as the intensity of how much contact is made with the stinger’s tentacles. One of the worst cases I’ve seen was a young lady stung across the face and over her eye at Sunshine Beach. The poor lass was in

excruciating pain. It’s often hard to avoid the bluebottles in broken waves and white water, so it can be a case of taking the risk while swimming, surfing or fishing on our Queensland beaches. Years ago we had a range of remedies for stingers such as vinegar and even human urine, but scientific research has identified the components that enhance the discomfort of the sting. Certain proteins in the venom are simply broken down with water over 40C. So the best-known treatment is to get as quickly as possible into a hot shower. Hot water can reduce the reaction and relieve the intense stinging in as little as 10 minutes. Just a few thoughts to keep in mind as we move through summer and endure these northerly wind patterns and of course bluebottles. In saying that, I’m writing this story as we have a southeasterly wind blowing along with the promise of rain and a small bump in swell. This certainly hasn’t stopped the kayak fishers from trolling offshore from Sunrise Beach up to Noosa North Shore, where the spanish mackerel have been going off. Floating pilchards and trolled hard-bodies have accounted for the majority of fish. This has certainly added to the holiday fun around the Noosa coastal area. Speaking of holidays, my wife Tonia and I are in the final stages of preparing to set off on an adventure. Over the next 12 months we’ll share our trip as we tow our off-road caravan across Australia. I’ve had another new surfboard shaped to add

to the quiver. We’ve stocked up on fishing tackle and tricked up our tow vehicle to offer us everything we need for the adventure. Last year I wrote a story about my father-in-law Graham Willmington and his customising of a Toyota HiLux with winches and so on to load and unload his mobility scooter. In poor health, Graham was determined to cover some of his old stomping grounds and travel out through central Australia. Unfortunately, his trip was called short and Graham passed away without completing his journey. Tonia and I were to use our Isuzu D-MAX as a tow vehicle on our adventure but the girl I married 37 years ago had a strong desire to take her dad’s truck, keeping his dream alive and taking a little bit of Graham with us on the road. We’ve spent a bit of money bringing her up to what we needed in a truck mechanically as well as pimping her up with new tyres and rims, a few electronics and a splash of paint. I know Graham would have been chuffed to see what we’ve done to his HiLux and so pleased Tonia felt so strongly about completing his journey and even tackling a few more kilometres. Next month I’ll give you the run down on our 17’6” off-road home away from home as we begin our next phase in life. We’ve gone the extra mile in buying a caravan that is capable of going anywhere we want. It certainly has the ability to stand alone and be comfortable for extended periods away from the rat race. Tonia and I look forward to sharing a few stories as we spend our days exploring, surfing, fishing and bowhunting our way around Australia. Cheers, Chief and Tonia. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Big fish in the big bay ■ Advice for avoiding shark encounters

HANKS for some rain!

Last issue I was moaning about the weather but the rain came and things settled a bit. I worked hard over Christmas and enjoyed lovely weather. While hot at times, it was better than relentless wind. The fishing wasn’t always the easiest, with surface-feeding mackerel and tuna going AWOL around New Year’s Eve. I was forced to drift areas where I could spin a few school mackerel on reefs and hope to come across something better as we ‘threw the tackle box’. Fortunately, at times schools of trevally came, or the odd queenfish or big longtail tuna. Take, for instance, the trip with Trish and Wayne. They were quite happy to knock over a few school mackerel for a feed. I taught them the basics behind the strategy of deep spinning for mackerel. We stung a few but the fish went quiet and I was about to pack up and head to another spot when solid arches started to mark under the boat. They were sparsely distributed over a wide area. So I kept drifting around and switched tactics to a heavy jig head with a plastic. Eventually, Trish stung a big trev. Wayne also managed to hook one by yo-yoing the same slug we were spinning the mackerel with. Over the next few days I managed to replicate this to a lesser extent in the same spot and tried the same with mixed success in other areas where I found school mackerel. On another trip, regular sailor Norris and crew experienced quite a tough day. We were again spinning for a bite. This time a very healthy longtail ate the cheap metal jig on the drop.

Fraser Guided Fishing by TRI TON

Other toothy critters include sharks and they are a fixture of the warmer months in Hervey Bay. Being mindful of their presence will greatly reduce the numbers of fish lost. After a very long battle where we let a few newbies feel what it’s like to battle a big tuna, we took a picture and let the big animal go. It had scoffed the metal lure and it was lodged deep in its upper palate. I decided to snip the lure off and let the fish shake it free. There was no gill damage from my inspection. The two newbie crew members were mind blown at the size of the fish. I am pretty sure Norris had boated longer tuna before, but I too was surprised by its thick condition. When the surface feeders came back, it was pretty crazy at times. Especially with the spotted mackerel. Sometimes it was difficult to get a different fish to see the lure, which is not great on the lure budget thanks to their razor-sharp chompers. Other toothy critters include sharks and they are a fixture of the warmer months in Hervey Bay. Being mindful of their presence will greatly reduce the numbers of fish lost. I recommend you learn how to use your sounder, in particular devices that have a side-imaging func-

tion. Move location once you see sharks or a fish gets bitten. One example I experienced occurred very recently. We were chasing mackerel and mack tuna, with sharks hammering us hard. They were extremely aggressive this day, with regular pursuits close to the vessel. In one instance two 3m sharks broke the surface about a metre from my transom as they competed for a spotted mackerel. I drove about a kilometre away and started over. No sharks were on the sounder and it remained that way until we completed our bag limit. Eventually, another group of sharks found us again. If you are using side scan, you can sometimes see the distinct shadow of the shark. For beginners, this method presents one of the easier ways to distinguish Noahs. Obviously, a large blob on a traditional sonar view suggests a large predator. Next thing to look out for is dodging behaviour in the hooked fish. You might find the fish you hooked will dart and weave uncontrollably and

then take off at light speed. It’s remarkable how much extra speed a fish can find when they sense the taxman’s presence. You may even feel the shark hit. If it misses, you might feel it bump the leader. While teeth will probably cut the leader, decent leader will survive a brush with the shark’s raspy skin. If you feel the fish slow and become much heavier, it means you are now connected to the shark. If you are busted off and get most of the leader back, the shark probably got your fish. Though if it’s cut closer to the leader connection, there is a higher probability it was a close call and the shark missed your fish. When it’s the braid that has snapped, the chance the fish got away is even higher, especially if the break is sudden and didn’t follow an increase in weight during the battle. Keep these factors in mind and I hope they help you mitigate shark attacks.

Kyle scored his first coral trout on a jig. You never know what a jig might snare in Hervey Bay.

Ben got his first queenfish and not a bad size one, either! School holidays done right.

Norris with a beast longtail hooked while fishing for school mackerel. It ate a metal jig on the drop.

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Trish Harper with a nice golden trev. Encountered while fishing for school mackerel.

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www.fraserguidedfishing.com.au > 0427 230 261 Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 35

Tips for tackling the fighting whiting A FTER a warm Christmas/New Year period, we have finally started to see scattered rain falling around our area.

Joel has successfully targeted mangrove jack near Miara Holiday Park.

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Though not enough to flush our systems or end the drought conditions, these falls have been appreciated. It is not hard to identify those areas that have received good falls because they are recognisably greener than the barren brown areas around them. On a recent trip to Agnes Water/1770, it was easy to see where rain had fallen and where it had not. Longer-term forecasts are suggesting the Bundaberg region will receive some more significant falls before this edition hits the stands. Let’s hope these forecasts are correct. While all our river and creek systems need a serious flush, they have continued to fish well, all things considered. One benefit of a big fresh flush is getting the smaller bait such as prawns moving through the system as well as improving the nutrient levels. I have suggested previously that I believe the mangrove jack population has been more active than in seasons past, moving around and seeking food and leaving their usual narrow habitat areas to do so, meaning being caught more frequently this summer. Mud crabs have put in a good show in the usual places but probably not in the numbers we might expect. Recent reports of pots being stolen or ‘share farmed’ suggests there are those among us who

Bundaberg Region by BRAD YOUNG

believe they are more entitled to our crabs and pots than we are. Unfortunately, those who do this never take the time to consider the time, effort and money the owner of the pots has invested. It has been positive to see the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol more active and successful at monitoring our creek and river systems and prosecuting those who do interfere with or take others’ property. Fighting whiting Over the next few months you have a great opportunity to target a popular bread and butter species in the humble whiting. All our waterways have areas where this species can be caught and, pound for pound on light gear, whiting put up a great fight. As a bonus for beginning anglers and those wanting to introduce children to fishing, whiting are characteristically caught over a clean sandy bottom, reducing the frequency of snags and the need to replace rigs due to them being cut off on rocks and oysters. Use the moon The incoming tides on the days in the lead-up to the full and new moons, from seven days before to three days before, present a prime time to target this species until about May. The last few days before the full and new moons are also a good time to fish, though in many areas the tidal stream (run) is

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very strong, and in some cases, makes fishing too difficult. With the high tides usually occurring early in the morning and evening, there is an opportunity to gather bait the day before a trip during the low tide. This is especially so for yabbies, which can be pumped in many areas on the banks adjacent to where you will be fishing the incoming tide. Best baits Whiting are suckers for fresh, local bait. Take the opportunity to gather your own bait such as yabbies and worms (especially beach worms if you have the skills). Prawns are another good bait for this species, with squid strips, popular for winter whiting, also capable of enticing a summer whiting. Yabbies will keep for up to a week in a shallow container with a large surface area (such as a kitty litter tray) with fresh salt water just covering them. Keeping them in a cool, shaded spot and changing the water twice daily will see them keeping healthy. It is crucial to remove any dead yabbies as soon as they are noticed to prevent them poisoning the water. I usually bring home a 20-litre jerry can of salt water after pumping the yabbies and this will last a week of water changes. Make sure birds cannot see them either! Whiting gear Whiting are usually found over sandy/silt bottoms, so you won’t need to use heavy gear. A 3kg monofilament line will be sufficient for most areas unless some flathead and larger bream are around to give you a touch-up on the light gear.

If this is the case, one strategy is to run a 4.5kg trace on your 3kg main line. With all the best baits being ‘long’ baits, it is best to use a long-shank hook around size 4. Red-coloured hooks are popular because they imitate the colour of the worms often used for bait. This is the same reason many whiting anglers add a short length of red plastic tube above their hook. A soft-action rod is best for whiting, allowing the bite to be detected by the angler but not the fish. Using 3kg line spooled onto an Alvey or spinning/ eggbeater reel is ideal for targeting this species. The terminal rig is a basic one consisting of a swivel attached to the main line with a sinker above it (that is, on the main line). A trace between 10cm and 30cm is ideal. The size of the sinker should be determined when you begin fishing. The sinker should be heavy enough to get the bait to the bottom but still allow it to move along with the tidal run if you are fishing along a bank/ beach. If you are anchored in

a boat, this rig will also work when fishing a shallow bank. A heavier sinker and trace up to 1m in length is an option when fishing deeper water, such as the deeper channel alongside a bank. The longer trace here enables the bait to move in the current while the heavier sinker keeps the bait on the bottom. The hook is tied to the end of the trace with an optional small length (2cm) of red tube as a fish attractor. Spots to try Along the beach at Coonarr is a great whiting spot, with the chance of a dart as well. The sandy banks of the Elliott and Burnett rivers are ideal locations to try too, with some areas accessible from the bank. I hope this info helps you target this fantastic bread and butter species that is also great eating. Let’s hope for more rain before the end of summer. As always, I can be contacted via the Bush ‘n Beach website, by email at fishnboat@bigpond.com or post at PO Box 5812 Bundaberg West Queensland 4670. Until next month…

The jacks are on around Bundaberg, with Joel recently snagging this 50cm fish.

Fish Inc. Egilicious – new colours and Fast Sink models

ACKLE Tactics has teamed up with its Pro Anglers around the country to create a stack of new colours in the popular Fish Inc. Egilicious range of squid jigs.

Even more exciting is the addition of Fast Sink models in both the 3.0 and 3.5 sizes, which during the testing process proved priceless when fishing deeper water, faster currents and while drifting and fishing in windy conditions. Egilicious jigs gained a strong following with the initial release of 12

colours, thanks to their affordable price, high quality, tight cloth that has proven to outlast many more expensive jigs, super-sticky Japanese Owner squid hooks, buoyant tail for a natural stand-up presentation and a tail angle designed a few degrees higher to reduce snagging and fouling. The addition of 15 new colours has the nation covered in terms of favourites, with the Pro Team already proving the worth of colours such as Bleeding Belly, Bleeding Black, Red Rack, Fluoro

Green, Fluoro Orange, Neo Glow (glow), Blue Beans (glow) and Hot Pink (glow). The addition of red foil colours, glow colours and Fast Sink models is sure to see the Fish Inc. Egilicious squid jig range cement itself as a go-to option in the kit of squid anglers nationwide. Available in 3.0 and 3.5 Standard (SRP: $11.95) and 3.0 and 3.5 Fast Sink (SRP: $12.95), with a comprehensive range of 27 colours. www.tack letactics. com.au

FREE Hop on to bnbﬁshing.com.au Page 36 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

www.bnbfishing.com. au

1770 raid for the Power Boat Anglers crew

OB Schomberg has been retired for a while now and he says one of the good points is being able to take advantage of decent weather windows, whether they be local or further up the coast.

Luckily, he’s got a few fellow retirees who think the same way and are always interested in doing a 1770 raid should the opportunity arise. This trip materialised in the form of a threeday window mid-week, perfect timing to escape the crowds and have the place mostly to themselves. Rob and his team of nomads hit out from Caboolture around 10am, planning to arrive in 1770 late in the afternoon, launch and be over the bar by about 4pm for a quick trip to Fitzroy Reef lagoon to berth for the night. The trip up was fine but heading out was not as planned, with 15 knots of northeasterly wind making it a slower trip than hoped, though the big Sea-Trek cat made light work of it. Arriving with a little time to spare, they hit the shallows south of the reef hoping for redthroat emperor to play the game. They managed to get a few through the sharks and in the Esky before heading to the lagoon at about 8.30pm for a bit of dinner and then straight into the sack. Being the only boat in lagoon on a 5-10-knot day was kind of weird for them but getting the pick of the moorings was special. Up at 4am, they tucked into a quick brekky before heading south to chase trout. Finding a decent ledge with good shows produced five hook-ups on good fish straight off the bat, but all were dispatched by the taxman. With no choice, they moved a couple of kilometres hoping to put

Power Boat Anglers by MICK CLUTTERBUCK

some space between them and the sharks. Jeff said he had got a few reds in this area previously and after a good tussle Rob finally landed his first legal red from the Bunker Group. Over the years Rob has put many a deckie onto plenty, and hooked his fair share, but converting has always been an issue for him. This one, while at 60cm not huge, was legal nonetheless and wasn’t going back in the water. They continued to plug away for the rest of the day, not really getting anything to cheer about before heading back to the shallows at last light for another couple of redthroat. The fish were there but so were the sharks, producing spectacular bustups but little else. Arriving back at the lagoon at 7.30pm saw a couple of boats for company and the lads were lucky to get a buoy. With the Esky looking quite sparse, they could only dream of getting onto good fish in the morning. Up again around 4am and on the go shortly after, they hoped to get to Sykes Reef for the last session and dearly hoped to find fish. The first couple of spots yielded a few nice tuskies but numbers weren’t what you’d normally expect from the area. They persisted for a few more as well as a couple of trout for Jeff and Hans, but with time getting on they decided to move to shallows off Sykes hoping for more tuskies and redthroats. After sounding around and not seeing much, they took a punt and had a drop anyway. Rob’s herring was smashed by a good redthroat emperor, and both Jeff’s and Hans’s

baits soon followed. With the bite going off, they decided to only keep fish over 45cm. Fish up to 53cm had them all smiles and the pain from the previous day was now a distant memory. They had bagged out by 11am on redthroat, so it was time to make a run for Round Hill before the afternoon northeaster got up. The trip proved to be a good one in the end, with coral trout, tuskies and redthroat making up most of the catch and all keen to do it again when the next opportunity arose. Curtis Island crabbing It’s become a yearly tradition now that myself and mates Darrin, Col and Nick do a pre-Christmas crabbing session somewhere along Curtis Island off Gladstone. It’s great to get some crabs to take home for a feed but the catching up with mates at the end of a busy year and just winding down over a few beers and laughs is also priceless. This year I bussed it down from Mackay overnight, arriving in Gladstone at about 5am where I picked up a boat before heading along Curtis to catch up with the others. Conditions were perfect, with just a slight breeze. This year’s target area was Barker Creek, a few kilometres north of the narrows. The area looked pretty good but I usually like a bit more depth to the mangroves, not waterwise, but how far they go back before you hit hard dirt. I caught up with the lads and then headed out to set my share of the pots. I’ve mentioned it previously: we don’t usually drop, set and forget, but

rather drop the pots at low tide, work them up into the creeks as the tide rises, and then bring them back to deeper water around the top of the tide. Things were pretty slow but we did manage some good-quality crabs. I can’t remember catching any undersize crabs and only a few jennies were around. As for sand flies when the wind dropped off, well that’s another story. The bucks we kept were pretty solid, with even the green ones mostly full, and not the usual water bags associated with the light green colour. I took a few back to Brisbane and then up to the folks in Childers so they could enjoy a feed. Next Christmas we’ll be up for it again no doubt. It’s just a shame it can’t be a more regular thing. Next meetings The first meeting for the new year will be held on Monday, February 3 and then in March on Monday the 2nd. Meetings are held at Club Manly (bowls club) located at 26 Faine St, Manly. Until next month, safe boating.

A cooked mud crab claw.

A sample of the mud crabs from Curtis Island pre-Christmas.

Rob Schomberg with a 1770 red emperor.

Shimano SpeedMaster LD II

HE new Shimano SpeedMaster LD II is a multipurpose lever drag reel with gear strength comparable to the trusted Talica series.

The SpeedMaster series now consists of four sizes – a 12, 16 and the newly released 20 and 25 sizes – that all feature High Efficiency gearing in two speed ratios. Two-speed gearing enables the angler to increase the amount of reel torque when retrieving stubborn fish. To suit differing fishing styles, the new SpeedMaster series comes with two drag cam levers www.bnbfishing.com. au

in the box that can be changed to suit mono or braided line. Fundamental to the SpeedMaster is the single-piece Hagane Body. By using a strong single-piece alloy body, the stresses and strains associated with higher drag settings – achieved by the Cross Carbon Drag – keeps all internals in perfect alignment and meshing smoothly. The SpeedMaster’s smooth operation is assisted by four S-ARB bearings. S Concept Design reduces the bulk yet maintains plenty of line capacity across a range

of line classes. Coreprotect corrosion resistance coating is applied to the pinion bearing because this is the first point for water to enter a reel, and this ensures reliable performance for years to come. True to the original SpeedMaster name, the new SpeedMaster is a versatile, castable conventional reel, perfect for a number of offshore and bluewater fishing scenarios. RRP is $399.95 to $499.95 depending on size. Available in store now. w w w. s h i m a n o f i s h . com.au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 37

My mate Steve Wilson was so excited when he caught his first barra over a metre recently after years of trying. It measured 1015mm and came from Lake Moondarra. PJ Byrne Aspen Mclean from Tamworth caught her first mangrove jack at Ballina, NSW in the Richmond River. The fish measured 41cm and was caught on 12lb FireLine and 10lb fluoro leader while holidaying with Pop and Nan. Greg Porter

This red emperor was caught north of 1770 on a floating pilchard. Ben Allen

A pretty trout from our recent trip to North West Island. Dan Holdsworth

Cody Upton hooked this jewfish off the beach at Iluka on a soft plastic.

Bayley Medwell-Everett with a nice red emperor taken while fishing around the islands off Mackay. Brad Medwell-Everett

Shane Upton landed this snapper on a soft plastic off Iluka, NSW.

Hey guys, I got this grunter just out of Scarborough using a 4” Holt Productions Swim Prawn. Corey Warrell

My young fella Zakk with his second mangrove jack. Daniel Smith

I caught this amberjack using our OM Flasher Rigs off Moreton Island in 60m of water. Darren Ehlers

This snapper was captured land based from the Iluka Bluff during the day on bait. Gavin Hackett

A red emperor hooked at Raper Shoal while fishing with a charter off Mooloolaba. Not a big one but we captured plenty of them. Paul Richardson

■ Readers Forum ■ Readers Forum ■ Readers Forum Page 38 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Big water, big fish, big screen A

LITTLE over three years ago I had what was, for many, a dream job on a nationally broadcast fishing series.

The hours might have been long but the work environment was spectacular and the potential for adventure was high. Wherever the action was, there I was, cameraman, assistant producer and fill-in editor. But I stepped away from all that. There’s nothing better than exploring the ocean, above and below, with lots of fishing adventures thrown in, but as time went on I couldn’t escape the feeling that there could be… no, there should be… a new style of ‘fishing’ show. I just needed to make it. Sure, I had dreams of being my own boss, of flexing my own, albeit scrawny, production muscles, but ultimately I wanted to create something that would use those hard-won skills to develop

a show that could be appreciated by more than the die-hard fishing fan. You know, not everybody has a family who gets this whole fishing thing! Right from the beginning I wanted to make the show on my terms. That, in itself, was a bigger problem than it might first seem. For three decades at least, the Australian television audience has enjoyed a steady run of fishing shows with their associated television personalities. Australia’s biggest fishing brands have been the driving force behind these shows, and we die-hards have been grateful for them. What you may not have realised is that, in general, the average fishing show is used by the networks as a bit of a programming stocking filler. For starters, the networks prefer not to pay for a local show that’s financially supported by a

major brand and then by related product sponsors. The networks, paying nothing, have nothing to lose, and programming can be a bit hit and miss. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever tuned in to a favourite fishing show and found it missing in action. See. Stocking filler. If a fishing show wants a long-term run here in Australia, then its survival plan must rely heavily on keeping relationships with sponsors happy, all in the hope of encouraging ongoing support. I knew that. If I wanted to do it on my own terms, then that sort of survival plan wouldn’t work for me, or for Johnny, my production partner. The advent of YouTube and social media muddied the waters, especially for our fishing shows. Fishers were suddenly able to access an impossibly large catalogue of fishing content to be viewed on smartphones, tablets, computers – mostly, I’ll freely admit, to the annoyance of friends and family who are not so into fishing. Social media content is made for the small screen. Ideally it is a one-on-one experience. The content is often openly an ad-drop but, when it’s not a brand speaking, the content is often poorly shot, edited and produced. Let’s face it, what serious fishing fan wants to spend

a significant amount of their life producing movie theatre-grade clips when they could be fishing!? YouTube was only a couple of years old when I formed a professional relationship with a large fishing company in Australia who saw the potential. Since then I have witnessed huge changes in the way content is created. That content has, in turn, energised the fishing fraternity, introducing them to new and unexpected fishing sites and new dreams for fishing success. The bucket lists have grown longer. So you see my and Johnny’s problem: How to eat and keep a family together, on our own terms, while developing a ‘fishing’ show when so much content was available for free? We saw this problem as a positive. We didn’t have to focus on brand names and product placement. We didn’t have a fishing personality on board, which gave us extra flexibility. After several months of living hand to mouth on small production jobs, our plan came down to creating content around the logistics of running an exploration fishing vessel and recording the experiences of one of these trips of a lifetime. Getting inside the real story. All we needed was access.

James McVeigh, owner of Big Cat Reality Fishing Charters, was interested. But could we work with him? Hey, I’ve worked with fishing show hosts. I knew, no matter how particular James McVeigh might be, Johnny and I were thumbs up ready to go. Our connection with Big Cat Reality Fishing Charters, and James McVeigh, resulted in Big Fish Big Adventure – eight episodes of 22 minutes built on nearly three years of pain, emotional, financial and… financial. Yes, financial is mentioned twice, because for those three years we didn’t see a single dollar returned for our time, effort and financial investment. There is a third – nearly overlooked – method of getting specialist content ☛ continued P40

I nabbed this mangrove jack in the Coomera River at night. Chris Whatson

Tony Niebling with a nice pair of NSW bar cod caught off Evans Head in 250m of water. Adam Robson

My grandson Tyler with a little Bribie Island sand flathead. Don Green

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.

■ Readers Forum ■ Readers Forum ■ Readers Forum www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 39

Big water, big fish, big screen ☛ from P39

before an audience. Slogging along beneath the popularity of television programming and the masses of social media content, there have been, from time to time, traveling fishing-film festivals, with event organisers responsible for the hiring of theatre space, then having to get the word out to the locals in the hope of filling that theatre space with bums on seats. This often involves a certain amount of road travel, far from any body of water larger than a

swimming pool. Frankly, I’d rather be fishing! Could we tweak the local cinema idea? Our first concern was to find out if the locals liked it. We took a punt and put on a screening at the local cinema. Not the average movielength screening, but all eight of those 22-minute episodes, back to back. And we expected our audience to pay for the privilege. Remember, we still needed to eat, and in order to eat, we had to keep bums on seats for almost three hours, a baptism in fire to see if Big Fish Big Adventure worked. The team at the theatre said we could come back anytime. “You drank us dry, twice. We had to do two extra trips to the local bottle-o to restock.” Awesome. More than awesome. After the screening at our local theatre, and with smiles on our faces, we

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began considering the madness of getting the project into major cinemas – not in the usual film festival style but properly distributed by one of Australia’s cinema chains. Three hours wouldn’t cut it. We learnt that straight off. Our project would have to fit in with the usual cinema fare, not try to outface the biggest and best movies of the next couple of years. Our star was the ocean, as well as all the creatures, human and otherwise, who lived and worked above and below her surface. Back to the editing desk. We decided the heart of our new 90-minute movie should be one particular 15-day trip with The YTK Addicts, a group of guys from South Australia. They’d chartered Big Cat Reality, James McVeigh’s mother ship, to explore the farthest reaches of the Coral Sea, focusing on the Kenn and Frederick Reef systems.

We had plenty of footage that hadn’t made it into the original episodes, and packaged a really nice 90-minute edit to pass on to the major cinema chains’ content submissions departments. We started at the top, with the largest chain of cinemas in Australia, Greater Union Entertainment, which encompasses Event and Birch, Carroll & Coyle theatres. Then came the hard part. We waited. And waited, and waited. And waited. In reality it wasn’t quite that long, but it felt like it. The response, when it came, was to ask if we could chat… on the phone. Chat? You better believe it. Neither Johnny nor I were expecting more than a note to confirm our submission had been received, if that. Chat? Of course we’d chat. The conversation didn’t begin well. “We have never distributed fishing content in

cinemas, ever.” But from there it got better. “This would be a first for us. We love the way you’ve put this together and would love to partner with you to screen this throughout Australia.” Yes! So here we are. On our own terms and coming to a theatre near you. Changing the ‘fishing’ show landscape. Proving that 90 minutes of ocean-going fishing, adventure and discovery is something Australia’s largest cinema chain thinks everybody, fishing fanatic or not, can enjoy. And opening the way for more fishing content to be part of the theatre experience. No more small-screen experience. I promise, you won’t know just how long that bucket list can grow until you immerse yourself in Big Fish Big Adventure on the big screen. David Quarrell

PUZZLE PAGE Spot 10 differences

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Queensland’s biggest outdoors lifestyle show returns ■ March 27-29, Brisbane Showgrounds

UEENSLAND’S largest and most popular outdoor lifestyle, recreational and adventure event, the National 4x4 Outdoors Show, Fishing & Boating Expo, returns to the Brisbane Showgrounds from March 27-29. Tickets are now on sale for what will be the biggest show in the event’s history, spanning over 45,000sq m. Showgoers will be spoilt for choice with more products and displays than ever before. Staged once again at the expansive Brisbane Showgrounds, the show will combine all aspects of the Australian outdoors lifestyle, showcasing the very latest in fishing, boating, camping, 4x4 adventure and accessories and much more. Visitors will benefit from access to unparalleled expertise and advice from the biggest names in the industry, with the likes of Jase Andrews confirmed to attend. A modern-day explorer, the All 4 Adventure host is known to push his team and equipment to the extreme and will take to the stage to share stories of his wild adventures and provide a few tips for those who dare.

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As always, it will be a fantastic opportunity for families to get a taste of what the lifestyle can offer them and see new releases, compare prices and pick up one of the many exclusive show-only specials from the biggest and best brands in the marketplace. Included in the bumper list of companies displaying within the 20,000sq m trade area will be Ironman 4x4, with its massive selection of locally developed products now available in over 120 countries worldwide. For owners of 4x4s and SUVs, will there be something for everyone, with aftermarket accessories, protection equipment, safety, recovery and emergency gear, the latest and greatest trailers and caravans as well as tents, swags, camping gear and cooking equipment. Boat lovers are in for a treat, with the latest models on display including fishing boats, tinnies, pontoon boats, chains, anchors and accessories. Folks who are into their fishing will have to keep an eye out for a bargain, with a wide range of the latest and greatest rods, reels, tackle, lures and accessories on display and ready to take home.

Adventure sports are also taken care of, with personal watercraft, kayaks, dirtbikes, mountain bikes as well as all manner of recreational sports equipment on show. For those looking for the next big adventure, there will be an array of information available from a range of tourist destinations and tourism activities such as fishing charters. With all this choice available in the one place, the National 4x4 Outdoors Show, Fishing & Boating Expo is the genuine one-stop shop for anyone looking for any outdoor products, with attendees able to compare the available options side by side. By popular demand, the Action Arena returns with non-stop high-adrenalin thrills, including the crazy antics of Australia’s number-one stuntman Matty Mingay. Thrilling fans nationwide, Mingay and his Hot Wheels Stunt Show now includes his 12-year-old son Maddzy and will no doubt have crowds on the edge of their seats as they perform outrageous tyre-shredding stunts and jumps in their high-octane performance. At the same time, there

will be plenty of entertainment on multiple stages, which will host a long roll call of special guests and visiting industry experts ready to share their expertise, experiences and sensational stories with show visitors. On-site demonstrations will include tutorials on a variety of angling skills and the effectiveness of different fishing equipment. There will be plenty of treats to be shared on the Catch and Cook Stage, with various friends of the show putting their culinary skills to the test, at the same time sharing some top tales from travels past. For those looking to get more hands-on and in the driver’s seat, the 4x4 Proving Ground is back and in its new location and larger-scale format will be perfect for putting the latest 4WDs on the market through their paces on purposebuilt tracks, mirroring the toughest off-road conditions. Viewers will be able to learn the keys to safe towing, correct winching procedures, as well as recovery tips, ensuring a successful next outing off the beaten track. After almost three decades, the National 4x4 Outdoors Show, Fishing & Boating Expo is well established as Queensland’s biggest and most comprehensive outdoor lifestyle show, attracting more than 30,000 visitors annually. Officially supported once again by the Boating Industry Association, the exhibition is at the centre of Queensland’s favourite recreational pastime. A range of transport options will get you to and from the Brisbane Showgrounds, including multiple public transport options as well as more parking than ever before has been made available on site. Open from 9am to 6pm on Friday and Saturday

and 9am to 5pm on Sunday, tickets can be prepurchased online or available at the event. Children 15 and under are free when accompanied by a paying adult, while pensioner concessions are also available. Tickets are on sale now, and you can enter the unique promo code ‘BUSHBEACH’ for an awesome 15 percent off adult tickets. To grab your tickets and for more information, visit 4x4show.com.au/ brisbane

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 41

BOATING & marine Evinrude releases new 115hp, 140hp and 150hp G2 engines

VINRUDE has expanded the revolutionary Evinrude E-TEC G2 product line to include 115H.O., 140hp and 150hp models. Evinrude’s extended line-up is designed to give more boaters confidence on the water in any situation. Confidence through in-

novation and performance Shattering the paradigm for midrange outboards, the new models house a direct-injection inline three-cylinder powerhead. Delivering refined running quality and quiet operation, the 115 H.O., 140hp and 150hp models enhance the complete boating experience. With more torque and

NO O CO OMPROMISE RO Direct injection optimizes all elements of how fuel is delivered into the cylinder and combusted fuel is removed, creating the most efficient engine on the water today.

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fuel efficiency at lower RPM than comparable four-stroke engines, the new E-TEC G2 models give boaters extended cruising capabilities and more power whenever it’s needed. In addition to thrilling performance, all E-TEC G2 engines are worldwide emissions compliant and have the most user-friendly ownership experience with no break-in period, no dealer-scheduled maintenance for five years or 500 hours, five-year factory-backed service coverage and no engine oil changes, ever. BRP Marine Group president Tracy Crocker said, “We are proud to continue the legacy of Evinrude innovation in 2019 and well into the future.” “By bringing the ETEC advancements to the 115H.O., 140hp and 150hp models, some of the most popular outboard sizes in the market, we are once again delivering the pinnacle in innovation and performance that inspires confidence in each and every Evinrude owner as they pursue their life on the water.” The confidence to know that this could be the best day on the water… ever Evinrude now packs next-generation technol-

ogy such as digital shift and throttle, the iTrim control system, digital instrumentation, custom colour panels and optional iSteer dynamic power steering into outboards from 115H.O. to 300hp. Evinrude also added a new look and feel for the 2020 product year. All E-TEC G2 engines will have new premium graphics and give owners the option of a white or slate grey frame and two new propellers. In addition, the 115H.O. and 140hp models will be available with premium controls and gauges, as well as a tiller option that features touch troll and trim switches, LEDs for basic diagnostics and an NMEA 2000 connection for integration with external gauges and accessories. Evinrude’s engine lineup, from 3.5-300hp, offers customers superior value across a full range of applications, and the engines are available at authorised Evinrude dealerships worldwide. Follow Evinrude on Facebook at facebook. com/EvinrudeAUS For a complete list of new and existing Evinrude dealers, visit evin rude.com.au Evinrude, we’ve got you covered.

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Page 42 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

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BOATING & marine Suzuki Marine launches new 3+3 year warranty period for all outboards in 2020

UZUKI Marine is proud to announce an upgrade to its 3+2 year warranty to 3+3 year on all outboards ( D F 2 . 5 h p - D F 35 0 h p) purchased from January 1, 2020 for recreational use only.

This upgrade provides customers with further support, security and peace of mind from an already established brand. It endorses the superior build quality and reliability of the Suzuki Marine brand in the Australian marine environment. This means that from January 1, 2020, any fourstroke outboard from 2.5hp to 350hp bought by a recreational operator in Australia can be covered for up to six years in total.

The first three years are covered by Suzuki Motor Corporation warranty and the additional extended warranty of three years is covered by Suzuki Marine Australia. National Manager – Service & Warranty Ty Hawkins believes this announcement will only help to strengthen Suzuki Marine’s reputation in the market. “Suzuki has been the power of choice for an array of boating enthusiasts for many years as our outboards are highly regarded for their reliability, quality, fuel efficiency (with Lean Burn technology) and exceptional performance,” Mr Hawkins said. To maintain the new

warranty period, owners must have and continue to have all periodic servicing (within the servicing guidelines and time frames) and all maintenance carried out by an authorised Suzuki Marine dealership. “We want to reinforce our commitment to our customers by continuing to offer them the ultimate outboard motor and backing our product by

extending their warranty for a further 12 months without charge,” said Mr Hawkins. Suzuki’s range of fourstroke outboards is supported by a network of over 100 authorised sales and service dealerships across Australia. For more information, visit suzukimarine.com.au For pricing and other inquiries, contact your local Suzuki Marine dealer.

SIGNATURE 2019

MODEL STOCK CLEARANCE

Quintrex releases seven new Top Ender Pro models

U S T R A L I A’ S premium open boat just got better with the release of the Quintrex Top Ender Pro. The Top Ender Pro is offered in seven sizes, 430, 450, 481, 500, 520 and 540, with maximum capacities of five people, while the 590 has a max capacity of six people. Designed to meet Australian marine requirements, the Top Ender Pros have horsepower ratings of 60hp, 75hp, 90hp, 90hp, 115hp, 140hp and 150hp respectively. Maintaining tradition, the new Top Ender Pro will feature the current Blade Hull with a new and improved Flared Bow. The stretch-formed aluminium side sheets have more curve that will run further down the length of the boat to deflect more spray away from passengers. The range introduces the 430 Top Ender Pro, a smaller, more versatile boat never seen before. This vessel will have the same pod transom as other models while being more compact. Quintrex is the leader in Australian boat manufac-

turing and able to offer advantages to customers because of its stretchforming capabilities. It’s a unique experience exclusive to aluminium and exclusive to Quintrex. To give fishos the most fishable space, the Top Ender Pro range will be equipped in a side-console configuration. For the fanatic fisho, the Top Ender Pro has heaps of underfloor storage for all kinds of tackle, Eskies and the catch of the day. In the front casting platform, customers can choose to have the standard storage or opt for a live well to make it a true tournament sportfishing boat. The Top Ender Pro comes standard with features that really matter, such as a marine VHF radio, rear ladder, four rod holders, three seats and a five-year warranty. Taking this one step further, the Top Ender Pros can have options added, such as a berley bucket, cutting board, twin battery system for electric motors, lockable rod storage and upgraded seats. Quintrex, boating made easy since 1945. www.quintrex.com.au

Unbeatable value on last year’s models!

Come in today and check out the range!

Hurry, stock is clearing fast!

MARINE

Proud to be a Suzuki Elite Dealer and repower centre. We also service all other makes of outboards, book a service today!

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 43

BOATING & marine Ocean Craft 3300 Diver the ultimate tender

OES your boat manufacturer offer you the following game-changing warranties? 1. To give you what you paid for your old Ocean Craft trade-in hull (better resale value). 2. Guarantee you to overtake any other boat with the same size outboard (superior performance and fuel economy thanks to a lowfriction hull). 3. Never sink lifetime warranty – or your money back. Ocean Craft is the only boatbuilder offering this extraordinary list of guarantees and now the Ocean Craft 3300 Diver is the latest model from the brand and packed full of features. Celebrating its 21st year

Page 44 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

in production, Ocean Craft has boats ranging from 2.6-7.6m in length. They are available in two hull widths, both of which can be trailered: Cartoppa with a 1.9m beam (only 1.4m between top of tube to top of tube on roof racks); and Beamy with a 2.4m beam. Four basic configurations make for fascinating new fishing boats: 1. Open dinghy base boat. 2. Centre or side console. 3. Walkaround cabin. 4. Cruiser double-decker living room on the water with under-deck hold and airtight buoyancy section. All boats are available with high sides and an above-waterline selfdraining deck. The Cartoppa range is available in 2.6-4.6m lengths while the Beamy body style is available in 4.6-7.6m configurations. Ocean Craft boats can be packaged with bimini T tops, hard tops, side and transom access gates and dive ladders for use as fishing, snorkelling and dive boats. The 3300 Diver is popular as a yacht tender and life boat, and customers have the option of a painted or unpainted hull made from marine-grade plate alloy that is virtually maintenance free. A number of features are unique to Ocean Craft vessels both at rest and under way. The 3300 can be turned at maximum revs without having to decelerate, and the design of the hull enables the boat to tackle wind and waves head on. It features a Posilift bow, which means the wake pushes the Ocean Craft up on the plane faster and keeps it there longer, giving you a comfortable, featherbed ride. Ocean Crafts run the deepest vee deadrise of any production monohull at 30 degrees. The low-friction variable deadrise Varihull gets you out of the hole and up on the plane faster too, while maintaining a comfortable and dry ride with maximum water throwdown. You get triple-hull trimaran stability at rest and outrigger stability when turning. Shock-absorbing airtight buoyancy sections give rise to Ocean Craft’s pneumatic ride properties. The hull’s aerodynamic design means a hovercraft-like attitude at speed, which gives rise to exceptional fuel economy due to the reduced friction on the hull and trapped air between the hull and tubes. All Ocean Crafts are available in 2C/2D survey as work boats for charter or hire and all boats come with davit/helicopter lift-

ing points for versatility. Planing strakes aid safety and stability when turning. The transom on Ocean Craft boats starts at 80mm x 40mm x 6mm channel reinforced alloy, meaning a minimum 30hp rating on all models, reaching all the way to 350hp and up. The 3300 Diver has a base hull weight of 95kg and approximate boat, motor and trailer weight of 220kg with the standard 30hp outboard, though up to a 70hp outboard is available as an option. Maximum carrying capacity in ordinary conditions is eight people, while in emergency circumstances the little boat can carry up to 16 people. And short of mechanical destruction by explosion, fire or impact, the boat is impossible to sink – guaranteed. Maximum safety and stability on the water means maximum useable deck area – even the gunwale is useable for standing.

A multi-function patented utility diagnostic/disclosing valve allows you to check the integrity of the hull. This can be tested during scheduled maintenance by pressurising the hull through an ordinary foot pump with gauge as part of routine preventative maintenance (nonfoam-filled versions). Ocean Craft’s patented Neutrivalve operates in both directions and allows expansion and contraction of air inside the boat caused by differences in atmospheric pressure, sea and air temperature, which means air pressure equalisation is automatic. The two-way valve automates pressure equalisation when moored or in storage. A tyre foot pump can be connected to the valve to act as a bilge pump to expel water below the water line if the hull has been breached in an emergency. These Ocean Craft boats are the first time pneumatic properties have

been available in an allmetal hull. Loading and unloading, fishing, casting and boarding can be performed safely and reliably from any part of the boat. More deck area is available on a 2m or 3m Ocean Craft than a comparable 3m or 4m conventional hull. Several people can stand on the bow, transom or either gunwale of the 3300 Diver with confidence that they won’t capsize the 3.3m boat. You can rest easy in the knowledge that your Ocean Craft is stronger and lighter than comparable boats, features pneumatic tubes, is dry as a bone and offers a stress-free ride during your whisper-quiet voyage while producing a hovercraft-like wake. What are you waiting for? For further information, call Mike Jessop on 0416 293 686 or 07 5499 6937, and check out oceancraft. com.au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 45

BOATING & marine Still on a roll with your trailer

EADING marine products retailer Boating and RV, which has stores at Capalaba, Slacks Creek, Tingalpa and Townsville, has joined with Bush â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n Beach to bring you a regular column with some serious information and news about general boating products.

Here, director Aaron Hunt looks at boat trailer rollers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which ones for what purpose. Fancy having a tonne of

weight on your back, then being covered in dirt and brake dust before being dumped into cold water, then hauled out and left to bake in the sun all day? Well thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the life of the rollers on your boat trailer. No wonder they crack up â&#x20AC;&#x201C; literally. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a rough life and sometimes short, but you can make it longer. There is some blurring of the lines, or rather, the colours between different

rollers as more options have become available. But if we consider the traditional view, there are black, red and blue rollers (weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get to some of the other colours later). Black is generally a rubber roller â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an economy model often found under â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;economyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; boats. Blue rollers are highdensity polyethylene. They are a much harder roller and therefore ideal to go under the keel of aluminium and plate alloy

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

Gold Coast | Surf Coast Marine 50-54 Brisbane Rd, Labrador Q 4215 T: 07 5563 7733 surfcoastmarine.com.au

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Page 46 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bush â&#x20AC;&#x2122;n Beach Fishing, February 2020

boats. Red rollers are frequently made from polyurethane, which makes them a softer roller and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll typically find them under fibreglass boats. And then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grey, which can be virtually anything, and clear-yellow rollers that are often radically scalloped and used to square the bow into position. But rollers have different shapes (or profiles) and they have different functions as well. You might for example find the first roller on your trailer has a spiral rib, which helps the boat centre itself coming onto the trailer. But for it to work effectively, the boat needs a sharp forefoot that will track accurately. It would probably be pointless on a flat-bow punt where contact might only be made on the outer edges of the roller. Sometimes the lead roller might be coupled to a loading mechanism such as an Ezi-Guide, which will steer both sides of the forefoot straight up the trailer. Others might use a lowfriction strip either side to allow the skipper to screw the vessel around to centre point should a crosswind or strong tidal run make lining it up difficult. But the bottom line is the rollers need to be matched to your specific boat and have to be set up correctly. Wobble rollers, common on drive-on, drive-off trailers, come in a variety of styles â&#x20AC;&#x201C; smooth or with faces patterned by ribs or chevrons as well as having different interior contact points â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some are short for more â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;wobbleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, while some are longer to carry more load. Other rollers are designed to provide a conveyor belt style of support. You should check with the manufacturer of your trailer for their preferred setup, but you then need to think about it carefully. For an aluminium boat with an extruded keel, most of the weight is borne by a system of centre rollers with side supports (be they rollers, or perhaps more likely, skids), which are really just there to help keep the boat square on its keel and the trailer. Other manufacturers, including some plate boat builders, prefer to have low-friction structural support ribs all along the sides of their vessels. They sometimes position the centre rollers just a fraction short of centreline contact. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because they use the centre rollers to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cushionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; flex rather than bear the full load of transporting the vessel. The side ribs bear the weight and sometimes have a collective surface area far greater than a typ-

ical roller system in order to spread the load. Again, it depends on matching the support system exactly to your boat, particularly if you are going to be travelling on rough roads. You should consult your trailer manufacturer and your boat manufacturer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not the selling dealership, but the manufacturer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if you have any doubts about the optimum setup. Having spoken with them, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll know what parts or replacement rollers you will need from a retail outlet such as Boating and RV. But in the final analysis, the boat should just sit on the trailer on the ramp when it is at rest, once the winch wire has been released. Just the slightest push or just snicking the motor into reverse should be enough to glide it off the trailer. Does that mean you should back down the boat ramp without the safety chain and winch wire attached? Absolutely not. Never, not ever. It just means that at the moment you are ready for the boat to leave the trailer and everything is disconnected, it should just sit there requiring a smidge of oomph to begin its slide. Therefore, your rollers and the way they are set up should be able to hold it in that position. The spindle is the axle that goes through the roller. Some people swear by adding some lubrication to the spindles, thinking it will reduce friction between the spindle and the hub of the roller. But in our experience, materials like lanolin, Vaseline and marine grease might offer some slight benefit in terms of providing some degree of protection for the spindle against rust, but this is more than offset by that very same material attracting every spec of grit, dirt and dust from every road travelled. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take too long before that builds up into a hard-caked abrasive gunk pile that wears away at the inside channel of the roller. In worst cases, the roller becomes a non-roller, which makes launching and retrieving your boat a proper pain. Clean the faces of your rollers every so often. Detergent and a medium-stiffness bristle brush will do the job and fortunately, it is a relatively quick exercise. Clean roller faces will stop crud being ground into your hull. Cleaning the rollers also provides an opportunity for you to inspect them for wear, noting that replacement of rollers is a normal part of boat maintenance. www.bnbfishing.com. au

BOATING & marine Insights into boat insurance

USH ‘n Beach has brought Nautilus Marine Insurance on board to expand the fine print and provide readers with clear, easyto-understand and helpful tips on protecting their boating assets.

The scenario Getting your numbers right is an essential part of insuring your boat – not just the numbers that relate to the price of the insurance premium but the numbers that will also keep you out of strife. One of the first sets of numbers you will need is the boat’s hull identification number or HIN. On Australian-built

boats, this is normally found in two places – one being a very obvious location like on a manufacturer’s plate affixed to the hull, and the other often a very difficult-toaccess spot known to the manufacturer. The easy-to-find HIN is there so you can correlate the model to its correct ownership and to its registration, noting that registration alone does not constitute proof of ownership. The hidden number is there to make ‘rebirthing’ the boat a more difficult exercise for criminals.

Yes, the hidden number probably can be ground off with power tools if found, but any boat sporting obvious attempts to change or remove marks should make you ultrasuspicious as a prospective buyer. It could also make for an interesting discussion between its current ‘owner’ and the police. The ‘obvious’ HIN number should be affixed to the boat where it can easily be seen such on as the Australian Builders Plate. The HIN is not unlike a vehicle identification number affixed to new cars. HINs provide a means of identifying the boat and its manufacturer. According to Queensland Transport, it is a requirement that the ABP be fitted on new and imported recreational boats. The HIN also includes other relevant information a specialist marine insurer like Nautilus will want to know, such

as the maximum horsepower for which the boat is rated, the maximum number of adults it is approved to carry and the maximum weight of gear that can be carried. The plate also will show the type of built-in flotation in the vessel. A ‘basic’ level of flotation means the manufacturer states the boat has been designed not to sink, should it capsize. The term ‘level’ flotation means the boat may become fully flooded but it will sit the right way up in water. The outboard will also have an identification number stamped on it that will indicate the manufacturer, model and horsepower as well as the production unit number. Collectively, these numbers are incorporated as a manufacturer’s serial number. Many outboards also have microdots sprayed on them. Invisible to the naked eye, they can be scanned

with a reader and provide yet another source of identification – primarily for security purposes. Your trailer will also have a plate affixed to it indicating the production serial number as well as various factors relating to the aggregate trailer mass and gross trailer mass. There are many other numbers to be found around your boat – they not only help you to prove various components actually belong to you, but also help give your specialist marine insurer an accurate description of the brand and model. So, while you’re recording numbers on your boat, you might as well have a look for some others you can include on your marine insurance documentation. Good ones to note are the the beacon hex ID and serial number of your EPIRB and your maritime mobile service identity. Note your MMSI re-

lates to you and where you live rather than the boat and where it might currently be located. And then there’s your marine radio, your chartplotter and sounder and your entertainment system. All will have an identification number, ordinarily referred to as a serial number. Why not record the actual model numbers of your fishing rods and fishing reels as well? If you have them noted, it will help ensure that you and your marine insurance specialist can process the claim for your full entitlement in the evert of an insurance claim. These numbers also will be very helpful to police if your boat and/ or equipment are ever stolen. Check your policy to ensure these components are covered by your insurance – not just the boat, motor and trailer. Specialist marine in-

surers like Nautilus understand what boat electronics are – they can help you check you’ve got everything covered. As always, any special conditions and excesses should always be explained clearly in your insurance policy’s product disclosure statement. Always check your PDS 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 Prize Package Nautilus will also be answering your boat insurance questions of a general nature and will be offering a great bimonthly prize to the best questions received. The prize is a Nautilus Marine merchandising pack comprising a collapsible chiller bag, handy marine sports bag and cap. Just email your questions to qld@nautilusin surance.com.au

BNB S

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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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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 47

Charter Directory SUNSHINE COAST

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 49

Curtis Coast cruising by catamaran

HERE’S a lot of truth to the saying “there’s no place like home”, and for me as an old Gladstone boy, it seemed the perfect destination to take some downtime over the festive season.

The Solar Coaster, an electric-drive, solar-powered boat was home for five days.

Bustard Head Light underwent a massive restoration in the early 2000s.

CLASSIC AUSTRALIAN-MADE CANOES

Canoes | Repairs | Hires 0424 001 646 | onetreecanoe.com Page 50 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

An added incentive was the 40’ catamaran owned by my brother and moored in the Boyne River. So, with plans of serious on-water time around the Curtis Coast, we headed north. Our plan was fairly simple: head out of the Boyne River and turn right. The finer details could be worked out as we went along. The Eskies were full and we had plenty of fishing, snorkelling and paddling (of course) gear on board. Our ultimate destination was Pancake Creek, with a stopover at Turkey Beach on the way down. Our desired outcome was some serious relaxation. For anyone not aware of the Curtis Coast, here’s a quick overview. The Curtis Coast loosely covers the area from Curtis Island in the north to 1770 in the south. Originally named Port Curtis by Matthew Flinders in 1802, a settlement was not made in the area until 1847, initially as a penal colony and later as an industrial port under its new name of Gladstone. The coastline is dominated by mangrove and native hardwood forests and much of the low-lying land is cut by numerous coastal estuaries. It is one of those estuaries we were headed to on this trip. Like many of the estuaries traversing the southern parts of the Curtis Coast, Pancake Creek has crystal-clear water and sandy banks at its entrance leading to mangrove-lined channels as it meanders inland. The entrance is narrow and winds through the sandbars of the mouth before leading to a sheltered anchorage overlooked by Bustard Head. Navigation into the anchorage is straightforward and achievable for even large vessels at all tides. It was where we found ourselves on day two of our voyage after a brief stopover at Turkey Beach for engine oil (oops!). Anchor down, beers open, lines wet! Let the holiday begin. Pancake Creek is a fantastic place to hang out for an extended stay. If you are in a tinnie, there is ample room for beach camping, or if like us you’re on a bigger boat, there is plenty of space to anchor away from fellow boaties. And if you get sick of fishing and crabbing, there are plenty of other things to do locally. We had brought our hiking boots along for a trip to the historic lighthouse and also a canoe to explore some of the winding creeks that shoot off from Pancake.

Holiday Adventure by DAN OWBRIDGE

The lighthouse on Bustard Head is a must-see for anyone cruising past. Its history during operation and after its closure and rebuilding is absolutely fascinating. We were lucky enough to be there while Stuart Buchanan, the man largely responsible for its restoration, was on site. Hearing first-hand the history of the operating light and then its subsequent restoration was an experience my partner Sue and I will always treasure. And the view from the top of the light is well worth the 3km hike up the hill. Built in 1860 and shipped out from England, the light itself is a great example of 19th century engineering. It also gave us a bird’seye view of the destination for our next day’s adventure: Jenny Lind Creek. Jenny Lind Creek is another smaller estuary on the opposite side of Bustard Head. The charts showed a theoretical channel linking it to Pancake Creek, so we thought that needed further exploration. With high tide at 6.30am, we needed an early start to ensure we had enough water to avoid

getting stranded on the wrong side of the headland. I certainly didn’t fancy hauling a 30kg canoe through mangroves! We had bought along one of our Scout 15 canoes for this trip because we figured it would be ideal for exploring around the estuary. The Scout 15 is stable enough to handle the chop in the open sections close to the mouth and manoeuvrable enough to handle the winding mangrove channels. As it turned out, our journey was a lot easier than we thought. The channel was well defined and we still had a foot of water to sneak back through the shallowest sections on our return one and a half hours after the tide turned. We had also timed our paddle so we only had one small section of paddling against the tide, even after admiring the sunrise over Jenny Lind Creek entrance. For our efforts we were rewarded with views of grey mangroves in crystal-clear waters backed by native hardwood forests. The water was so clear we often had trouble judging its depth. We saw numerous fish and rays gliding under us

and even the occasional shy turtle. Our 13km return trip had us back to the boat at 8.30am for a well-earned breakfast. Then it was back to lounging around on our very comfortable accommodation. Our accommodation was pretty special, in the form of a 40’ aluminium solar-powered (yes that’s right!) catamaran built by my father and brother. At 6m wide, this boat comfortably accommodated the four of us on board and had sleeping, cooking and bathing facilities comparable to most holiday homes. And, being solar powered, it had full 240V AC power with all the modcons. Yeah, we were doing it tough all right! All good things must come to an end, so after five days we found ourselves weighing anchor and heading back north to the Boyne River. Our return trip proved to be the most successful from a fishing perspective as we landed a 12kg tuna on a trolling lure as we headed up the coast. At least we didn’t come home empty-handed! I would highly recommend a visit to the Curtis Coast/Gladstone region for anyone looking for something a little different on their next break. It really is a hidden gem! Happy paddling.

The path less travelled – up among the mangroves between Pancake and Jenny Lind creeks.

Sunset over the sandbar beside the author’s anchorage at Pancake Creek.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Barramundi madness set to start A S 2020 starts to get a roll on, we enter the time of year I get really excited for.

February 1 sees the saltwater barra closure finished on the east coast and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game on. Getting on the water to take on these awesome fish becomes a serious priority for me and many

Fishing Mackay

by JASON KIDD

other anglers this month. The past three months while they have been offlimits and doing their spawning thing have meant a long wait for many a fisho.

Ash picked up his personal-best 63cm grunter on a garfish strip bait.

Danâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mack tuna was taken on a stickbait while casting at bait balls.

The tides for the first few days of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opening are perfect for barra and I am sure it will be busy on the water, with eager anglers stocked up with new fishing equipment from under the Christmas tree. We had decent rain just before New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day in parts of the region, and the benefits are starting to show in the estuaries. This is evident in the incredible numbers of prawns, crabs and fingerlings of all species in the creeks and on the flats at low tide. It is fantastic to see the future generations of fish stocks looking good, especially in the net-free zone just north of Mackay. Some follow-up rain events should really get things pumping. The crazy amount of surface action that is created in the estuaries at this time can be spectacular to witness. Barra, king threadfin salmon, grunter and just about every fish predator in the area gets in on the action. You can see them chasing and busting bait schools in the shallows, often showering the banks with prawns or mullet. Finding locations like this where the bait schools

are sitting at low water makes for a great start to a good dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fishing. The only drawback is with so much bait for the barra and other predators to feed on, they can be a bit harder to get connected to. During the first few days to a week, the fish feed so hard and get so full they sometimes show no interest in your offerings. However, throwing lures at them can occasionally entice a reaction or territorial strike, even for a fish that has gorged itself and is no longer interested in feeding. Catching enough prawns to use for bait can be very labour-intensive and time consuming, but when they are in the numbers they have been recently, catching enough to eat can be done with minimal effort and time for those with the ability to throw a cast net. Usually a few hours either side of low tide is the best time because the prawns concentrate in the receding water and then begin to push in with the incoming tide. As always, know your bag limits and only take what you will use. Grunter/javelin fish will follow the prawn schools into the estuary systems, and they are about in good numbers and sizes at present. They are fantastic fighters in shallow water and

Sooty Grunter at Eungella Dam

Dam Fish www.bnbfishing.com. au

The author with a 111cm barra caught on a large live mullet.

Dane and a nice grunter hooked using a soft plastic.

Barramundi at Teemburra

Barramundi at Kinchant Dam

Those

will take just about anything from cut baits to lures and live baits. Their great table qualities make them the target of many an angler. Because they are schooling fish and normally travel in similar size groups, when you find one, you are usually set to encounter more. Keeping a line in the water at all times after your first hook-up is good practice and tends to keep the school around a bit longer, enhancing your chances.

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. Â&#x2018;5 3 Â&#x20AC; > Legendary metre-plus barramundi > Eungella Dam - home to the World Sooty Championship > Kinchant Dam Habitat Enhancement Project - improving the fishing for YOU!

Bush â&#x20AC;&#x2122;n Beach Fishing, February 2020 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Page 51

Rockhampton net-free zone back online

T has felt like an eternity since the saltwater barra season closed, but from February 1 barramundi will be back on the radar.

Impressive fingermark are being caught of late. Ryan Stimo pulled a cracker creek golden snapper in just 2m of water on a Chasebaits prawn imitation.

Sam Neuss with a quality thready from Port Alma on one of those picture-perfect days.

I did a run a few weeks back during the closed season looking for big king threadfin salmon in the top half of the Fitzroy River. I checked every sneaky king spot I had and they were all empty. My guess is they had all made their way to the mouth and beyond for spawning purposes. However, I found a few little schools of small threadies. I managed to boat about 10 but they were all undersize except for two that were just over legal and kept for thready sangas. Some black jewfish and grunter were mixed in too. Not much size to them, but a lot of fun was had. The barra we saw on the sounder though, told a different story. It was hard to leave the rods in the locker, which means kick-off for the season is going to be a cracker. If we can get some nice

Beau Gower hit the reef flats and got into some nice redthroat emperor. Check out Beau Gower Fishing on YouTube for some epic fishing videos.

Jason Kidd

0457 254 740

Page 52 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

Capricorn Coast by JOHN BOON

weather to go with the outstanding tides for February 1, it will be an opener to remember. It’s a sad state of affairs for rain. We have had pretty much nothing all summer and the forecast isn’t looking good. All we can hope for is a late wet. In the past three years the monsoon up north hasn’t been active until after February, so fingers crossed we will see a bit of wet stuff soon. Thanks to the lack of rain, the Fitzroy River will be in prime condition, with high salinity levels right to the barrage. In fact, the entire Rockhampton net-free zone will be in tip top shape. With the quarter moon falling on February 2, there will be so many clean water options to go and chase a barra. I believe the number one place to target barra for the opener will be the Fitzroy River. It’s such an easy day around the town reaches. For starters, there are two four-lane boat ramps, each with ample trailer parking and a floating pontoon. Once you’ve launched, you don’t have to travel large distances burning excess fuel to find fruitful ground. If you’re confident reading what your sounder screen is showing, you will find your own patch of awesome without worry. I highly recommend the Humminbird Helix G3N sounder. Straight out of the box it reads super crisp. Once you start playing with settings like scroll speed, sensitivity and contrast, you can become distracted, instead of fishing. For the run-out tide down to low and back up to half tide, start at Gavial Creek and make your way down the deep side of the Fitzroy and along the big bend that sweeps to the left. This area is known as Devils Elbow. Plenty of spots along here hold good numbers of barramundi and threadfin salmon. When you get to the end, the river will bend to the right. If you scan along the left side of the bank, you will find good schools. Be careful of the rocks in this area. Just sit off the bank and use your side imaging to search for fish. Having a look at these areas on low tide will give you a good understanding of structure. If you’re chasing live bait to fish around here, the drains on the shallow side present a good option. You can also get good live bait in Gavial Creek itself.

Most bait fishos will throw a cast net off the pontoon before they leave. They can generally get enough prawns and herring for a session. If you choose to use a cast net from the pontoon, please be courteous and mindful of people trying to get their boats in and out. Also, use your bucket to pull up some water to clean up your mess before you leave. Nothing is worse than slipping over on jellyfish or mud left by cast nets. Once the tide comes up high enough (about two hours either side of high), it’s time to fish around the bridges. Gravel and rock patches around the old bridge present a good option. These patches would have to be the most productive places to catch barra throughout the entire town reaches. Trolling between the old and new bridge with 3-4m diving hard-body lures is another tradition that works well. Sometimes I will do this while watching the sounder and looking for schools. Keep varying your boat’s line so you’re searching while trolling. I’ve caught plenty of barra on the troll when I haven’t seen them on the sounder. There’s nothing like a bonus barra. From here, check around the pylons of the new bridge and train bridge. These are deep areas that hold both barra and king. Using a deep vertical jig is the best option. When fishing from the train bridge to the 400m mark from the barrage, the best thing you can do is jump on Google Earth and plot a series of marks 400m away from the barrage, transferring the marks to your GPS. It makes it easy to know when to pull up. There are a couple of signs but the one on the north bank is about 70m out. I was told these signs are to make people aware of the 400m limit and not mark the distance. This sort of confusion is why I plotted my own markers. From there you can troll around while watching the sounder. Barra and king will come up onto the shallow bommies to feed. If you can locate numbers, you can keep trolling over them or pull up and cast. I prefer to cast so the lure is in front of them longer, and so I can work things like soft vibes and suspending hard-bodies to try to tempt them to bite. If you do venture into the town reaches of the Fitzroy, just take it steady until you get to know the place.

There is a safe passage that runs down the south side. If you’re worried, go for a walk over the bridges and have a look on low tide. You can also jump on Google Earth. A good time to have a look at the town reaches is on a busy day when plenty of boats are on the water. Taking careful note of where they travel will give a good idea of where to go. With high salt levels, you will be able to catch a variety of species. Barra, threadies, grunter, cod and black jewfish are just a few likely prospects. The next 140cm black jew that gets caught along Devils Elbow won’t be the first or last. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a few sneaky mangrove jack turn up soon as well. Another top place to check out if wanting a

barra fix is the Casuarina cut-through. If you put in at the Port Alma ramp and head left from the ramp, and then left into the first main river system, you’ll be in Casuarina Creek. It’s then about a 25km drive to where the river has broken through. Scanning around the island in the middle and banks on either side will show you where the barra are, depending on which way the tide is going. Just after the quarter moon is best for this area when the water clarity improves. The small tides will settle the sediment. Either side of the cutthrough are many creeks that are stacked with timber. Great snags are also plentiful in the main system. Spend a couple of days here and you will find ☛ continued P53

The author’s mid-sized barra was taken on a weedless Atomic Plazo. Fishing weedless plastics effectively takes time. A great technique to use in snaggy country when the season opens.

The town reaches of the Fitzroy will be a busy place come February 1. This barra was caught by the author just before the season closed.

Young Riley Harmsworth nailed this ripper 121cm thready in the Fitzroy recently on a live mullet.

Clayton Barnes with a monster local mud crab.

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Barramundi and sooty grunter were ambushing baitfish coming out of this gutter in the Wenlock River.

Ryan Polderman keenly fished between storms at Weipa.

Accessible areas of the Cape best for barra fishing

EBRUARY is a big time for Queensland anglers, being of course the opening month of the wild barramundi season state-wide. It is also one of the core months of the northern wet season, and the two don’t necessarily sit too well together for travelling and fishing across Cape York. This is a remote region and most roads and tracks beyond Cooktown and Laura will be officially closed for the duration of the wet to prevent road damage and people becoming stranded. However, the news is not all bad. The wonderful Cooktown area is open, serviced by a bitumen road and offering great river, reef and coastal fishing during the good weather windows. Heavy rain events can briefly close the road at the McLeod and Annan rivers, however this usually only happens a few times each wet. While flying into Weipa or the Northern Peninsula Area (Bamaga and surrounding communities) and hiring a boat or perhaps a guide is also possible, the rain and wind

Cape York by ‘BILLABONG’ BAZZ LYON

can be relentless, and the lightning frequent. Keep in mind too that most fishing guides are in limbo at this time of year, dodging the weather, having a break and preparing for the upcoming dry season. Otherwise, great river fishing options exist between Townsville and the Daintree River, including the mighty Hinchinbrook Channel (and in the Burdekin area too – I just have limited experience there). Once again, the accessible parts of Gulf of Carpentaria country, such as around Normanton and Karumba, can provide excellent barra fishing at this time of year. Regardless of where you are able to access, ‘run-off’ gullies and the water above and below road crossings and cascades are the prime places to target and can provide mind-blowing fishing. Bait tends to concentrate in such areas and so is easier for predators to target. I’ve been fortunate to

experience such cracker wet season sessions in places as diverse as the Cairns Inlet, the Norman River near Normanton, the Normanby and North Kennedy rivers in Rinyirru National Park (when living there) and the Wenlock and Dulhunty rivers on northern Cape York. The barramundi in the Cairns Inlet were congregated at the base of a gutter draining a freshwater swamp, feasting on the small fish and prawns coming out with the flow. They were going off! This was after a few days of torrential rain that caused the local swamps to fill and overflow for the first time that wet season. The Norman River (here tidal) looked like a mud bath, again courtesy of plenty of heavy monsoonal rain. The barramundi were targeting prey washing out from a gutter, this one draining a salt pan swamp that was even muddier than the river. As they so often do, many of the barramundi were lying in ambush

Rockhampton net-free zone back online ☛ from P52

some really cool stuff. Soft vibes such as Zerek Fish Traps are reliable. Timber hard-body lures are a good go-to if other presentations aren’t working, such as Old Dog Lures and Lethal Lures. You will need a fair few variations of weedless plastics as well. Atomic Plazos are cool plastics, with plenty of little feelers that wave around on the lift and drop. Z-Man GrubZ and SwimmerZ are top choices too. If you haven’t used weedless plastics, then ask at your local tackle shop for a bit of help. The staff members are normally happy to assist. www.bnbfishing.com. au

It can take out a lot of the guesswork if a guru is willing to show you a few things before hitting the water. We will be fishing for four or five days during the season opening, a now traditional activity. You can make your

own fun and add in a few bets among mates for a bit of competition. Hopefully we will get a few. After reading this article for a few tips, I hope you do too. Catch ya next month.

Plenty of grunter have been about. Kevin and Tom Farr had a double-figure session recently, all around this size. Outstanding.

in the dirty water line, smashing anything passing by with powerful boofs. I was using a pretty basic home-made lure painted red with black stripes. However, it proved really effective in the ‘mud’, perhaps due to the combination of a shimmering action and strong contrasting colour pattern. A huge approaching thunderstorm eventually chased us away, but we returned over the next few days for more spectacular and memorable fishing. The session on the North Kennedy was somewhat unusual. The barramundi, all lean and keen with a beautiful pinkish tinge, would only take small soft plastics – they completely avoided any hard-bodied lures cast in their direction. While we caught most in the frothy water just below a small cascade, others were hooked around snags and in sheltered bays just downstream. At the Kalpowar Crossing on the nearby Normanby River, the barra were hitting virtually anything we cast, both up and downstream, and those hooked in the rapids were a fair challenge to land. With the long series of rapids present, they were also more scattered. The Wenlock fishing occurred in the fresh water in similar situations to Cairns Inlet, with the barramundi targeting prey flushed from freshwater gutters draining swamps. They were hungry and had little trouble finding the lures in the relatively clean water. The Dulhunty River fishing was somewhat different to all the other places because saratoga and sooty grunter were also in the mix, which added considerable interest. Here we were targeting water either side of a cascade, well up in the freshwater reaches of the river. The water was surprisingly clean, no doubt due to running off a sand/ sandstone-based catchment. This was fantastic fishing – we just never knew what we would hook next! Poppers and fizzers worked really well for the

saratoga but also readily attracted barramundi and sooties. Soft plastics and hardbodied divers produced too. Barramundi can turn up in all sorts of weird and wonderful places during the wet season as they move around, so never discount even ordinarylooking road crossings or causeways and bridges. Along the coast, you’ll also find them in the usual haunts of mangrove edges and rocky headlands and inlets. Otherwise, this can be a good time to try for a few mud crabs. The fresh will flush them downstream, and at this time of year crabbing in the brackish water often produces outstanding results. Coastal and reef fishing will largely depend on the weather letting us out. Much of January on the east coast featured 10-20 knot southeast to northeasters, just a little too much to let smaller boats get out without a lot of thumping about. Coastal areas are better options to target in such conditions. Plenty of great fishing options are still on offer during February in the far north, it’s simply a matter of being smart and working with good weather windows, rather than battling the elements. Until next month, good luck!

Josh Lyon with a beautiful run-off barra.

Tony Michael with a pair of solid wet season sooty grunter from the Wenlock River.

Drew Polderman fished a great-looking run-off creek junction.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 53

C AMPING & outdoors It isn’t the burnt-out bridge decking that prevents farmers from accessing their property across the creek, it is the structural damage on the bridge supports. This may take months to be prioritised and repaired.

Paul’s truck with the barbed wire feeder setup on the tray and the BlazeAid trailer loaded with all the equipment necessary to do a good job.

How to help those hindered by fire W ITH all the bushfires raging around the country, this month I have chosen to skip the regular offshore report and let readers know something about the ongoing work being done by so many volunteers after the event to benefit those hit by natural disasters, and also to ask for help, either in kind or if possible, by volunteering some time.

Paul and Sheryl Lee hard at work volunteering.

Kilometres of burnt-out fencing needs to be repaired and replaced.

The devastating effect of natural disasters such as fires, floods, cyclones and droughts lingers long after the initial event and it takes a lot of hard work and resources for affected people to get back to somewhere near ‘normal’ with their lives. An organisation that helps communities rebuild after natural disasters is BlazeAid. At the time of writing, the group had thirteen camps on the go from Woodenbong on the Queensland/NSW border down through NSW, into Victoria and around into South Australia. Undoubtedly as the bushfire crisis carnage continues throughout summer, more camps will be established as resources permit. The regional firefighters do a wonderful and skilled job of managing and fighting the bushfires, but afterwards the gruel-

Scenes like this were common throughout the Nymboida area of NSW.

Page 54 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

Outdoors

by BILL CORTEN

ling work of rebuilding begins and goes on for a very long time. That is where BlazeAid, a registered non-profit charity, comes into the picture. It relies entirely on donations and ploughs everything donated into actual support to affected rural landowners without the excesses of overheads and administration costs eating into the pool of funds. All the people involved are volunteers and all the money donated goes back into providing the necessities to put a camp together, run it properly and provide the tools and equipment that can be used to rebuild fencing and other urgent jobs on many rural properties. Equipment includes steel fenceposts, plain and barbed wire and the associated tools of the fencing trade that can fit into specially built trailers that can be towed on site. The organisation basically exists on the donations from everyday people, sponsors, volunteer groups and individuals and the difference it makes to the survivors of natural disasters who in many cases have lost their homes, sheds, personal property, livestock and pets is amazing. A team of BlazeAid volunteers can do in a week what would otherwise take weeks and sometimes months for landowners to do on their own and helps get rural communities back on their feet. I became curious about what BlazeAid does after seeing some interesting outcomes posted by members on the Sunland Caravan Owners Group Facebook page. Basically, some of the members who also happen to be members of the Mitsubishi 4WD Club

did some BlazeAid volunteering out Tenterfield way and collectively the ‘Mitsi’ mob replaced significant areas of burnt-out and damaged fencing and donated a sizeable sum of money to BlazeAid as well. While enduring the never-ending run of northerly wind in the lead-up to Christmas, I had plenty of spare time on my hands and after making a few phone calls ended up towing our Sunland caravan down to Nymboida, south of Grafton and got to work learning new skills and working up a sweat. I got lucky, being allocated to work with team leaders Sheryl and Paul Lee, farmers from Mount Tarampa on the Lockyer River who happened to be members of the Mitsi Club doing more volunteering. They started with BlazeAid volunteering in Richmond repairing flood damage and their involvement morphed into more fencing and other activities in fire-affected areas. I had some mild reservations about how a city slicker who knows the ocean but nothing about fencing would fit in to this program.

Wow, as it turns out I needn’t have worried because the local BlazeAid co-ordinator made me very welcome and filled me in on the drill. I was introduced to Sheryl and Paul who were so patient to work with, and it quickly became a privilege to be taught the skills of fencing and to work as a team with them. Having so many mutual interests helped too. We were doing perimeter fence repairs along the main road where the bushfires had caused burning trees to fall on fences, timber fence posts to burn through, steel fence posts to bend to strange angles and various lengths of fencing wire to be broken and destroyed. It was no picnic, but all this fire-damaged fencing had to be repaired and and replaced for public safety to restrain cattle from straying onto the road. Trust me, there was no shortage of work. What I hadn’t realised until arriving at Nymboida was that something like 100 houses in the area had been destroyed and many of these for various reasons were uninsured, or under-insured, and in nearly every case, the fences were not insured. Driving in, it was like a scene from a war movie because burnt-out property and destroyed houses

and sheds were all over the place. There were stories of carnage, humility and good luck in some cases, but it was certainly a privilege being able to do something to help, and from listening to some of the locals, BlazeAid was making a difference. I was blown away one day to see a whole family from Gympie arrive with donated goods including whitegoods from local businesses and immediately get to work clearing fire damage on one affected property we were doing the perimeter fencing on. They were gone the next day because they had to go back home to their jobs, but didn’t they make a difference? Now, thousands of bushfire-affected people need help in some way and the whole purpose of writing this is to let our readers know you can help. Whether it’s with donations of money, food or clothing, or if you can volunteer your time to do some repair work and spend a few dollars in the hard-hit rural areas, it will all benefit these communities. Hopefully I have piqued someone’s interest with this column. Just Google BlazeAid and take it from there.

Paul Lee replaced a burnt-out corner post on the perimeter fence alongside the main road.

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C AMPING & outdoors Exploring inland of Noosa H I, it’s Craig Tomkinson here.

With February just around the corner, hopefully by the time this edition of BNB is on sale we will have had good rain. And if so, I will start reef fishing on Sunshine Reef. I was going to head out one day to chase mackerel but got an email saying I had to re-register my EPIRB. When my wife Donna went to register the beacon again we discovered the battery was just about out of date, so I bought a new one from Ray Scholes Marine at Noosaville. The new EPIRB is a GPS model and lucky for me it was the last one on special at $249. It’s a 10-year battery life, then throw it away job. While I was there I asked Christian how I would go about getting a new battery in my old EPIRB because I bought it from them five years earlier and it was a six plus six-year one. He told me to post it back to the manufacturer and gave me their address. He said do not be in a rush because he just had a customer post one off six weeks prior and it had not come back yet. That’s another reason why I bought a new EPIRB. Now the wife registered the new one to the boat

Outdoors

by CRAIG TOMKINSON

and I was ready to go after giving the Australian Maritime Safety Authority a call to be absolutely sure. I will have been a school cleaner for two years in February, and I get eight weeks of holidays a year, with five of them in the Christmas break. We were planning on going to the Wombeyan Caves area in NSW because we loved it there last year. However, fires have ravaged the region, so we pulled the pin on that idea. Then we were going to head to Inskip Point but it was fully booked so that was a no go. Then I thought of doing the Darling River run and going on to South Australia, as I read Bill Corten’s story about the trip he did through there. I thought it would be a great drive. But on second thought, it was going to be stinking hot and with the drought there’s no water in the river and fires everywhere, so we decided to stay home. So Donna and I have just been doing day trips in the 80 Series LandCruiser and small night trips because we are keen ‘twitchers’ or bird photographers. On the first trip, my sis-

Jimna fire tower.

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ter Narelle joined us because she was over from US as our mother had passed away a few weeks before. We wanted to show Narelle our favourite areas, so we drove out through the Mary Valley looking for barn owls. We saw one but it flew off before we could get a good photo. We then drove out through Charlie Moreland camping area looking for different owls and greater gliders. Next we headed up Sunday Creek Rd and then turned off to drive one of the many tracks, pulling up on a small culvert. We were listening to all the frogs because we are mad-keen froggers too and could hear barred frogs and many others. Suddenly Donna let out a squeal of delight and said: “Look at that huge crayfish!” I thought she was talking about one the size of a red claw but this sucker was huge. I did not think we had such large crayfish in Queensland. It was 60-70cm long from the tips of its huge claws (like mud crab claws) to the end of its tail. Its body was the size of a painted crayfish. We tried to get a photo but it was dark and the camera just would not take a good one. The three of us watched it for a few minutes until it moved under timber in the creek. How amazing. From there we turned around and drove back home, not spotting any more owls. As soon as we got home I Googled this crayfish and found it to be a Conondale spiny crayfish. They are endangered and fully protected. I was told the one we saw could be about 40 years old. A couple of days later, we all went for a drive out over Mount Buggery to Jimna. It’s one of my favourite drives other than heading up the beach to DI or on Fraser Island. We headed out to Imbil and Borumba Dam but turned up Bella Creek Rd and followed it to the end where it starts to climb fairly steeply. I always put my hubs in and select four-wheeldrive because in my old

80 Series I am in first gear high range to get up some of the steep hills. Once up the top we just drove along steadily looking for birds and deer. Along here you drive out through Kingham Deer Farm, which has fallow, chital and African deer like impala, as well as big kangaroos. Most times in the heat of the day they are up near the road in the shade of the big ironbark trees. It’s a spectacular drive and it pops out right near the Landcruiser Mountain Park turn-off. I have never been there and never want to go there as I cannot see the sense of taking my good 4WD out and flogging its guts out on the rough tracks. Now if I was loaded up with my 5m tinnie in tow and heading to some really remote fishing spot on Cape York where we had to winch through gullies to get into a spot where we could stay and enjoy mind-blowing fishing for a month, that’s my cup of tea. Anyway, we had a look at the fire tower and Peach Trees camping area, checked out Jimna and then drove down Sunday Creek Rd through fantastic scrub, out past Kenilworth and home. My sister has lived in America for 30-odd years and it just blew her mind how lovely her old Aussie backyard was. A couple of days later, Donna and I did a trip over the Cooran Tablelands and down to Mothar Mountain rock pools and it was beautiful. ‘Til next month, be safe on our roads.

Mothar Mountain rock pools.

The author and his sister Narelle on the Charlie Moreland (dry) creek crossing.

The author on the Peach Trees camping area suspension bridge.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 55

C ARAVANNING & adventure

The Bungle Bungle domes. Echidna Chasm.

Awed by the Bungle Bungles and Wolfe Creek

ICKING up on our adventure in the Kimberley, our plan was to head further along the Gibb River Rd before heading north to Mitchell Plateau and on to Kalumburu for awesome fishing.

Echidna Chasm is a marvel of nature.

Cathedral Gorge.

Page 56 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

However, the failed wet season lead to no falls at Mitchell, with the water very stagnant, so we decided to come back next year and check out this area when more water is around. We decided to double back and head onto the Great Northern Highway, which is a bitumen road south of the Gibb that runs from Kununurra all the way to Derby and beyond. A cutting just after Fitzroy Crossing takes you

Caravanning by TODD EVELEIGH

back up to the Gibb River Rd where we continued exploring. Along the way were some fantastic spots, the first being Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles). Lots of our friends and other people we met on the road had done their sightseeing of the Bungle Bungles by plane. We decided to do the road trip in, which I might add is very windy and up and down through creeks and ridges. It’s also quite corrugated, so it is a slow trip in and out. This road does not allow tandem-axle trailers and caravans, so we had to leave our caravan behind for the day trip. Going by road turned out to be a great decision because I don’t think the scenic flight over it would have given us the same feeling of grandeur. We enjoyed some amazing walks through what are referred to as the ‘Domes’, which are like beehive rock structures. We also came across some amazing gorges we could walk right through. The first we did was Cathedral Gorge’s southern end, which was spectacular. It had a waterhole at the end and a huge amphitheatre that towered over us. There was also Elephant Rock, which as the name suggests comprised rocks in the shape of elephant heads (from the right angle). Then we were off to Echidna Chasm at the northern side of the Bungle Bungle Range. This hike started with walking along a rocky creek bed, and the further

up the creek bed we got, the more we found ourselves within the walls of the range. It continues to get tighter to the point where it feels like you are in a hallway of a house but the walls tower over you, hundreds of metres high, with just a little sliver of light coming through the ceiling. A pretty cool place and the kids loved it! These were the highlights for us at the Bungle Bungles. Just driving beside them in the car was amazing, but do yourself a favour and get up close and personal with them, doing some of the walks and really experiencing how

grand these rock formations are. It takes a bit more time and effort to do it this way but is worth it, as you’ll encounter amazing scenery and breathtaking rock formations. A caravan park where you can leave your caravan is just off the highway, and two 24-hour free camps lie near the river. You will need a full day in there because the drive is quite challenging but the walks are amazing. Just remember to take plenty of water and food. There are wonderful barbecue areas if you want to cook up a few snags, with shaded picnic tables. Do yourself a favour and check it out! Further along the Great Northern Highway, if you take Tanami Rd south just after Halls Creek you’ll

get to a place called Wolfe Creek. You probably know it due to the horror movie a lot of us have seen and still have nightmares about. However, the main reason we went out to Wolfe Creek was to check out the meteorite crater, which is over a kilometre wide. Tanami Rd was quite rough and rocky but still fairly good compared to when you turn off the Tanami to head out to the crater about 17km away. This road is horrific, or at least it was at the time we travelled it. We have done lots of remote roads all around Australia and this one was by far the worst. We ended up driving up on a wind break along the fence line for most of ☛ continued P57

Wolfe Creek Crater.

Elephant Rocks.

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4WDING & off - road Jeep Wrangler JL 4-Door Rhino-Rack Backbone

ONTINUING to provide world-class and industry-leading innovation, Rhino-Rack is proud to announce the release of its highly anticipated RhinoRack Backbone system for the Jeep Wrangler JL 4-Door.

‘Keep on Camping’ initiative to drive regional tourism following bushfires

N the aftermath of Australia’s bushfire crisis, the Caravan Industry Association of Australia’s new ‘Keep on Camping’ initiative is urging travellers to consider visiting an affected area on their next

caravan and camping trip. Caravanning and camping play a unique role in the sustainability of Australia’s tourism industry, with 30 percent of all trips in regional Aus-

tralia involving caravans or camping. According to Tourism Research Australia, caravan parks in the south coast of NSW and Gippsland regions account for the largest market share of all commercial accommodation nights in the region, at 38 percent and 42 percent. With this in mind, Caravan Industry Association of Australia has officially launched the new Keep on Camping website. Keep on Camping helps travellers to make informed travel decisions so that when it is safe to travel again, they can get back out there to spend

Awed by the Bungle Bungles and Wolfe Creek ☛ from P56

it because the corrugations were a foot deep and about three times as wide (maybe a slight exaggeration). It was terrible! Eventually we arrived at Wolfe Creek free camp about 1.5km from the crater itself. At the crater are information boards with facts that boggle the mind. Walking up to the side of the crater and looking into the massive pit in the landscape blows you away. It’s best to go late in the afternoon to witness the sunset and watch the shadows move across the crater. www.bnbfishing.com. au

If you look out over the landscape you can still see the shockwaves in the surface as far as the eye can see. It was very challenging to get out to Wolfe Creek, and hard on the vehicle and caravan but very worthwhile and something I will never forget. I don’t think too many places allow you to witness something so amazing and so very remote. When heading out to Wolfe Creek, again make sure you have plenty of water and supplies and make sure your vehicle and van are in top condition and built to withstand offroad conditions. This road really test-

ed everything. The other important thing is tyre pressures. Everybody’s cars and vans are different but we were running 22psi in the front and 24psi in the back of the car and 20psi all round in the van to try to soften some of the impacts of the corrugations and rocks along the way. It is also important to slow down a little, as it’s better to get there later than not at all. Please enjoy the photos with this article, but they do not do justice to the places we have spoken about. I don’t think any photos ever do compared to experiencing them in real life.

their money and help those communities reliant on tourism. Caravan Industry Association of Australia CEO Stuart Lamont said local tourism would be the key for ensuring long-term sustainability in regional tourism. “The devastation we have seen due to bushfires is heartbreaking, and our sincerest appreciation goes out to all communities and those volunteers on the ground who have been battling these conditions to save lives and property in the most trying circumstances,” he said. “Many of the affected areas should be in absolute peak season and brimming with tourists, and yet whole regions remain closed, with some caravan parks suggesting it may be weeks before they reopen. “Once these affected areas re-open, the need for tourist visitation will be vital to assisting these communities and businesses to start the long process of getting back on their feet.” When taking a caravan or camping trip to a regional area, travellers invest money directly in local attractions. They shop at local cafes and boutiques, buy seafood and groceries and stay in local holiday parks when they visit. Through travelling to regional destinations, caravanners and campers are supporting communities, spending their money and helping those towns who need it most. To find out more information, visit keepon camping.com.au

Working with vehicle innovations, this new addition is set to have Jeep JL owners rejoicing. Originally launched five years ago, the Rhino-Rack Backbone System for the Jeep Wrangler JK 4-Door was the first of its kind - revolutionising overlanding and exciting Jeep aficionados globally. Rhino-Rack has spent the past two years developing the next-generation Rhino-Rack Backbone for the Jeep Wrangler JL 4-Door. With the capability to carry more gear than ever and a remarkably smooth single-person installation process without removing the hard top, you’ll be ready to take your exploration to the next level.

The Rhino-Rack Backbone is fitted to the factory chassis points and distributes the weight of the cargo more evenly through the body of the Jeep, enabling the ability to carry an impressive 120kg when installed in conjunction with a Pioneer Platform. While function was the most important consideration, the RhinoRack Backbone is designed to complement the aesthetics of the new Jeep Wrangler JL. The bold, solid construction makes for a striking appearance guaranteed to turn heads. Constructed of strong, non-corrosive durable cast aluminium with a black powder-coated finish, it matches seamlessly with RhinoRack’s Pioneer Systems. Castings contour to the roof and roll cage for a low-profile design. All fixings and hardware are included to make installation as easy as possible. This new system is compatible with RLT600

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removable legs and RCL low-locking legs, providing you with solutions to meet your desired use of the system. The use of the RCL legs brings any Pioneer platform or leg system closer to your roof, making it easier to access for loading and unloading. It has everything you need to enhance your Wrangler but with a new and improved installation process to give you the ultimate experience. Ingeniously simple, the new Jeep Wrangler JL 4-Door Rhino-Rack Backbone System provides an unparalleled system, giving complete confidence the system will go with you and your Jeep anywhere and take on any challenge you throw at it. The Rhino-Rack Backbone for Jeep Wrangler JL 4-Door has a RRP of $599. For more information on the Jeep Wrangler JL Rhino-Rack Backbone System, head to rhino rack.com.au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 57

Crucial estimate for carp control A USTRALIA now has key information for controlling carp, cyprinus carpio, one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most destructive pests.

For the first time, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an estimate of carp biomass across the continent (carp biomass means the weight of carp). This key information can directly guide the best approaches to control this scourge to our waterways. Project leader Dr Jarod Lyon from the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research in Victoria said the Carp Biomass Project is a unique collaboration of scientists and government agencies across Australia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has brought together

Photo: Arthur Rylah Institute

a wealth of information â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fish survey data from over 150 studies and 4831 sites across 24 years,â&#x20AC;? he said. The national estimate of carp biomass for May 2018 is 205,744 tonnes, with a lower and upper limit of 117,532 and 356,482 tonnes, respectively. If these carp were loaded into one-time ute trays and parked end to end, they would stretch from Melbourne to Newcastle. This biomass estimate represents a single â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;point in timeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Carp biomass varies significantly between years, depending on how wet conditions are. During a single wet year, such as May 2011,

the carp biomass estimate was 368,357 tonnes, with a lower and upper limit of 184,234 and 705,630 tonnes, respectively. After a series of three flood years, additional modelling suggests carp biomass may reach a maximum of 1,200,000 tonnes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This work has provided us with a key understanding of how this highly adaptable pest can respond to different environmental conditions,â&#x20AC;? Dr Lyon said. The project estimated carp biomass across the diverse range of aquatic environments, from individual wetlands to large river reaches. A national map of aquat-

ic environments was created, which will now provide an invaluable planning tool for managers. A major project outcome is that sites where carp biomass is high enough to cause significant environmental damage can now be identified. This means carp management resources can be allocated where they are most needed. The biomass project has brought together rigorous science, scrutinised existing survey information and confirmed carp biomass estimates through field experiments. This approach can greatly inform the development of biomass estimates for other animals, both pests

and native alike. This research project forms an essential part of the National Carp Control Plan, a $10.2 million program led by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation on behalf of the Australian Government. The NCCP aims to address two questions: Is it feasible to release the carp herpes virus to control carp, and if so, what is the most effective way to release and manage the virus? The NCCP was delivered to the Australian Government in December 2019. The Australian Government is currently deciding on the next steps.

Lake Lenthall and Monduran update

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HE small Lenthalls Dam i m p ou nd m ent near Maryborough has been a favourite for many years and I can report it is fishing very well for Australian bass and barramundi. At this time of year the barra are playing the game on both suspending hard-body lures and weedless soft plastics. The latest barra we landed was 83cm, which was fantastic fun. Just keep in mind you need a Stocked Impoundment Permit to fish Lenthalls, and the gate is opened by the local rang-

er at 6am and closed at 8pm each night. You can camp at the lake overnight on well-maintained campgrounds. Lake Monduran Lake Monduran is another very popular destination for anglers chasing the Golden Barra. Though the water level at Monduran has dropping significantly, plenty of barra are willing to play the game. The hot technique has been casting to the treetops in 6-8m of water. Anglers have had success with Lucky Craft Pointers, Jackall Squir-

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rels and large soft plastics worked through the treetops. Try to look for the biggest tree with the most

Okuma Komodo baitcast rods

HE Komodo SS baitcast reel has a reputation for strength, reliability, stopping power and good looks.

It makes sense then that the matching series of rods follows the same design principles, from quality finish to 30T Toray carbon blank construction and Seaguide Hero HiGrade Low Frame Casting Guides, the attention to detail in bind and metal

component highlights and custom ergonomic Okuma reel seat for increased â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;feelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Available in a selection of models that cover heavy bass fishing and extracting mangrove jack to taking on monster impoundment barramundi and bucket-mouth Murray cod, this series of rods will impress in terms of both finish and performance. For those throwing big

swimbaits, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s even a model for you, without the insane price tag commonly associated with swimbait rods. This model is 8â&#x20AC;&#x2122; of pure casting and stopping power, with an 8-15kg rating and casting weight rating of 1-4oz. SRP for the 601MH/661MH is $129.90; the 661H/661XH has an SRP of $139.90 and the 801H retails for $149.90.

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water temperature is over 30C. Dale Smith Tackle World Bundaberg

The author with a Lenthalls barra.

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structure because these often hold more barra. Most of the barra are finding comfort in the deeper water while the

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Check out in-depth video coverage of the latest boat and product reviews plus ďŹ shing action and handy tips. Page 58 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bush â&#x20AC;&#x2122;n Beach Fishing, February 2020

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Do the new D120 Magnum Boomerangs work? Just 45 minutes into the first morning using one produced this horse.

Half an hour on the water and a smaller cod was chalked up for the Magnum Boomerang. This time on the Tropical Frog colour (the author is certain every colour in the range will catch cod).

When you’re on a good thing

T was on a drive through Warwick to fish Leslie Dam in 1989 that we stopped into a local tackle outlet and spied among the dozens of imported lures, a handful of Australian-made lures that looked ideal for the golden perch we were about to target.

Those lures, 80mm Boomerangs, were moulded of urethane plastic, fitted with cool doll eyes, packaged in plastic bags with cards printed with a logo reading ‘Downunder Lures’. I bought a couple to try and was impressed during that first outing with the fish-catching ability of a colour scheme called Dingo. Among my circle of fishing cobbers, Dingo and another colour pattern dubbed Yellow Tiger became the must-have lures for all our fishing excursions west of the Great Dividing Range. During those formative years of the fisheries in the warm-water lakes of temperate Queensland, we slaked our appetite for fat fish by visiting many of the established fisheries in NSW. Trips to lakes such as Pindari, Copeton, Keepit, Split Rock, Glenbawn, Burrendong and as far south as Mulwala all produced fish on the everreliable old doll’s-eye Boomerangs. Those original urethane Downunder Boomerangs proved so successful on the golden perch

Fishing for Sport by NEIL SCHULTZ

of Queensland’s western lakes that we regularly outfished bait fishers. Sometimes our catch (and release) rate was so much higher that we became subjected to verbal barrages from unsuccessful anglers around us and calls of “If you don’t want them, we’ll take them!” Pleasingly, it wasn’t just golden perch that found Boomerangs irresistible – we enjoyed regular bycatch of cracking Murray cod too. Number two son Tony has an enviable habit of pulling cod from most of the bodies of water where they are present when he wets a lure. During one of those very early trips with me to Leslie Dam (December 1989), he landed, tagged and released a handsome cod of about 65cm to the surprise of a crowd of boaties anchored in the immediate vicinity. Fishing a Black Beetle Boomerang from my old canoe, he followed that fish with a procession of golden perch just to demonstrate that on some days at least, bright colours aren’t required. Those urethane 80mm lures were superseded by awesome rattling, injection-moulded Boomerangs just a few years later (circa-1991 if my recall is accurate). Four depth variations of the 80mm Boomerang

were soon on the market covering any imaginable scenario for a diving lure. A name change from Downunder Lures to Predatek Lures, run by the same team (no, the business was not sold), didn’t hamper the fish-attracting qualities of the Boomerangs at all. Though we used them in salt water for deep trolling over bommies catching all manner of beasties, from coral trout to mackerel, it was in the fresh water where they stamped their mark. Uncountable numbers of golden perch along with scores of Murray cod, an occasional silver perch and eel-tailed catfish were caught and released in the Murray-Darling Basin by members of the sportfishing club SEQTAR on the by then renowned 80mm Boomerang. Back to the present and recently while browsing the ‘interweb’ I spotted mention of newly released super-sized Boomerangs from the team at Predatek Lures. More searching discovered they are 120mm in length and basically an enlarged version of the proven Boomerang design. As soon as they were released, I managed to track down a couple to add to the tackle box and was immediately impressed with the

The old and the new. The newly released (2019) D120 Boomerang alongside the author’s old favourite Dingo-coloured 80mm urethane Boomerang (1989).

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rugged construction. Dubbed the D120, the Magnum Boomerangs are one-piece moulded with the bibs and eyelets in place. Serious hardware is attached in the form of 2/0 VMC trebles and 4H rings along with a bonus: a nickel-plated blade on the rear for added vibration and flash. Field testing Exactly 30 years (almost to the day) after Tony used an 80mm Boomerang to get his first Leslie Dam cod, we were back on the same lake together to give my newly acquired D120 Magnum Boomerangs their first swim. Just three days before Christmas, after stopping for fuel and a coffee enroute, we pushed the boat from the trailer at a gentlemanly hour. Running one of the new lures beside the boat at trolling speed, we were pleased to see its wide action that certainly looked the goods to our eyes. I ran the big lure on quite a short line to keep it hovering around the 5m depth contour we were following. Just 45 minutes into our morning, the rod slammed down to a violent strike from what was obviously our target species. After the fish settled into steady rhythm, I confidently informed Tony we were dealing with a genuinely big fish. Several short but unstoppable runs that peeled 25kg line from a firm drag pre-empted the size of the beast that emerged from the opaque water beside the boat. This cracker of a metre in length was held swimming in our giant landing net beside the boat while we towed it into the shallows. I leapt over the side to cradle the fish for a quick happy snap before unhooking it in the water and letting it power away from my grasp, no worse for the encounter. I changed to a black D120 Boomerang to try a different colour, but after a couple of hours with the sun threatening to boil

us in our own juices, we called it a day. Take two: Back on a cod lake on my very next outing, this time towing a Tropical Frog-coloured D120 in the boat’s wake, I was very surprised to hook up after only 35 minutes of trolling. Smaller at 71cm, but still a very satisfying capture, this fish was photographed and measured in the water beside the boat without the customary ‘grip and grin’ shot because I was on my own. Like the big fish of the previous outing, this smaller model bolted back into the green depths perhaps a little bewildered, but otherwise in excellent health. Battling strong wind and working solo, I managed to lose that lure to a snag when the lure retriever’s cord tangled the line. Disheartened, I packed up and headed for home to plan my next venture into the land of the green fish. If the Magnum Boomerangs keep producing results like those thus far, it is going to be an incredible summer!

Tony at Pindari Dam in 1989 with a lump of a golden perch that fell to his 80mm Boomerang.

R E D N U N W O D D120

Predatek announces the release of their new magnum lure for Murray cod, mulloway and barra. • Super-strong one-piece body • Tough polycarbonate bib (clear or black) • Heavy-duty 2/0 VMC hooks • 8 proven fish-catching colours • Steep descent rate • Runs 4-5 metres deep on a cast and deeper when trolling • Unique swing blade for flash and soound • Comfortable for prolonged one-handded casting • Buoyancy to back off from snags • Strong action transmits to the rod • Proven fish-catching design • For more information, visit www.predatek.com/d120 downunde www.predatek.com/d120-downunde er er

>> SEE THEM AT YOUR LOCAL TACKLE STORE Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 59

Wyaralong Dam Carp & Tilapia Eradication Competition

Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S on again!

The annual Logan & Albert Fish Management Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wyaralong Dam Carp & Tilapia Eradication Competition will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2020. This is a one-day, family orientated fun fishing day aimed at catching pest fish. By entering this competition, you will help remove some of these noxious fish (carp and tilapia) from the dam as well as helping Logan & Albert Fish Management Association raise some funds to supplement money received from the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme. Heaps of prizes and giveaways are on offer and two lucky entrants could go home with a kayak each. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even have to catch a fish to be in the running for these beauties. You can fish from the

In 2019, 1554 tilapia and 25 carp were captured, compared to the results of the 2014 competition where 273 carp and only 75 tilapia were landed in the same time slot. bank, kayak or canoe or even a boat ifyou donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t start the motor, as this is an electric-only impoundment. Motors can be left on but must not be started. We are now 20-plus years down the track from where it all started. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Carp Out â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Natives Inâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; concept was started by a small group of concerned anglers in the Rathdowney/Beaudesert area to get introduced noxious carp out of the Logan and Albert River systems and replace them with native fish. LAFMA, formerly known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Carpbustersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, ran seven successful Easter Carp Eradication competitions from 1998 to 2004, removing more

than 10 tonnes of carp from the rivers and raising about $65,000 to buy fingerlings for the native fish stocking program. Wyaralong Dam, 14km northwest of Beaudesert, was completed in 2011 and filled almost on completion. LAFMA decided to take on Wyaralong Dam as a project for its fish-stocking program in 2012. Because the Logan and Albert systems were already infested with carp and tilapia, the group knew it would not be long before these pests took over the dam. In 2013, LAFMA reinvented the carp competitions of old, but this time concentrating on Wyaralong Dam only.

All net profit from the competitions is spent on stocking the dam with Australian bass and Mary River cod fingerlings. LAFMA, in conjunction with Fisheries Queensland, decided to make Wyaralong a trophy Mary River cod fishery, stocking mainly Mary River cod with a back-up of Australian bass. Results of the March 2019 eradication competition The continuing aggressive takeover of the fishery by tilapia was evident by the final numbers of fish caught and destroyed in a seven-hour window. In 2019, 1554 tilapia and 25 carp were captured, compared to the results of the 2014 competition where 273 carp and only 75 tilapia were landed in the same time slot. As you can see, the tilapia population has exploded in Wyaralong Dam. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hope continuous stocking of the dam with an apex predator such as Mary River cod will once again restore the balance. For more information and entry forms, visit lafma.org Note: adults require a Stocked Impoundment Permit to fish Wyaralong Dam

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Pumpkin, spinach and bunya nut salad Ingredients â&#x20AC;˘ 600g kent pumpkin, cut in 1cm slices, deseeded and skinned. â&#x20AC;˘ 100g Greek-style fetta, crumbled. â&#x20AC;˘ 120g packet spinach leaves. â&#x20AC;˘ 1/2 small red onion, finely sliced. â&#x20AC;˘ 100g sliced bunya nuts, cooked. â&#x20AC;˘ 100ml Kewpie sesame and soy dressing. â&#x20AC;˘ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

Method 1. Coat pumpkin in extra virgin olive oil and cook over the grill on the barbecue until soft. Allow to cool and dice into 1cm portions. 2. Place spinach, onion, fetta, bunya nuts and pumpkin in a bowl. Drizzle with sesame and soy dressing, lightly toss. Serve immediately.

Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 15 min | Serves 6 Page 60 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bush â&#x20AC;&#x2122;n Beach Fishing, February 2020

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Fantastic February fishing follows the festive season

HE final month of summer presents a great time of year to be outdoors with family and friends. It’s also the best time of year to be on the water because the temperatures are hot and the fishing accessible to every angler of any ability. If you haven’t been out yet, make sure you start planning your next trip because this time of year gives you the best chance to get onto trophy size bass and yellowbelly from Lake Barambah and even a saratoga from Lake Boondooma. Boondooma Over the past couple of months the fish have moved into the thermocline and are a real target for our avid trollers and casters. The 4.5-7.5m depth zone is where you will find them. The most productive areas on the dam are the deeper sections of water around the rocky walls and the buoy line near the dam wall. The most productive bite time is from lunch 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 fish, keep trolling around the area where you had the action. Remember to be patient because it may take a while to locate fish 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 4.5-6m.

Freshwater Impoundments by MATTHEW LANGFORD

I target them using a variety of baits, initially starting with a soft bait in the form of a 1/2ozrigged soft plastic. I cast this out and begin counting to seven to let the lure sink into the strike zone. When the plastic is down to 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 feel a solid hookup. If this method doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to change your lure until you are happy. Bass can be fussy when it comes to feeding while suspended in the water column. 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 like 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 the 50cm mark regularly hitting the deck. Trollers are catching really nice fish using deepdiving hard-bodies and 5/8oz Bassman Spinnerbaits around the same areas I mentioned earlier.

Saratoga are a tough species to target but have been making regular appearances at Lake Boondooma.

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The key is to be patient. Bait fishers are scoring good numbers of bass and yellowbelly using live shrimp captured from the dam. Try to anchor over prominent points in 4.5-6m and also try the timbered sections. Red claw have been a little slow but if you’re chasing them, drop your pots around the rocky banks of the dam and also just wide of the weed beds. Barambah Lake Barambah (BjelkePetersen Dam) has been very consistent over the past two months, producing good numbers of fish of varying species and sizes. The fish are in great quantity but it takes a bit of moving around to get onto some quality. Areas to target are the deeper water out the front of the dam wall and the Quarry. The fish have been sitting on the bottom in 4.5-6m of water. I’ve been catching fish using a 1/2oz-rigged plastic with the same method as explained for Boondooma. Heavier spinnerbaits and chatterbaits have worked well on the bigger fish when focusing on the reaction bite. Some big yellowbelly are being caught but they have been a bit quiet. The key to catching a few goldens when it’s quiet is to focus on fishing the bottom. In this case, tie on a blade and hop it gently off the bottom. The 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 give it time and you’ll be in contact with some nice fat golden perch. Trollers are getting good bags of fish towing 5/8oz Bassman Spinnerbaits and deep-diving hard-bodies. Areas to target are the deep water around the front of the dam wall, Bass Point, Lightning Ridge and any prominent points. Bait fishers are catching plenty just wide of the steeper rocky banks. Don’t try to head up the back of the dam because the water levels are low and you will get

Hunter with a great bass from Boondooma.

stuck in the mud. Red claw are still about and coming from the steeper banks. Fishing charters The fishing at BP and Boondooma has been fantastic and BP is fishing well for anyone wanting to learn how to target suspended fish with soft plastics. Boondooma has produced a great mixed bag, so if you’d like to learn more about targeting a particular species, all you have to do is ask and make a booking. Don’t forget you can book a fishing charter with me on BP and Boondooma and many other dams in Queensland. If you’d like a great day out and all the info and knowledge to catch bass, yellowbelly and saratoga in our great dams, give me a call on 0408 658 592 and I’ll be happy to take you out. You can also check out our website at australianfreshwa terfishing.com Until next month, tight lines and bent rods.

Charlie caught a cracker yellowbelly around the steep walls of Boondooma.

A nice brace of bass extracted from the timber at Lake Boondooma.

y Guided b g f o rd n a L t t a M

Australian Freshwater Fishing Charters 0408 658 592 | australianfreshwaterfishing.com

DAM LEVELS CURRENT AS OF 22/1/2020

DAMS

PERCENTAGE

AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Atkinson 5 5 5 5 5 Awoonga 75 73 73 72 70 Bjelke-Petersen * 6 5 11 5 4 Boondooma * 29 28 27 26 25 Borumba * 95 93 88 83 77 Burdekin Falls * 95 93 87 80 73 Callide * 45 42 41 39 36 Cania * 69 67 64 63 61 Coolmunda * 6 5 3 3 3 Dyer/Bill Gunn * 3 3 2 3 3 Eungella * 100 100 99 97 92 Fairbairn * 18 17 15 13 12 Glenlyon * 9 8 3.5 3 3 Hinze 92 90 89 87 86 Julius 88 86 84 79 77 Kinchant * 86 81 76 69 56 Leslie * 6 6 6 5 5 Macdonald 101 98 92 86 83 Maroon * 73 70 64 60 55 Monduran/Fred Haigh * 76 74 72 69 67 Moogerah * 53 49 45 41 36 North Pine/Samsonvale * 68 65 63 61 60 Peter Faust/Proserpine * 78 77 75 74 71 Somerset * 76 72 69 68 63 Teemburra * 100 99 98 97 91 Tinaroo* 92 88 82 76 71 Toonumbar 62 57 48 39 33 Wivenhoe * 53 52 50 48 47 Wuruma * 83 78 76 71 67 Wyaralong 88 87 87 85 84 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.

JAN 5 66 7 28 64 60 32 57 2 3 85 9 3 86 73 47 8 87 47 61 29 58 67 64 86 62 19 43 60 83

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020 – Page 61

Time for repairs to inland waterways

ITH 2020 up and running we will all be confronted with new challenges when it comes to fishing in our freshwater regions.

Fires, droughts and the general lack of rain have affected both east and west of the Great Dividing Range. The scale of things needing to take place to get life back on an even keel is massive. We will not need the quick fix format in most areas. The loss of fish species in western river systems is yet to be felt. Areas that fell foul to fires and had ash washed

The Glenlyon Dam limestone cave system.

Glenlyon Dam by BRIAN DARE

into river systems by rain saw a massive wiping out of all freshwater fish species. It’s now up to us to sit down and map out our response to the major problems. Jumping up and down and doing the rant about the government of the day having to do something is not a productive answer. You as the angler need to be proactive. It’s not just about the you-beaut photos of your catch, it’s about maintaining what you had prior to these natural disasters taking place. You might be thinking ‘yeah but what can I do as one person or angler?’ To start with, get on that phone you’re always tapping away at and look up fishing clubs, stocking groups, landcare groups and fish habitat groups for your fishing areas. Ask about what they have actually done. You know, got their hands dirty type of thing. See if they’re interested in putting back what they got out of it and rebuilding habitats on riverbanks. A major problem is starting from the little fish up. When you come across an area of riverbank with loads of dead shrimp sitting a metre up the riverbank from an inflow of polluted water and ash, you know you are witnessing total loss of aquatic life in that area. So with that in mind, you will need to ask your local fisheries extension officer for his or her help to catch small fish from unaffected rivers. This is where the work starts. DNA samples first, then fish identification from that river and the breeding of new fish recruits to put back into those locations. That’s after clean-ups have been done. All this takes up to three years.

GLENLYON DAM TOURIST PARK A great place to fish! s 0OWERED AND 5NPOWERED 3ITES s .O $OMESTIC 0ETS OR 'ENERATORS s +IOSK s )CE s 'AS s 0ETROL s !MENITIES "LOCKS AND ,AUNDRY s ""1S s (IRE "OATS s %&40/3 s &ISHING 0ERMITS

It’s not a quick fix. With that in mind and those photos on your phone that show the cod, bass or yellowbelly you caught in 2019 on the rivers with your canoe or kayak, it’s time for you to help. On a bit of a brighter note, we were able to spend some money on fish for Glenlyon Dam. In total, 15,750 Murray cod were bought from Nick Donges’ fish hatchery at Severnlea outside Stanthorpe. Cod were the only fish bred this season because a lack of water prevented production of yellowbelly and silver perch fingerlings. With the storage sitting on 3.5 percent capacity, there was more than enough water to release the little cod to belt up all the bait they could find. Due to the water temperature being up around the 30C mark, it was important to get these fish in quickly, so most were let go at the edge of the dam, with some taken a short distance to deeper water. As most of us have found over the past three months, the heat has been a bit unbearable for fishing from 10am to 4pm. It’s been a case of fishing either early or late in the day. This leads me to comment on a large cod found floating on Glenlyon Dam. The fish was over 110cm long (measured in the water) and had been tagged with the code W50125, which was new and had not been in the fish long. This big cod was found dead on January 4, 2020. Again, I cannot emphasise enough the respect you should have for such a fish. OK, so it may only be nine or 10 years old, as we have found from previous studies on Glenlyon cod growth rates. Regardless, show some respect to the fish and if you plan to catch and release, set up your gear for your photo before you pull the fish from the water. Do it quickly on an old wet towel with a size mat under the fish on the towel. You should be thinking about the conditions that

will be beating down on the fish and be mindful of its time out of the water. Try the breathing format. By the time you take your fourth breath of air, the fish should be back in the water and free once more. On the other hand, if you’re going to keep a 90cm-plus cod to eat, the following is important. First, make up your mind about your purpose for the fish before you pull it from the water. Don’t think, ‘I’ll keep it in the keeper tank for a while to decide’ as that water in your tank has been pulled from the surface of the dam and will likely be 26C or more. If you do this, at least put some ice in the tank to bring the temperature down. When I go fishing on the dam, I have predetermined minimum size of

cod I am going to keep and eat. I try to release the other fish in the water if possible, with no photos of these fish, just the one I’ve kept to eat. I don’t keep or eat any fish I catch in our river systems because life is tough on the river. Retraction I wish to advise I received a phone call from an aquaculture business to let me know a section of the article I wrote last month was incorrect at the time of writing. A permit has been issued to the aquaculture business to breed spiny crayfish and that stock will be used to produce the species. I would like to apologise for the statement I made in the January 2020 edition of Bush ‘n Beach. I am sorry for any confusion and problems that article may have caused.

Madelyn caught her first cod casting spinnerbaits (a 90cm fish) and then topped it three days later with this 93cm specimen.

14 CABINS bookings necessary

GLENLYON DAM TOURIST PARK via STANTHORPE 4380 Contact Debbie or Brian Dare for more information or for bookings

Ph: 02 6737 5266 E: glenlyondamtouristp@bigpond.com Page 62 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, February 2020

Releasing 15,750 Murray cod fingerlings over the New Year period.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bush ‘n Beach merchandise FOR SALE & WANTED STACER 4.3M PROLINE V-NOSE FISHING BOAT powered by Suzuki 40hp four-stroke tiller steer wicked up to 60hp. Electric start and power trim and tilt. Full flat custom floor (carpeted) with front and rear casting decks and storage. Watersnake electric motor with foot pedal and extra front-mounted battery. Comfy swivel seats. Lowrance sounder and Lowrance GPS. Good trailer with spare wheel. Perfect fishing platform for the rivers and Moreton Bay. Reaches over 60km/h in a heartbeat and uses next to no fuel. Rego until July. $13,500 ono. Call Dan on 0433 390 001. ARVOR 20 SERIES II - Nanni Turbo Diesel, shaft drive 85Hp serviced 05.19, ramp trailer (Unreg), custom SS work, lockable wheelhouse, self-draining deck, downrigger – Legendary 20 footer Now Reduced to $52,495 tow away – John Crawford Marine Queensland’s Used Boat Specialists since 1964 www.johncrawfordmarine.com.au Ph. 3890 2322. CRUISE CRAFT EXPLORER 600 (2002) powered by 175hp Yamaha Saltwater Series two-stroke and sitting on a Redco Sportsman trailer. Fitted with dual batteries, Lowrance sounder/GPS combo, brand new snap out (removable) carpet, folding rear lounge, cabin canvas door, cabin bunk centre infill cushion, bimini with clears, full extension and rocket launcher, new VHF radio, custom Cruise Craft baitboard with lid, large in-floor kill tank, deck wash, three months’ warranty, remainder of boat and trailer registrations and safety gear package. Won’t last long at $39,990. Call Wynnum Marine on 07 3396 9777 or visit wynnummarine.com.au LATE MODEL USED ALUMINIUM BOATS WANTED from Quintrex, Stacer, Ally Craft, Stessco, Bar Crusher, Bluefin, Brooker and Clark – Make selling your boat simple and hassle free - Cash or Consign – John Crawford Marine Queensland’s Used Boat Specialists since 1964 www.johncrawfordmarine. com.au Ph. 3890 2322. PROCRAFT 530 WITH SUZUKI DF90 (2014). Presents very well with only 35 hours on the quiet and economical Suzuki four-stroke. Bimini, Raymarine Dragonfly GPS/sounder combo, bunk infill with all cushions, rear upholstered seats, deluxe skipper and passenger seats, motor support bracket and inshore safety gear. $35,490. Phone 07 3133 3468 or visit brisbanequintrex.com.au QUALITY USED FIBREGLASS BOATS WANTED from Haines Hunter, Signature, Cruise Craft, Baysport and Whittley – Make selling your boat simple and hassle free - Cash or Consign – John Crawford Marine Queensland’s Used Boat Specialists since 1964 www.johncrawfordmarine. com.au Ph. 3890 2322. QUINTREX 370 TRAVELLER (2007) with Yamaha 15hp two-stroke on folding Real-Ezy trailer. A bargain at $3800. Call Wynnum Marine on 07 3396 9777 or visit wynnummarine.com.au QUINTREX 455 COAST RUNNER - Evinrude 50Hp ETEC, 57hrs & serviced, Dunbier trailer, Lowrance sounder, 60L fuel tank, Safety gear, Bimini top, Full boat storage cover, Seating for 5. Great value and

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March Edition Copy Deadline – Advertisements must arrive NO later than February 17, 2020

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