BNB Fishing mag | Apr 2018 by bnbfishing

Easter holiday hot spots

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April 2018 Print Post Approved PP100001534 Volume 29, Number 4

Finding fish in the fresh

Freshwater features

Great variety on Gold Coast

Having fun in Hervey Bay

Remote fishing expeditions

Breaksea Spit adventure Making the most of mackerel season

Tackling Moreton Bay longtail tuna 4WDing Glasshouse Mountains

Proudly produced and printed in Australia

Big barra biting

Boat review • Sea Jay 460 Velocity Sports

Offshore action

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

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Inside this month Tuna tales

Mackerel mayhem

P25

P15

Big reds

Barra

P36

can be plentiful, so our eyes were peeled, looking across the glassy bay hoping to see surface eruptions. After about half an hour, we were happy to see exactly what we were hoping for, as large longtail tuna appeared on the horizon. One of the best things about going fishing with a guide is benefitting from their knowledge of where

OUR COVER

Phone (07) 3286 1833 Fax (07) 3821 2637 Email: ben@bnbfishing.com.au Internet: www.bnbfishing.com.au PO Box 387, Cleveland, Qld 4163 Unit 2, 39 Enterprise Street, Cleveland, Qld 4163 AFTA PRINTER: Rural Press, Ormiston DISTRIBUTION BY: Fairfax Max. recommended retail price $4.50 (includes GST). CORRESPONDENTS: Editorial contributions are welcome, as is news from clubs, associations, or individuals; and new product news from manufacturers. Entire contents copyright. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. It is the responsibility of advertisers to ensure the correctness of their claims and statements. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. G IN

FISH ING ’S

☛ continued P4

Ben Collins Daniel Tomlinson Ben Collins, Kacie Hubbert Jo Hendley

www.bnbfishing.com. au

EDITOR: SUBEDITOR: ADVERTISING: PRODUCTION:

AUST

MAY edition will be on sale in newsagents from April 27. See subscriber offer on Page 68 to go in the draw to win a Mako Eyewear pack valued at $369.90!

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.

E TUR FU

CALLUM MUNRO (main) with a cracker Somerset Dam bass, article Page 65. MADDISON DISHER (left) landed a quality barramundi. MITCH ZYGNERSKI (right) captured a Gold Coast spotted mackerel, HEATH ZYGNERSKI’S article Page 21.

the fish generally are at that time of the year. As we got closer, we could see the tuna were feeding on small flying fish. Tuna chasing down and launching into the air in pursuit of these flying fish is visually spectacular. The casting arm gets twitchy pretty quickly. I remedied this by grabbing Tri’s heavier spin combo loaded with 40lb Sunline Cast Away braid and shooting a Lunkerhunt Swim Bento into the mayhem. The first few casts saw one missed hook-up and a follow before a fish got stuck with the hook. Immediately the hooked fish took a typical cool and fast sustained run, which indicated it was a sizeable longtail. The heavy breathing I was doing in the final stages of the fight also made me think this was a good size fish. Eventually I was able to steer the tuna from its deep circling under the boat and into the net and we finally realised how big it was. The measure said 120cm, which was a new PB for me and a cracker start to the day. Unfortunately, by this stage the flying fish feeding frenzy had finished, so we had to go looking for more surface activity. It didn’t take too long to find more tuna but these were feeding on much smaller bait, making them harder to catch, and the tuna were much smaller too. Patience and accurate casting saw another couple of longtails reach the net before sharks found us and decided to spoil our fun.

ATI ON

by PETER HERBST

With a little spare time while in town and magical weather lining up perfectly, Tri and I headed out to have a crack at a couple of species. It wasn’t an overly early start to the day and we left the harbour on our journey up Fraser Island at about 6am. At this time of year tuna

Luring Hervey Bay

URING March I was very lucky to have a few things line up in my favour that led to a fantastic half day of fishing with Fraser Guided Fishing in the beautiful waters of Hervey Bay.

Luring Hervey Bay ......................by Peter Herbst....................................P3 April action set to impress .......by Keith Stratford................................P6 Moreton Bay tuskfish ................by Brian Webb...................................P10 Dodging dirty water ...................by Sean Conlon .................................P12 Power Boat Anglers...................by Mick Clutterbuck ........................P14 Tuna Tales .....................................by Joseph Cormack .........................P15 Fishing with kids.........................by Sean ‘Skip’ Thompson ...............P17 Recipe ............................................by Melissa Frohloff ..........................P18 Extra species appearing .............by Wayne ‘Youngy’ Young ..............P19 Mackerel madness.....................by Heath Zygnerski ..........................P21 Gold Coast variety.......................by Darren Rama ................................P22 Fish the Deep offshore report.....by Scott Van Burck...........................P23 Fishing in the floods ...................by Brad Smith ....................................P24 Chasing big mackerel................by Gavin Dobson ...............................P25 Bountiful Ballina ............................. by Brett Hyde ...........................................P26 Hot Evans Head fishing .............by Gary ‘Squidgie’ Palmer..............P27 Pelagics peaking at Iluka.........by Tye Porter ......................................P28 Bumper Newcastle bass ..........by Nathan Palmer.............................P28 Sunshine Coast............................by Wade Qualischefski...................P30 Exploring the Cooloola Coast.....by Craig Tomkinson .........................P32 Fraser Guided Fishing................by Tri Ton .............................................P33 Mary Valley...................................by Paul ‘Chief’ Graveson ................P34 Bundaberg Region ......................by Brad Young ...................................P35 Breaksea Spit revisited.............by Greg Lamprecht ...........................P36 Fishing trip off Turkey Beach...by Adam Foley ...................................P38 Boat Review .................................by Ben Collins ...................................P40 Insights into insurance..............by Nautilus Marine ..........................P41 Product News ..............................................................................................P44 Wilson Fishing puzzle page .....................................................................P45 Charter Directory ................................................................................. P46,47 Readers Forum.............................................................................................P48 Brisbane River Canoe Trail ......by Dan Owbridge..............................P49 Kayaking gear .................................. by Neil Schultz ........................................P50 Principles to finding fish...........by Joel Johnson................................P50 Yak Hunters round-up ................by Mathew Kouimtzis......................P51 Day trips around Gladstone ....... by Gary Churchward .......................P52 Fitzroy River fishing ....................by John Boon .....................................P53 Stanage Bay .................................by Von Ireland....................................P54 Hinchinbrook News ...................by Todd Eveleigh ..............................P55 4WDing Glasshouse...................by Greg Bell .......................................P56 Cape York ..................................... by ‘Billabong’ Bazz Lyon ................P58 Torres Strait remote fishing .....by Matt Potter ....................................P59 Magical Monduran.................... by Donna Gane .................................P61 Lake Tinaroo Barra Bonanza ...by Robert Payne ................................P62 Freshwater Impoundments ..... by Matthew Langford......................P63 Luring freshwater creeks ........by Noal Kuhl ......................................P64 Somerset bass session .............by Callum Munro ..............................P65 Glenlyon Dam...............................by Brian Dare.....................................P66 Trading Post.................................................................................................P67 Subscription form ......................................................................................P68

FIS

Few hours of fun with Fraser Guided Fishing

P62

PRO TE CT

The author finally cracked the metre mark on golden trevally with this stonking 102cm fish that smashed a jig.

HAT a crazy month we have had.

HIN G T R A D E

Ex-tropical cyclone Linda, a category one system, headed down the Queensland coast. As it turned out, at the time it passed I was in Bundaberg testing a couple of Sea Jay boats and Yamaha engines, which will be featured in the magazine and on our YouTube channel in the coming weeks and months. If you want to check out video footage of these boats and motors, boat reviews and a host of other things, subscribe to our BNBFTV YouTube channel. It is free to subscribe to the channel and you will be able to get an even better idea of the boats and products we test. As for the cyclone, thankfully it didn’t do too much damage (more wind than rain) but it did serve up some very ordinary conditions in which to test a couple of the bigger Sea Jays, which wasn’t a bad thing. Something the average conditions highlighted was the need to maximise your fishing efforts when on the water, as there have been fewer opportunities to get out than usual. The old saying, “10 percent of the fishers catch 90 percent of the fish”, also indicates you need to be one of the 10 percent. But how do you do this? The answer is simple but the process is quite involved and requires a bit of work. Basically, you have to be fishing during the peak times and address factors such as moon phases, tide times and sizes, wind, water colour/ quality, best bite times, bait and lure presentation, gear, electronics and the list goes on. In order to improve your chances of catching fish, all these elements need to be addressed. It might seem overwhelming, but if you have gone to the effort and expense to buy a boat and myriad fishing gear, shouldn’t you know how to use it all to maximum potential? Traditionally, fishing information has been handed down over the generations, and that process continues, or through magazines such as this one, where the writers pass on their knowledge by detailing specifics to point you in the right direction. However, if you are still itching for more information, it might be worth considering a fishing course. A few of our writers offer these, including Sean Colon, who runs ‘Ticking all the boxes’ seminars for specific species in Moreton Bay. Brad Smith, our long-term Gold Coast and Tweed correspondent, also has tuition available for fishos. Finally, Bill Corten, our offshore and bar expert, provides a mix of offshore fishing, boating tuition and bar crossing courses. I did a bar crossing course with Bill many years ago and have fished with both Sean and Brad and the wealth of knowledge and years of experience these guys have is phenomenal and worth tapping into through a course (their phone numbers can be found on their business ads in each edition of BNB Fishing). Ultimately, a lot of us already have busy lives with work and family, but throw in some average weather and you can write off a decent amount of your spare time. Picking the prime times and being prepared will go a long to improving your catches, which is the aim of the game. Ben Collins

February prizewinner Congratulations to Adam Bargenquast, Bundaberg who has won a Mako Eyewear pack valued at $369.90.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 3

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A PB longtail tuna was a welcome sight as it slid into the net.

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Another move and this time Tri looked for fish with the sounder. His big Lowrance didn’t disappoint as a massive school of golden trevally was soon found. Goldens are probably my favourite fish to target in Hervey Bay and my preferred way to catch them is with jigs. I was pretty happy because I had just bought a new N.S Boca jigging rod and was keen to put a bend in it. I love this method of lure fishing and feel it is so effective in these scenarios where large schools of fish are in deep water. The lure can be delivered to the fish quickly and directly and the erratic action of jigs can cause a very aggressive bite from the fish. On the first drop, my Palms Slow Blatt jig was crunched as I worked it through the school. This golden was giving me a really good fight and I was confident it was a good-sized specimen. I have caught a lot of goldens over the years but had never landed one over the metre mark, which had become a fishing goal for me some time back. When this fish eventually found the net, I was hopeful I had finally done it and the measuring mat confirmed it at 102cm. What a day this had turned out to be – a PB

longtail and PB golden while fishing with a good mate in conditions that couldn’t be any better. I followed this fish up with another good-sized golden on a jig and this

fish would have been over 90cm. After that, the dreaded sharks found us again, so we decided to call it a short day and managed to make it back to the ramp

before lunchtime. A short but very sweet session again proved the value of going with a guide, as they can put you where you need to be in short time.

This solid golden trevally crunched a micro jig.

The longtails were hitting hard enough to break some of the author’s favourite lures. Product testing!

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Bundaberg fishers fined $7180 for illegal crabs stashed in boat

HE successful court prosecution of two Bundaberg fishers for crabbing offences is a timely reminder to local anglers to comply with Queensland’s fishing rules and regulations.

Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol district officer Geoffrey Fergusson said two recreational Bundaberg fishers were charged with a range of offences following a rou-

tine vessel inspection at the Elliot River in April 2017. “Fisheries officers found 10 female and three undersized mud crabs hidden in the vessel’s bow, along with eight unmarked crab pots,” Mr Fergusson said. “The mud crabs were released alive into the water and the crab pots seized.” Bundaberg Magistrates’ Court fined the two fishers a total of $7180, in-

cluding a $1000 penalty for one offender who obstructed fisheries officers, and ordered their fishing apparatus be forfeited to the Crown. Mr Fergusson urged fishers to comply with Queensland’s crabbing rules and regulations, which are in place to ensure sustainable crab stocks for future generations to enjoy. “Female mud crabs are protected throughout

Queensland, the minimum size limit for a male mud crab is 15cm, with a possession limit of 10 crabs per person and this includes any you have at home in the freezer,” Mr Fergusson said. “Restrictions also apply to crabbing gear including crab pots and dillies, which must be marked by an identifying tag that shows the surname and address of the owner. “Fishers can find the

full list of crabbing rules and regulations online at www.fisheries.qld.gov.au, by downloading the free Qld Fishing smartphone app or calling 13 24 23. “If anyone suspects illegal fishing activity, they should report it to the Fishwatch hotline on 1800 017 116 so it can be investigated.” You can follow Fisheries Queensland on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@ FisheriesQld).

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through the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy,” Minister Furner said. “An integral part of reform is to update fisheries legislation to meet community expectations for recreational and commercial fishing laws that are contemporary, practical and simple to understand.” Minister Furner said the proposed changes aim to: • Modernise the objective of the Fisheries Act and recognise the interests of key stakeholder groups. • Clarify the roles of the minister responsible for fisheries and the chief executive in managing Queensland’s

fisheries; and to allow for more responsive decision-making through the use of harvest strategies. • Strengthen the enforcement powers of fisheries inspectors and penalties to address serious offences such as black marketing. • Reduce complexity and remove redundant provisions. Stronger enforcement powers and penalties are being proposed, which are aimed squarely at fishers operating illegally by selling seafood on the black market. “This black-market practice undermines the viability of commercial fishing, the competi-

tiveness of legitimate seafood processors and buyers, and ultimately affects Queensland’s reputation as a producer of high-quality seafood,” Mr Furner said. “The community has been calling for change in this area of fisheries legislation for many years and the proposed changes will bring Queensland in line with other Australian fisheries management agencies. “We have invested more than $20 million in additional funding for fisheries reform, including an extra 20 compliance officers across the state. “By strengthening compliance powers, our

hard-working fisheries officers will be better able to do the job of protecting Queensland’s valuable fisheries resources.” The discussion paper is open for public feedback until 5pm on May 20, 2018 and can be viewed online at daf.qld.gov.au/ sustainablefisheriesstrat egy Fisheries Queensland representatives will also visit regional centres in April and May to take feedback on the proposed changes from stakeholders. For more information, visit daf.qld.gov.au or phone 13 25 23.

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Restrictions in place in SEQ for raw prawns, yabbies and marine worms

HITE spot disease movement restrictions are in place to stop the spread of the virus that causes white spot disease and help protect Queensland’s natural waterways.

Raw prawns, yabbies and marine worms cannot be moved out of the white spot disease movement restriction area. These restrictions are in place from Caloundra to the NSW border and west to Ipswich. They also apply to uncooked, frozen crustaceans because freezing does not destroy the virus. The virus that causes white spot disease does not affect humans and prawns are safe to eat. What is white spot disease? White spot disease affects crustaceans such as prawns, crabs, lobsters and yabbies and when found in high-intensity production areas such as prawn farms, white spot

disease results in the rapid mortality of prawns. The disease was first detected in prawn farms along the Logan River south of Brisbane in December 2016. It was then found in prawn and crab samples collected from the Logan River, Brisbane River, Moreton Bay and Deception Bay. What is being done to stop the disease? Biosecurity Queensland has a dedicated White Spot Disease Program in place focused on surveillance as well as prevention and control. The aim is to eradicate white spot disease in Queensland and return Australia to a white spotfree zone. Movement restrictions have been put in place to help stop the disease spreading. While prawns and crabs do move around naturally, the most likely way it will spread long distances is through human assistance.

For this reason, it is crucial raw prawns, crabs and yabbies are not moved out of the area. Testing is under way for the virus that causes white spot disease in Moreton Bay and the Logan and Brisbane rivers. This follows testing in September 2017 that returned negative results for the virus that causes white spot disease. These results are encouraging and indicate

the disease may not be established in Moreton Bay and has not spread into other parts of Queensland. Two years of consecutively negative test results are required in order to prove the disease is no longer in Australian waterways. What does white spot disease look like? Prawns with white spot disease may have a loose shell with numerous white spots on the inside surface of the shell and a pink to

red discolouration. However, please note infected prawns and yabbies may not display any symptoms and white spots may appear for a range of reasons including freezer burn and bacterial and fungal infections. For more information on white spot disease, visit daf.qld.gov.au/WSD or call the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Customer Service Centre on 13 25 23.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 5

April action set to impress ■ Mangrove jack ■ Brisbane River

PRIL is the start of the transition period leading into winter.

The days will begin to get shorter and water temperatures will drop. Species that are more active in the warmer water will steadily slow and those that favour cooler water will enter the rivers and creeks in larger numbers. Southeast Queensland has received a fair drenching so far this year, and as a result, most systems have been fairly dirty. This has made some of the rivers and creeks virtually unfishable until cleaner water pushes back into them. However, I really enjoy fishing in the dirty but not unfishable water because I find the fish bite a lot better once they are located. A good sounder can help you

Local Luring by KEITH STRATFORD

locate them, particularly when looking for baitfish and larger specimens such as jewfish and threadfin salmon. A side-scan sounder will clearly show bait schools and decent-sized fish from one bank to the other in most of the smaller rivers and creeks around Brisbane. This can save a lot of time compared to using a traditional 2D sonar or down-scan unit. Things are a lot different when looking for fish that employ structure to hide and feed. Mangrove jack are excellent at this and will use a wide range of natural and man-made structure to hunt for unsuspecting baitfish.

The author travelled to Yamba to find some clean water and was rewarded with this flathead.

Flathead of this size were common on a recent trip to Yamba. Ben Monro caught this one while deep jigging a rock wall.

Page 6 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

It’s a lot easier for jacks and other species to attack their prey when the water is discoloured. Jacks rarely show up on a sounder unless they are roaming open water in schools. It’s very unusual to see them in a snag because they tend to sit really deep in the structure and don’t show up well on sounders in general. However, it’s not uncommon to see barra in the same snags, especially when fishing further north. I’ve had really good sessions on jacks in filthy water over the years, even when there has been no visible bait on the surface or sounder. Good structure will hold jacks in areas that don’t harbour bait for the entire tidal cycle. My favourite structure is usually in an area where there isn’t a lot else to hold fish. Sunken timber and rock bars in the middle of nowhere are well worth targeting a few times in the same session. Baitfish will travel past these areas at some stage during a tide and the jacks know this and will be very active around these times. If I really like the look of a snag or rock pile, I’ll spend a lot of time trying a variety of presentations until moving on. Many moons ago when I had a bit more patience, I would spend hours on the same spot offering every bloody thing I could find in my box of tricks. If I couldn’t get the bite jigging a Prawnstar, trolling or casting a hard-body or working 50 different plastics through it, I would go and cast net a livie to send it down and catch the fish. If the snag was that good, nine times out of 10 a mangrove jack was in it. These days, it seems to be a bit more difficult to land a jack, mainly due to angling pressure and the quality of gear and lures available to the public. Social media definitely plays a big part too. Plenty of informative clips and articles are doing the rounds, which is great for anglers new to chasing the species. Even with all this information available to us, there is no substitute for time on the water. When I was learning to chase mangrove jack, I was on the water three to six times a week and every session was spent targeting them. You learn a lot by spending that much time on the water and it’s invaluable when targeting jacks. Most of the time I was on my own, which made it really hard when I was trying to tell someone about how badly I had been dusted or about the one that got away right next to the boat. It was also hard to get decent photos of fish. I ended up with a pretty good tripod set up, which actually got me a cover shot on the front of Bush ‘n Beach. ☛ continued P8

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 7

April action set to impress ☛ from P6

The Z-Man 3” ShrimpZ is a great flathead plastic.

While spending this much time on the water, I quickly learnt to keep an open mind. I would carry a wide range of rods rigged and ready for just about anything. I think I tried almost everything I could and would never rule anything out. Some anglers refuse to troll deep-diving hardbodied lures but during one season around a decade ago I landed more jacks trolling deep-diving Bombers than on any other technique. This was in filthy water just after a flood. In this particular season, the water never got a chance to clean up from November through to March. It was a really good season for big fish and lots of them.

The ‘Mortein’ and ‘Qantas’-coloured Bombers were and still are devastating deep divers for mangrove jack. One snag in particular had a healthy population of jacks lurking around it. It was a sunken branch about 30cm in diameter that had wedged itself on one of my favourite rock bars. I jigged every Prawnstar and every style of plastic I had for a couple of weeks for not even a touch before tying on a Bomber and having a troll. The first pass produced a 40cm model and on the next run the rod was nearly torn from my hand by a proper brute that levelled the score at one apiece. This action went on for weeks, with one or two fish coming off it on the first two trolls each trip. It was only sitting in 3-4m of water, so it was

It can be frustrating finding a school of jewies like this when they won’t eat. You can clearly see the lure sinking in the water column and working through the fish.

disturbed fairly quickly when a cranky 55cm jack went ballistic through it. Occasionally it would fire up again later in the day, but the first two runs were when the bite would occur, and they were normally big bites. For some reason the jacks weren’t interested in anything but a trolled hard-bodied lure. The rivers around Brisbane spent most of the jack season looking like chocolate milk for a few years. During this time, I worked out that jacks really like lightly weighted soft plastics jigged over rock bars in filthy water. I had stumbled across a small ledge a few metres long while trolling a deepdiver past it. The first troll got a bite and it was a small jack of about 40cm. I had a plastic rigged on a 1/8oz jig head hanging off the carpet on my boat, so I tied it on and went back to the ledge, casting the plastic right on top of it. As it fell down the face of the ledge, I hooked up to the fattest 51cm jack I’d ever caught and I was chuffed. I called my brother straight away to tell him about this new spot and the super new plastic I had found and it was game on from that day. I won’t talk about the 48cm and 64cm fish he landed from it the next day when I took him there because it’s old news now. We managed to catch a ridiculous number of fish over those few seasons in filthy water and there were lots of big bust-ups and fish landed, so don’t be afraid to fish really dirty water for jacks.

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If there is the slightest hint of salt in the soup, it’s always worth a cast. Brisbane River The Brisbane River has continued to be the standout around Brisbane. It’s often the best option after a lot of rain due to its depth. Threadfin salmon have been around in good numbers, though jewfish have outnumbered them since the heavy rain. The steep drop-offs and rocky areas have held both species and the wharves that line the mouth of the river have produced plenty of fish. These wharves can be hit and miss at times, but when you come across some fish it can be a lot of fun. Soft vibes work well when targeting both species in open water.

A simple smooth lift of the rod is all that is required most of the time, and the six hook points hanging off them rarely miss the mark. The Brisbane River should continue to fish well this month. The threadfin will start to thin in numbers around the mouth and the bulk of the fish will move back up the river as the cooler weather approaches. Jewies will still be feeding aggressively, along with a few extra snapper and tailor. April is a really good month to be on the water in southeast Queensland. Keep your drags locked and your feet wedged against the gunwales for jumbo mangrove jack. I hope to see you on the water.

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with the GPS technologies of i-Pilot, i-Pilot Link, and Spot-Lock electronic anchoring. “It’s the best of both worlds.” Ultrex features: • Power Steering: Ultra-responsive control and reduces steering effort and foot fatigue. • Steering Lock: Take your foot off the pedal and keep your motor heading. • Ultrex Foot Pedal: Power steering with Spot-Lock and AutoPilot Buttons. • Lift-Assist. • Fortrex Mono Arm bracket. • Coated stainless steel stow/deploy adjustable cable. • Bluetooth-enabled iPilot or i-Pilot Link. • Digital Maximiser. • Universal Sonar 2. • Composite Shaft. • Weedless Wedge 2 Prop. The Minn Kota Ultrex product line-up will consist of numerous i-Pilot, i-Pilot Link and US2-enabled combos, including 24V 80lb-thrust and 36V 112lb-thrust versions in 45”, 52” and 60” shaft lengths. RRP is from $4599.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 9

All the hard work for half the reward. A juvenile tuskfish.

The author caught this juvenile blackspot tuskfish.

Moreton Bay blackspot tuskfish B LACKSPOT tuskfish are found right around the top end of Australia and are one of the biggest tuskfish varieties.

Surprise by-catch on a squid head.

How big they can get.

They are not to be confused with parrotfish, which are a different species. The majority of the really big tuskies you see will have been caught by spearfishers and this is due to the hard country where the tuskfish prefer to live. Overhangs, sharp dropoffs and other structures make their favoured home sites and getting a line to them, let alone staying connected, is notoriously difficult, especially in daylight when they are more active. Adults are a greenish blue, though a lot of the bigger ones are more uniformly blue. Juveniles range in colour from olive green with yellow bellies to blueish green.

Moreton Bay

by BRIAN WEBB

Interestingly, when they reach a certain size (4060cm), it is believed the females turn into males. The two most predominant identifying features on all fish, whether adult or juvenile, are the black spot on the base of the dorsal fin and the blue tips on the end of their scales. I’ve found northern Moreton Bay fish colouration varies from those found in the southern parts of the bay. Some southern fish are a really dark green, while northern fish tend to be bluer. You’ll find the water in the northern bay is very clear, which could be why the fish are lighter in colour compared to the darker fish in murkier water in the southern bay. Blackspots are solitary

and are known to feed on hard-shelled prey including crustaceans, molluscs and sea urchins. I have seen photos of a tuskfish swimming around with a mollusc shell in its mouth trying to crush it. Tackle required for targeting blackspots comprises heavy spin gear. I run two baitrunner combos in 4500 and 6500 sizes, both on Wilson Live Fibre 6-8kg, 7’6” rods. The 6500 is loaded with 50lb braid and a long (34m) 80kg leader, while the 4500 is spooled with 30lb braid and 80kg leader. Both reels work well on the downrigger, with the 6500 on the clip nearest the bottom and the 4500 higher up on the second release clip. The fish will take the

bait and pull the line from the release clip, swimming off and getting the bait further into their mouth until the baitrunner comes into play. All you have to do is engage the reel and the drag will set the hooks. I usually give an extrahard strike to ensure the hook is embedded in their bony mouth and tough lips. I use these setups for fishing in 10-20m of water and use the long and heavy leaders to take the brunt of running over the rocky underwater ledges instead of leaving that task to the braid. Previously I used a Shimano Symetre 5000 on an Angler’s Advantage 2.4m, 6kg rod with 30lb braid and 30kg leader but got sick of re-rigging, so I went to significantly heavier lines. What I use now might look like overkill but go and get connected to a big blackspot and you’ll

soon find out why I fish so heavy. Some who target these fish use heavy handlines and succeed in landing a few. Bait used can range from small to medium live rock crabs, soldier crabs and half to full legal size sand crabs. Tackle shops also stock a good range of medium size plastic crab lures, which I feel don’t work as well as natural crabs. Other worthwhile baits are large squid heads and I have also seen one caught on a natural fishcoloured soft plastic. Your hooks need to be strong (Mustad’s Penetrator and Hoodlum are great choices) to help you hook up to their bony mouths and tough lips. When using live crabs (rock crabs), which can be found along rocky shorelines around the bay, or soldier crabs, you can feed ☛ continued P11

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Moreton Bay blackspot tuskfish ☛ from P10

four or five crabs onto the hook, making it more attractive to the fish. On occasion I also glue the hook to the back of the whole/half sandies to keep the hook out in the open and not buried in the shell, which can cause you to miss hook-ups. This also helps make them look more natural when sitting on the bottom, especially when a downrigger is used. The midsummer and early winter months seem to be the best times of year for targeting these fish. I have never hooked any small blackspots, which leads me to believe they move into the bay from offshore waters when they reach a certain size. I target these solitary fish in waters from 15-20m-plus, and all areas such as Bulwer and the drop-offs in the shipping channel have strong tidal currents. In the past few years I have mainly targeted the top end of the bay from Tangalooma north because the fish seem to be a lot bigger than at the southern end, though the Rainbow Channel has produced the odd big fish over the years. The rubble grounds to the north of Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef are another area to try and

here they don’t have heavy structure to dart into. Other isolated structures around the bay hold blackspots but I don’t fish them as commonly as my regular spots. The Rainbow Channel from the bar to Bird Island features good reef structures, overhangs and caves worth fishing. I have also heard of fish being taken around Peel Island but I’ve never fished for them there. While fishing for tuskies you can be surprised by the odd undersize nannygai or red emperor. You’re also almost certain to catch a cod on most trips because they like the taste of crabs and their big mouths don’t have trouble engulfing a sand crab.

Some areas can be fished during all stages of the tide while others (due to the current) are best fished either side of the bottom and top of the tide. To fish in the stronger currents you’ll need heavy weights on a paternoster rig or downrigger. Both will help hold your bait on the bottom in the strike zone. If rigged properly, you can run two baits on a downrigger, with one bait on the bottom in the laminar (streamlined) flow and the second a little higher in the water column. This is why a downrigger is my preferred means of targeting these fish. Once blackspots feel the hook, they tend to seek

cover quickly, which is another reason for running a heavy leader. You need plenty of pulling power to keep them out of the structure or dig them out. If they manage to get under cover, you can forget about extracting them. Once out in open water, they’ll put up a strong fight right to the boat. I usually only take home one fish. If I am lucky to catch more than one, I release the rest. Some days you cannot find them or will keep getting busted off no matter what gear you are using, but that’s part and parcel of fishing for tuskies. I know fellow BNB

scribe Greg Lamprecht has been targeting these brutes in the southern bay with fairly good success using none other than crabs for bait (the four southern bay tuskies pictured were captured by Greg). He also told me he has been busted off by serious fish and as yet he has not cracked the double digit (10kg-plus) fish. So if you’re interested in a struggle, get some crabs, heavy gear, and strong hooks and try enticing a blackspot tuskfish. Take a good supply of crabs and smallish sand crabs with you because you will go through a few. If buying your sandies, try to get the just-legal ones.

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Simon hooked this bay island squire on a Zerek Ripper Diver trolled in cleaner water.

A 40cm bay island squire that hit a fresh squid strip.

Dodging dirty water to find fish W

OW, the weather has not been favourable over the past month.

I have only been able to run a few charters but on the days we did hit the water, we caught quality fish in southern Moreton Bay. The wind and rain have dirtied the water, so the key to finding fish is looking for the cleaner water. I have been chasing them on the bottom of the tide while looking for areas with slightly cleaner water (easier said than done) and managed to get a few fish by casting plastics at the drains where the water was running off the mud banks. We were using darker paddle-tailed lures to match the water colour and create a lot of vibration. Because it’s prawning season, the darker prawn imitations have worked quite well too. Not a lot of flathead are around, so I haven’t bothered targeting them on the high tides when they’ve been spread out, only chasing them on the lower tides when they were more concentrated around drains getting a feed of baitfish. The other technique to produce flathead was trolling bigger hard-body lures such as Zerek Ripper Divers in 6-8m of water. We found some good size fish out in the deeper water. The bay island squire/

Southern Moreton Bay by SEAN CONLON

snapper have been around but we haven’t picked up any particularly big models. However, we’ve encountered plenty of pan size fish from 40-50cm. Most of these have been out in the cleaner water around the top of the tides. Trolling has been working quite well, and even if the high tide has been in the middle of the day, the hard-bodies seem to stir up a few. If you are going to do this, remember to target 6-8m of water with 15lb braid and 15lb leader. Fishing light has been key to getting those extra hits. The other method that’s produced fish has been good old-fashioned fresh bait fished around the top of the tide when the cleaner water is about. Effective baits have been fresh prawns since they’re on at the moment, whole pilchards, squid and nice strips of mullet fillet. Use a very light weight and at times no sinker at all, just feed the line out the back to a bit of structure in a berley trail and sit and wait. If you’re able to get a high tide around that early morning bite period as the sun comes up, that will really increase your chances

of picking up fish on bait. Fishing light is the key, and we’re using 12lb main line with 20lb leader to ensure our baits get more attention. If the winds allow, fish around Peel and Goat islands because there’s almost always cleaner water there. Other areas worth a look are Coochiemudlo’s northern side and Potts Point.

For flathead, try any of the mangrove lines on low tides where you find those big drains with a bit of bait at their mouths (look for cleaner water). The other fish I’d definitely be targeting over the next month if the weather permits is mackerel in the northern bay. I don’t have a lot to write about this month as the adverse conditions really haven’t allowed us to get on the water much. Instead, I’ve been running off the water courses called ‘Ticking all the boxes’, which give par-

Luigi put to use techniques from a tuition night and captured this 73cm flathead using a Zerek Live Shrimp Hot Legs.

ticipants more of an understanding of the bay, the way fish feed and what time particular species are around in greater numbers. The course arms you with the knowledge needed to make a plan before you head out on the water and much more. If you’d like to join me for a course or a charter, give me a call on 0433 732 310, check out the Moreton Bay Charters Facebook page or visit moretonbaycharters. com.au Until next month, stay safe on the water.

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The marlin neared the boat.

Sweet session wide of Moreton Island

RUCE and Stefan found themselves with a day off and for once it coincided with a favourable weather forecast.

A plan was quickly put together, deciding to head out on Bruce’s boat Motley Crew to chase snapper and whatever toothy critters were around. They both agreed the best bait would be livies and since they were heading out that way, Western Rocks was the perfect spot to load up. On arrival, the livies were thick but so were the school mackerel, with each drop coming back loaded but missing a hook. It’s not often you’d class mackerel as a pest but when they’re shredding your bait jigs to bits, I suppose they might just end up that way. Luckily Stefan runs an online tackle shop, so at

Power Boat Anglers by MICK CLUTTERBUCK

least he knows where to get a few more bait jigs at the right price. Despite the mackerel, they soon had enough livies for the day and headed out to a spot offshore from Moreton Island. The fish were around, with good shows on the sounder, but getting them to play ball was another matter entirely. Bruce eventually broke the drought with a nice maori cod that couldn’t resist a live bait. With the first fish on board, they were hoping things would fire up but sadly it remained quiet and after another 30 minutes of nothing it was time to try elsewhere. The 100m line had

served them well previously, so it was worth a try. On the surface it looked great but the current was fierce down below. Baits would barely stay on the bottom, even with 16oz leads, and the floater with a livie required a bit of extra weight in the form of a 12 ball sinker and plenty of line out to get down. Something was definitely down there because Stefan’s bait was continually coming back shredded or totally gone. He decided to tie on one of his new Prawn-Eye Flasha Rigs (available from therighttackle.com.au). The idea with these is that even after the bait has been stripped, the flasher

remains, leaving a profile that will hopefully entice another bite. Pearl perch were on the chew but were all coming up a bit short on one end. Eventually Stefan got onto a good fish with the flasher, landing a nice plump squire. It’s always a bit of hard work cranking them up out of 100m, especially when you really have 150m or more line out.

Using circle hooks can reduce the chance of pulling hooks due to their shape and the fact they tend to securely pin them in the corner of the mouth rather than the lip. Things ticked along slowly for the guys and just when it was nearly time to head for home, something grabbed the floater and headed for the horizon. ☛ continued P15

Stefan Slomka’s snapper taken on a Prawn-Eye Flasha Rig.

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Tuna begin turning it on

ITH an unusually late start to the tuna season, the fish have finally arrived.

While numbers are well down on this time last year, there are now enough tuna schools to expect to catch one. The fish are spread from Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef north as far as you’re

Tuna Tales by JOSEPH CORMACK

willing to venture. Plenty of mackerel schools are still around for some lighter action, so it’s well worth having a rod rigged with a metal as well just in case.

A quality bay longtail.

Due to the late arrival, the tuna are mostly feeding on blue pilchards 100-150mm in size. With this in mind, stickbaits are well worth starting with, changing over to plastics as the sun gets higher and the fish go deep. Once you have located a few schools, you’re in for seriously fun action because the fish are really starting to fire up and chase down the stickbaits. My last trip resulted in fish caught only on the Zerek Zappelin 160mm. I was initially downsizing the stickbait to match the hatch of about 100mm but didn’t hook up once. Plastics are accounting for

Help stop the spread of white spot disease

☛ continued P16

“Do not move prawns, yabbies or marine worms out of the white spot disease movement restriction area.”

Hooked up to a longtail tuna.

Sweet session wide of Moreton Island ☛ from P14

Stefan’s first thought and hope was for a quality yellowfin tuna. Unfortunately for him, his tuna came to the surface, started jumping, grew a pointy thing at one end and morphed into a marlin. Bruce did a stellar job driving one handed and filming the action on Stefan’s camera with the other. After a short fight, they had the fish at the boat and released it by cutting the trace so as to not wear it out unnecessarily. They weren’t sure how big it was, but it looked at least twice the size of his previous PB that weighed 26kg. It was another great day on the water and while the end result wasn’t as good as they were hoping for, it sure beats working. As for me and fishing trips, I just haven’t had too many of late.

I continue to chase the winter whiting in Moreton Bay with good results and on the most recent trip finally managed to get my mate Keith out on the water in his boat. His boat had been off the water for some time, and with it now back in action and his son back from Japan for a few weeks, we just had to get out. Conditions weren’t exactly the best, with a decent chop and wind making the trip across the bay pretty slow and wet. We arrived at my normal spot and started fishing, my son Josh in my boat with me and Keith’s two sons with him in his rig. The drift was pretty quick and constantly changing, but Josh and I were bringing a steady supply of fish over the side and they were of decent size for summer winteries, if you know what I mean. Keith and crew were fishing

A decent maori cod.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

the same area but only getting the occasional fish. This continued until Josh and I had bagged out, and unfortunately the others only had a dozen by this stage. We had to head for home due to the party boy having been out all night and in need of some sleep, but the other guys were keen to stay out and see if their luck would change. Having a look at the gear they were using, I thought they were a little over-gunned. We gave them our rods and tackle and said we’d catch up with them later. They stayed for another hour and ended up with just over 60 fish – a big improvement. It just goes to show how much difference having the right gear will make. We’ll be getting out as often as we can in future because spending time on the water with family and friends is what it’s all about for me. Next meetings The next Power Boat Anglers club meetings will be held on Monday, April 9 and then Monday, May 7. Meetings are held on the first Monday of the month at the Bulimba Bowls Club located in Quinn St, Balmoral. Please feel free to come along, have a beer, eat a bit of pizza and meet the members. Until next month, safe boating.

Sunshine Coast

QLD Moreton Bay Somerset

White spot disease Brisbane

Lockyer Valley

Redland

Ipswich

Movement Restriction Area

Logan

Scenic Rim

Gold Coast

White spot disease could have a devastating impact on our natural waterways and ﬁsh stocks if it spreads.

www.daf.qld.gov.au/wsd or call 13 25 23

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 15

E Z THROW CAS NET S T If it’s not an E Z Throw tthen it’s not an easy throw! The original design and the best!

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A large bait ball of pilchards.

This spotted mackerel smacked the new Bone Dash 90S.

Tuna begin turning it on in Moreton Bay ☛ from P15

a few fish but the larger stickbaits are doing most of the damage. This is a great bonus

because the bigger lures allow longer casts, meaning you are less likely to spook the fish by getting too close in the boat.

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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’

A Zerek Flat Shad rigged on a 3/8oz, 3/0 jig head.

Speaking of boat position, your approach speed and outboard noise are major factors in your success or failure in landing one of these spooky sportfish. Try to slow down well short of casting distance from the school and approach them gently. If another boat is going to beat you to the school, it’s best to leave them to have a shot alone. After all, two outboards are a lot noisier than one. Just remember to position the boat correctly. You want the fish feeding directly towards you if possible. They rarely turn around to hit a lure travelling in the opposite direction to all the bait they are feeding on. Another thing often overlooked is the sun’s di-

rection and angle. Just like us, tuna cannot see as well when looking directly into the sun. Position the boat so you are looking into the sun if possible. After all, we are wearing quality sunglasses while the tuna are not. One tactic we stumbled onto last season was a dead-sticked plastic fished in the rod holder. This has proved deadly on multiple occasions now. We have been fishing the 3.5” Zerek Flat Shad rigged on a 3/8-1/2oz, 3/0 heavy-duty jig head. Once you have found a few schools feeding, it’s as simple as throwing the Flat Shad out the back, letting a little line out and simply placing it in the rod holder. These plastics with their

paddle tail will swim at speeds as slow as 2km/h. For some reason the tuna just can’t seem to help themselves and smash the plastic. Getting the rod out of the rod holder can be interesting and I strongly recommend you have a solid rod holder before attempting this method. Now’s the time to get out and enjoy chasing these speedsters. Things will only get better over the next few months. I hope you all get the chance to get out and catch a few on beautiful Moreton Bay. We really do live in paradise. Enjoy it and respect it because not many know just how amazing this stretch of water really is.

08 8298 4527

Lowrance announces software update for HDS Carbon, Gen3 and Elite-Ti displays

OWRANCE, a world leader in fishing electronics since 1957, recently announced the release of a new software update for HDS Carbon, HDS Gen3 and Elite-Ti displays that includes sonar enhancements and improvements for C-MAP charting. At the heart of the release is FishReveal, an exciting new sonar feature that makes fish easier to see on DownScan Imaging. The upgrade also includes significant enhancements to StructureScan 3D and StructureScan HD, as well as a new, easy-to-interpret

Page 16 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

C-MAP navigation palette. FishReveal smart target viewing FishReveal is a massive leap forward in fishfinding technology that allows anglers to quickly and easily discover how fish orient themselves in and around cover and structure, with clearly defined fish arches. Unlike traditional CHIRP views that provide strong fish targets but lack refined structure detail, or DownScan Imaging that provides photo-like images of bottom and structure details but shows fish targets as tiny dots, FishReveal smart target view-

ing blends the best data from both technologies, eliminating the need for split-screen viewing and interpretation. High-Visibility Colour Sonar See fish and fish-holding structure like never before with new HighVisibility Colour Sonar exclusive to HDS Carbon. High-Visibility Colour delivers industry-leading clarity and range, with near-photographic images to each side and below your boat. By making full use of the dynamic colour spectrum, SideScan, DownScan Imaging and StructureScan 3D can now produce richer

images with greatly enhanced detail and better contrast. Just as the human eye compensates for varying degrees of darkness, High-Visibility Colour automatically enhances brightness in darker areas, while simultaneously preventing overexposure in brighter areas. This extends the visible range, making it possible to see what is in the shadows close to the boat or more than 30m away. C-MAP navigation palette C-MAP charts just got a major upgrade in readability that is most apparent near shore, where the colours used for land,

docks, anchorage areas, water and channels are differentiated and contour lines are distinct. The new palette makes it easier to see where the boat is in relation to channels, navigational aids, ledges and dropoffs, or a point of land. The colour scheme is also much easier on the eye. For more information about the Lowrance software update, HDS Carbon, Elite-Ti and other Lowrance marine electronics, or to locate an authorised Lowrance dealer, please visit lowrance.com Download the software update at bit.ly/2peJZJW www.bnbfishing.com. au

Common fishing mistakes with kids I LOVE seeing kids fishing.

First, it’s great to see them away from phones/ tablets/TV screens, and second, the sheer joy and screams of delight from little kids catching fish is something special. Longer term, kids are the future of fishing and we will need them to fight the plague that is the antifishing movement, which will only get stronger in years to come. However, a kid’s passion for fishing can quickly be diminished if they aren’t catching fish. A few common mistakes can lead to kids not getting the results they should. Here are some of the common mistakes and how to fix them. Tight drags Many kids’ reels are so tight that any decent run by a fish will snap the line like cotton, no matter its strength. Teach the kids how to loosen the drag. You don’t have to get too sophisticated and use a scale measure, just teach them that when you pull line from the tip it should come smoothly off the

Fishing Tips

by SEAN ‘SKIP’ THOMPSON

reel in one motion. Trace too short Too often I see kids with a 30cm trace (or less) when bait fishing, which will mean the bait will not waft naturally and the fish will feel the weight of the sinker and swivel when it picks it up and tries to run. If the kids have learnt to cast (and you should encourage this because it means more to them when they land a fish off their own cast), remember they are shorter so cannot cast as long a trace as adults. Depending on their age, use 50-80cm of leader – the taller the child, the longer the trace. Gear too heavy Most kids are happy to catch anything, so whiting, bream and flathead are ideal targets. Too often when targeting these fish, kids’ gear will be way over the top, with a rod too solid, reel too big and line too heavy. This will lead to fewer fish being encountered and a less-enjoyable expe-

rience for the kid holding heavy gear. Use 6lb line, small 2000-size reels and light, whippy rods. Sinker too heavy I regularly hear or see kids throwing out half a brick as a sinker. Teach kids that you want the bait to look natural so the fish does not drop the bait if it feels too much resistance. ☛ continued P18

Catching fresh bait such as pipis can be half the fun for the kids.

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The author’s eldest son has learnt to catch his own beach worms, which are a top-class beach fishing bait.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 17

Common fishing mistakes with kids ☛ from P17

Teach them to use as light a sinker as the conditions allow, and that even in the same spot, you may need to change sinker weight as the tidal flow increases or decreases. Patience when striking Kids love to strike at the first sign of a bite. Teach them to either leave the rod in the holder (which is pretty hard even for some adults!), or if they feel a bite, to drop the rod tip and pull some line off the reel (another reason to not have a tight drag). Tell them to let the fish pick up the bait and run, which happens when they feel the fish moving away with the bait. Tell them to then count slowly: one thousand and one... one thousand and two... one thousand and three… and then lift the rod and wind the reel smoothly but not too furiously or you will pull the hook out of fish with soft mouths. Poor-quality bait Sadly, freezer-burnt servo prawns are a common bait used by or given to kids and they can be made even worse by leaving them in the sun. Ideally, teach the kids how to pump yabbies or catch beach worms and use live bait. If you are limited to frozen bait, buy fresh green prawns and peel them, or use red-dyed frozen bloodworms. These will catch more fish, I guarantee it. Unnatural globs of bait Ask the kids to think about what a live worm, yabby or prawn looks like

when it moves, and show them if they are not sure. Explain that a worm bunched on the hook or an oddly bent prawn looks nothing like the real thing, so would make a fish wary. Teach them to rig the bait so it sits straight and naturally on the hook, even threading some up the line. Slow the retrieve All too commonly, kids will no sooner cast the line out than they want to retrieve it again, and fast. A good technique to keep kids interested and

active is the slow cast and retrieve technique so effective on whiting and flathead in the shallows. Damaging the reel Either in their excitement when landing a fish or boredom when not catching any, kids can without thinking dump the rod and reel in the water or on the sand, damaging a standard spinning reel. Consider buying and teaching the kids how to use an Alvey because these reels are indestructible in the surf environment.

Run before they can walk Teach kids the tricks of the trade with bait before you progress to lures. Allow them to understand what works and why with bait before trying to take it to the next level with lures. I hope these tips help you to teach your kids, friends’ kids or relatives’ kids how to avoid the most common fishing mistakes they can make. For more tips, tricks and fishing tools, be sure to jump on and like and follow my Ontour Fishing Australia Facebook page.

Teach kids that bait presented naturally will catch more fish.

Mercury’s new six-year warranty “

E’RE so confident in the reliability of our outboard engines we’re extending our warranty to six years – simple.”

That’s how Mercury senior director of Engine Products (Australia, New Zealand, Pacific) Nicholas Webb neatly summed it up, following Mercury’s announcement of a new extended six-year warranty for all recreational outboards. That means a six-year warranty for every outboard from the lightest 2.5hp model all the way through to the awesome power of the 350hp Verado outboards. Simply have your Mercury engine serviced at an authorised service centre at the recommended servicing intervals to be covered by an additional three-year factory-backed warranty on top of the first three years of coverage. World-class engines, world-class support That’s a full six years of warranty coverage and, importantly, it’s non-declining. The coverage is the same on the last day as it is on the first.

This new warranty is also fully transferable – it goes with the engine. This means if the outboard is sold during the warranty period, the second (or any subsequent) owner also gets to enjoy the peace of mind of the 3+3 = 6 year factory-backed warranty. And it’s a warranty that is supported by the strength and service expertise of one of the largest dealer networks in the country. Servicing your engine according to the recommended schedule and

using genuine Mercury parts will improve engine durability and help maintain performance. Mercury’s new 3+3 = 6 year warranty automatically applies for new outboards bought in 2018. Because all Mercury outboards are built to the same high standard, the 3+3 = 6 year warranty applies to Verado, FourStroke, OptiMax and TwoStroke outboard engines. For more information, visit your nearest Mercury dealer or visit mer curymarine.com.au

A slow cast and retrieve technique is not only effective on whiting but will keep the kids active.

Serves 4 Prep time 15 minutes Cook time 10 minutes

by MELISSA FROHLOFF

Suzuki Marine launches new outboard

UZUKI Motor Corporation is proud to introduce the new DF325A four-stroke outboard – a product that perfectly balances superior power and thrust, all within a lightweight and stylish design.

Unveiled at the Düsseldorf International Boat Show in Germany, the high-tech and innovative DF325A has been designed to be robust, easy to use and versatile, making it the ideal outboard for large boats, whatever the task and whether for commercial or recreational use.

Sharing the same revolutionary technologies as the recently launched and highly anticipated flagship DF350A, including contrarotating propellers, duallouvre system and dual injectors, Suzuki has stepped it up with the new model by engineering it to run on 91 RON fuel – a world first and game changer for high-performance outboards over 300hp. Suzuki executive general manager of Global Marine and Power Products Operation Osawa Yasuharu said the DF325A is a welcome addition to Suzuki’s range of ultimate four-

Page 18 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

stroke outboards. “The latest high-spec, high-output outboards all require high-octane fuel,” he said. “As far as we know, there is no other outboard over 300hp that runs on 91 RON, which is regular fuel in some key markets. “This also makes the DF325A a very attractive outboard for the commercial sector because it is packed with the very latest outboard technologies, which will deliver the ultimate boating experience.” Suzuki’s latest outboard features its proven 4.4-li-

tre displacement block, which gives tremendous torque and makes it the largest-displacement V6 on the market today. Combined with a compression ratio of 10.5:1, the DF325A also delivers impressive fuel economy and reliability. The DF325A will be produced at the Toyokawa Plant in Japan, with first deliveries expected in March. For more information, visit suzukimarine.com. au For pricing and other inquiries, contact your local Suzuki Marine dealer.

Smoked salmon and poached egg on brioche buns Ingredients • Four brioche rolls • 40g spinach leaves • 40g rocket leaves • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar • Four eggs • 100g Tasmanian smoked salmon • Salt and pepper • 3/4 cup hollandaise sauce Method1. To poach the eggs, add 2” of cold water to a saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Add vinegar and a pinch of salt and reduce heat so water is just simmering. 2. With a spoon, stir the water so it moves in a circular mo-

tion. 3. Crack each egg into a bowl and gently pour them into the simmering water. 4. Cook for two to three minutes for soft eggs and three to four for firm. Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon and place them on sheets of paper towel to dry. 5. Pre-heat hollandaise sauce. 6. Lightly toast brioche rolls. 7. Arrange the brioche rolls on a serving platter. Top with spinach leaves, rocket leaves, slices of smoked salmon and poached eggs. Spoon over a generous amount of hollandaise sauce, season with salt and pepper and serve. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Heavy rain right on cue ■ Mud crabs ■ Whiting ■ Mackerel ■ Sharks

I everyone, the heavy rain forecast for the end of February and start of March came right on cue and dumped a heap of rain all over Queensland and northern NSW.

This is great for fishing both rivers and offshore around the Gold Coast and will make for a very good winter of fishing as well. The wind that accompanied all the rain was not welcome though. We seem to have had many more windy days than calm ones this year.

Broadwater Region by WAYNE ‘YOUNGY’ YOUNG

Even before the first lot of rain had finished, local fishos were making the most of the mud crabs flushed out by the rain. Both the Coomera and Pimpama rivers were crabbing well and this will continue for the next couple of months. We have seen good catches of muddies in the Santa Barbara stretch of the Coomera River and the north arm of the

The author with one of many grunter caught after all the recent rain.

Coomera River near the mouth of Bullock Head Creek. The area between the south arm of the Coomera River and Never Fail Islands was not quite as good but after the second lot of rain their numbers improved. My mates and I do very well using whiting frames for crab bait but pieces of mullet and even reef frames will get you a few muddies, just be aware of the depth of water in which you place your pots. Some of the lightweight pots will float away on the bigger tides, which is much more common than most people realise and in a lot of cases where pots are believed stolen they have simply floated away on the big tides. Another species that turns up at this time of year after heavy rain is grunter bream. These fish are welcome by-catch while whiting fishing in all our local rivers. They love bloodworms and the bigger grunter certainly give you a good fight on light gear used for whiting fishing. The ones we catch around the Gold Coast

are spotted grunter (also known as silver javelin) with a minimum size limit of 30cm and a bag limit of 10. These fish are beautiful eating. Don’t confuse them with the grunter they get up north, which are barred grunter that have a minimum size limit of 40cm. All the bad weather we’ve had has had little effect on our whiting fish☛ continued P20

Angus spent a great day crabbing with his dad after the heavy rain.

Young Rebecca with her first shark, which was caught on eel bait in the Coomera River.

GO FOR SOME QUALITY TIME. Time spent out on the water with your family is far too precious to risk with anything other than the absolute best in marine engineering. And that’s exactly what the Mercury MerCruiser V8 delivers. Efﬁcient, powerful and backed by Australia’s largest dealer network. You know you want to go. Learn more at mercurymarine.com.au

See your authorised Mercury Marine Dealer today. AIRLIE BEACH | Whitsunday Outboard Centre 17 William Murray Dr, Cannonvale Q 4802 P: 07 4946 7286 E: woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au W: whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au

BRISBANE SOUTH | Coorparoo Marine 57 Cavendish Rd, Coorparoo Q 4151 P: 07 3397 4141 E: info@coorparoomarine.com.au W: coorparoomarine.com.au

BRISBANE | Holt Marine 25 Queens Rd, Everton Park Q 4053 P: 07 3353 1928 E: info@holtmarine.com.au W: holtmarine.com.au

GOLD COAST | Onshore Marine Horizon Shores Marina, Woongoolba Q 4207 P: 07 5546 2480 E: onshoremarine@ozemail.com.au W: onshoremarine.com.au

BRISBANE NORTH | Brisbane Marine 306 Dufﬁeld Rd, Clontarf Q 4019 P: 07 3889 3033 E: info@brismarine.com.au W: brismarine.com.au

IPSWICH | Ipswich Marine Centre 45 Huxham St, Raceview Q 4305 P: 07 3294 3944 E: enquiries@ipswichmarine.com.au W: ipswichmarine.com.au

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 19

Heavy rain right on cue ☛ from P19

This versatile family/fishing boat gives you the best of both worlds. Small enough for one to handle but will take 5 comfortably. This boat is on the Evo Advanced Hull and features Stacer’s new V-berth bunks and new optional casting platform. Overall a winner with options of side or centre console. Visit www.stacer.com.au for more details.

For more information contact your local Stacer dealer:

Boondall | Northside Marine 2294 Sandgate Rd, Boondall Q 4034 Phone: 07 3265 8000 info@nsmarine.com.au northsidemarine.com.au Bundaberg | Adrians Marine Centre 28 Ritchie St, Bundaberg Q 4670 Phone: 07 4153 1819 adriansmarinecentre@bigpond.com adriansmarinecentre.com.au Gladstone | Curtis Coast Marine 40 Chapple St, Gladstone Q 4680 Phone: 07 4972 0135 sales@curtiscoastmarinecom.au curtiscoastmarine.com.au Gold Coast | White Water Marine 10 Hinde St, Ashmore Q 4214 Phone: 07 5532 4402 sales@whitewatermarine.com.au whitewatermarine.com.au Noosa | Laguna Boating Centre 16 Project Ave, Noosaville Q 4566 Phone: 07 5442 4872 info@lagunaboating.com.au lagunaboating.com.au Sunshine Coast | North Coast Boating 264 Nicklin Way,Warana Q 4575 Phone : 07 5493 9376 sales@northcoastboating.com.au northcoastboating.com.au Wynnum | Wynnum Marine 31 Fox St, Wynnum Q 4178 Phone: 07 3396 9777 info@wynnummarine.com.au wynnummarine.com.au

Page 20 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

ing, and in fact it has actually improved the daytime fishing for them. In the Nerang River, the best daytime fishing has been found around the Sorrento area and at night good fish are still being hooked from Isle of Capri to Chevron Island. This is the last month in which I would recommend night-time fishing for whiting, and after this most of our trips will be daytime sessions. The rain flushed a lot of bream out of our rivers as well but most were small fish and I recommend waiting another month or so before targeting them. Unfortunately, all the dirty water coming through the Broadwater put a stop to our estuary tailor fishing, but it should fire up again this month if the rain ever moves on. Following the cleaner water pushing in through the Seaway and looking for bait schools is a good start to finding tailor. Depending on how dirty the water is, the Seaway can really fire up on the incoming tide. The clean and salty water coming in from offshore will get both jewfish and trevally on the bite. Small live baits such as herring are irresistible to these aggressive fish. Use lightly weighted 4 or 5 ball sinkers on current lines, around the eddy near the north wall and the pipeline for best results. Five-inch white soft plastics and 1/2oz and 3/4oz soft vibes also work well. The smaller tides between the moons can make the fishing easier here, with less run in the water. Don’t be surprised to catch a mangrove jack in the same areas as well. This time of year sees big schools of mature jacks in the Seaway. Unfortunately, offshore opportunities over March were very limited due to strong wind and big swell.

A few mackerel were taken from the 18-fathom area just off the Seaway. Out wider in 40m we were catching a mixed bag of snapper, moses perch, pearl perch and tuskfish on lightly weighted pillies. This fishing will continue during April, with the addition of a few good size spangled emperor. Berley is essential when fishing offshore, whether it’s for mackerel or reef fish. It can be the difference between hearing the drags screaming in the boat beside you or your boat being the one catching all the fish. Over the past couple of years, shark fishing has become increasingly popular, especially with the younger fishos, and sharks are one species our local rivers have plenty of. Freshwater eel is the most popular bait and good local bait shops will have it in stock. Some of the sharks are up to 1.5m long, so fishing light is not recommended. Minimum tackle would be a 6-8kg rod, 30lb braid, a metre of 50-80lb wire trace and an 8/0 circle hook.

Sinker size will depend on current flow but usually a 5 ball is fine. Both Coomera and Nerang rivers are worth trying in deeper channels and holes. Just a word of caution though: these can be big and strong sharks with plenty of teeth, so having one thrashing around in a boat is not always a good option. It’s the Easter school holidays this month as well, and if you’re on the Gold Coast without a boat, a trip over to the surf beach north of the Main Beach surf club can be a great way of spending a day fishing with the kids. Yabbies are good bait for this area and can be pumped on the foreshore of the Broadwater before you head over to the surf. The kids will love gathering the yabbies as well. Bream, whiting and dart will be the main species caught. A final word of warning to check for road closures and boat ramp closures because of the Commonwealth Games this month. ‘Til next month, fish for the future.

Brett held a couple of great eating reef fish from a recent trip.

New name, same great service at Gold Coast Boating Centre

N May 2017, Gold Coast Boating Centre (formerly Marine Tune) expanded into a new 10bay fully equipped workshop, which has allowed the transition of the old workshop into an additional third undercover new boat showroom displaying the popular Horizon, Stessl, Sea-Rod and Stessco aluminium boat brands.

The new workshop expansion enabled Gold Coast Boating Centre’s qualified factory-trained technicians with over 50 years of combined outboard experience to service and repair all brands of outboard motors as well as the market-leading Yamaha outboard motors. Additional improvements have recently been carried out in the expansion of the workshop, showroom, chandlery and genuine Yamaha parts facilities, as well as the addition of late-model quality used boats. Owners David and Scott said, “This is the catalyst for the new name change

to Gold Coast Boating Centre, which better describes the business as the one-stop boating centre it is today.” David and Scott took ownership of the business in May 2015 and saw the potential to develop the business further with the addition of Sea-Rod plate aluminium boats built by Formosa Marine, a Brisbane-based company. Gold Coast Boating Centre was recently announced the leading Formosa aluminium plate boat dealer of the year for 2017. Gold Coast Boating Centre has been located in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast for over 20 years under the name of Marine Tune. In that time, the business has established itself as one of the leading (top three)

Yamaha outboard marine dealers nationally. Dunbier Trailers also awarded the business Queensland’s only Elite Dealer status in appreciation of excellent sales and customer service, which enables privileges such as the highest discount pricing structure on trailers, parts and ongoing support, as well as priority production. Gold Coast Boating Centre has over 80 new and used boats on display in three undercover showrooms and outside display areas, with all sizes ranging from small 3m cartopper tinnies to larger plate aluminium offshore fishing boats in excess of 7m in all configurations available for viewing.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Mackerel madness hits top gear M ACK ER EL fishing should hit fever pitch this month as the fish migrating north and south congregate on all the close reefs off the Gold Coast.

If the water continues to sit at 24C or above, the baitfish will hang around and keep the feeding frenzy going. Prior to the low-pressure system hitting us midMarch, the mackerel were chewing their heads off, with some fantastic catches right along the coast. And they just kept on chewing as the weather system passed us. Huge schools of cowanyoung are currently sitting on the reefs, so getting a tank of livies is quick and easy. For those who don’t know what cowanyoung are, they look like yellowtail scad (yakkas) on steroids. Big baits will definitely equal big fish this month, so don’t give a second thought to chucking a big livie out because something will eat it. Mixed in with the spotties and spaniards are doggy mackerel. These smaller mackerel hit baits like freight trains and fight well above their weight. We generally let them go because I believe they don’t taste as good as the other mackerel. The dirty water has

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Gold Coast

by HEATH ZYGNERSKI

hung around with the heavy rain we’re regularly receiving. You have to work hard to find the fish, but when you do, you’ll be rewarded. The only problem is the dirty water brings about the sharks, so you tend to lose a few fish to the taxman. Wahoo are still costing anglers heaps in lures, with many getting bitten off. I don’t use wire on my deep divers, and that’s the risk you take. I find I get better numbers of bites tying the mono directly to the lure. Try out wider in the cleaner water for these toothy critters.

Mahi mahi are also hanging around but they sit quite wide at this time of year. You’ll find them around marlin for the most part. In the creeks and rivers, mud crabs have been on fire, with good catches in the upper arms. Once the fresh run-off got a hold of the systems, they shut down. But they’ll fire up after a few weeks as the water clears. Jacks can be targeted near any structure and while the water stays nice and warm in the canals and creeks, they’ll continue to chew. Giant herring have ta-

Mitch added another fish to his impressive tally for this season.

pered off a bit after the rain but we might be lucky to get another good run of them before the weather turns cold. The local bars are still very messy. Tweed River Bar still has all the sand built up inside the walls, so watch out for pressure waves on the run-out tide as you go through there. The back bank remains very shallow, even after the swell we’ve had. Currumbin Creek Bar has turned into a right mess once again. There is a narrow gutter heading out from the wall, but if you misjudge it by a few metres, your boat will be stuck fast. A few boats got caught out an hour and a half before low tide on their way in a few weeks back. They had to sit out the

back for three hours before they even looked like getting in. Tallebudgera Creek Bar is silting up out the front, with a bank almost all the way across the face of the bar. Take care because you have nowhere to run. The Seaway is overdue for some maintenance. Besides the ever-present banks to the north, it is getting shallower out the front and is starting to catch some swell. To the south, keep an eye out because a few sneaky bigger sets could catch you as you make a run for it. I hope you all fare well during the Commonwealth Games. It’s going to be mad on and off the water. ‘Til next month, stinky fingers to you all.

The author with a spanish mackerel that hammered a big livie.

Jye and a solid spotted mackerel he nailed on a lure.

Andy held a couple of spotties caught late morning.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 21

Several species still biting strongly

E are almost midway through autumn already and I hope everyone has a good Easter weekend and wets a line or two.

Brandon with a Hinze bass caught on a jig spin combination.

A big reef flathead hooked on a 40g Damiki Backdrop.

The fishing action shouldn’t stop after Easter as we begin to see more winter species and say goodbye to the warm water dwellers. Offshore fishing has been successful for a lot of anglers. Fishing off the Gold Coast has seen species including mackerel, dolphinfish, marlin and even snapper coming over the sides, making it tough to decide which fish to target on the limited good weather days. A common fishing technique for spotted mackerel has been a combination of float lining pilchards and spinning metal slugs. Or if they are feeding

Nerang Rooster Report by DARREN RAMA

aggressively, casting small surface and slow-sinking stickbaits into bait schools has produced results. For spanish mackerel, trolling a variety of different diving depth and colour hard-body lures at six to eight knots has paid off around congregations of baitfish. For marlin and dolphinfish, pushing wider and trolling skirts is still producing. One technique that will begin to pick up as the water cools is micro jigging, because every drop can result in an unexpected capture. Micro jigging is productive on winter species such as snapper and pearl perch as well as tailor on

the closer reefs. Just keep checking your assist cord and leader after each capture because the fish’s teeth take their toll. A generally effective micro jigging combo features a short rod with a long handle to stick under your arm to apply the leverage necessary to lift the fish straight up from the bottom before they can rub you off on the structure below. A rod rated for between 5kg and 15kg is ideal, depending on depth and target species. I’d pair this with a 4000-size reel to suit the appropriate line class. A huge variety of shapes and sizes of micro jigs are on the market, though

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I seem to do well on the Damiki Backdrop range. The colour range includes bright and UV paints and the assist cords being on both the top and bottom of the jig aids in more hook-ups. Back in the Broadwater and estuaries, baitfish are not being let off easily, with trevally and mangrove jack still hanging around, though as the weather cools, this action will slow. Mangrove jack are being caught around pontoons, rock walls and natural structure of fallen timber and eroded banks with coffee rock and little holes that can help them ambush any baitfish or prawns that pass by. Live baiting at night with herring and mullet remains effective for jacks. Trevally are being caught early morning and late afternoon and into the night on a mixture of plastics and small surface walkers. Using lighter line for trevally is always fun because they take long runs and use the current to their advantage, making for a great fight, but use at least an 8-10lb leader because their teeth can cut you off. Bass fishing in the creeks is productive while they’re flowing, bringing in not only new bait but

new structure as well. Their willingness to hit a surface lure regardless of water clarity makes it that much better. Hinze Dam has been fishing well, with consistent captures of saratoga and bigger bass on spinnerbaits and soft plastic and jig spin combinations. Because Hinze holds a lot of timber, being constantly snagged can be a real pain, so it’s beneficial to fish weedless/snagless. With a spinnerbait, the wire prevents snags most of the time, but with a jig spin setup you’ll need to rig it weedless using a TT Snake Head or ChinlockZ jig head. Being able to hop the plastic through the timber without snagging increases your fish-catching opportunities. Fishing shaded banks is a big advantage too. Sticking to the banks hidden from the sun may be the difference between a few fish and a doughnut. As the water cools, we will start to see bigger bass showing up and even schools of fish out deeper. This seems to be the time of year when most guys start throwing bigger surface lures such as Tiemco Jumbo Cicadas and Jackall Pompadours. As the month progresses, hopefully the fishing does too!

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Page 22 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

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A very serious amberjack landed by Wen Bo.

Mulloway have been biting well in recent months.

Great variety on offer off Gold Coast

S autumn continues, the summer conditions don’t seem to change too much as the hot days and balmy nights linger, as do the good fishing days. The 2018 season started well for all charter operators weather wise, with the addition of a good variety of fishing on offer. Decent weather and abundant visitors to the Gold Coast made the early mornings worth the extra effort to leave the comfort of a bed. The mackerel made an

Fish the Deep by SCOTT VAN BURCK

early run and then disappeared to who knows where. With a week of wet weather in early February, the tides turned and mackerel were once again in Gold Coast waters in solid numbers. Charter and recreational boats were bagging out and the area called the ‘carpark’ was as the name suggests full of every style

This group was happy with a catch of mulloway and spanish mackerel.

of boat and fisher. Palm Beach and Mermaid reefs produced excellent catches, and once bait hit the water mackerel were eager for a feed. Freezers should now be well stocked for many a future barbecue or fish dinner. Mahi mahi were plentiful in the early part of the season, with solid catches taken in a great improvement on the season before. It was thought these fish would continue feeding in the coastal regions but it was not to be as their numbers dropped and currently only small quantities are being caught. Tourists were eager to be on the water through January and February, all wanting to catch that bucket list fish. None were disappointed, and even the reef fishing, which tends to be poorer during the heat, produced

good quantities of trag, tailor and flathead. Reef fishing often saved the day when the mackerel and mahi mahi went off the bite. Marlin fishing this season has seen days where boats have enjoyed firstclass catches of more than one to a boat. However, there have also been days when marlin have decided it was their rostered day off. Ample fish were out there to be caught but you had to be in the area where they were feeding. Often after a fruitless period of trolling on the recommended marlin fishing area, boats would move only to hear on the radio just after departing that the next influx of boaties to the spot were tagging and catching marlin. Plate size snapper and pearl perch (the best eating fish on the Gold Coast) were added to many a day’s catch. Reef sharks were regularly caught to make for adrenalin-fuelled fishing

and tasty flake for dinner. Yellowfin tuna and quality wahoo were among the mix in February and the challenge of fighting these fish and filling the freezer made for a rewarding day’s fishing. A New Zealand group booked three private charters as they enjoyed a boys’ week on the Gold Coast in late February. This group was able to bag out on mackerel, enjoy the challenge of the mahi mahi and nail some quality wahoo. The weather change before their arrival brought these species back in quality numbers, so returning to New Zealand they had many tales of the ones that didn’t get away. The Easter holidays followed by the Commonwealth Games should see a large influx of people to the Gold Coast. Hopefully the visitors will want to add fishing trips to their visit. Fingers crossed for clear skies and plenty of quality fishing.

Edward Lee extracted this monster cod from the deep.

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Fishing in the floods G

’DAY everyone, prior to writing this article, the area from northern NSW through to southeast Queensland experienced an immense amount of rainfall.

Jewies are a great target around river mouths when the rivers are running fresh.

Unusual species such as this slatey bream can be caught when the rivers are running.

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Page 24 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

This rain event was much needed as we had a very hot and dry summer and the land and our river systems will flourish after this soaking. As the old saying goes, a drought on land is a drought at sea. The only problem is when we receive a lot of rain, the freshwater runoff in the upper catchment areas flows into the main rivers and creeks and makes the local tributaries very dirty. Not only do the rivers become discoloured, salinity levels can also change dramatically depending on how much rain is received. I will share a few tips on how to best plan and enjoy your fishing trips during these heavy rain events. The first is to avoid fishing the far upper reaches of the rivers and creeks because the water there will be way too dirty and fresh, which leaves you with the lower reaches of the rivers, particularly the area around the river mouths. This is often seen as an advantage because big schools of bait and fish will be very concentrated around river mouths after being flushed downstream due to the falling salinity levels upstream. The best time to fish the river mouths will be the run-in tides because this is when clean, salty ocean water will start to push in and force the dirty brackish water back up the river. Look for the distinct colour line where the clean oceanic water meets the dirty river water because this is where the bait and predatory fish will be holding. As the tide keeps pushing in, be prepared to move up the river, continually working the area

Gold Coast Guide by BRAD SMITH

where the colour change exists. It pays to be prepared when fishing during these times, so make sure you take a variety of lures and baits to be ready for the abundance of fish species holding in the area. Metal blades and soft plastics are ideally suited to fishing deep, which is the main feeding area for fish during these times. Salinity levels can be higher on the bottom too because salt water is dens-

er than fresh water. Bait fishers should try to obtain a variety of quality live baits such as yabbies, herring and poddy mullet, though fresh cut baits of oily fish including mullet can also work well, with the scent acting a bit like berley in the discoloured water. Without doubt, the bulk of the species will be feeding close to the bottom but it would also pay to have a couple of shallow-running or surface lures handy in

case of surface activity. The fish likely to bust up on the surface around the water colour change are tailor, trevally and queenfish, which are all great fun on light tackle. Fishing the run-in tides in the weeks leading up to the new and full moons also helps because the tides are larger and the greatest amount of salty oceanic water will push in and clear away the fresh water. In conclusion, always be alert and careful when boating because large rain events can flush heaps of logs and other debris down the river systems.

This snodger whiting took a blade lure fished deep when the Tweed River was in flood.

Even mangrove jack get forced downstream in floods and school up around rock walls in the lower reaches.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Lewan with a 17.8kg spanish, better known locally as a barree.

A 15.3kg spanish mackerel caught in a not-so-secret location.

Making the most of mackerel season

ACK ER EL season was shaping up nicely until the dirty mongrel rainy weather set in.

You’ve got to look at the positives though, and so far we have avoided a major flood like the one that occurred around this time last year. Everything is sodden though and the rivers have run brown for over a fortnight now. The Brunswick River here has barely had a chance for the tide to run in, as the backlog of fresh water just keeps heading out to sea. All the mackerel reefs

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Tweed to Byron Bay by GAVIN DOBSON

are covered in filthy fresh water and we will have lost a good chunk of the season before things start returning to normal. It’s nothing unusual though, as that is typical for this time of year. Prior to this, the mackerel were biting most days. A few spotted mackerel were showing up but most days it was all about the spanish. There was a real size mixture among them, as some days we were catch-

ing barrees as small as 4.5kg but the next day the fish would be in the 1218kg range. Sharks have been a huge problem, eating more mackerel than are landed some days. And I’m not just talking about on one boat, I’m talking about big sharks eating mackerel hooked by boats across a whole reef. Lewan and I were trying to skull drag our mackerel to the boat on many days

and this often worked on the smaller fish but boy did we lose some. We pulled hooks, broke hooks, broke wire traces and broke the line in an effort to get the mackerel past the sharks. As annoying as it is not being able to play the fish out properly, I would prefer to break the fish off going hard on it as opposed to letting a shark eat it. They will mostly survive with a hook in them but there is no coming back from being blown out of the water by a monster bull shark. In the past, I would just ☛ continued P26

Now kids, this is part of the food chain in action. Not pictured is the plankton, the pilchard and the enormous bull shark.

All the rain has brought the bream out lately around the harbour and rock walls.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 25

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Richmond River mouth full of fish H ELLO and welcome to this month’s edition of BNB.

The weather has certainly turned it on for us this month, with what has seemed like an endless supply of rain and wind. This has limited our chances to get out and wet a line, whether it be in the river, on the beach or out at sea. At the time of writing, the Richmond River is once again a lovely shade of brown from all the rain, and given how saturated the ground is, it would not take a massive amount more rain to cause severe flooding around the area. Considering the volume of rain that has fallen across the local area in recent weeks, the river has held up surprisingly well. As is usually the case, this discoloured water has compressed a large number of fish, along with plenty of predators such as sharks and rays, around the mouth of the river. This is adding to some fishing activities but has put a stop to many others, or at the very least slowed some other fishing opportunities. To add insult to injury, an ex-cyclone was making its way past the coast and then moving away to the south at the time of

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writing this article. The result was large and powerful surf conditions that will inevitably do plenty of damage to our beaches. I expect the beaches to be scoured and it will probably take a month or two for the sand to return and some formations to come back. All I can say is thank goodness for the river. With all this in mind, let’s take a look at what we can expect as we get into the Easter break. If the rain does slow or stop over the next month, I am still hopeful we may see some action on the close reefs in the form of spotted and spanish mackerel. Before this recent patch of weather descended on us we had started to see reasonable catches of spanish mackerel at Riordans Reef. Reports were also coming in of captures from areas both north and south of us, so it had been looking very promising for a good season. Fingers crossed this discoloured water does not upset them too much

and we can get back to slow trolling live and dead baits or high-speed trolling deep-diving hard-body lures for these toothy critters. The rough weather has also meant we haven’t been able to chase any other species, but I’m confident mahi mahi will still be in numbers around the FAD and wave-rider buoy. For the most part, they have been happy to attack pilchards and live yakkas or slimies, but a number of larger fish are still falling to small skirted lures trolled at five to 10 knots. Some of these better fish have even been taken on the 42 and 48-fathom lines, where we’ve seen some slightly warmer ocean currents. For those who prefer to fish for bottom-dwelling species, I would say you will still have plenty of current to deal with once this rough weather has settled. The 42 and 48-fathom lines should produce snapper, pearl perch and kingfish on bait, slowpitch jigs and soft plastics. Until we see a cooler change roll in, these wider

☛ from P25

up stakes and try a different reef system, but this year every reef you go to has sharks. Last month I was bemoaning the lack of mackerel baits in my freezer but this problem has been rectified thanks to a great run of summer chopper tailor. Without doubt, this is the best run of chopper tailor we have seen for a long time. Schools of white and

frogmouth pillies are keeping the tailor around but these bait schools have been here over the previous few years without the tailor in attendance. I don’t know what made the tailor turn up this year but I’m grateful they came. Both the north and south walls of the Brunswick River have produced good numbers of legal size tailor, with the north wall usually better because the bait often holds between the walls and the rocks.

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has also brought bream to the breakwalls. Most fish have been taken on mullet fillets or the usual gut baits such as chicken and mullet gut. Both options have plenty of smell and the hungry little bream can’t resist. Unfortunately, whiting have been a bit on the quiet side thanks to the dirty water, but once the cleaner water starts to push back in I would be concentrating around the sand flats near the sailing club, the lower reaches of North Creek and Mobbs Bay during the run-in tides. One shining light in all this crappy weather has been the mud crabs over the past few weeks. The rain and subsequent dirty water has flushed some crabs out of their hidey holes and got them moving around. Good catches of quality mud crabs have come from both North and Emigrant creek as well as the main river. Try placing your crabbing equipment in the deeper holes and along the drop-offs where the crabs will be moving. Hopefully you can nab a few to go with your Easter lunch. Well that’s all from me this month. ‘Til next time, tight lines!

Making the most of mackerel season

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grounds will definitely be the better option. The timing of this weather event has been a bit of a pain because we had just started to see numbers of tailor showing up from both the beaches and rocks. Most of the fish were in the chopper category but the odd larger model was showing up on the beaches at night as well. I’m pretty confident some fish will still be around when the weather clears. I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed though, because we had virtually no tailor season last year after the floods that devastated Lismore. Nobody wants to see a repeat performance of that. As is usually the case during wet weather, we have seen an increase in the numbers of sharks frequenting the river mouth. Some keen anglers have been trying their luck on the walls for mulloway, and while a few captures can be reported, the sharks have either been beating the mulloway to the lures and baits or taking hooked fish. Either way, it has resulted in lower numbers of mulloway landed in recent weeks. The discoloured water

North Beach towards the end of North Head Rd is also producing tailor of an evening. Back offshore, some quality fish have been caught out a bit wider, with a few small yellowfin taken on Windarra Banks, along with the odd wahoo. Down on the FAD off Cape Byron, dolphinfish have been biting and bigger specimens have been among them too. A bloke I know headed out to get a few with his fly rod and landed a not-too-common rainbow runner. These fish turn up from time to time but certainly aren’t a regular this far south. If the current starts to back off this month, heading wide to fish the bottom is always a good option after it has had a rest for the summer. Usually this happens in May though. In the river, the constant fresh water has written off everything but the lower reaches. This isn’t all bad because the fish are concentrated and less sensitive. Whiting are in good numbers here in the lower Brunz and eagerly taking yabby baits. Some honker specimens are being caught too, with 40cm fish reasonably common. Big mangrove jack are around the training walls and as I said they are less sensitive to heavy line, so you are in with a chance to bag a PB at the moment. Live baits will work but oily fish baits such as pil-

chards and mullet fillets are all that is necessary to hook into a big jack in muddy fresh water. If fishing from the rocks, I would highly recommend the use of 4050lb line, though you will get away with less from a boat. Of course, you are definitely in with a chance of getting a school jew at the moment. Whole beach worms or soft plastics are your best bet for a floodwater schoolie. Bream are in big numbers as well. Tailor and bream are traditionally winter species that kick off in about May, but March this year has been great for both. To catch a good feed of bream, all you have to do is fish around any of our training walls in the dirty water with some stinky bait. Pilchard pieces and mullet gut are as good as any. I’m not talking about the hard ‘onion’ part of the gut. If you can go to a fish shop before your trip, buy whole mullet and use the soft part of the gut for bream and the fillets for jacks. If you are an estuary fisher, a continued fresh this month will be in your favour. Offshore fishos are hoping for better weather and clean water over the reefs so we can chase mackerel again. April is usually a great month for spotted mackerel, so fingers crossed and good luck with whatever style of fishing you choose. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Holidays to herald hot fishing

PRIL means holidays for some and like most we will be looking for great places to stay.

I wrote an article last year on Evans Head as a holiday destination and that information still stands. It’s a great kid-friendly town with heaps to do, pristine beaches and a small but very productive river. It has so much to offer without hurting your purse strings. Evans is just a stone’s throw from most big towns in the area, without their hustle and bustle. As I write, the rain is coming down and we’re getting a much-needed drink. I can watch my lawn grow by the minute. Guess I’ll have to get the minister of finance onto the mower, as mowing is something I can’t do any more due to my ill health. I help a bit by sitting and supervising, and of course when supervising you need to have a lemonade, otherwise it just doesn’t seem right. At least I give moral support. There has been a lot of talk about fixing the Richmond River of late, with advertisements on TV for bank tree planting and restumping areas for better fish habitat. The first thing I would do is buy back some of the swamp area around Broadwater and poison the coral trees that litter the river. They are pests and take over natural grasses and trees. It would cost millions of dollars, and I mean many millions, to fix the Richmond but we have to start somewhere. It’s just a case of where to start. I suppose from Lismore down, then Casino down. It’s a bloody big job and will take years. Moving on to the fishing, and it will only improve with this rain. From all accounts, bass have been going off, with most of the normal snags and deep banks producing fish. I like run-off areas such as drains that enter the river from banks when the water is flowing out. Bass will be sitting right under these drains. There is a brilliant one at Lismore just down from the town. When running you can smack bass one after another and Bassman Spinnerbaits are my preference. In dirty water, use gold blades, be they willow or tear-drop blades. You can also catch heaps from most cane drains during and just after a good rain event, and yep I’d use spinnerbaits once again. Don’t rule out a white or green soft plastic on a 1/8oz jig head with a beetle spin. Cast right up into the drain as far as you can and just slow roll out. The Richmond River is littered with cane drains and snags, so I would either launch my boat at Coraki or Lismore. From Lismore, head up www.bnbfishing.com. au

Evans Head by GARY ‘SQUIDGIE’ PALMER

and take the right-hand branch after the bridge and fish around the police station. Or head downriver from the ramp and fish steep banks and reed areas but you need to be right up and personal with the reeds. If you are not getting snagged or at least getting reeds on your hook, you’re not close enough. Bass love the reeds and you can find plenty of midwater snags and bank snags in this area. Use your sounder to locate them and don’t power away from areas, just take your time and have a good look because the bass there are big. The Casino arm is a bit different and I fish steep banks as well as reed areas. I find this arm can be a pain to fish. I don’t know what it is, but I always have trouble fishing it, whereas Adrian Melchior smashes it most times. But he is a bass god and I’m just a servant. Spinnerbaits once again work well but of an early morning, topwater walk the dog lures and poppers will get you into the fish. That goes for the Lismore arm too. Heading down from Coraki, I fish the right-hand banks. I will set my electric up just after the bridge and sitting about 10m from the bank I will cast into the bankside structure. Mind you, I do a fair bit of koala fishing, so lose a bit of gear. But this is my type of fishing. Don’t you just hate the fishers who can land their lure on a 10c piece? No matter how much I practice, I still manage to find the tallest tree in the area. The Evans River is fishing pretty well for flathead around the bridge and on the flats near the caravan park. At low tide you can pump your yabbies and then as the tide comes in fish the flats for bream, whiting and flathead. I would even take a walk along the banks and cast as I go. You will get plenty of fish, you’ll just have to toss a lot of undersize whiting back and the small bream will drive you mad, but eventually you will get a feed of decent size bream and flathead. On the other side of the bridge, you can reach the Iron Gates by foot on the run-out tide by sticking to the right-hand bank. You will come across some deep water that will reach your chest but if you go at half tide it should only come up to your knees. Walk across to the island and fish the shallows for very big whiting as well as solid flathead. Still walking on the right-hand bank, get right up to the tree line and cast in front of where you are walking for cracking flathead and bream. When casting yabbies, re-

member once your bait hits the bottom a slow wind will get the fish more often than letting it sit. While walking, make a cast, slowly wind in and repeat as you go all the way to the Gates. You should have a good feed of fish by the time you reach the Gates. Offshore fishos in the deep blue have been getting mackerel and snapper but the mackerel have the ‘should have been here yesterday’ syndrome. They’re there one day and gone the next. Snapper have been mostly playing the game however, so early mornings out and getting back

by lunch will hopefully see you with a good feed of fish. The headlands have been fishing OK for jewfish and some early season tailor. Hopefully the tailor will stick around and we may be in for a good tailor season. Fingers crossed. The jewfish are in the Jew Hole and around 40 Foot. A few of the razor gang have been caught at 40 Foot too, so take your big gear for them. You will need a small bit of wire leading to your hooks, otherwise you may be bitten off. That’s me for another month. Remember: limit your kill, don’t kill your limit. Tight lines and smelly fingers.

Anthony Melchoir and a Richmond River bass.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 27

April the peak of pelagic season H AVING the Iluka breakwall closed to anglers for the best part of March really curtailed the start of the land-based fishing season here at Iluka.

Mischa Porter captured this jewfish off the beach at Shark Bay using live beach worms as bait during the rising tide at dusk.

Mark landed this hard-fighting little critter on a soft plastic lure at Moleville Rocks on the Clarence River.

Sure, a few anglers still fished the wall during the period when the works were being carried out, but I have been around long enough to know you are asking for trouble standing on rocks that have only just been put in place. It takes a long time for everything to settle properly after new works, with a couple of really big swells a few weeks apart being the best thing that could happen right now. Fran Dowsett of the local newspaper The Independent and I approached the site supervisor requesting they leave a safe walkway out to the point for the safety of anglers, unlike last year when they simply left it so you had to walk on the very top of the wall exposed to the waves. I am pleased to say the supervisor put the request to his boss back in the office and got the go ahead to leave a metrewide pathway between the rocks so anglers will now be offered some protection from the ocean. I know of one tuna being landed last month but a plague of sharks out towards the point of the wall has been eating everything in sight and it has not been uncommon to see 20-30 sharks slashing at bait on the surface in a true feeding frenzy. It never ceases to amaze me how many people come out on the wall with their little toy rods and reels and all the gear under the sun but no gaff or net.

Just Jew

by TYE PORTER

These are the same idiots you hear saying how they hooked a heap of big fish but lost them all on the rocks. In plain simple terms, they are saying they hooked some quality fish but killed them all by washing them into the rocks because they were too stupid to do anything else. As they say, “all the gear but no idea”. When sea conditions permitted, the offshore brigade really got into quality fish and local angler Dan Pianta made the most of his outings by taking plenty of stonking snapper to 9kg off Woody Head using whole slimy mackerel as bait. Dan is big on fishing in a solid berley trail, however on a recent trip offshore he not only heaved a heap of berley overboard but his false teeth as well. Rumour has it that Dan has changed his target species from snapper to grinners in the hope of recovering his fangs. As I mentioned last month, the majority of boats tend to head north to chase mackerel at this time of year, however Shane Mcleay ventured south off Angourie and was rewarded with a 12kg barracuda. April is the peak of the pelagic season here on the far north coast of NSW, so barring a major flood or cyclone, anglers can look forward to the best fishing this area has to offer. Inside the Clarence River, my youngest son Mischa has been having a ball flicking surface lures

around the sand flats for whiting to 39cm along with a handful of bream and pan-sized flathead. Both he and I will be out and about this month chasing jew in the lower reaches of the river on live mullet and hard-bodied lures because April sees the beginning of the annual mullet run and in turn the jew move into the river in large numbers to greet and eat them. Quality tailor continue to be taken from Main Beach here at Iluka on flesh baits, with the average chopper being around the 1.5kg mark. The headlands are also fishing well for tailor and small jew when the sea allows access, and I see this trend continuing this month as the mullet start to move along the coast. Up along Ten Mile Beach at Shark Bay, fishing is still patchy due mainly to the seemingly ever-present swell, though Mischa managed to fluke a nice jew of about 15kg on a recent trip while using live worms meant for big tarwhine. Bream can be found in reasonable numbers from many of the beaches and headlands but most of them are in fairly poor condition. Quality bass are still on the chew throughout the Clarence River system, with father and son team Mark and Jake Hyatt of Grafton catching and releasing fish to 43cm near Moleville Rocks upstream of Grafton. The boys learnt last month that you never say never when it comes to

fishing when they were paddling their kayaks downstream of Copmanhurst and suddenly saw a hell of a commotion occurring in a shallow sandy bay about 100m away. As they paddled closer, they saw a small greyish fin flailing in the shallows and initially thought a small river whaler shark had beached itself. When they arrived at the spot, the splashing had stopped and to their amazement they found a 2.5kg yellowbelly in its last throes of life with its tail bitten off (see picture). Obviously, the little shark had cornered the yellowbelly in the shallow water and was disturbed by the lads’ kayaks. This reminds of a bass outing in my canoe in the Orara River at Ramornie back in the late ‘90s when my fishing partner Aaron Davies and I had a double hook-up on bass, only to see both fish taken by small sharks within a metre of the canoe. Aaron was lucky and got the head of the bass back with his lure still attached, but as luck would have it I lost my bass and favourite

lure to the stinking whaler sharks. The noticeable difference between the two stories is Mark and Jake managed to get a feed of fresh yellowbelly, which is an extremely rare event in any river east of the Great Dividing Range. I have not wet a line this year due to not having a vehicle but hopefully this will change in the near future. This month will see the breakwall swamped by anglers chasing longtail tuna and mackerel, so I will probably give it a miss, and I predict Iluka to be a lot busier than normal given the holidays and the people vacating the Gold Coast while the Commonwealth Games are on. I might have to find a way to get up to Fingal so the whiting whisperer Darren O’Shea can take me fishing at his secret spot and get me onto some of the monster 42cm fish he has been landing. Regardless of the crowds, the April weather makes it a great time to be alive, so get out there and get amongst them. ‘Til next month, safe fishin’.

Grafton father and son team Mark and Jake Hyatt watched this 2kg yellowbelly lose the fight against a small river whaler shark in the Clarence River downstream from Copmanhurst.

Bumper bass action around Newcastle

The author with a 42cm specimen.

A 46cm bass hooked by the author.

Page 28 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

I and welcome to this month of BNB Fishing.

In this article I talk about fishing in the Hunter River chasing bass and also what’s been happening around Newcastle in the salt. To start, I want to give a shout-out to a really good mate and top angler Ben Canvin. Congratulations on catching your PB 50cm bass mate. What a cracker fish. Here’s how it unfolded. Ben Canvin, Nick Berry and I have been hitting the rivers in the Morpeth area for a few seasons now. Being so close to home, we don’t have to go too far to catch a few of these hard-pulling native fish. With Ben and Nick’s house only a five-minute drive away, it’s our number-one spot to chase bass. On most occasions we land fish in the high-40cm range and Nick and Ben had scored fish around 48cm in really skinny waters, but we never cracked the 50cm mark until the other day. We hit a place we have named Slippery 50 Corner. The name came about af-

3WAYSFISHIN – Newcastle by NATHAN ‘NATH’ PALMER

ter working tight structure heading up to this magic place, parking the canoe and yak on the bank, sitting down to change gear to suit the conditions and have a couple of cold ones (slipperies) and work out where we thought the big ones were. On this day it was really hot and humid but on the way to Slippery 50 Corner we didn’t see any surface action. It was getting late in the afternoon and with a storm front on the way we thought deep-diving lures would provide our best chance. It wasn’t long before my first 46cm bass hit the side of the canoe. After a few trolling runs past great structure

around this spot, both Ben’s and my rod had bent over several times. We hooked up on nearly every pass along the 200m of perfect tree-lined riverbanks. We were catching heaps of fish, most in the high40cm range, as well as several in the mid-30s. With only one hour of light left and a slow fiveknot travel back to the car quite a distance away, Ben decided to tie on a deep-diving lure we like to use that always catches fish and in no time his rod bent over and his reel screamed. When I turned around and saw Ben’s face and his rod bent so much that the tip was under water, I knew something big was

on the end of his line and the fight began. This fish took off deep and then turned in search of some structure. If you have ever fished in a canoe with outriggers to hold a petrol 3.5hp motor and 55lb electric, you’ll know they’re not quick to turn around. Ben had to control the electric and his rod to fight the fish at the same time. I was in the front of the canoe and couldn’t help at all. After a few big runs and some incredible movements by Ben, we finally saw the fish and our eyes lit up. We knew it was a cracking fish and after more head shakes and lineburning runs, this epic 50cm bass was in the canoe. High fives were going round and Ben’s drought of 20-odd years spent chasing a 50cm bass in skinny creeks was now broken and flapping around at his feet. I couldn’t have been happier for the guy. We have done so much homework over recent ☛ continued P29

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Bumper bass action around Newcastle ☛ from P28

years up and down the Hunter River in Morpeth and surround and knew a 50cm-plus bass was there. We had seen a picture of a young bloke with a 60cm fish not too far from our spots this season, so it was only a matter of time. A huge congrats Ben. Nick and I are stoked you got one before us (no we’re not haha). If you want to try your luck in the areas we like to fish, just jump on Google Maps and take a look around Morpeth. Other places such as Vacy and Dungog hold more amazing spots for anyone wanting to get into great bass fishing action. Our strategy is to find rock walls with deep holes around the 2-3m mark because they are great spots to target throughout the day. We occasionally bring out surface lures in the afternoon but most times don’t even do that because there are so many tree-lined banks where trolled deep-diving lures work a treat. You just need to get very close to the banks and duck under branches as you go. It comes with great rewards, so give it a shot! It’s a load of fun just kicking back, taking in the sights and waiting for that solid pull on your rod as you hear your reel scream. Now for what’s happening on the saltwater front. Great numbers of whiting are being taken along Stockton Beach, with some solid fish among them. Plenty of worms are along the beaches and as you all know, they are the number-one bait on the beaches. However, fishos are also landing whiting on peeled prawns and pipis. If you are like me and no good at catching worms, keep your bait as fresh as possible and you will score a feed.

It’s been hard to find pipis of late compared to a few years back when they were in huge numbers, but you can still get them if you know where to look. The best bet is up towards the Anna Bay four-wheel-drive entry point. Take the kids because it’s heaps of fun showing them how to find pipis, but remember they are only for bait as you cannot take them more than 50m beyond the high-tide mark in NSW. To avoid a big fine, remember to put the ones you don’t use back and don’t take them home. I like to put some sand in my bucket and fill it with water so I can return them to the water after I’m done. That way they are not harmed and will be there for someone else to have fun with. Also, don’t forget the NSW limit of 20 whole or part beach worms, so please don’t take more than you need. Behind the soccer field you can find good gutters for whiting and big bream. I had a mate take his young bloke there recently on an early morning rising tide and nearly every cast they had a fish on the end of their rods. They didn’t have to stay long to get a feed. This is good news after the big storm we had a month ago because again the big swell took away most of the spots we like to fish. It’s really bad for the Stockton residents as the erosion along their beaches is everworsening. I hope after the meeting the locals had with the politicians that they get the money they need to stop the disaster from happening again. It seems no one is listening because the erosion keeps occurring every year after a huge storm. Jewfish are getting about in big numbers on the beaches

Nick Berry held a healthy 42cm fish.

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and being taken on worms and live yakkas. The best spots are out the front of Tin City and where the Sygna shipwreck used to be. Right in front of the 4WD entry at Lavis Lane is one of my main spots for fishing for jew, whiting and most other treats including flathead, bream and salmon. I would hit this location first because the gutters are still there but I’m told salmon are a pest at the moment and there are large numbers of sharks, so bring plenty of bait. I like to fish the run-in tide and if you can time it with either a late afternoon or early morning session you should have some fun and might get away from the pest fish. Newcastle Harbour is holding loads of jewfish, flathead and bream, with Stockton Bridge one of the places to be. If you’re chasing big flathead and jew, they have been caught on yakkas and large plastics. The top and bottom of the tides with no water movement are best for landing good size fish here. The run-out tide has been OK too, but if you can handle getting there at around 2am on the top of the tide and throwing a live bait out you will score quality jewfish. Some soapies are in the mix though, so be prepared to sift through the smaller fish. Away from the bridge, drift with the tides and get your plastics working between the sand bars to score the fish. I’m so shattered to see sad faces on the Hunter, with no river prawns this year due to not enough rain to wake them up and push them downstream. These old salts chase them every year and this lean season has broken their backs, with some saying they don’t think they will be prawning next year because they’ve run out of money. They say a drought on land is a drought at sea and I finally get that saying. To see a fisher or farmer lose their income and livelihood is really hard to swallow. After going through a dry and hot season lacking the rain to get the prawns running, I feel for these hard-working souls. I really hope they can get through this tough season to continue selling their hardearned time to give us the prawns we love to eat. We locals can’t thank them enough for what they do to earn a living. I hope they are around next year. That’s me for this month. Tight lines everyone.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 29

Good options offshore from Sunshine Coast

The author scored a pan-sized snapper. Photos: fishingnoosa. com.au

HERE is lots to like about the Sunshine Coast in April.

The days are slowly becoming a little cooler, allowing the water temperature to decrease. This in turn sees the start of the cooler water species biting, such as snapper for the offshore anglers, bream for the river fishers and tailor for the surf gurus, just to name a few. Even though water temperatures will be dropping, the odd spanish mackerel will be around for offshore anglers who enjoy the low and slow trolling method. Spaniard Specials and Halco Laser Pro 190 XDD bibbed minnows in colour 1250 are excellent lure choices, and they dive deep to where the

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Sunshine Coast by WADE QUALISCHEFSKI

fish will be holding. April is a great month to go bottom bouncing for species including coral trout, snapper and grass sweetlip. Early mornings are best for trout. Teamed with a high tide and live baits such as yakkas and slimy mackerel, you are in with a real chance. If you can’t get livies, the good-old squid and pilchards will also get the job done. Rig livies on a two-gang setup with the first hook through the mouth and the second swinging under the belly. Another great option and my favourite method is micro jigging. This technique for tangling with reef species is gaining momentum. Coltsniper Wonderfalls from Shimano and the Palms Slow Blatt Oval and Wide are outstanding and have the runs on the board. Simply let them flutter to the bottom and then work them up 4-5m before opening the bail arm and letting the jig drop again. Keep a close eye on the line as the jig makes its way to the bottom because most times they are taken on the drop. Be ready because fish hooked on a micro jig will hit hard and as soon as they feel they are hooked will head for the nearest bit of coral or hidey hole and the fight will be over before it begins. When bait fishing, try using a running sinker rig with the bait on the bottom. Ensure you use a luminous bead to protect your knots from being bashed by the heavy ball sinker. When fishing reefs such as North, Murphys and Sunshine, try to fish smaller, isolated patches because this is where the bigger fish will be waiting in ambush for a passing morsel. Out wider on the Barwon Banks where the water is a little cooler, you can expect to find pearl perch and snapper. Bigger snapper are mainly taken from the southern end of the Banks including the broken reefs just off the southern tip. Pearl perch are liking the deeper water in the 60m-plus zone around the middle of the eastern side of the Banks. That is the great thing about this time of year – the options are endless. In the Noosa River, plenty of larger whiting are back on the chew. If using bait, live sand worms, yabbies and soldier crabs are perfect. For those keen to try surface fishing or sight casting, give the Bassday Sugapen and Ecogear PX55 a go. The PX55s are fitted with stinger hooks as well as a treble and are deadly on the whiting. Trevally are still in good numbers around the lower reaches. Fishing the Woods Bays, the back of Noosa Sound and Munna Point has seen great results for anglers using surface lures in low-light periods. As the sun sets, try using micro jigs and soft plastics.

Flesh baits such as cut pillies and mullet strips have worked well for bream, flathead and trevally. It’s imperative to use lighter fluorocarbon leaders such as the Shogun Ice-Clear range to improve your bite rate. Really nice mangrove jack have been on the chew, with some large fish taken over recent weeks. Fishing into the night with live baits has been the key. The Maroochy River has experienced a flathead eruption, with loads of good-sized lizards taken in the stretch between the motorway bridge and Bli Bli islands. Most fish are being caught while drifting along casting soft plastics at fallen timber and slow rolling the mud flats. The Squidgies Bio Tough Wriggler and Fish patterns along with any of your bloodworm and cracked peppercoloured favourites will be perfect. Outside the mouth of Twin Waters has seen surface action aplenty, with a wide variety of trevally caught on surface lures such as the Nomad Dartwing 70mm. Inside Twin Waters, the bridges are still producing mangrove jack on fresh mullet and bonito fillets. Try rigging these baits unweighted with a 2/0 or 3/0 lightweight octopus-style hook such as the Mustad Penetrator. If you want to sneak upriver a little further in search of a few crabs, try Coolum Creek

and the Dunethin Rocks areas where some really nice bucks have been potted. In the lower reaches, goodsized whiting have been taken on the Black Banks, around Chambers Island and at the back of Goat Island on live yabbies and worms. Fish the run-in tide for the best results. On the beaches, it’s looking like the start of an early tailor run, with good fish landed on the Gold Coast already. It won’t be too long before we see them on the Sunshine Coast. Sizeable dart and whiting have been captured in the lowwater gutters during the last of the run-out along the Mudjimba to Peregian Beach stretch. Jewfish have started to get out and about, with the new moon phase seeming to be the better time. If you are fishing the open beach gutters, try using fresh worms on a Tru-Turn Forged Worm Hook. For those fishing the rocks, a real mixed bag has been brought in, with squire and sweetlip caught over the past couple of weeks on the Yaroomba and Double Island Point rocks. It’s important to note this style of fishing is sure to improve as the water cools over the next month or so. Don’t forget to check in to fishingnoosa.com.au for all the latest up-to-date info on fishing and bar crossings. The knowledgeable teams at Davo’s Tackle World Noosa and Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola can provide you with the right equipment, bait and advice to ensure success!

Davage Holt with a spanish mackerel caught while trolling a garfish from his kayak.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 31

Exploring the Cooloola Coast H

Narelle, the author and Magregor.

I, it’s Craig Tomkinson here.

With April upon us, hopefully the weather settles down because the past two months have been pretty ordinary. I upgraded my Marine Operations Certificate to an Up To 24m Near Coastal or the old Master 5 and it has been blowing ever since. I was talking to my mate Paul Glover and he said he has run bugger-all charters on Wild Thing 2 out of Noosa in the past few months and I have done just one on Trekka 2, so I got a job as a cleaner at one of our local schools and it has worked out great because I either do a three or six-hour shift a day. It’s a great job because I am inside and considering all the wet weather of late it’s the driest I have been in a job for many a year. I’m on a diet too. I started at 93kg on New Year’s Day and am down to 86.5kg at the time of writing. My goal is to get under 80kg by my birthday in April. Once the weather starts to come good by the end of April, the fishing in close to Noosa and Double Island Point should be great, with mixed reef fish and mackerel on the chew. Fish including pearl and moses perch, grass sweetlip and snapper should be in numbers on the middle reef grounds and on the top of North Reef at Noosa. I have not caught many red emperor over the past

Noosa to Fraser Coast by CRAIG TOMKINSON

six years and that’s only because I haven’t got a 6m boat anymore. I used to love getting out past my marks and finding new ones because productive country is everywhere off Double Island in 55-65m. They seem to be hungry at this time of year because no one has been able to fish for them too much over summer. My older sister Narelle has been living in America for over 30 years and lately came back to Australia on holidays to catch up with friends and family. She stayed with my wife Donna and I a couple of times for a few days and we played tour guide. On the first trip it had been pouring rain and most local creeks were flooded, so we had to watch where we went to avoid getting stuck. We hopped in our trusty old 80 Series LandCruiser and headed out to Imbil where our mum was born. We had a look at Borumba Dam that Donna’s dad help build in the early sixties, then we went past the old Imbil pub that our granddad Otto Balthes used to manage. Then we trekked into Brooloo, where there was a pub our granddad managed for a while prior to it burning down. From there, we headed

to Kenilworth and out to the Fig Tree Walk. This is a lovely spot, and we did the walk before heading back to Kenilworth for a delicious meat pie from the bakery in the main street. Sis had not eaten a meat pie for about 30 years and in her Yanky voice said: “Oh my god this is good.” And so was the custard doughnut (these are the things that make it hard for me to stick to my diet). We headed home from there. On Narelle’s second visit, we drove over to the southern end of Teewah Beach near the Noosa River mouth. It was really nice and we walked around the Frying Pan, which had changed since Donna and I were there a few weeks prior. Then it was just a big shallow bay full of soldier crabs, and now there was a deep channel right around it from all the big swells we’d had over the past few weeks. We drove up the beach a bit further and found a spot with no rips and had a swim. I even had a body surf, which I have not done in years. I caught quite a few waves without getting a face full of sand and it was great fun. The next day, we went on a mystery tour out

Ridgewood way and then around Belli Creek we turned into Buckby Rd and drove up to Point Glorious Lookout. Then we headed along the Cooloolabin area, through Mapleton National Park and back down to Nambour. From there, we went up the highway to Yandina and had a look at Pat Rafter’s old house because Narelle is a mad-keen tennis player and coach and watched him win the US Open years ago. Then we travelled up Sunrise Rd, popped out at Tinbeerwah Hall, crossed the road and went up to Tinbeerwah Lookout. What a great view with huge showers of rain coming in from the ocean over Noosa and across the hinterland. I sometimes forget what great natural beauty we have in our local area. This year my mate Dave Kowitz and I might head up to Cape York a bit earlier because Dave has bought a newer fourwheel-drive in the form of a 2010 model 2.5-litre

turbo diesel Nissan Navara dual cab. So I suggested we take both 4WDs on this trip and Dave can tow my 5m tinnie because he has more power and the boat, motor and trailer weighs about 1.2 tonnes. I will tow my totally rebuilt 1983 pop-up van. The van will make setting up heaps quicker, which will make it a lot easier to move around. If it dries out enough, on the way home I would love to go into Bathurst Head for a look and stay a couple of days. Then ideally we’d slip back to Musgrave and out to Pormpuraaw and down the Gulf road. Or, if we cannot cross the Mitchell River, we’ll head 22km south of Musgrave, make a turn and go through that road to Dunbar, before making our way to Delta Downs to see if we can reach it to Duck Creek. I have heard a lot about this area and would love to have a look and a fish. ‘Til next month, be safe on the water and roads.

Borumba Dam.

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www.kareemarine.com.au Page 32 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

Narelle at Point Glorious Lookout.

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Penny scored her first longtail tuna. These school-sized fish have been abundant.

Damien with a beauty of a golden trevally taken on a jig

Lure choices for Hervey Bay T HE autumn mayhem has begun and tuna have been a pretty steady feature of late.

Both mack and longtail tuna have been willing to take lures and the first few days of March didn’t disappoint in terms of weather – glass out! However, the fun was short lived and since then most of Queensland has been dominated by heavy wind and rain. Spotties made a strong but brief comeback during the calm beginning after disappearing for most of February. Whether they will still be about when the strong winds abate is a lottery. I hope so, because they make for a more interesting tour, particularly if the crew wants a feed. Often they are encountered while in transit to the next fishing area. Sharks have been an extreme nuisance around the mackerel and for some reason are incredibly bold when attacking this species. Standout lures for mackerel have been small metals retrieved at speed. In general, the most commonly used lure in Hervey Bay is a soft plastic of some type, usually on a 3/4oz or 1oz jig head manufactured by TT Lures. For tuna, I like the ZMan StreakZ, and colour is not always an issue. I usually carry Bubble

Fraser Guided Fishing by TRI TON

Gum, Space Guppy and Opening Night. I find action is usually more important than colour. In a schooling situation where a certain bait is predominant, you may want to fool the tuna into chasing and not thinking. In this instance, speed is king. At other times, the jiggly plastic works well. The beauty of a soft plastic on a heavy jig head is while you’re chasing tuna you may see fish deeper and you can immediately present the same lure to the fish on the sounder. That quick transition can often result in a hook-up. You cannot do that with a stickbait, even a sinking one, because most sinking stickbaits sink fairly slowly. However, the best lure for presenting to moving schools of deep fish is usually a jig. Of late, the Palms Slow Blatt 60g has been best. Jigs are fast-sinking and make for accurate presentations. At times I will drive around with one ready to drop. However, the extra gear floating around can make life difficult when I’ve got a crowded boat full of casting anglers. Jigging style can vary

but it’s definitely not slow or fast-pitch jigging. It’s somewhere in between, with the lure yoyoing on the tip of the rod. If you are lucky, the fish will just eat it on the drop. The old metal slice is handy too. They can flutter a fair bit on the drop, so keep that in mind. They might not be as accurate but they caught plenty of fish before we started using more specialised jigging tackle. The upside to the oldfashioned slice such as a Spanyid Raider or SureCatch Knight is you can also crank them fast across the surface to mimic gar and flying fish. This method proved itself over many decades, well before the advent of lures such as the GT Ice Cream. And if the flying fish in the area are small, you will also be matching the hatch well. If the fish spotted on the sounder refuse jigs, go back to a soft plastic curl grub, preferably in a natural colour. Brown and amber seem to work well. I like small bounces of the rod tip on the retrieve because the curl tail will move plenty of water on its own. Curl grubs even fished

‘dead-stick’ will have plenty of life. Back to the surface feeders, and as much as I love stickbaits, they are one of the most specialised lures we use, whether they’re the stroke and swim style or the fast-cranking pencil popper such as those from Cotton Cordell. They usually catch fish only when retrieved a certain way. For some reason, anglers love to have plenty of them and most don’t even have a clue how to use them. I find them most effective when casting distance is paramount, but because they are generally heavier you might require a heavier, more specialised rod to use them. The hook-up rate on stickbaits is lower too. Often the bulk and stiffness of the lure results in poor hook lodgement. With the first head shake the lure is commonly thrown or pulled by the angler. Stickbaits are very effective in the right situation and the surface bite is most definitely gratifying, but if you haven’t boated a tuna before you’d best ask me what is the ‘goto lure’ before you waste your morning casting a big lure for no result.

> Hervey Bay > Fraser Island > Sandy Strait

Mawson was back again, this time landing a lovely mack tuna.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 33

Tide Times Sponsored by

Rain, rain and more rain H

I all, how good has the past month’s weather been, with all this muchneeded rainfall?

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WADDY POINT - FRASER ISLAND

Page 34 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

However, the weather makes it hard to partake in many outdoor activities when the creeks and rivers are in flood and country backroads closed. Opinions on the weather differ widely between individuals. It reminds me of the old saying about whether the glass is either half full or empty. In saying that, I’m aware my glass is overflowing and so are my rainwater tanks. The rains bring new life to the land and my paddocks are lush with green grasses. Apart from walking out my back door and staring out at a beautiful Mary Valley backdrop, what benefits do these flooding rains have for outdoor enthusiasts and how do they positively affect our future adventures? I was reflecting while looking at one of my local creeks in flood and thinking of its bass population. It’s no secret that by December/January our native bass are pushed well into our backwaters and deep into the creek systems. Generally, during February and March they will begin a journey to the coastlines to breed, which roughly coincides with the time of our rainy season and cyclones. Is this a natural cycle and do our flooded rivers assist bass in their journey? Many local creeks are a series of shallow trickling waters feeding into deep holes and then returning to shallow streams. Flooding and the breaking of riverbanks onto floodplains generates migratory and travelling opportunities for many freshwater species. Golden perch is the perfect example of a freshwater species often stocked in impoundments. This species will not spawn in these bodies of water and wild river fish will only breed when water levels are rising. Flooding stimulates the need to spawn and adult fish will push upstream to lay their eggs. Strong water flows help distribute the eggs throughout the entire waterway. Floods can have a negative effect too, by washing chemicals into our waterways, though they are also responsible for spreading nutrients and replenishing other food sources. Fingerlings and juvenile fish are reliant on these events for their future wellbeing. Many of our saltwater species benefit from a good estuary flush as well. I’ve encountered memorable sessions just before an intense weather event where it almost feels as if the fish are trying to gorge themselves.

Mary Valley by PAUL ‘CHIEF’ GRAVESON

Do they sense the oncoming period of poor visibility, fast currents and possible changes in feeding conditions? Mulloway will congregate around the dirty water lines between salt water and freshwater run-off created by flood conditions and take advantage of this opportunity. It seems flooding is an important factor in the lives of our fish stocks. Exposure to too much fresh water can have devastating effects on saltwater species and even cause large fish kills, which is why fish move downstream to river mouths and congregate where they can find locations with higher salinity. It’s a situation many anglers use to their advantage. Another point worth remembering, and something I’ve encountered many times in the Brisbane River, is fresh runoff has less substance than salt water. The two will not mix well, so you may see dirty brown fresh run-off on the surface but an incoming tide will actually push clean salty water along in the bottom column. This is why we have picked up squire holding on the bottom in the Port of Brisbane while the river surface is brown and fresh and full of flotsam and debris. However, it all depends on the severity and amount of local flooding. I know the feeling of disappointment when that fishing trip seems doomed, but that shortterm pain will lead to long-term gains. Another positive of runoff time in our southeast Queensland systems is the fantastic mud crabbing. Pick a window of opportunity to set the pots and brave the conditions to harvest a present from the gods. I’m sure the local Noosa fishing outlets have been selling a few crab pots because it seems everyone and their dog has set a few pots. The majority of catches have been jennies but some cracking bucks are also on the move. Our local waterways have felt huge impacts from the rain but so has the land. Areas around Charleville have reported their best rains in over 68 years. Native lands respond quickly and vegetation growth results in spikes in animal populations. Good conditions mean more kangaroos, pigs and feral animals. Knowing animal behaviour certainly helps when hunting with the bow. In dry conditions, concentrations of animals will use dams and waterholes for drinking water,

making them ideal ambush areas. With an abundance of water, animals have no need to travel to these target spots and they will remain spread over large areas of countryside, making things more challenging for the hunter. The red deer roar is currently occurring in the Mary Valley and I know one lucky chap who has just taken three weeks of holidays to disappear onto a 6000-plus acre Mary Valley property pursuing a trophy stag. This weather will bring the temperature down and assist in bringing on the roar. A buck will mark an area as his claim and call in a harem of hinds with who he will mate. He will protect this area with vengeance against any young bucks of less stature. His bellowing will help identify his general location. Rattling pieces of antlers together will imitate the sound of two bucks fighting and this should bring the territorial male charging to see who’s invading his patch. The flooding brings many nutrients and soil deposits onto our floodplains. Renewed growth of grasses and foliage means a time of plenty during the hinds’ gestation period. Floods are just part of nature’s cycle and they

can have both negative and positive effects on our flora and fauna. If we don’t experience this replenishment of groundwater systems, country will eventually die off. So it’s something we are best copping on the chin and using the valuable time to service our boats and reels and replenish tackle. My reels have had their

drag systems cleaned and are silky smooth, while their spools have been filled with new braid. I’ve just cleaned a few hunting arrows and used the fletching machine to bring them up like new. My broadheads are also sharpened like razor blades. Until next time, get outdoors and enjoy what is on offer. Cheers, Chief.

The author’s cousin David scored a feed of muddies.

Bream are always quick to return after floods. Young Riley showed off his catch.

The Brodericks with a couple of Noosa River mud crabs.

A beautiful southeast Queensland red stag with a couple of hinds in the background.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

More wind on the way W

ITH another cyclone/tropical low approaching our coastline, it seems likely it will be a little while before we see the fresh water replaced by salt in some of our systems, especially the Burnett and Kolan rivers.

I am confident the end result will be better fishing when the salt finally makes its way upstream and the systems are refreshed. With autumn upon us, I am keen to keep an eye on the weekly weather forecasts, seeking a break in the weather. Surely we will see good windows to head offshore for an overnighter in the near future! A positive that does arise from long breaks away from fishing is our fish stocks have a reprieve from fishing pressure and this can only improve fishing in the future. Trip preparations and maintenance I have been slowly working about ensuring my big boat is ready to head east when the opportunity eventually arises, checking safety gear, trailer brakes and the rest of the list. I almost got caught out last time with out-of-date flares (by two days!) but was able to borrow a current flare pack from a good mate for the trip, ensuring I was carrying all the required safety gear. Take the time after you read this article to actually walk out to your boat and check your safety gear. Ensure you have lifejackets in good repair with the necessary reflective tape in good nick, flares within their useable period and an EPIRB within its useable period and registered with the Australian Mari-

Bundaberg Region by BRAD YOUNG

time Safety Authority. I also need to drop the trailer in to a brake shop as one of the rear brake callipers seems to be sticking or not releasing and so is heating up the wheel. I always sink the trailer into a local freshwater ramp after a saltwater launch and retrieve, and give it a good flush by operating the outboard in slow reverse. This ensures the salt is washed away and I use the trip home to warm up the brakes to dry them out before the trailer is parked. All in all, I want to be able to head to Agnes Water/1770 when the weather is suitable and not be let down by a mechanical breakdown. With this edition of BNB scheduled to hit the shelves just on Easter, local water police and fisheries officers will be out and about, actively monitoring boating safety equipment and bag/size limits. Make sure you are ready to go and have all the necessary safety gear. Remember, you cannot be fined if you have the right gear! Offshore windows small but productive While I had commitments preventing me from heading offshore in a recent short window of opportunity, a couple of mates were able to head out and bring home some fish. The location of their fishing remained closely guarded and neither provided me with too much information but as they were only out for an afternoon/evening fish, I

believe they were only 1525km off the coast. Both brought home a good feed. Considering the experience we had with sharks the last time we fished the 15 Mile, I have had to put together a few new rigs in preparation for the next trip. Round Hill Creek Bar in the news The extremely shallow entrance at the bar at the mouth of Round Hill Creek at 1770 is continuing to receive coverage in local papers, and understandably so. Safe access in and out of Round Hill Creek is necessary to ensure safe passage for vessels making their way up and down our coastline as they seek a safe stopover as well as fuel and supplies. Offshore anglers in smaller boats (5-8m) rely on a safe entry/departure point as they head offshore, and local professional fishers, commercial operators to Musgrave Island, fishing charters and the local volunteer marine rescue team all depend upon safe access. This is not so at present, especially for the 14 days of each month either side of the new and full moons when the lowest tides (spring lows) see minimal water available, even for smaller vessels. With many anglers spending quite a while in the twin towns of Agnes Water and 1770, a range of businesses are likely to feel things getting tighter if visitor numbers drop. Fuel, ice, bait, repairs, accommodation, food, drinks and so on are required for boaties spend-

ing time in the area. For the two weeks I would stay at 1770 over a school holiday period, I often fill the boat with fuel at least three times and pick up bait and ice. Add to this our food bills for the week and a night or two at the pub/ tavern for dinner and the dollars begin to add up. Let’s hope things are improved and the State Government looks to work with the local council to rectify the situation. Crabbers fined Another case of local ‘crabbers’ being caught with too many crabs and undersized/jenny crabs recently hit the papers. This is the second local case over the past six months. Many crabbers would probably enjoy seeing more prosecutions as a deterrent to those who raid/ steal and damage others’ pots and/or fish outside the current regulations. Rules are never effective if they are not enforced and it would be great to see even more work done to improve the situation. Ex-HMAS Tobruk update Preparations for the sinking of ex-HMAS Tobruk are well under way with a planned ‘sinking on site’ to hopefully occur in June. While ex-HMAS Tobruk will be a designated dive site and fishing will not be permitted in the vicinity, it is still likely to provide an additional fish-supporting structure in our area, increasing the biodiversity off our coastline. As always, I can be contacted via the Bush n Beach website bnbfish ing.com.au, by email at fishnboat@bigpond.com and post at PO Box 5812 Bundaberg West Queensland 4670. Until next month…

Huge prize pool at VMR Bundaberg Fishing Classic

MR Bundaberg is holding its 13th Family Fishing Classic from June 29 to July 1, 2018 at Burnett Heads. The lucky draw prize pool again includes three Quintrex boats with outboards and trailers. Two of the boats are Explorer 390s with wraps and 30hp Suzuki outboards, while the big prize is a side console Renegade 420 with a

40hp Suzuki outboard. All boats are on trailers and the packages include registrations and safety packages. The three boats have a total value of $41,000 and the overall prize pool will exceed $70,000. The Classic runs from near the VMR base at Burnett Heads (near Bundaberg) over the three days, with an open offshore category as well as senior and

junior estuary categories. Estuary fishing allows for catch and release as well as dead weigh-ins. The registration form and rules are available at vmrbundaberg fishingclassic.com.au along with details of previous Classics. Registrations are $35 for adults, $10 for children and $80 for a family of two adults and three children. A strong list of cat-

egory prizes will again be on offer. Plenty of great food stalls and a licensed bar will be present to ensure everyone enjoys their weekend. The grand finale to the Saturday night program will be a Fire in the Sky fireworks spectacular sponsored by Harvey Norman Bundaberg and Hitz 939 FM. Mark the date – get the bait… or just register for the lucky draws.

COMPETITION DATES COMPETITION

DATE

LOCATION

2018 Moura Muddy Water Classic Family Fishing Competition

Mar 31Apr 1

Dawson River – Graeme McGreevy 0428 195 362 or Zelma Lewis 0428 971 932 E: m.a.f.s.g@bigpond.com

Gamakatsu Team Series Grand Final

Apr 7

Bribie Island, QLD fishingcomps.com.au

Normanton Barra Classic

Apr 18-20

Norman River – 07 4745 1218 E: barracomp@hotmail.com

ABBT* Bass Singles

Apr 21-22

Cania Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

ABBT* Bass Singles

May 19-20 Borumba Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

ABBT* X-Factor Teams

Jun 9-10

Boondooma Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

Taroom Fishing Competition

Jun 9-10

Glebe Weir, Taroom – Harry Johnson 0427 361 631

Tweed Coast Marine Greenback Fishing Comp

Jun 9-10

Cabarita Beach – Stephen Duffield 0421 052 135 W: lionsgreenback.com

VMR Bundaberg Family Fishing Classic

Jun 29Jul 1

Burnett Heads – vmrbundabergfishingclassic.com.au

ABBT* X-Factor Teams

Jul 28-29

Cania Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

ABBT* Bass Singles

Aug 18-19

Somerset Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

Reel Wivenhoe Classic

Aug 18-19

Lake Wivenhoe – fishingfreshwater.com.au

Catch a Catty Family Fishing Comp

Aug 25-26 Mingo Crossing – John or Ruth Rokesky 07 4127 7252 or 0429 689 821

ARB Moreton Island Fishing Classic

Aug 29Sep 2

Moreton Island Beach Fishing moretonislandadventures.com.au/events

ABBT* Bass Singles

Sep 15-16

Wuruma Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

WTF Women That Fish Barra Classic

Sep 21-22

Rockhampton – Shara Vanhaeren 0429 923 243

Bowen Family Fishing Classic

Sep 22-23 Bowen – Russ McCabbin 0428 776 653 or 07 4786 3899 bowenfamilyfishingclassic@yahoo.com.au

ABBT* Bass Singles

Oct 13-14

BP Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

ABBT* X-Factor Teams Grand Final

Oct 27-28

Dam TBA – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

ABBT* Bass Grand Final

Nov 24-25 Cania Dam – Russell Nowland a/hrs 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

*Australian Basstasstic Bass Tournament To have your competition listed in the calendar please phone (07) 3286 1833, email design@bnbfishing.com.au or fax (07) 3821 2637

Team ‘This is it’ with a 7.36kg red emperor and coral trout going 5.1kg, 2.67kg and 2.63kg from 2017.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

A Quintrex Renegade 420 similar to this boat is the major lucky draw prize.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 35

Rory Ferguson was super keen to catch his first legal red emperor and with plenty of patience got the reward he had hoped for. The author and his father Terry with some well-earned red emperor after sharks ate most good fished hooked.

Breaksea Spit reefies revisited ■ New DF350A outboard ■ Sharks galore

WAS recently asked by The Haines Group/Suzuki Marine team if I was interested in planning a fishing trip with them to the Breaksea Spit region, Fraser Island.

Terry Lamprecht held a big hard-fighting and colourful spangled emperor caught from the top end of Breaksea Spit.

Amberjack are hard and dirty fighters and this one put in a great battle on an 8000 Shimano Saragosa with 40lb Pandora braid on a Venom 15-50lb spin rod.

The idea was to get a mixture of Haines Signature and Riptide plate alloy boats with Suzuki outboards up there to do some product testing in a remote offshore fishing environment. This would also be my second good run with the all-new Suzuki DF350A I recently put on my Riptide. More on this later in the article. After lots of planning and a close watch on the weather, the stars aligned and we headed for Hervey Bay at lunchtime Friday. We also had The Haines Group general manager Ryan Lloyd driving his big 2800 PowerCat Centre console with twin 200hp Suzukis by water from Manly to Hervey Bay to use as a storage and camera boat. I nicknamed Ryan ‘Captain Cook’ for the big drive he committed to and after an eight-hour commute by sea, he arrived

Breaksea & Beyond DVD Join Greg Lamprecht and his Wicked Fishing crew as they fish the Breaksea Spit region north of Fraser Island on the southern Great Barrier Reef. Featuring 24 different species of fish including red emperor to 17kg and drag-screaming marlin and wahoo action. Experience fascinating and rarely seen underwater footage of fish roaming the reefs in their natural habitat. Greg combines this footage with sounder readings to create a fantastic learning tool that won’t be forgotten. POINT & BEYOND D

20 Species Fraser Island Rainbow Beach & Double Island Point Rarely Seen Underwater Footage

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Fishing Trip by GREG LAMPRECHT

at Hervey Bay for a refuel before continuing on with the rest of us. We all headed for Rooney Point at the top end of Fraser Island, where we would stay the first night ready for an early departure offshore Saturday morning. Lucky for us, Greg Haines happened to be there already with his beautiful Maritimo and we all piled on this awesome boat for some drinks and a good laugh. After a bit of sleep, we woke up at 3.30am ready to head for the bar. We also had keen topwater fisho Mathew Scholz in his Haines 543SF arrive ready to get in on the action as well. We all crossed Two Mile Channel on Breaksea Spit and it was the best I’d ever seen it. It was exceptionally wide and had great water depth the entire way through the channel. We had planned to fish the Sandy Cape shoals where the two Haines boats would throw poppers and stickbaits for GTs and other pelagics while me and the other Riptide would troll lures and swim gar for pelagic fish. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the fish to turn up and a couple of hours passed with minimal rewards other than some stinking barracuda and a few yellowfin tuna. After a slow start, we decided to go reef fishing. With the other boats heading to one area, I decided to try another where I’ve caught reds on small isolated rocks before. It started very slowly, with just the odd mixed reef fish from several rocks before I hooked a very solid fish that felt like a red emperor. Ryan and Suzuki’s cameraman Virgil were close by in Ryan’s cat ready to film some action when it happened.

They had drifted away, so I radioed through that I was hooked up. By now I had the fish well and truly coming up, so I slowed it down to allow them to film it hitting the surface. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a good move and not far from the boat I got sharked and it was all over. I was gutted and knew it was going to be a tough day. I went back for another drift and hooked another red. This time it was all on camera but I got sharked not long after hooking the fish and began playing tug of war with the shark. Eventually it let go and all I pulled up was a bare set of red emperor jaws/ lips, which was a first for me. Unfortunately, the shark problem continued, so I moved on and found some ground on the 100m line and we started pulling in pearl perch, rosy jobfish, venus tuskfish and maori cod. With the fishing slowing, I decided to spend a few hours searching for new ground in 50m of water and I managed to mark about 15 small new rocks in a relatively small area. We went back and started fishing these rocks and while we pulled in a good mixed bag of reef fish, all the decent fish were sharked time and time again. After going through loads of hooks and rigs, it became hugely frustrating because we lost about 10 nice reds before we pulled the pin and headed back to Roonies to meet up with everyone else. On Sunday we decided to take a different approach. The other Riptide and I would fish the northern section of Breaksea Spit, the Haines 543SF side console would chase longtail tuna inside Hervey

Bay and the big Haines 788SF centre console would fish the shoals and meet us later for some reef fishing. We arrived at the northern section of Breaksea and the pressure was on because I had Virgil on board ready to capture some action. I came over a nice show of fish and swung the boat around ready to drop. My bait had hardly hit the bottom when I got a solid thump and sunk the hooks into a quality fish, buckling the rod over. I looked over the other side of the boat to see my old man hooked up too. I’ve never been so nervous trying to land a fish and I was hoping the sharks would leave them alone so we could put some decent fish on the deck. To my relief, two schoolsized reds came over the side and I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see the colour red. I’ve been lucky to have an almost 15-year run of catching reds every trip I try for them and I was starting to think this was the trip where I might finally break my long red emperor run. We continued to drift that same spot and unfortunately, like the 50 or so spots we had already fished, the sharks soon found us and cleaned up any good fish we hooked. I kept moving around and we picked up various reefies including a thumping spangled emperor of about 8kg but spot after spot the sharks gave us a hiding, so I headed for the 100m line and found a big show of fish. The fish were on the chew and we were pulling in big venus tuskfish, maori cod, pearl perch and yellowtail kingfish one after another. After an hour or so the fishing slowed, so we came back to the 50m area and fished new and old spots but once again the sharks ate any good fish we hooked. By now it was the mid☛ continued P37

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Breaksea Spit reefies revisited ☛ from P36

dle of the day and the seas were a glass-out. Fishing was getting tough, so I went to a spin outfit with 40lb line with a 5 ball sinker to try to better present the baits and get the fish to bite. Straight away it started working and I had various reefies coming over the side including a very solid amberjack that gave me a real workout. This fish was followed by another huge spangled emperor before coming across another nice show that produced a red emperor of about 8kg. I couldn’t believe my luck. I was catching good fish on light line and wasn’t getting sharked. Unfortunately, that luck soon ran out and both Dad and I were hooking great fish but getting sharked over and over. All you can do is drive away when the sharks turn up like that because it’s a complete waste of good fish and you will rarely beat the taxman. The other boats were experiencing the same problem but still caught a good feed including Rory landing his first legal red and James boating a nice green jobfish. It was now late afternoon, so we decided to pull the pin and head for Roonies to meet up, have a swim and exchange stories with the other boats. Matty Scholz and Ryan’s

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camera boat had a good day inside Hervey Bay catching longtail tuna but it turns out they had huge issues with the sharks as well, which was no surprise. All in all, it turned out to be an excellent weekend with unreal weather, good company and some fish on the deck. The sharks were the worst I’ve ever seen and made it extremely hard to land fish and remain patient with the constant re-rigging. Hats off to the entire crew at The Haines Group/Suzuki for thinking outside the box and wanting to put their boats and outboards through real-life fishing situations. If you would like to fish the Breaksea Spit region, be sure to grab a copy of my DVD Breaksea & Beyond, which will give you all the information you need to fish this area. Order at wickedfishing. com.au As mentioned earlier, I recently put the all-new Suzuki DF350A on my boat. Many readers might remember an article I wrote last year on the new Suzuki DF250AP I had fitted to repower my 7m Riptide. The performance and economy from this outboard was nothing short of brilliant and after a year of use, Jon Eadie from Bayside Suzuki Marine, in conjunction with Suzuki Australia, gave me

an opportunity to try out the Suzuki DF350A and put it through its paces. This 4.4-litre V6 Lean Burn outboard runs a duo prop setup, which is vastly different to what the outboard market has traditionally used. Duo props offer exceptional grip/thrust, eliminating a huge percentage of slip that conventional props suffer from. This equates to better fuel efficiency and overall performance. During testing, I was blown away by the sheer thrust it produced and if you weren’t holding on, you’d be out the back in a split second. The DF350A is about 40kg heavier than the DF250AP but I noticed it didn’t weigh the boat down in any way, rather the opposite. The duo prop creates a lot of lift in the rear, making it feel lighter, and I found myself giving it more positive trim to bring the bow up compared to singlepropped outboards I’ve run in the past. Though duo props were never designed for topend speed, it still reaches just under 50 knots at 6300rpm, which is surprising considering my hull speed isn’t usually great due to having a large fairing block in the keel that houses three throughhull transducers just forward of the transom. When I had this in-

stalled, my old Suzuki DF225 lost about five knots of top end and it noticeably reduced my fuel economy. Now the big question most want to know: what’s it like on fuel? Well, for a big outboard it’s surprisingly good and not that far off the DF250AP I was running. Naturally, I expected the 4.4-litre DF350 to use more fuel than the four-litre DF250AP due to being a larger capacity engine and the fact that the DF250AP was ideally suited to my boat and wasn’t underpowered in any way. Fuel usage testing in calm conditions inside Moreton Bay punched out some great figures, with its best numbers between 3000rpm and 4000rpm. Check out the table for the figures I recorded. Fully loaded for big offshore trips carrying 520 litres of fuel, 300kg of ice and loads of gear, it still gets 1.1-1.4km/L depending on the conditions and current, which is exceptional for such a big outboard. Until next time, tight lines.

The author’s Riptide with the new Suzuki DF350A duo prop outboard, John Haines’s 788SF centre console with twin DF200 Suzukis and James Kindred’s 7.5m Riptide with twin DF200 Suzukis.

Suzuki DF350A RPM KM/H KM/L 3000

1.7

3500

1.56

4000

1.44

Suzuki’s all-new DF350A and DF325A now feature duo props for maximum grip and thrust.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 37

Ryan was happy to land this red emperor after a long night in the rain.

The author managed to get a red past the sharks.

Horror start, happy ending for trip north G

’DAY all, I’m guessing everyone would be about as fed up with this wet and windy weather as I am.

Josh picked up a cracker tuskfish in 50m of water.

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Page 38 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

If you work outdoors like I do, the rain can make it very hard to do your job. Thanks to the rain, all your jobs back up and then when the weather clears your clients are all screaming for you at once, which equals less time on the water. So, thank you rain for flushing our creeks and rivers but it’s time to go away for a while now! During these wet weeks I haven’t been able to get out much but I did get a call from fellow BNB writer Greg Lamprecht to see if I wanted to enter the Little Ship Club fishing comp with the plan to go heavy tackle marlin fishing. Of course I said yes but as with most comps, the weather turned sour and the event was called off due to large swell and strong wind, not to mention 100mm-plus of rain. So with the comp canned, I checked the weather off Gladstone and to my surprise it looked great, with just a bit of rain but no wind… apparently. I made a couple of calls and the boat was full in no time. The plan was to head up Friday afternoon, sleep at Turkey Beach, which is where I like to launch from, fish the Saturday, Sunday and a couple of hours Monday and then come home. Our beloved family dog Kirra had not been too well of late, so I decided to take her to the vet again

Fishing Trip by ADAM FOLEY

before I left to make sure she would be OK while I was gone. Well the vet gave me some heartbreaking news and my wife and I had to put her to sleep two hours before I left. It was extremely sad but was the right thing to do, so rest in peace Kizz. We left home at about 3.30pm and got stuck in the usual traffic on the northside before meeting another group at a mate’s place in Burpengary. Travelling together with Benny Campbell and crew towing his boat Full Noise, we were to meet the other boats at Turkey Beach, but up past Maryborough Ben called us over the UHF radio and said one of the other boats meeting us up there was involved in a bad accident. A car had pulled out

of the BP servo onto the highway right in their path and our mate tee-boned them and wrote off both cars, sending his Haines Hunter Patriot flying off the trailer and into the gully. One of the boys in the car had a bad arm break and was taken to hospital. This reaffirms the risk we all run to travel and do what we love, but no matter how safe we drive, others out there aren’t so cautious or observant. The boys in the accident were a fair way behind us and while I asked if help was needed, they said there was nothing we could do and to keep going. About an hour later, Ben again called us on the radio and said there was a noise coming from my trailer. Turns out we had com-

pletely blown a tyre and the rim was a mess. Due to the rain that night, it wasn’t sparking on the road and behind my mate’s Ford F250 we didn’t feel a thing. This trip had not started the way anyone would have liked! We ended up at Turkey at about midnight and got straight to sleep, with alarms set for 3am to get on the water by dawn. My alarm went off and I woke up to 15 knots of northeasterly wind and lightning out to sea in the direction we were planning on heading. About 10 minutes later, torrential rain began and we were hiding under a gazebo waiting for it to stop. Between storms, which on the radar looked as if they were going to keep coming for a while, we put the boats in the water and made our way to the entry of Rodds Bay to anchor and see what happened. ☛ continued P39

A solid trout caught after a slow day’s fishing.

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Horror start, happy ending for trip north The next two hours consisted of very heavy rain, my hatch leaking and subsequently wetting all our sleeping gear, crook stomachs that we blamed on the servo food eaten on the way up, and storm after storm. I was at an all-time low at this stage. While at anchor we floated out some pillies that were demolished by what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to think were threadfin salmon or barra but were more likely sharks or catfish, but due to tackle failure weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never know. Finally there was enough light to see exactly what we were facing and it was not looking great. The third crew that had joined us pulled the pin and headed back to the ramp to start the journey home because they were in a smaller boat. With that, we began punching our way about 90km northeast of Turkey Beach and while the conditions werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t horrendous, they certainly werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t good. After about two and a half hours of travel we reached Sykes Reef and to our surprise it was a complete glass-out with blue skies. The fishing was extremely slow for us but over the radio we were hearing the boys getting into some coral trout and redthroat emperor. After pulling in a few trout, spangled emperor and redthroat, I decided we would spend the rest of the day out deeper to make the most of the conditions. I headed east to a spot where I have caught a few red emperor. As I passed over the mark, I saw those distinct red blobs on the Furuno 295 that are such a welcome sight. I drifted over the mark, the boys dropped down and Zac was onto a good fishâ&#x20AC;Ś until he had the same tackle failure as we did on the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;thready or barraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and the hooks were left in the fish, which is never good. On the next pass over the mark we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get a touch, so I moved on, trying a few marks in that area and pulling a couple of smaller reefies, but it was very quiet. We then made our way out to the 100m depth line and started to head north

but found the same slow fishing as on the shallower ground. The wind had picked up during the day and the current was hooting, which made it very hard to fish, so we travelled back in to the 40m ground and found a patch of fish actually biting. We got several nice trout, redthroat, maori cod and the first red emperor of the trip. We were all absolutely buggered, so met up with Full Noise, cooked dinner, had a couple of beers and crashed out. Well for a few hours at least, until it started absolutely pouring and the boys sleeping in their swags on the deck had to try to sleep on the seats for three hours, with rain hitting them the whole time. I for once slept through the whole thing and woke to a grumpy crew. My first words were â&#x20AC;&#x153;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go boys, wake up Ryan and grab the anchor.â&#x20AC;? His response wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fit for print. But within no time we were on our way and talking about what the day might bring, hoping it would be a big improvement on the day before. When heading to a mark or area, I always take a different route to the last, even if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 100m off the previous course because you never know what you may drive over. Anyone who has fished the Bunker Group area knows there is good ground everywhere and if you stopped on every show of fish you wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make it far in two days. While travelling at 25 knots, I came over a little bump with a small show of fish that stood out to me. All sounders have their place, but this is where the Furuno 295 comes into its own. At high speed in choppy conditions, it still picks up the smallest rocks and shows of fish. I was quite excited because it was new ground in an area I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t searched thoroughly before. I set the boat to drift straight over the mark, and after everything that had gone wrong â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the trip up, the rain, the storms and the rough seas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it was so bloody good to see my mates buckled over

the sides and onto some reds. After a few pics and high fives we went for another drift and it was on again. We pulled nine reds off this spot and a few just-undersized models that were obviously released, and then the taxman moved in. We lost a couple of reds before pulling the plug and heading further north. On arrival at an area I have fished before, we continued to pick up reds but they were just undersize. We also scored horse tuskies, redthroat and other reefies. The current was still hooting to the north and we had 20 knots of wind and rain squalls blowing down from the north, so it was very rough and hard to fish, but at least

the fish were biting. This was the third time I have had a great bite on reds in a northwesterly wind. Yes, I said northwesterly. I will now look for that wind direction when chasing reds off the Bunker Group in future. With the weather deteriorating and an Esky full of fish, we made the call to head back. After an extremely testing day and a half, it was a great way to finish. If it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for talking with and listening to the gurus and spending the time and money on setting up my sounder and transducer to perform perfectly, I would not have found the spot that made such a hard trip worth it. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Til next month, happy fishing.

A very relieved author with a solid red.

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The reds eventually fired after hours of searching.

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Bush â&#x20AC;&#x2122;n Beach Fishing, April 2018 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Page 39

BOATING & marine Check out the footage by searching for BNBFTV

Mercury’s 75hp four-stroke had more than enough poke to whip the 460 Velocity Sports onto the plane and on to a top whack of 58km/h.

With two people on board, the 460 Velocity Sports rode very evenly and was more than happy to cut some tight lines.

Sea Jay 460 Velocity Sports review T HE old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, could definitely be applied to the Samurai Hull that now adorns a number of Sea Jay boats.

One model that uses this hull is the Sea Jay Velocity, which was initially released in 4.9m, 5.2m and 5.5m lengths and either side or centre console layout. However, due to popular demand at boat shows and after dealer feedback, an even larger 5.9m model was developed to allow boaties and fishos to venture further afield and travel greater distances to more remote locations. More recently, there has been a calling for a

Stability at rest is a Samurai Hull strong point, as demonstrated by male model Garry Fitzgerald.

The swept bow design not only looks great but also affords greater freeboard for the casting deck.

The forward hatch is ideal for storage of a second battery for an electric motor among other things.

Boat Review

by BEN COLLINS

smaller model that has all the features of the bigger boats but is just smaller in stature. Hence the release of the all-new Sea Jay 460 Velocity. I recently had the chance to take this boat for a run in Moreton Bay to see how it performed. The Velocity Sports (Sports meaning side console) package was fitted with a Mercury 75hp four-stroke, which is the maximum horsepower allowable on this model. Performance wise, the 75hp was ample one, two and even three-up. There was plenty of poke through the whole rev range, with the boat cruising nicely at 30004000rpm. A squirt of the throttle with three people on board soon saw the speedo tick over to 58km/h at 5600rpm. You could easily get away with a 60hp on this hull if you wanted to save a few dollars and were planning to use it only one or two-up, but it is always nice to have the extra horsepower and not need to use all of it. It is worth noting this boat had been set up to take an electric motor and

additional battery in the large front hatch but they weren’t fitted during testing, so the nose popped up a little on take-off. However, it wasn’t a major concern and it was good to see the boat had been set up to take the additional weight in the bow. Not all manufacturers take this into consideration, but it is important to know how the end user is going to be using the boat so it will perform at its optimum once all the gear and accessories have been fitted. While not technically a plate boat by Sea Jay standards, you could be forgiven for thinking it is with a solid 4mm bottom, 3mm flat sides and fully welded top decks. Combined with the proven Samurai Hull, you enjoy a solid and smooth ride irrespective of the conditions. In fact, the harder I drove it, the better it went, especially as we travelled through the average section of Moreton Bay between Cleveland Point and Peel Island where we remained basically dry, which was impressive for an open boat of this size and considering the conditions.

Although it is badged 460, the overall length is 4.8m, and combined with a 2.3m beam, you actually end up with a pretty big small boat. I know that is an oxymoron, but I think it is a good way to describe this vessel. It performs well above its size and has all the features of its bigger brothers but is still very easy to handle by yourself and easy to store, which is a consideration for many people. In terms of finish, all Sea Jay team members pride themselves on delivering top-quality boats, and this is evident in the finished product. The fully welded top decks, large grab rails, precisely cut flooring, large console, solid boarding ladder and large anchor well are just some features that go towards making this a practical

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☛ continued P41

A comfortable driving position and exceptional fit and finish have come to be expected from the Sea Jay brand. The 460 Velocity Sports doesn’t disappoint.

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and well thought-out boat. As for the large side console, it provided protection from the elements, heaps of room for modern-day electronics and I could even stand up and drive easily, which again gave it that big boat feeling. This feeling is further enhanced by the upswept bow that not only looks aggressive but gives extra freeboard on the casting deck, which is an advantage when fishing in less than ideal conditions. The full transom provides a secure feeling and would allow you to comfortably take this boat offshore on the right day. Storage wise, the front casting platform has a massive hatch, and if you have a look at our YouTube footage of this boat (youtube.com/user/ BNBFTV) you can check out Sea Jay National Sales

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BOATING & marine Sea Jay 460 Velocity Sports boat review ☛ from P40

and Marketing Manager Garry Fitzgerald and I comfortably sitting in it. There is an additional hatch in the casting platform and side pockets on both sides of the boat.

PERFORMANCE RPM

KM/H

3500

4000

4500

5000

5600

Overall, the Sea Jay 460 Velocity Sports is an awesome little rig that possesses the features and ride of a much bigger boat. If you are after a good all-rounder for fishing, family fun and general boating duties, this rig is well worth checking out. For more information on this awesome Sea Jay and Mercury package, give the team at Adams Marine in Yamba a call on 02 6646 2830 or check out the website for the latest specials at adamsmarineyamba.com.au Visit seajayboats.com. au to see the full Sea Jay range.

A secondary and seriously large hatch in the casting platform provides acres of space for myriad miscellaneous items.

Insights into boat insurance

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

Go west and save... on your insurance If you work ‘out west’ for three months of the year, cut off from access to your boat and your favourite fishing locations on the eastern seaboard, it could save you money. Similarly, if you are headed overseas for an extended holiday or simply don’t like boating in cold weather, you could save yourself some money. Marine insurance specialists such as Nautilus Marine offer a policy inclusion called ‘Lay Up’ primarily designed to cater for trailerable runabouts and personal watercraft. It does not cover vessels berthed in a marina

or floating beside a pontoon at the end of a home located in a residential canal development. Basically, Nautilus Marine’s Lay Up means you undertake not to use your boat during particular months of the year. Those months might coincide with work commitments or travel plans, but the bottom line is you won’t be using your boat and therefore the risk of lodging a claim that year is proportionately reduced. That Lay Up condition ordinarily does not prevent you from trailering your boat to a dealership for service or repairs, provided you are travelling directly to and from the marine dealership. The point of travel can’t be via some holiday destination where you might be tempted to forget about your Lay Up agreement for a few days. It has to be directly to and from the address

nominated on your insurance policy as the place where the trailer boat or PWC is kept. Because you are not using your boat, there is a reduction in the risk of a claim being made and therefore, a commensurate reduction in the insurance premium required to be paid. While each individual circumstance is a different issue, the premium reduction might be 30 or 40 percent of your usual premium. Jet ski riders, particularly those in southern states, frequently take advantage of the Lay Up option in their insurance cover. However, it is not something you can decide retrospectively. Don’t expect to say at the end of the insurance period that you did not use your boat or jet ski for three months of that year and therefore have an entitlement to a prorata rebate on the insurance premium you paid. Instead, contact your

specialist marine insurer and advise them that in the forthcoming year you undertake not to use your vessel during the months you nominate. Then complete the paperwork in accord with that undertaking and consider how your saved premium can be spent elsewhere. Finally, as with all insurance policies, always check your product disclosure document and if you have a query, ask for clarification. If you need further information, you can contact Nautilus Marine In-

surance 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, a handy marine sports bag and a cap. Just email your questions to qld@nautilusin surance.com.au

Any advice contained in this article is of a general nature only and may not apply or be right for you as it does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any advice provided in this article, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

FEATURES Samurai Hull • Swept Bow • Capped Keel • Reverse Chines • Live Bait Tank • Upholstered Ice Box Seat • 360 Degree Fishability • Optional Fold Down T-Top •

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 41

BOATING & marine Stephen dusts off the boating challenge

SCAPING the dust and flies of the Pilbara region of Western Australia to the waters and fish of the Whitsundays brought with it a major challenge for plumber and gas fitter Stephen Roberts.

Stephen Roberts was rapt to be welcomed aboard by AMM’s Matthew Thomas for the first sea trials on Stephen’s Sea Class 4900 centre console.

Having worked in the tough mining environment of Mount Newman where equipment has to be high quality or it will fail, Stephen wanted to find a boat that could handle everything from the abrasiveness of crushed

coral beaches to thick mud hiding rocks in very tidal creeks, ripping tides and currents running against freshening breeze and the thrashing and gnashing of heavyweight pelagics. Something that could take a pounding, not flinch when the going gets rugged and above all, be first class in terms of safety. His choice: a personally tailored, plate alloy Sea Class 4900 centre console from Australian Master Marine.

Can you have it all in the one outboard? The Best Torque The Best Fuel Economy The Lowest Emissions The Lowest Maintenance Costs

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box below; plumbed kill tank; and a folding, moveable front seat. His AMM Sea Class has extra sockets so the front seat can be relocated around the front of the boat on the casting platform. There’s a massive storage area under the front casting platform of the rig, which sits on an AMMbuilt Off Road aluminium boat trailer equipped with massive 265/75/16 offroad tyres. Powering the rig is a Yamaha F115XB. But Stephen is keeping at least one link with the Pilbara – he named his Airlie Beach plumbing business Whaleback after the name of a mountain near Mount Newman in the iron ore belt of Western Australia. One of the final reasons for Stephen deciding to go with AMM was the ability to tailor features to his exact liking. Accordingly, he was able to order a centre console without a screen or T-top, specify a hinged transom door, custom dive ladder, self-latching trailer hitch and an extended one-piece drawbar on the trailer among other design features and equipment incorporated into the final design. AMM’s Sea Class range delivers plate alloy hulls running from 4.9-5.7m in tiller steer, centre console, runabout, bow rider, cuddy and centre cab configurations. They supplement AMM’s range of customisable offshore Weekender, Tournament and Centre Console models as well as special-build hulls that range up to 10m.

N GOVE RN LIA RA

IA N

E MI

T EN M

AU ST

evinrude.com.au

Armed with real-world experience, having owned five previous boats from various manufacturers, Stephen had a very clear idea of what he wanted. And the accolades heaped on the AMM brand by another Airlie Beach resident living about 100m along the road from his house sealed the need to ramp the decision-making process up another couple of notches. “I had read a few reviews about AMM boats and had seen one up the road, so I thought I would pop into the neighbour’s house and introduce myself,” Stephen said. “My neighbour was pretty impressed with his. “I had a fairly firm idea of what I wanted, which was a good start, and then Matt and Bart (the Thomas brothers of AMM) were absolutely great to deal with. “They kept in contact and sent through photos showing the progress of the build. “Electronics and a 1kW transducer blew out the budget a bit, but it is good gear.” The electronics are a Raymarine Axiom 9 Pro with a 1kW transducer as well as 3D side and down scans. Stephen’s Sea Class is fitted with an 800mm centre console to provide a centre steering position and some protection from the elements without taking up too much room; a large work and bait table; built-in berley bucket and muncher; dual batteries; hydraulic steering; live bait tank and deck wash; folding centre console seat with hinged storage

S TA

NDARD

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL EVINRUDE DEALER TODAY

CALOUNDRA MARINE 8 Baldwin St, Caloundra QLD 07 5491 1944 E: sales@caloundramarine.com.au W: caloundramarine.com.au

WATER SKIERS WAREHOUSE (QLD) 91-93 Neil St, Toowoomba QLD 0400 379 514 E: info@waterskierswarehouse.com.au W: waterskierswarehouse.com.au

ADRIANS MARINE CENTRE 28 Ritchie St, Bundaberg QLD 07 4153 1819 E: adriansmarinecentre@bigpond.com W: adriansmarinecentre.com.au

STEVE FLEETWOOD MARINE 10 Morgan St, Gladstone QLD 07 4972 9463 E: sfmarine@tpg.com.au

WHITE WATER MARINE 10 Hinde St, Ashmore QLD 07 5532 4402 E: sales@whitewatermarine.com.au W: whitewatermarine.com.au

Page 42 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

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Send details to Bush ’n Beach Fishing magazine E: ben@bnbfishing.com.au PO Box 387 Cleveland 4163

Atomic Arrowz two-piece rods

ATOMIC Arrowz fishing rods launched in early 2017 and brought together highly advanced designs and the finest Fuji components assembled on a full-graphite blank. Designed originally as a series of one-piece rods, customer demand has seen the introduction of two-piece models featuring all the same highquality components. The focus has been on the Estuary, Offshore and Bream-specific models and ensuring no flat spots through the join to maintain sensitivity. The new two-piece Estuary Series starts with the finesse 70SUL (2-6lb) and has four models finishing up with the 70ML (6-14lb) for heavier estuary fishing. An Offshore Series delivers superior control across four two-piece 7’ spin rods. They feature ultra-refined fore and rear neoprene grips and have an excellent balance, with the two-piece models again having seamless transition. You can’t even tell they are twopiece rods! For the bream fans, the Bream range now features two-piece versions of the Bream Surface 70BS and Bream Crank 70BC, making transportation and storage easier and safer. All Atomic Arrowz rods are balanced perfectly to deliver the ultimate feel and bite response. Refinement, precision and lightness without sacrificing strength. RRP starts at $189. Visit atomiclures.com.au for more information.

A unique gear teeth surface design makes the FJ Stellas even smoother and quieter than their predecessors, and with the improved Hagane Gear driving the show, they’re now twice as strong and durable as the FI models they succeeded. The new Long Stroke AR-C spool increases casting distance, and the line clip has been improved so light leaders aren’t damaged during storage. The Tangle-Proof Rotor design means errant strands of braid can’t hang up anywhere either. SilentDrive reduces handle play and eliminates the clicking noise and feeling from the worm shaft when winding, delivering a silky-smooth experience. Saltwater use is not an issue, with EI Surface Treatment protecting the exterior, while the X Protect labyrinth system keeps water and dirt at bay in key areas such as the line roller and roller clutch, making the FJs durable for years to come. And as you’d expect in a flagship reel like this, all these advancements are housed in a Hagane Body with 12 SA-RB bearings and one roller bearing, utilising an X-Ship bearingsupported pinion gear plus a G-Free Body where the centre of gravity is closer to the rod for increased winding comfort. With five reels in the line-up, from the 1000 FJ right through to the C5000XG FJ, drag power from the Rigid Support Drag ranging from 3-11kg and gear ratios from 5.1:1 to 6.4:1, discerning anglers will be itching to get their hands on these beauties. Visit shimanofish.com.au for more information.

Bassday Sugar Deep 90 ‘Barra Tune’

JAPAN produces some of the most lifelike lures available anywhere in the world and the Bassday Sugar Deep 90 ‘Barra Tune’ is no exception, except this time it’s been tuned for Aussie conditions. This realistic 90mm jerkbait is available in seven fish-attracting colours covering everything from clear to dirty water, making it ideal for inland dams on the barra trail as well as rivers, streams and estuaries. The Bassday Sugar Deep 90 ‘Barra Tune’ has been developed for the Australian market with a heavy-duty construction and extra-strong trebles straight out of the box. It has a lifelike appearance and can be cast accurately, quickly diving to 2.5m. The Sugar Deep 90 ‘Barra Tune’ is extremely versatile and can be used with a slow and steady retrieve to produce a sharp wobble or a fast and erratic stop, start retrieve that will have IT might seem like only yesterday, the lure darting about and imitating a but it’s actually been 26 years since dying baitfish. the first Shimano Stella spin reels hit It also works well in heavily fished the market. waters or on days where the fish are Since then, we’ve seen massive timid because the neutral buoyancy of improvements with each technical the lure allows anglers to pause it near makeover they have received, and fish-holding structure and it will susthat tradition continues with the latest pend right in the strike zone. release, the FJ series. The Bassday Sugar Deep ‘Barra It’s hard to know where to start, Tune’ will be perfect for northern flats given that so much technology has barra, threadfin salmon and other spebeen incorporated into this fantastic cies as well as flathead down south. upgrade, but let’s look at MicroModFor further information, visit frog ule II first. leysoffshore.com.au Page 44 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

Stella FJ spin reel

Wilson Neoprene Waders

protection from toothy species such as leatherjacket, a wharf staple for young anglers. Beach anglers are also extensive users of this hook style for whiting and bream, while boat anglers will find them effective at catching yellowtail and slimy mackerel, allowing a quick turnover from de-hooking a fish to getting another bait in the water. This new colour is available in sizes from 12 up to 2 and in pre-packs and 25 packs. www.frogleysoffshore.com.au

Okuma Helios SX spin reel

WILSON has released Neoprene Chest and Hip Waders for the coming winter. Featuring a 4mm neoprene construction that is welded and glued to sturdy boots, these waders will go the distance. The Hip Waders feature adjustable Velcro straps that hold the waders in place with the aid of a belt. Internally, all seams are covered for comfort and the boots are lined to provide the ultimate in comfort for your feet. The Chest Waders feature an oversized chest pocket for storage of tackle and the same internal construction for comfort. Wilson’s Chest Waders are also attached via Velcro straps that allow ultimate adjustability. The Wilson Neoprene Wader range is available in boot sizes from 8 through to 15. www.wilsonfishing.com

Gamakatsu Long Shank Black hooks

IF you are a serious fisho, there’s only one hook choice and Gamakatsu is it. Gamakatsu hooks are the benchmark in high-quality, chemically sharpened Japanese steel fishing hooks and a black colour option has been added to the existing long-shank red. Long-shank hooks are versatile and perfect for worms, pipis, prawns and cut flesh baits either fished from a boat or land. They are ideal for kids starting out because they are available in a wide variety of fish-catching sizes and are also easy for removing fish quickly, often without touching the fish at all. In addition, the long shank offers

IN recent years, Okuma has been busy developing new patented technologies and incorporating the latest cuttingedge materials to ensure the latest releases are both feature packed and high performance, while also offering anglers excellent value for money. One of these new releases, the Helios SX spinning reel, is now available to Aussie anglers in 20, 30 and 40 sizes. One of the first things you will notice about this classy-looking reel is the weight reduction, achieved through use of Okuma’s new C-40X long-strand carbon fibre technology. C-40X features elongated and reinforced fibres to create a substantially stronger composite than standard graphite material that is 1.5 times stronger, 25 percent lighter and 100 percent anti-corrosive. In short, it makes your reel lighter and more durable. Combine this with Okuma’s Torsion Control Armor, a double-arm design in the reel stem that encapsulates the body of the reel, creating high torsion and flex resistance to reduce twist and torque, while keeping internal parts perfectly aligned, and you have a lightweight, rigid reel that sees power transferred effectively and efficiently. Other features of this quality reel include 8HPB + 1RB corrosion-resistant stainless steel bearings for silky smooth performance and ALG: Precision Alumilite alloy main gear and oscillating gears. This combines with a heavy-duty, solid aluminium bail wire and RESII: Computer Balanced Rotor Equalizing System to ensure a solid and stable feel. The Centrifugal Disc Bail incorporates a perfectly weighted brass disc that creates a smoother and easier bail operation, while enabling the strength and stability of the bail function, along with Progressive Drag and a 1K woven carbon fibre drag knob that reduces weight and creates a more progressive drag setting. A perfect option for the tournament bream and bass angler as much as the keen social fisho, the Helios SX is all about high-end performance and cutting-edge features at an affordable price. SRP for the HSX-20 is $189.90, $199.90 for the HSX-30 and $219.90 for the HSX-40. www.okuma.com.au

Mustad XL Jig Wallet

JIG fishing anglers will love the Mustad XL Jig Wallet, designed to accommodate all your jig fishing needs. The XL Jig Wallet contains storage pockets constructed from tough mesh to allow the jigs to breathe and dry, yet remain safe in transport and use. There are five extra-large jig slots that will take jigs up to 30cm, 18 jig slots that will take jigs up to 20cm and 12 jig slots for smaller jigs up to 15cm. That’s an astounding 35 jigs that can be carried in one easy-to-use wallet that is easy to store and transport. The XL Jig Wallet also features a large mesh pocket on the outside to store accessories such as assist hooks, leader and more. If you’re into fishing jigs and having trouble storing them, then the Mustad XL Jig Wallet gives you the answer you’ve been looking for. For more information, visit wilson fishing.com

Backbone Elite rods

SHIMANO’S Backbone Elite rods have proven hugely popular with the offshore game fishing set, delivering a range of line class options at really good prices. And the 2018 line-up has just been given a well-deserved tweak. There are eight rods in all; a 10kg stick with fixed guides and a roller tip as well as three 15kg options in a selection of fixed guides, fixed guides with a roller tip, or fully rollered. The same choices are available in 24kg, and finally there’s a serious 37kg weapon with a roller tip. Of single-piece construction and 1.7m (5’7”) in length, the Backbone Elite blanks now utilise Shimano’s legendary TC3 material, which is the same threeply graphite weave the early Tiagra Game Series rods were built on. The long EVA fighting foregrip has a new shape, which delivers a comfortable grip even with wet hands, and the guides, whether fixed or roller, are from Pacific Bay. The Slick Butts are durable and make it easy to remove a loaded-up rod from a holder, while anodised aluminium reel seats and gimbals round out a very workmanlike package. The cosmetic has also been upgraded to a traditional game fishing colour scheme of black, gold and silver, making these rods an even sweeter pairing with Shimano’s TLD and Tyrnos lever-drag reels. www.shimanofish.com.au www.bnbfishing.com. au

PUZZLE PAGE wil s o nf i s hin g.c o m

Reel them in

Spot 10 differences

Words can run vertically, horizontally, diagonally and back to front.

Q M L

T H M Z

H V A

A N T A N O D A N M

C M D G Y N R O O U

X M S M V C

W V T A M G W U N D

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WIN a Wilson Fishing prize pack worth over $50! For your chance to win, simply solve the puzzles, take a picture and message our Facebook page or email design@bnbfishing.com.au before Thursday, April 19, 2018. GOOD LUCK! Congratulations to Reece Lewis on being the winner of the March puzzle competition. T&Cs: One winner per month. One entry per person.

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The ultimate estuary lure for barra. Available in floating and suspending (120 floating only), the Zerek Tango Shad perfectly mimics baitfish.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 45

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www.ﬁshncruisecharters.com.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 47

Tony Egan with a 1.27m, 9.5kg spanish mackerel caught near the Sandhills on Moreton Island. Photo: Matt Egan Sacha Slade

I’m proud to say I finally snagged my first mangrove jack. I was using a Z-Man Slim SwimZ around some jetties at the Sunshine Coast when I was belted by this fella that measured 40cm. Everything happened so fast but I managed to get the fish in safely and take a few decent photos before I sent it back. Couldn’t be happier. Cheers, Justin Eveleigh

Rebecca and Jessica Clarke with a 40cm-plus whiting caught during the Pirtek Fishing Challenge.

I caught this roughly 6kg batfish off Potts Point, Macleay Island on 12lb mono, a Snyder Glas 7’ Raider rod and Rovex Freespooler reel. Glenn McDonald

I caught this healthy squire on a Westin Bony the Bream vibe around the Port of Brisbane. Brandon Goulding

I seem to get the bigger jacks after rain in the dirty water. Eti Alefosio

59cm of Gold Coast canal-dwelling, hard-body-munching mangrove jack. Jade Gibb

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.

This school mackerel was captured in Moreton Bay by BNB subeditor Dan on the ever-reliable 15g Gillies Baitfish.

‘Magic’ Mike Black was stoked to land his first spotted mackerel, and a solid one at 75cm, during a recent session in Moreton Bay. The fish stripped plenty of line off Mike’s 20lb outfit before a smooth rod lift into the boat due to a lack of landing net or gaff.

■ Readers Forum ■ Readers Forum ■ Readers Forum Page 48 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

www.bnbfishing.com. au

K AYAKING & canoeing Brisbane River Canoe Trail Q

UITE a lot of promotion of the newly constructed Brisbane Valley Rail Trail is around lately, and with good reason.

This trail provides hikers, cyclists and horse riders the opportunity to explore the countryside of the Brisbane Valley on a purpose-built trail that is low impact and safe for non-motorised travel. A lot of people may not be aware that the trail offers some of the most spectacular scenery southeast Queensland has to offer. And it’s completely free to use! Similarly spectacular is the Brisbane River Canoe Trail, which winds its way through the Brisbane Valley from the Spillway Common at the base of Wivenhoe Dam to Kholo Bridge crossing about 52km downstream. Like its Rail Trail cousin, the Canoe Trail runs through farmland, forests, picturesque rural settings and country towns. It offers a variety of conditions from long, wide pools with very little flow to challenging sections of Grade 1 rapids and old log jams. Most paddlers of reasonable proficiency will be able to travel the entire 52km length without concern, provided good paddling practices are followed. If you’re unsure, paddle with a group of more experienced paddlers the first time to get a feel for what to expect. The river is suited to all styles of paddling craft from stand-up paddleboards to canoes and kayaks. As a general rule, avoid using craft in excess of 4.8m (16’) because some of the tighter sections will prove difficult to negotiate. Numerous launch sites along the river means you can access the easyto-paddle sections and/or choose a shorter journey. The following is a brief guide to the various sec-

Canoeing by DAN OWBRIDGE

tions and the launch sites at each end. Spillway to Lowood Bend (7km) Access is from the carpark located near the spillway lookout. The river is accessed via a track leading down quite a steep ramp and then a gravel track to the launch site. It’s about 200m long and I highly recommend using a cart to carry your paddle craft. This section of the river contains a number of small rapids at the beginning and a log jam about halfway along that has been well cleared but still requires some care to negotiate. The section ends at a series of easy Grade 1 rapids at Lowood Bend. They are easy to navigate and add a touch of fun to the end of the paddle. It’s a very scenic section of the river, with a few interesting sections to keep you on your toes. The next access/egress point is Lowood Bend. Lowood Bend to Twin Bridges (6km) This section is ideal for novice paddlers. Access is either above or below the last set of rapids at Lowood Bend. A bush track down to the river can be accessed by a 2WD vehicle with reasonable clearance. The launch points are not very large but quite easy to access. It will be necessary to move cars away from access points once paddle craft have been unloaded. This section of the river is stunning. It is a wide, slow-moving pool that runs for about 6km down to Twin Bridges. Lined on both sides by bottlebrush and large gums, it is not unusual to spot eagles, cormorants and kingfishers.

The riverbend below Lowood.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

With a bit of luck, you may even spy a lungfish. This section can also be traversed by launching from Twin Bridges and doing a 12km return trip to Lowood Bend and back. Twin Bridges to Savages Crossing (5km) The access at Twin Bridges is one of the better points on the river. The gravelly bank beside the low bridge on Wivenhoe Pocket Rd is a popular local swimming spot and an easy launching point for paddling craft. Parking is plentiful and relatively secure. As stated above, you can launch from here and paddle upriver to Lowood with relative ease. Paddling downriver will take you under the high bridge for the Brisbane Valley Highway and around the back of Fernvale towards the local swimming spot at Savages Crossing. This section of river is categorised by small, faster-moving riffles and some deep pools. It is a good spot for quiet early morning paddlers to spot a platypus if they’re lucky. The river does pick up pace at the end, so be sure to make your way to the bank as you approach the landing site. Savages Crossing to Burtons Bridge (12km) The access at Savages is similar to Twin Bridges and it’s easy to park and gain access to the water. This is a very pretty section of the river and signs of human habitation are few and far between. It does, however, contain some sections of high Grade 1 rapids, which must be negotiated with care. Be aware of sweeping bends with fast-moving water that can cause your craft to be swept into a

bank or under a tree. Burtons Bridge to Kholo Bridge (22km) Access at Burtons Bridge is quite good, with a rough track leading down to almost the water’s edge. What used to be a very pretty spot has become tainted with large amounts of rubbish being dumped and people squatting under the bridge. This is not a good place to leave a car and I recommend seeking a dropoff to paddle this section because break-ins are on the rise. The section of river from Burtons to Kholo is without a doubt the jewel of paddling in southeast Queensland. It seems something new lies around every corner as you paddle down the river. It really is a mix of all the previous sections, with challenging higher Grade 1 rapids and large slowmoving pools. You will likely see a variety of bird and fish life and with luck a shy platypus. This is a long section of river and it can take up to six hours to navigate. You may need to walk your boat through several of the small gravelly riffles to avoid damage to the hulls on low water. On high water, take care to avoid getting trapped under low-hanging tree branches. The reward is definitely worth the risk and this section of river is a mustdo for all keen river paddlers. Note that near the egress point at Kholo is a large long pool on the left side of the river. This is a dead end! Take the right fork of faster-flowing water and follow it around to Kholo Bridge. Egress from the river is available at Kholo Bridge. From here it is relatively easy to get out of the water and cars can be brought close to the river’s edge. It is a popular fishing spot, so may be busy at times. This is the last access and egress point on the upper Brisbane River. It is not possible to paddle from here to Colleges Crossing due to the Mount Crosby Weir. For more information about paddling the upper Brisbane River or for hire of canoes, please contact me at One Tree Canoe Company on 0424 001 646. Our factory is based on the section of river between Twin Bridges and Lowood and we offer pick-up and drop-off services locally.

Downstream from Burtons Bridge approaching moving water.

A long, slow-moving pool lined with gums and bottlebrushes.

CLASSIC AUSTRALIAN-MADE CANOES

Canoes | Repairs | Hires 0424 001 646 | onetreecanoe.com Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 49

K AYAKING & canoeing Aussie ingenuity in the modern age

F you asked a group of Aussies what our country’s contributions to humanity have been, you are likely to receive either a blank stare or a reply including Vegemite, Holden and XXXX.

This seriously pimped kayak is clearly aimed at freshwater lakes. Almost nothing would be found wanting with this rig.

The Bass Action net is an elegant piece of design, neat and simple, and avoids the many pitfalls of traditional nets while ensuring the fish’s wellbeing.

The electric propulsion unit on this two-seater Hobie is an example of clever design, dropping into the spot where the pedal unit usually sits. Sounders and horizontal rod holders are fairly standard in kayaks and video cameras are becoming more common.

In truth, Aussies have been responsible for some very clever ideas. Dating back to the 1800s are examples of ingenuity including the stump-jump plough, the mechanical sheep-shearing machine, the torpedo and the electric drill. Did you know it was an Aussie who invented the refrigerator in 1856? During the 1900s, the Dethridge water wheel and of course those brilliant periscope rifle sites from the Gallipoli trenches emerged. More familiar creations from Australian inventors include the military tank, the rotary hoe, the pacemaker, the utility, Hill’s Hoist, zinc cream, solar hot water, black box flight recorders, polycarbonate spectacle lenses, ultrasound scanning, bionic ears, wine casks, power boards, RaceCam, sprayon skin and flu vaccine, just to name a handful. As you can see, we Aussies tend to be a creative bunch, coming up with ingenious, often simple solutions to problems as they occur. On a less grand scale, often in a suburban backyard shed, anglers too devise imaginative solutions to challenges. Take a look at some of the rigs, cliff gaffs, lure retrievers, surf rods and so on that have been created and you’ll see great examples of that famous Aussie ingenuity. The popularity boom in the use of kayaks as fishing platforms has given an avenue for the creative juices of anglers to flow.

Kayaking Gear by NEIL SCHULTZ

Base model kayaks have been pimped by owners who’ve modified them to suit every imaginable fishing situation. Those fishing skinny water in the freshwater streams around the nation tend to keep their vessels light. Portaging (carrying the craft between navigable waters) is a part of life in those waters, so any unnecessary accoutrements are avoided. Every kilo counts when you are dragging or carrying a kayak around cascades, waterfalls and dry creek beds between fishable pools. Conversely, kayaks used in large stocked lakes tend to be kitted out with horizontal rod holders, sounders, side scanners, GPS units, tackle lockers, ice boxes, electric propulsion and anything else you could imagine. Many tackle storage units are home fabricated to include either rod holders, insulated coolers, battery boxes or any combination of these items. Methods of attachment to the kayak can be imaginative too, though hook and loop fabric or shock cord loops are the most popular and practical. The hardy band who take their kayaks offshore in search of sportfish also often fit their craft with a number of accessories. My offshore yakking involves either casting soft plastics for snapper or trolling large diving plugs for predatory sportfish such as mackerel, kingies, trevally and other creatures of similar habits. When venturing wide of the coastline, I’ll always carry chemical light sticks, flares and a per-

sonal EPIRB as well as all the angling niceties. A sounder, GPS, horizontal rod holders and a lip-grip device are all part of the ‘essential’ kit I carry when yakking the big blue. Then there are those who set their sights high, venturing offshore to drift and troll live baits from their yaks. In addition to the addons popular with other paddlers, many of these anglers fit home-made live bait tanks to their tiny vessels. Some clever handymen and women construct venturi water pick-up devices to keep baits happy while others go the aerator route. I’ve even seen kayaks with solar panels fitted to assist in providing power to the suite of electronics their owners have managed to install. Because of the very limited space in kayaks, gear needs to be compact. This creates a conundrum when a means of landing lively fish is concerned. I mentioned lip-gripping devices earlier. These are fine for many applications, though I find they occasionally damage fish, which is something to be avoided when fishing in fresh water where injuries don’t heal as quickly as in the salt. Grippers also rely on the fish opening its mouth. Because I spend a lot of my angling hours in search of Murray cod and bass, I find grippers to be a hassle in the fresh. Landing nets have issues too. The most obvious is space. Most landing nets are just too large to be easily

stowed on a kayak. Put one in a rod holder and you’ll soon find it being snagged by branches, the runners of fishing rods or worst of all, treblearmed lures. Gavin Thompson came up with a simple, yet imaginative solution to the problem. He designed a device that is a cross between a landing net and a cradle – I guess you could call it a scoop – specifically for kayak anglers. Marketed as the Bass Action net, his scoop is short handled, narrow (read, fishshaped) and shallow. Where the ingenuity has really been applied is in the design of the fabric part of the scoop. The ‘bag’ is tapered from the frame at the front of the hoop to the lowest point close to the handle. This sees a fish slide neatly into the scoop to be snugly cradled in a comfort-lift fashion. A measure is printed on the mesh of the scoop to allow fish to be measured with a quick glance, without being handled. The mesh is hook resistant, saving those timewasting tangles you get with so many styles of mesh. The scoop folds flat for stowability, allowing it to be securely carried under the bungees found on the decks of many kayaks. Being stored flat on the deck means you won’t leave your net hanging on branches as you shoot rapids (been there, done that). So many of the niggling issues of nets in kayaks were solved by clever design in the Bass Action net… great work Gavin! I’ve been using Gavin’s nets exclusively in my kayaks for about six years now and have yet to find a better addition to the tackle collection.

Key principles to finding fish

OW should you spend a scorchinghot February day?

A nice mangrove jack caught in tidal rapids using a Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ.

Page 50 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

Up a creek chasing warm water-loving savages of course! After the barramundi season officially opened on February 1, I had been itching to try my luck at targeting these iconic fish. Significant rainfall early in the month meant the local rivers and creeks were still brackish, which often deters many river fishos. But working on the principle of ‘where there’s bait, there’s fish’, my girlfriend Leeah and I knew just the spot to have all the key components for

Kayaking Estuaries by JOEL JOHNSON

holding fish in these conditions. This area featured a section of tidal rapids in the upper reaches of a fairly large river system, meaning everything funnelled through this area and made for a prime spot for predators to lurk. We were yet to get a touch after fishing our way up to the spot in our tandem kayak, but finally, after a tiring paddle in mid-30C heat we made it

to the rapids. The water was still moderately fresh, but this didn’t worry me for a second, knowing that barramundi and other species can tolerate both salt and fresh water. Mangrove jack is one species known to live in completely fresh water as well as the salt, so provided bait was in this area, there was bound to be fish close by, regardless of the water salinity.

Unable to get the kayak to the spot at low tide, we made our way by foot around the rocky outcrops to fish the running section. With the famous last words of “there’s got to be a fish in there”, I was on! With a flash of red as the fish tried its best to retreat to a rock, I knew it was a mangrove jack that liked the look of my 4” Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ. I landed the hard-fighting fish and after a quick picture released it to grow bigger and stronger. We continued to fish with ☛ continued P51

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K AYAKING & canoeing

Allen Delaney scored a monster bass.

Matt Lang and a solid bream.

Yak Hunters taste success around Australia Aaron Lowe’s sizeable gummy shark in the yak.

Nathan Meyers landed a baby bream.

AK Hunters Queensland recently took part in the annual Clean Up Australia Day in partnership with Tweed Tackle & Marine and The Anglermaniacs.

A small team gathered at Tweed Tackle & Marine and headed to the waterways, both on shore and in kayaks, to help give back to the marine environment we all cherish. During the course of the day, more than a ute tray-full of rubbish was collected from the Tweed River and its surrounds. The rubbish included everyday aluminium cans and plastic wrappers, but it was the more unusual items that left many scratching their heads. A three-seater couch was recovered, conveyed to the local disposal station and disposed of in a way that won’t harm our waterways. Yak Hunters would like to extend thanks and gratitude to all those who participated on the day and to Tweed Tackle & Marine and The Anglermaniacs for their partnership.

Remember, even though Clean Up Australia Day has ended, you can always do your bit each time you’re on the water. If you see rubbish, bin it. A member of Yak Hunters Queensland had an unfortunate incident while fishing over the past month. The member accidentally lost his phone to Davy Jones’ Locker… until about a week later when Yak Hunters Australia was contacted by a good samaritan by the name of Brooke McClymont who had found it. Thanks to the honesty and kindness of Brooke, the member was reunited with his phone and the contents of its sim card and micro SD card. Over the past month, all the Yak Hunters state pages have been abuzz with activity, ranging from casual fishing days, monthly Fish of the Month competitions with FOM Hunt

Key principles to finding fish ☛ from P50

little to show for it and unfortunately due to other plans had to call it quits and begin our mammoth paddle back, followed by a decent drive home. Even though our kayaking session was cut short, the story doesn’t have to be. What can be taken away from this experience is first the fact that current flow, caused by tide or freshwater runoff, attracts fish. It acts as an area where baitfish are most likely to travel through or seek shelter in the shallow pools surrounding a rock bar, which makes them easy prey when they drift beyond the protection of the shallows. Predatory fish are

drawn to this area for an easy meal, which is a key point when it comes to most estuary fish. Where the opportunity exists to have an easy meal by expending minimum energy, there aren’t too many circumstances where predators won’t thrive. Quite often fish move in a feeding sequence similarly to how humans have meal times throughout the day, however, instead of the clock dictating when fish eat, factors in the environment do. Certain times of the tide and even particular light periods such as first and last light can be used by predators to increase the chances of successful feeding. In turn, it wouldn’t

make much sense for a predatory fish such as a mangrove jack to exert energy chasing schools of poddy mullet on high tide in the shallows when it could simply await the lowering tide when the bait is forced off the flats and within easy reach. You can use the same principles fish would employ to catch their prey to target them. Narrow down target areas to places that give a reason for fish to be actively awaiting a meal. Find pressure points such as narrow sections that channel the baitfish and there’s sure to be a predator somewhere close by. After this point, it is simply a matter of persistence and experimentation until some-

thing works. Sometimes that might happen on the first cast, other times it will take hours, which is why it’s called fishing and not catching. Too often you will see perfect fish shapes on the sounder, indicating their presence, yet be left without a bite. You cannot be deterred by these times – you must have faith in the spots you are fishing. Simply move on to another spot with similar characteristics and come back in different conditions to try again. It takes learning experiences to find what works, not just a lure and some water. And the only way to learn is to get out there and try your luck!

Days and of course, advice and solutions from members discussing good places to fish and equipment selection. Yak Hunters has just launched the Yak Hunters YouTube channel and Instagram page. Make sure you jump on YouTube to subscribe and stay tuned for unbiased product reviews and news. Yak Hunters NSW member Matthew Highland recently headed out and landed his first mangrove jack. Matthew followed it up with another two and a lovely bass as by-catch. Meanwhile, fellow Yak Hunter Allen Delaney found himself back on the bass, landing a very nice specimen on a Bait Breath Bug Flap Husky. Victorian Yak Hunter Aaron Lowe headed into Western Port, situated to the southeast of Melbourne. On water you could skim a rock on, Aaron landed a very solid gummy shark that took up most of one side of his cockpit. Across the border to the west, South Australian Yak Hunter Matt Lang travelled to West Lakes to land a beautiful bream that measured 44cm and was in awesome condition. Yak Hunters Tasmania held a meet and greet at Scamander on the picturesque east coast. With a small turnout,

they found bream on the chew and a good day was had by all. Guard Saxon walked away with the $50 Yak Hunters voucher for the largest bream of the day at 36cm. Nathan Meyers managed to get the smallest catch of the day, landing a juvenile bream only just bigger than the lure he was using. Round one of the National Series is complete and the first round saw an amazing response to the competi-

tion, with angler numbers quickly increasing. The round was run and won in each state and entries are now open for round two. More sponsors have come on board and even more prizes are up for grabs on the day. Head over to yakhunt ers.com to register for the competition and check out the updated merchandise options. Mathew Kouimtzis

The Clean Up Australia Day crew.

Results of the Clean Up Australia Day effort.

The author and Nick Spronk loaded a dumped lounge chair.

Mathew Highland with his mangrove jack.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 51

Phil with a barra from a dirty Fitzroy River. Vibes work well when the river is recovering from rain run-off.

Jacks will still be around during April. This one fell to a Zerek Fish Trap vibe fished around a rocky drop-off in the Calliope River.

Easy day trips around Gladstone

HE Easter school holidays at the start of April present a good chance to get away for a day or more.

The spectacular view from Mount Larcom.

The plane wreck at Kroombit Tops National Park.

Southend at Curtis Island.

Page 52 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

With plenty of special places within an hour or two of Gladstone by car and boat, I will run through some options for day trips. Starting close to home, taking a trip with the boat or just the car for a drive around Lake Awoonga makes for a great leisurely day. If you take the boat, you can hit the dam in search of a barra or make it a real family day and bring a tube to tow the kids around. A few barbecue areas are situated around the dam where you can set up for the day and enjoy the water at your leisure. You won’t be the only people there, so don’t take over completely. Grab some shade and set up near a barbecue and share the amenities. If you are after more of a drive, taking Gladstone Monto Rd out through the Boyne Valley to Monto has nice scenery. Travelling past Calliope towards Biloela, you can head out to Cania Dam and flick for bass or take a four-wheel-drive trek up to Kroombit Tops National Park and check out the plane wreck. This will take a full day travelling there and back and is best done with company in case of trouble on the 4WD tracks. Closer to the coast, a day trip to Agnes Waters and 1770 is always worth the drive. Take along your surf boards and catch a few waves at the main beach. If you’re after a feed of fish, you will commonly get whiting, bream and flathead around the sandbanks in Round Hill Creek. Try your luck around the headlands for the odd mackerel and queenfish that can be caught around them through the year. A LARC tour offers a different way to see this area, getting you to places you would normally not

Gladstone Region by GARY CHURCHWARD

see any other way. Baffle Creek is a fisho’s getaway less than two hours from Gladstone. With plenty of structure through most of the system, it holds loads of jacks as well as numerous barra. Flathead and whiting will be captured in good numbers around the shallower section and towards the mouth. Heading north, dropping the boat in at Ramsay Crossing will open up the Narrows and the top of Curtis Island to people with smaller boats. Here you can fish the many creeks for barra, the odd jack and threadfin and blue salmon, or head around the outside and fish Keppel Rocks Reef and Hummocky Island for reef and pelagic species. You also have the option to fish Yellow Patch and the few creeks on the outside of Curtis Island, though these are all tide dependent and you need to check for zoning restrictions. Port Alma is roughly an hour from Gladstone and has a good all-tide boat ramp next to the wharves. With a huge amount of water to fish, it will take you more than a few days to explore this area but it holds great numbers of barra and threadfin salmon. You can also expect to catch grunter, blue salmon, fingermark and the odd black jewfish here. Hitting Rockhampton either for a day’s fishing or taking in the sights and restaurants will keep all members of the family entertained. If you take the boat, the Fitzroy River will be really firing after the rain during the start of the year. Take into account that it is now free from commercial netting and you can expect to get into a couple of barra and threadies. If the river is still flooding in April, I would concentrate from the middle section down

to the mouth. Lures may be hard work, so if you can find some good live baits you will get more action. Try fishing them under a float to keep them off the bottom and away from the catfish. Koorana Crocodile Farm about 20 minutes out of Rockhampton towards Emu Park is worth a visit, as is Rockhampton Zoo, with a wide variety of animals from both Australia and overseas. If you are not keen to travel too far in the car, you’ll find plenty of good options within Gladstone and the harbour to keep you busy. You can travel down the beach to the Lillies and spend the day fishing and swimming, though you will need a beach permit to travel along the beach. The campsite here will be busy over the four-day Easter break as people take advantage of the long weekend. Taking the barge to Southend on Curtis Island, you can travel the 4WD tracks or go fishing and swimming on the eastern shore of the island. You could spend a day in Gladstone Harbour travelling around the islands and you would only get to explore a small part of it. Heading through the harbour and into the Narrows, you can try your luck in Graham Creek for a fish or crab or keep going up the Narrows to explore other locations. If you are after a bit of exercise, you can climb Mount Larcom, which takes the average person about four hours for a round trip. You will need to take a fair amount of water, some food and good shoes because you will need to climb the last piece to get to the top. Once you’re there, the view is pretty amazing, with a view over Curtis Island, the Narrows and Gladstone. Taking a drive out

through Mount Larcom and Cedarvale Loop gives you a nice look at the scenery and properties. You can stop at the Mount Larcom Royal Hotel for a tasty lunch or dinner on your way home to top off your day. On the fishing front, the rain we received during February and early March has kept most of the rivers running fresh. This has had different effects on certain fish, with barra and salmon still feeding strongly while fish including grunter and fingermark have slowed with the dirty water. Barra are biting through all systems, with Gladstone Harbour and Port Alma fishing extremely well and good numbers of sizeable fish are coming from both locations. With so much water to fish, you will have to be active and keep moving until you find where the fish are holding. Fishing deeper or cleaner systems will turn up more grunter and fingermark as they move around chasing cleaner water. While the rivers are dirty, live baits will catch the most fish but a lure with a strong vibration or rattle will still get its share. Mangrove jack are being taken in great numbers, especially in the smaller, less-fished estuaries. Blue salmon numbers will increase as the temperatures drop. They will start to move into the rivers and will be seen feeding on schools of bait. Bream, whiting and flathead are being hooked in good numbers, and if you are after a feed the usual spots will still produce. Crabs have responded to the rain and are around in good numbers. They should continue to run well for another couple of months. Hopefully this article gives you an idea of where to get away for a day over the Easter break and school holidays. Cheers and happy fishing from Gladdy. www.bnbfishing.com. au

First Fitzroy River flick for 2018 W

E all breathed a sigh of relief as the tinnie was pushed off the trailer onto the mighty Fitzroy River. The entire place was desolate and we were the only boat at the ramp. Could it have been because it was still two hours until sun-up? That’s how bloody keen we were. I was accompanied by Luke and Derek, my two good mates from Emerald. I thought I was eager to get lures in the water until I saw the looks on their faces. Clearly, they had hardly slept a wink. It had been five weeks since Luke and I had been on the water and almost three months since Derek wet a line. We turned on the Humminbird sounder and kicked the four-stroke in the guts. It was time. Day one After a careful run down the river in the pre-dawn gloom, we arrived at our first destination. Unfortunately, half a dozen boats had beaten us to the good spots. They certainly didn’t launch from the same place as us. We couldn’t fish where we wanted to, so turned the side imaging on and went searching. We didn’t get far before we found great-looking timber holding fair-sized barra and threadies. With the electric motor deployed, the first casts were fired. It didn’t take long for Derek to get smacked on a timber vibe. A feisty thready was netted and brought on board and it was a nice schoolie to open our account. Just after the thready was landed, Luke was hit on a small Z-Man grub tail plastic. Fishing weedless can sometimes be painful in terms of hook-up rates, as a good-sized barra jumped and threw the hook. That was the only joy we had before they shut down. We decided to leave the crowds and find greener pastures. I had found a great rock bar towards the mouth holding big fish at the end of the 2017 barra season and I was itching to get back out there for a look. Unfortunately the water

Capricorn Coast by JOHN BOON

clarity wasn’t as expected and the fish simply weren’t there either. It will definitely be kept on record for another day. We spent the rest of the morning searching and moving, so headed back around mid-river and started working some rock bars. We finally tasted success, with the first barra coming over the side. It was no monster at about 55cm but was a barra all the same and the target species. We tagged another three rats before moving on. We were making our way towards Rockhampton, checking out reliable areas from past trips. The sounder wasn’t showing us anything exciting, so we settled for chasing barra in the town reaches for the best part of the tide. After two hours of sounding we had found one lonely barra that didn’t hang around long. We were bitterly disappointed after the reports we had received leading up to the trip. We then joined a couple of good mates Cody and Lochie who were getting into the king threadfin. I couldn’t believe the number of threadies showing up on the side imaging of the sounder. There were hundreds of them! We picked a school and started working plastics and vibes and it didn’t take long to get a hook-up. The average size of the threadies was 70-90cm, so we put a couple in the Esky for the boys to take home and started tagging the rest. It was really interesting to watch the bites between our two boats. When one of us would hook up, the other boat would hook up shortly after. Was it a particular trigger or was it just breeding action? Regardless, we had to keep changing our lures to keep the threadies interested. Luke rigged a small Berkley Gulp plastic and cast it into the school. Imagine our surprise when he hooked up and a quality barra shot out of the water trying to dislodge the lure.

Casting at thready schools and hooking a barra, how cool is that!? We got some cool footage on the GoPro, capturing the jumps and the landing. It was high fives all round. We watched the sun slowly sink to the horizon as we continued catching threadies. I pulled out the light gear to land one final king at 90cm to top off a great first day. Day two The second day of our trip was to be spent at Port Alma. It’s a massive system and it has taken many trips to work out how to best fish the place. I wouldn’t say we are experts but fish-less trips are becoming less frequent, which is fantastic. Once again, we launched in the murky gloom and about 20 trailers were parked at the ramp by the time we got there. We weren’t the only keen anglers to hit the water early. We scanned our first spot and identified some likely suspects. The electric was deployed and we had frequent bites from the word go. Not from the barra but from the mozzies, unfortunately. We persevered for as long as we could for not a touch. It was high tide running out, so we would waste some time before getting serious for the low. Barra were scanned up sitting among some hectic structure. Derek remembered this spot well because last time we were here he got pumped by a big creek fingermark. We set up a strategic cast angle to give us the best chance at extraction. It wasn’t long before Luke was almost pulled out of the boat. When a big fish is hooked, it really does take a team effort to boat it. Everyone on board has a job to do. I was busy on the electric, trying to pull the beast into safety. Derek had the landing net ready and cleared the boat of obstacles. Luke was dragged all

Luke with a quality Fitzroy barra. If you look hard in the background, Cody is holding up a nice thready as well.

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around the boat. The unknown was staying deep, which is typical of a big thready. We were seriously surprised when a big barra hit the surface. The anticipation intensified. Helpful advice was coming thick and fast. Luke played it out like a pro and Derek scooped it up with the landing net. Yahoos all round. Luke’s barra came in at 103cm and is his second metrey to date. It was early but the celebration beverages came out straight away. We have fished the barra season opening together for three years running and every year have managed a metre saltwater barra, which is a tradition we hope to keep well into the future. The pressure is on for next year. It was my turn next but the bites weren’t coming from desired species. The nickname of “cod king” was given after I landed three 6” goldspotted estuary cod in three casts. We were amped for a big day after that start but it wasn’t to be. We fished the best parts of the tide for zip and pulled the boat out midafternoon and went back into the Fitzroy to hopefully play with the threadies again. Finishing off the day landing a couple of king threadies was nice. We were still excited about Luke’s metrey but a little disappointed we couldn’t add a few more barra to the day’s tally. Day three The final day was spent back in the Fitzroy. We checked for the threadies in the early morning but they were absent. I started investigating some areas I had already looked at during the past few days. Imagine my surprise when one rock pile lit up with barra. It was the most barra I had ever seen in one spot in the Fitzroy. Throughout the area there would have been about 50 barra. They weren’t there around low tide on the run out or run in but were schooled up approaching high tide. We learnt plenty from the weekend, that’s for sure. We had a stiff northwesterly wind blowing straight up the river. I’m a big believer in westerlies greatly affecting fish behaviour. We were surprised when I hooked up after only a few casts. A small fish shot out of the water and threw the single jig head. I wasn’t impressed. What made me even crankier was when I missed the next three fish after this one. What the bloody hell was I doing wrong!? I was able to get the bites but couldn’t keep the hook in. Very frustrating. Relief came when I finally boated a small barra. I’ve never been so happy to land a 50cm barra.

After that hiccup we had a good morning, boating six barra and pulling the hooks on many more. Out of the six landed, three of them were tagged fish. I’ve since got the data back and it turns out all three were tagged 40km upstream of the barrage in the fresh by the fish stocking group. We retagged one of them due to the tag being almost unreadable. It’s very cool to participate in an organisation dedicated to looking after the future. Overall it was a beaut three days of fishing throughout the Rockhampton net-free zone. A wide range of lures caught fish for us but the standouts were the Lucky Craft Pointer, Samaki Vibelicious Thumpertails, Berkley Gulps and Z-Man GrubZ. I would like to thank Luke and Derek for another great barra kick-off. I hope everyone is getting into hot barra action. Until next month, tight lines and fish hard.

The author with the final thready for day one. It went 90cm and was taken on a 10lb setup and 2” Gulp Shrimp.

Derek with a typical three-year-old Fitzroy barra. There are plenty in the system at this size.

Luke with the barra of the weekend at 103cm.

Bulk threadies sounded up on the Humminbird Helix G2N.

A pile of rock covered in barra. Fitzroy gold.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 53

Nev and Justin were happy with this big muddy.

Dylan Meddings picked up this cracker cod fishing from the shore.

Dylan landed a brute 120cm giant trevally.

Year-round fishing options at Stanage Bay Mark with a healthy Stanage barra and muddy.

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The road into Stanage Bay is a joy to drive at the moment. As usual, you must drive to the conditions of the mostly unsealed road, and be warned it can change overnight. The many grids need total concentration but the corduroy, potholes and creek crossings are all good. The Stanage Bay area has received good rainfall, though not enough to excite the estuary or close the road. It’s been grass-growing and tank-filling rainfall. The cattle properties look a picture, so have your cameras handy on the trip in and out. The wind has been quite constant and not receding, giving the reef and islands

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Stanage Bay by VON IRELAND

a huge spell from fishing pressure. Once again, February and March have seen Stanage Bay classed as a seasonal fishing and mud crabbing tourist township, which is such a shame. In years past the township hummed most of the year, except if the road in was closed. It seems the older generation were the real adventurers with guts and determination, and they would come here to tackle the adventure the area presents. If people like me did not come up here in the hard old days, there would certainly not be as much information out there for future generations as there is now. Come on fellas and girls, get together and plan a trip to Stanage Bay… the fish and muddies are the light on the candle, so to speak. It was good to see Margie and Pete Sheville back home at Stanage. While I have no pics from those guys, true to form they pulled in five big full muddies and two legal barra from the headlands, so well done. Alex, Jeromy and mates make their trip to Stanage annually, and with or without a good catch they create great memories and learn more about the area, which takes years of trial and error. Just when you think there is no more to learn, the sundial changes, along with the movements of fish and crabs. Then Nik and Mark popped into Stanage for their two-week annual trip, put their eight pots in with some of my awesome fresh bait and were rewarded with two full monster muddies the next day. They then threw in a line and picked up lunch of bream and whiting. Two Aria Restaurant

Brisbane chefs catching their own seafood – well done guys. They are of the younger generation but still with adventure in their souls, thank goodness. Pauly from As We Do Concreting and his crew are also younger and they come up to enjoy Stanage Bay, with the fish and crabs a pleasant bonus. In saying that, they are always learning and picking up serious feeds of

muddies, though some haven’t been as full as they would like. Pauly took out the trophy with his 5kg grunter. The oops award went to his right-hand man with a 4mm-undersize barra captured in the cast net and quickly released. A few barra broke rods and line and scaled live poddy mullet, all swimming away and leaving the fellas gobsmacked as none had ever caught a barra before. Funnily enough, the barra and threadfin salmon could be seen on the edge of the mangroves yet not many seemed to be hun-

gry or interested in live baits or lures. Righto skippers, round up your crews and come to Stanage Bay where you’ll find plenty of accommodation, all budgeted to the running costs. Pacific Villa and Pacific Oasis are just two that are set up by fishers, for fishers of all age groups. Give me a ring today for more info on Stanage Bay on 07 4927 2145, email me at stanagebaymarine@ bigpond.com or find us on Facebook. Until next time, keep enjoying what our beautiful country has to offer and go fishing.

Mike Oxlonge with a 112cm barra from a big creek hooked on a Westin Bony the Bream vibe.

Mark and Nik with the fruits of a trip up the estuary.

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Whopper wet will ensure wicked fishing

T the time of writing we have just had a massive wet.

It seems the wet seasons are getting later every year. Here at Hinchinbrook Island and in the Ingham district we have received plenty of flooding, as I am sure many of you have seen on TV and social media. The 2018 floods definitely rivalled those in 2009. For some people, 2018 was bigger and for others it was a lot lower than 2009. That’s the funny thing with floodwater; it really moves in strange ways and does something different each year. It’s amazing when we have these floods how

Hinchinbrook News by TODD EVELEIGH

north Queenslanders just take it in their stride. It is just part of life up here and comes with living on the banks of the mighty Herbert River. Our hearts go out to the people who have been badly affected. However, other locals treat it like a holiday and break from reality, with a lot of people even having flood parties and a good time talking about previous floods and antics that take place during these events. Farmers probably take the biggest hit, along with small businesses due to the clean-up and

loss of income. The day the Bruce Highway reopened, the little town of Ingham was almost back to normal and business as usual. The Herbert River got close to 15m at the pumping station at Ingham and even John Row Bridge, the main bridge going across the river just north of Ingham, had water running over it and was piled with debris. On the fishing front, this flood is really going to help Hinchinbrook and the Herbert River in the future. Good numbers of barramundi should be in the

Ian with his first-ever barra, hooked during the floods.

system in coming years. The flood will also wash out sand, make deeper edges and erode banks, so there should be quite a few new snags in the water. The river is still running very high, and dirty water is flowing out of Hinchinbrook Channel and about halfway to the Great Barrier Reef. Fishing is difficult in the early stages after the flood as the bait is washed out, the barra are ejected from their normal haunts and spread out and the cold run-off water will push around and move all over the Hinchinbrook Channel, which can make for uncertain fishing. There will be some purple patches where you will find fish aggregating and be able to catch the odd one but the times and places will change daily due to the cold fresh water being pushed in and out. A better option would be trying to fish along the foreshores of the beach creeks, looking for back eddies holding warmer patches of water and bait schools. If you are thinking about coming to Hinchinbrook, don’t let the flood deter you. Businesses around Ingham and Hinchinbrook are open and more than ever we need tourists to spend money in the region. It should be a great barra year, with lots of fish in the channel coming down from the river that may have been stuck up there for a few years due to poor wets. Some of these fish will have never seen a lure before, which should make for exciting fishing in months to come. I hope you have a wonderful Easter and spend time with family and friends as well as get out on the water and catch plenty of fish. P.S. please check out our new website at crackfish. com We would love to hear what you think of it. Until next month…

The Bruce Highway south of the Cardwell Range. The water was still rising.

Anabranch Bridge with water starting to creep over the bridge.

Arnot Creek Bridge with 1m of water over it and still rising.

Les caught a barra in the floods.

Experienced local guide

Full-day inshore or offshore charters Come on a Hinchinbrook wilderness ﬁshing holiday and tick some of those trophy ﬁsh off your bucket list – barra, mangrove jack, coral trout, GTs, sooty grunter, spanish mackerel, black marlin, queenies, nannygai and more!

• Two boats available catering for groups of 2-8 • 3 to 7-day packages including accommodation Todd & Raylene Eveleigh T: 07 4777 2968 M: 0417 192 318 E: barra@crackﬁsh.com The Herbert River prior to flooding.

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CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE >>> CRACKFISH.COM Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 55

4WDING & off - road

Dean’s Suzuki played stuck in the mud on Mud Mile.

The scenery around the Glasshouse area is something special.

A guide to 4WDing the Glasshouse Mountains

HE Glasshouse Mountains or ‘Glassy’ is one of southeast Queensland’s favourite off-roading hot spots.

The Milk Carton and crew set up for a photo before airing up.

Dean’s Suzuki hugged the bank.

For those who haven’t been, the Glasshouse Mountains area is a one-stop location for everyone from beginners who want to learn the ropes to those who haven’t got a cautious bone in their body. Our very first trip to Glassy was many moons ago in our completely stock D22 Nissan Navara as we tagged along on a run with a group called 4X4 Torsion Bar Warriors. As newbies with experience that stretched about as far as flexing on the local gutter, we had no idea what we were in for. Within five minutes of being on the tracks, we were hooked. Most trips to Glassy start at either Glasshouse Mountains Lookout or what is commonly known as Big Red play hills. Big Red is located about five minutes’ drive past the lookout. Follow the road until it comes to a T intersection and then turn right. From there you will reach a section where the bush opens

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0401 221 596 Page 56 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

4WD Advice by GREG BELL

up on both the left and right sides and provides a view for miles along the powerlines. Also known as Big Red carpark, it is one of the main entrances and meeting points for most runs at Glassy and offers plenty of space for large groups to air down and wait for others in their group, along with some short hillclimbs for those who wish to have a quick play. The play hills are effectively a large singular hill with four main tracks carved out over the years. During our most recent trip in March, most of the lines were only driveable for those with lockers. This was proven by two GU Patrols, both with 33” wheels and 2” lifts, the only difference being one had a locker and the other didn’t. Our GU with the locker walked up the hills without a drama, however the other GU was not so lucky. Unable to make it to the top, the driver ended up damaging the Patrol’s exhaust while trying to back out of the climb. You may be wondering why this area is called Big Red play hills. Well, the explanation is very simple, however the track is not! The play hills are situated at the very top of Big Red. Big Red is the top section of a two-part track with a very steep face and huge ruts. This track is definitely not for the faint-hearted. We have never driven this track due to our desire for selfpreservation and mechanical sympathy. For novices, this track appears simply insane and undrivable, which alone motivates some very courageous (crazy?) people to attempt it. The bottom half of this track is called Little Red, and it also

appears to be a pretty difficult track, however for those with some experience picking the right lines and with somewhat capable rigs, this track can be conquered reasonably easily. The track starts with fairly mild trails before the first obstacle of a steep off-camber climb, almost immediately followed by entering an extremely steep descent with a rather large rut right in the middle of the track. After this the track returns

to easy driving for a little over 100m until you hit the base of Little Red. Little Red has two lines. The one on the left used to be the chicken track, however due to significant erosion it has turned into a track only for those who don’t mind panel damage, broken windows and other mechanical failures. In fact, no less than a year ago a traveller from Canberra unwittingly made the decision to drive down this track. The poor guy left with a smashed window, a door half ripped off, damage to the Bpillar, a snapped shock absorber and two snapped lower ☛ continued P57

The Milk Carton winched a SWB Pajero up Hennessy Hill.

The Milk Carton and crew aired down for the day.

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4WDING & off - road A guide to 4WDing the Glasshouse Mountains ☛ from P56

control arms. It’s safe to say we have no desire to drive this line. Now for the fun side – the right side. On this side the challenges last for no longer than 50m, starting with a rock step that is about the height of the average man’s shoulder. Thankfully this rock step has a fairly gradual approach that allows your rig to nose up to it, place a wheel on the high section over to the left and climb up and over the step. This is easy in theory, but not so simple in practice. When we drove this track recently in the Milk Carton, we were able to drive it from bottom to top in less than two minutes. In saying that, our friend’s 105 Series LandCruiser with 4” lift, ridiculous flex, 35” tyres and a front locker was unable to make it up the first step. Some of you may be scratching your heads as to why the smaller GU made it up but the Cruiser didn’t? Well the reason is simple: big flex isn’t always a good thing. Though the Cruiser had all wheels on the ground, the body of the rig sat on a much greater angle, thus putting more weight on the wheel that was unable to climb. Because the front left wheel was on the high line, the lack of weight on this wheel meant it did not have adequate traction to get up the step. The rear right wheel was also in a large slippery hole, which meant it was unable to maintain enough traction to climb the rock step. After popping over the first step, you are faced with another series of large steps before coming to the final step with a large V-shaped rut. Whether or not you struggle on this challenge depends on the length of your wheelbase. Those reading who haven’t got the experience or ambition to tackle something as difficult as

Little or Big Red, rest assured Glassy is not just filled with hard tracks only suited to those with huge rigs and no fear. Glassy also has a range of easy and intermediate tracks perfect for building up skills and confidence. For those new to offroading, heading north along the Powerlines track from the Big Red play hills would be a perfect start. With some fairly tame challenges that require basic knowledge of your vehicle’s track width, the Powerlines can be a load of fun. Tracks run off both sides of the Powerlines track, just as they do with the majority of tracks at Glassy. These side tracks are fun for exploring and navigating around the place. However, we always follow one simple rule – if we can’t confidently say we will be able to complete the challenge or if there is nowhere to safely turn around, we do not continue along a track. We have been on trips where friends have made the mistake of tackling challenges they were clearly unable to conquer or unable to back out of and we are well aware of the dangers this presents. One incident that comes to mind was in The Canyon at Glassy, which is a side track off the south end of the Powerlines track. A friend did not give enough thought to the challenge ahead and frustratingly sent a stock rig down a track that requires skill and significant modifications. As a result, they ended up breaking a CV and caused other damage to their rig. The consequence was a four-hour recovery at 1am during a cold winter’s night that left two other rigs with mechanical issues. It’s safe to say this was one epic recovery, but let’s leave the juicy details for another article. The Glasshouse Mountains is truly a perfect four-wheel-driving destination, and with easy

through to extreme tracks, you are bound to find something to satisfy your off-road itch. We definitely recommend taking the time to do a day trip out there. If you have concerns about going by yourself, then hit up Glasshouse Area 4WD Hub on Facebook or any of the other Glasshouse pages for advice and to organise runs. Just make sure you keep an eye on the HQPlantations website hqplanta

tions.com.au for closures, especially around major weather events and logging periods. If we respect the Glasshouse area, we will be able to ensure it is kept open for everyone to enjoy. If you are interested in heading out for a run to Glassy, feel free to hit us up on our Flexible 4WD Solutions Facebook page. Until next month, we hope to see you out on the tracks.

Dean’s Suzuki got on some mental angles at Glasshouse.

The Milk Carton posed with Mount Tibrogargan in the background.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 57

C AMPING & outdoors Steady rain a blessing for Cape York

W The lighter Bedourie Camp Oven cooks just as well as the conventional cast iron type, so long as you are careful with the heat.

The reef fishing when the wind drops out can be simply sensational.

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HAT an eventful wet season!

We haven’t seen any cyclones cross the coast (yet), but record or nearrecord rain across many areas of Queensland has caused extensive flooding. Our thoughts are with those who have been flooded or otherwise affected by the big rain events. At the time of writing, the southwest corner of the state was still dry, fortunately. Upstream river runs in the Channel Country – ‘the desert that floods’ – will help out there. Much of Cape York had received only patchy rain until late February and early March. Then it was full on! It’s thundering down just out of Cooktown as I write now, with roads closed, creeks gushing and the yard like a mini sea. The rain has been an absolute blessing for rejuvenating the countryside and creating river flows for aquatic wildlife to move about. Most locals grumble if the Cape’s rivers don’t flood at least a couple of times each monsoon season, knowing just how good it is for the country. Quality flows in February and March will allow juvenile barramundi to swim upstream and into billabongs and other wetlands. These areas provide a far greater source of food and chance of survival than if the youngsters were confined just to estuary areas. The freshwater prawn macrobrachium needs to access brackish water to breed.

Cape York by ‘BILLABONG’ BAZZ LYON

Once again, big wet seasons like this benefit this important prey item of many northern fish species. Whether the wet will continue into April with intensity is anyone’s guess. One thing is for sure: we’re going to have a cracker barramundi ‘runoff’ season on the Cape and across the Gulf country that could last well into May and even June in some areas. The downside will be the wet conditions as far as driving goes, until the country dries sufficiently anyway. At this time of year, when access to parts of the Cape is still dodgy, the Normanton and Karumba area presents a great option, particularly if you’ve got a boat. In fact, a boat can be a particularly valuable asset at this time of year in most places. Do your travelling by boat rather than fourwheel-drive, and with luck you shouldn’t get bogged! In years past I’ve enjoyed absolute cracker run-off fishing around Normanton, targeting creek mouths and drains coming off the flood plains. Anywhere the water is murky (it will be in most places), use darker lures and/or lures with strong contrast, such as with stripes. Barra have a lateral line running along the sides of

their body to help them detect movement of prey animals nearby, however the dark or contrasting colours will further help the fish home in on the lure. Target areas where you can see a colour change in the water, as barramundi love to patrol and ambush baitfish in such places. Soft plastics are particularly effective at this time of year. When the roads open and it’s safe to travel, the rivers around Weipa, within Rinyirru National Park, the Stewart River out of Coen and the Jackey Jackey and Escape near the tip should all be going off. An exciting time of year for sure. Remember to take it steady when driving too. It understandably takes some time for road gangs to repair wet season damage, and many wash-outs and ruts will not be signposted. There are simply not enough warning signs to go around. Calm weather until early to mid-March on the northern east coast has given plenty of opportunities for anglers to get out to reefs and coastal hot spots. As is normal for this time of year, the reef fishing has been good, but not red hot. Best results can usually be enjoyed by moving around frequently. Off Cooktown, the most

accessible town for reef fishing off the Cape at this time of year, we’ve seen fair catches of coral trout, large-mouth nannygai and spanish mackerel, with the usual sweetlip and occasional tuskfish thrown in. West Australian pilchards used with a hard bait of fish flesh and/or squid are the prime bait option, pinned onto a 7/0 to 9/0 hook and fished from a grunty spinning or baitcasting outfit. Many locals still use handlines to great effect, and that form of fishing is certainly fun and pretty full on. Increasing numbers of fishers are also getting into lure fishing reefs and drop-offs, and that too can be serious fun. Soft plastics, slugs, spoons and hard-bodied divers and poppers can all produce good results. Using lures is definitely one of my favourite forms of fishing. April usually sees the return of the southeasterly trade winds, but often with a few windows of calmer weather. Here’s hoping! The iconic Bedourie Camp Oven Australia, once famous for its ingenuity, has these days been flooded by imported products, many of good quality, many not. This very much applies to camping gear, however fortunately some iconic Australian products survive.

One is the Bedourie Camp Oven. Made of spun steel rather than the traditional cast iron, it was designed for use in the Australian outback. Its light weight and compact shape made it suitable for use with pack horses, and if accidentally dropped, the oven wouldn’t break like cast iron varieties could. The lid fits well over the base to exclude dirt and sand in the event of a dust storm. And there is no chance of ashes placed on the lid sneaking inside the oven. As well, you can invert the lid and use it as a frying pan. Because of the lighter metal construction, however, the Bedourie doesn’t transfer heat as gently as cast iron. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t cook as well, you just have to be more careful. The results are just as delicious! I first bought a couple of these iconic ovens from an R.M. Williams store back in the 1980s, and exclusively used them while running bush expeditions for five years across Cape York and the Gulf country. They remain my firm favourite! If you do buy one, be sure to keep it well oiled until ‘run in’ and use less heat than for a cast iron model. The practicality of the Bedourie Camp Oven is superb!

MINJERRIBAH CAMPING Minjerribah Camping, on North Stradbroke Island, offers hundreds of island camping sites overlooking kilometres of white sandy beaches. Our beachside camping grounds offer powered and unpowered sites suitable for tents, camper trailers and caravans, as well as a selection of fully equipped cabins.

Barra will be very active around creek mouths and drains after all the rain.

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Page 58 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

Access to parts of the Cape can be dodgy during April, so be sure to check road closures prior to travelling.

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The author’s new rig sitting pretty on the trailer.

Ready to explore Cape York and the Torres Strait: the author’s recently bought Fisher 700 Maxi Series.

Finding a boat for fishing remote A FTER nearly eight months of searching for a new boat, I was feeling pretty frustrated but I was determined to wait until I came across ‘the one’ that suited my fishing needs.

While I really enjoy flicking lures up remote Cape York river systems, it is the long-distance trips fishing and diving isolated reefs that I really live for. Therefore, a vessel equipped for boat camping, handling rough seas and hauling quite a bit of gear (extra fuel, Eskies, camping gear) for extended remote trips was what I was after. Initially I was going to

Cape York & Torres Strait by MATT POTTER

go for a fibreglass boat for the great ride but the more I thought about the isolated areas we fish around the Torres Strait and Cape York and the many unmarked rocks, reefs and shifting sand bars we come across, I felt more comfortable sticking with a plate alloy boat. Should it end up high and dry while camping, it would not be a major issue, though I would do my best to not let that happen. We sometimes motor up to the rocks when loading and unloading passengers at the boat ramp because

Matt Arkell and a solid trout taken on a slab of spanish mackerel.

the loading pontoon is often very busy and difficult to access. I’ve seen the frustration of several mates as they perform tricky repair jobs on damaged fibreglass hulls because no repairers are based on Thursday Island. So with the decision made to go plate, I had a few other features I wanted the boat to have. Because we cover many miles up here exploring remote reef systems, I needed a boat with a large 300-litre-plus fuel capacity for those extended trips. When looking, I was surprised at the number of second-hand and new 6-7m plate boats that only had 150-litre fuel tanks. I also wanted a walkaround. As with my last boat, I find bow access very handy when anchoring and fighting large pelagics that run around the boat. The bow is also a great viewing and fishing area

It was trevally time when a huge bait ball was hammered by several species of trevally.

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when casting at reefs and I did not want to be fumbling around the gunwales trying to access the bow while the boat was rocking. With two young daughters, I wanted a solid hardtop cabin that would keep the family dry and comfortable should the conditions pick up. The years of copping salt spray in the eyes were coming to an end. Finally, I’m a big fan of Suzuki outboards, having previously owned two, and was of course hoping to find one with low hours. The more I looked online at what boats were around, the more of an idea I got of what I wanted within my budget, and narrowed it down to about five makes and models. I finally came across the boat I had been looking for at a great price. It had only been advertised for mere minutes and I called straight away and arranged a holding deposit. Surprisingly, the seller agreed to hold the boat for two weeks until I could give it a sea trial because I couldn’t leave the Torres Strait any earlier and the boat was located near Brisbane. I’m glad I did this because he was soon flooded with offers from as far away as Perth (and I think regretted holding the boat). I flew down and after taking the boat on a sea trial it was a done deal. I had bought one of the original Fisher 700 Maxi Series. This boat was 10 years old yet looked like it had just come off the showroom floor with not a mark on it and the trailer also looking new. The owner had certainly looked after it. What was even better was the big Suzuki 250hp four-stroke only had 90 hours on it.

Other features on this 700 Maxi include: huge deck space, trim tabs, cushioned 200-litre Esky, additional seats that are removable, roomy cabin/ bunks, excellent deck lighting, Furuno sounder with through-hull transducer on a mounted bracket, additional built-in Eskies under the seats, large ballast tubes for stability at rest, 350-litre fuel tank, electric anchor winch and loads of storage space. Since the boat arrived on Thursday Island, it has been getting a workout because we have been making the most of some

Oh the serenity – sunset on a remote reef. The hard top is great for storing jerry cans out of the way when camping in the boat overnight.

☛ continued P60

The large cabin of the Fisher Maxi is comfy and dry.

The new boat affords maximum comfort for all crew members, big or small.

This black jewfish was initially called for a shark and took some extracting from the bottom.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 59

Finding a boat for fishing remote ☛ from P59

Spearfishing fun – remote reefs regularly produce the goods.

Matt Tully with a cracking coral trout.

Adrian Jeloudev and the author held the results of a double hook-up.

Triple hook-up! Isolated rocks and shoals often hold fingermark and nannygai.

Page 60 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

decent weather and I feel the wait was definitely worth it. My advice to anyone in the market for a new boat is to be patient. The more you look, the more you learn. Also read boat reviews and search online forums for any issues people may have had with the boat brands/makes that you like. Have your finances organised so you are ready when you do find the boat you want. Quality second-hand boats that are reasonably priced do not last long on the market. Finally, always arrange a sea trial so you can see how the rig performs. Fishing Cape York’s east coast We have now managed several long-range trips off Cape York’s east coast and I was stoked we still maintained a 23-knot cruising speed even when the chop kicked up. The 23-degree deadrise makes for a very comfortable ride in chop. Our first trip in the new boat was one I won’t forget any time soon. The waters close to Thursday Island weren’t very clear due to all the rain and run-off from the Cape, so we decided to do an overnighter and further explore a productive area 70 nautical miles from home we found last year. Once about 30 nautical miles out from Thursday Island, it was pleasing to see the water quality improve and plenty of fish life evident on the surface. The weather was playing the game, which isn’t always the case during the wet season. The crew managed cracking fish, both by line fishing and spearing and we were thankful the ever-present storms passed north of us. These remote reefs are absolutely teeming with life, which is why I enjoy travelling the extra miles for memorable fishing. Do the miles to get the smiles! Throughout the morning we managed to spear cracking coral trout, mangrove jack and a couple of big spanish mackerel, which I was very happy with because it had been a long time since I had speared a mackie. We later got the rods out of the rocket launchers and fished in 30m of water, dropping fresh squid on 80lb paternoster rigs to a few isolated rocks we had found. For several hours we persisted and managed a great Esky of nice fingermark, trout, spangled emperor, black jewfish, red emperor and both large and small-mouth nannygai. The seas were calm and we found a couple more productive rocks for fu-

ture fishing trips. Late in the afternoon we trolled Rapala X-Rap Magnum 30+ hard-bodies and wog heads rigged with gar for mackerel around a pinnacle. Spanish mackerel were in large numbers but only around 6-8kg in size. Still, it was great fun. We kept a few for the table and as reef baits for the next morning. After what had been a cracking day, I pulled into the lee side of a small sand cay and anchored. We cleaned the boat, cooked a feed of fresh mackerel and sank a few beers as the sun went down. It was great having a crew of fellow boat owners who stayed on top of cleaning the boat. With the conditions glassy, we headed back out at night to the spots that had fired during the day. However, we found the fish had shut down and only managed a couple of fingermark for a few hours of fishing. With that, we headed back to the anchorage and the boys rolled out their swags on the back deck. I slept like a log in the cabin. I woke at about 4.30am to the rumble of thunder and watched the lightning show north of us but wasn’t overly concerned because I knew it was a long way off and moving west. After checking the boat and anchorage, I retired to bed again until 6am, which was first light. I cranked some AC/DC to get the boys out of bed. As they rolled up their swags, I cooked pre-made ham and cheese toasties in the frypan. We emptied a few fuel jerry cans into the tank in case the weather turned on the long run home before continuing to explore for a couple more hours. We added more nice fingermark and nannies to the Eskies before a breeze came up and I made the decision to head for home because we had a huge clean-up ahead. The chop picked up but

the boat rode beautifully and the trim tabs really came into their own. The boys slept comfortably for the last two hours of the three-and-a-halfhour ride home. Not everyone is cut out for these huge trips because they involve a lot of motoring and the weather can turn quickly. However, the rewards are certainly worth it.

This year I really hope to push the boundaries a little more and travel even further afield off Cape York. If you wish to see the footage from this trip, you can find the link for the YouTube clip titled ‘Distant Destinations’ on our Fishing Missions- Northern Australia Facebook page. Happy fishing!

Matt Tully nailed cracking mangrove jack while diving a remote reef edge.

PEtackle flies got the job done on large-mouth nannies.

A quick pit stop at the tip of Cape York.

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CATCH BARRA

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Magical days ahead at Monduran A S we move into April, we should encounter much more comfortable boating and fishing weather.

At Lake Monduran we will see magical days ahead, with the water temperature and wind conditions more favourable for fishing. Barra have moved from their deeper water summer haunts to now be found cruising in the backs of bays and around the points, from the first cut-through to south and north arm B and right up

Monduran Dam

by DONNA GANE

the back of the dam. A few barra are being boated in the main basin but I find these can be hard to tempt because they see a lot of boats and are much more switched on to anglers and lures. Another place worth trying is the lower end of the dam in the bay behind White Rock. Working the points that have the wind blowing

onto them has accounted for several nice fish. Failing to find any barra in these areas, a trip up to the back of the dam to the area known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; can also be productive. The shallow bays and weedy timbered points in this area are prime country for barra. Lake Monduran is one of the hardest freshwater lakes to fish, making it

Ryan Chapman picked up this barra in recent weeks.

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quite a challenge for most anglers to boat that elusive big barra, which is why some anglers keep coming back again and again. It is a massive lake with many little creeks and estuaries running into it, so there are lots of places for barra to hide. The weather, especially the wind, also plays a big part in getting the barra to bite. On a still day with no current, the barra are harder to find. With so many bays and inlets, you need to assess

wind direction before dropping the boat in. Different places fish better depending on which way the wind is blowing. When a southeasterly is blowing, the best spots are the top of Bird Bay, Jacks and Insane Bay. Fishing early in the morning and late afternoon is best but the middle of the day can sometimes work too, so check your bite time apps and allow about a two-hour window. Lake Monduran Sponsor a Barra Inc comprises a passionate group of anglers who raise funds for restocking the lake as well as looking at ways to stop the barra going over the wall when it floods. The group is holding a social event on April 6, 7 and 8 that will include tag-along trips around the lake to check out the best fishing spots. Check out the Lake Monduran Sponsor a Barra Inc Facebook page for more information. Here at Barra Havoc, our best advice is to get out on the water and explore our beautiful Lake Monduran. Make sure you pop into Barra Havoc at Gin Gin on your way to Lake Monduran to get the most up-to-date fishing report for free. We stock all the lures and tackle you will need to hopefully catch that big barra. Or buy online at bar ratackle.com.au and check out our Facebook page to find the best places to fish and the latest photos of catches. Until next month, tight lines and happy fishing.

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Dennis Harold with his world record 44.62kg, 134cm long, 107cm girth barra caught from his kayak at Lake Monduran in 2010.

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www.barratackle.com.au Bush â&#x20AC;&#x2122;n Beach Fishing, April 2018 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Page 61

The author with a good-sized barra from Tinaroo Dam caught while casting a Zerek Fish Trap.

Luke Fallon with his 118cm fish that took out the award for longest fish hooked by a senior angler.

Lake Tinaroo Barra Bonaza S ADLY it’s been all work and no play for the past couple of months and even though I’ve got a beaut new 115hp Yamaha outboard sitting on the back of our centre console, I’ve not yet managed to get the time to hook her up.

Casting lures is Luke’s preferred method of fishing and resulted in many quality fish.

Luke held one of the smaller barra taken from the dam.

I did, however, go on a last-minute fishing trip to Cairns to spend a weekend with game boat skipper and good friend Luke Fallon to compete in the 2018 Barra Bonanza held on Tinaroo Dam. It was last minute because I only wanted to fish if the weather was half decent. A lot of rain was expected and I’ve been caught out a few times after booking flights early only to be disappointed with miserable weather at my destination. As it was, we were very lucky that the rain stayed down in Cairns and while fishing Tinaroo, the conditions remained dry. Tinaroo Dam is situated in the Atherton Tablelands and is near the townships of Atherton, Malanda and Yungaburra. If visiting from Cairns,

Night-time fishing proved more fruitful, however the author still managed a few barra during the day.

Page 62 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

Fishing Australia

by ROBERT PAYNE

it’s roughly a 1.5-hour trip by road. Tinaroo is stocked with barramundi and world-record fish have come from this lake. It has good numbers of sooty grunter in its waters but unfortunately large numbers of catfish too, however usually only those fishing with baits will encounter the catties. Fishing from Luke’s 4.45m Haines was quite enjoyable and although we were fishing a competition, I was more than happy to just be spending time on the water. Though it was quite a tiring couple of days and being the old blokes we are, we went back to our accommodation for a nanna nap here and there. The fishing was very tough but we managed to put some barramundi in the boat and our pre-fish went well, with a couple of chromed fish measuring over a metre in length coming in. Because I flew to Cairns and am well aware of the traps that can catch anglers when travelling with rods, I just packed my four Bone travel rods from Wilson Fishing straight into my luggage instead of having to use rod tubes. Their applications are listed in the table and they were used with an ATC Combat 200 overhead reel as well as an ATC Valour 5000H spin reel. I used Zerek Fish Traps in 95mm and 110mm sizes along with Reidy’s B52 hard-bodies, casting the points and trolling from spot to spot because of the speed limit that had been put in place due to the low water level of 42 percent. All the areas I fished last year with Luke were well and truly out of the water this time and our better fish came from casting the points, while troll-

ing accounted for several smaller fish. This is an exceptionally large lake and if you only have a smaller vessel or don’t feel comfortable travelling too far afield, barramundi can be caught nearby the caravan park. I will never tire of the hard hits you get when casting and the bites we got certainly woke us up when we were beginning to feel lethargic. All in all, over the two and a half days of fishing, 217 anglers competed using a combination of casting and trolling techniques as well as bait, with 87 barramundi caught over the period. Luke managed to get the biggest fish award for a senior competitor at 118cm and was very lucky there was a prize for the

biggest fish caught by a junior as he got his butt kicked by a junior who landed a beautiful 124cm barramundi. Luke also managed to get runner-up angler with a total length of barramundi going 5.25m. However, he was well out of contention as the first-placed angler was fishing from a kayak and captured 14m of barra, which was a fabulous effort. We certainly see it time and time again that those trolling from kayaks catch a lot more than we do from a boat. Though we didn’t stay at the dam itself, excellent facilities including a boat ramp can be found at Lakeside Motor Inn & Caravan Park, 2 Tinaburra Drive, Yungaburra. For more information, phone 07 4095 3563, email info@lakeside caravan.com.au or visit lakesidecaravan.com.au

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Winners are grinners. Luke picked up prizes for longest fish as well as runner-up champion angler.

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South Burnett sees some much-needed water flows O UR two dams have received essential water in-

flows.

While not a huge amount, it’s been enough to lift the levels on both Boondooma and Bjelke-Petersen and keep the fish active. Neither dam has changed much as far as the fishing goes and both offer plenty of opportunity to get into great fishing for native species. Boondooma You’ve got a couple of good fishing options for Boondooma this month. Early in the day, your best bet would be to hit the trees in either the Stuart or Boyne arms chasing bass, yellowbelly and even saratoga among the spindly timber. I usually start here when the arms are quiet and it often pays off. I like to cruise through the trees with the electric motor and cast 5/8oz Bassman Spinnerbaits and soft lipless cranks tight to the spindly trees, letting the lure sink for three to five seconds before starting my retrieve. This usually accounts for a few bass and yellowbelly. The goldens particu-

Freshwater Impoundments by MATTHEW LANGFORD

larly like lipless cranks cast tight to the structure, while bass tend to hit as the lure bounces over the underwater structure. If you’re after a saratoga, casting surface lures when the water is still is a great way to catch one of these prehistoric fish. Fishing surface can be nail biting at times, especially when you hook up to a quality fish, but it’s so visual and so worth it. Later in the day when the sun is up, I’d be moving out to the main basin and sounding for concentrations of fish in the 4.57.5m range. At this time of year the fish that sit in this zone called the thermocline are real suckers for slowly retrieved or burned 5/8oz spinnerbaits, 1/2oz-rigged plastics and 18g Nories spoons. Give these fish a try the next time you’re out but make sure you find good shows of fish on the sounder before you start casting.

It pays to put the work in to find them because you can be greatly rewarded. Trollers are getting big bass in the main basin on 5/8oz spinnerbaits, mainly around the Barbers Pole area, the dam wall, Leisegangs Ledge and Pelican Point. Be patient and the rewards will come. Bait fishers are nailing good catches in the timbered sections of the dam on shrimp and worms. Silver perch, bass, yellowbelly and eel-tailed catfish are all catchable and good eating. Red claw are patchy but if you put in the work you will catch some whoppers. Remember, if your pots come in empty, keep moving them because you might drop a pot on the honey hole. Lake Barambah Barambah (Bjelke-Petersen Dam) has been the pick of the dams in terms of fish numbers. Sessions comprising 20-

Kaleb Baker and Matt Hart held bass caught from a suspended school along a rock wall near the dam wall.

40 fish are not uncommon and if you put in the work you can get some quality as well. A few areas fishing well are the open water straight out from the park boat ramp, wide of The Quarry and wide of Bass Point. The staff at the kiosk can tell you where these areas are. Soft plastics rigged on a 1/2oz head have been very effective. Soft vibes and spinnerbaits are also great go-to lures if the fish are sitting up off the bottom. Areas not to forget are the edges of the dam that hold rocky structure. Because the dam is so shallow, the fish like to move up into these areas to feed most of the year. During autumn, the fish will definitely be up in these locations. Spinnerbaits and blades could become key lures at this time of year. Trollers are scoring good size fish around the main lake points and in the open water out from the main boat ramps. Deep-diving hard-bodies, especially the more fluorescent lures, are accounting for quality yellowbelly. Bait fishers are getting golden perch along the rocky walls around the edges of the dam using shrimp and worms as bait. Red claw have been fairly quiet but are still there to be caught. Set your pots around rocky structure for best results. Park News It was great to see another record attendance at the annual Boondooma Dam Yellowbelly Fishing Competition this year. Everyone was well behaved and most people caught fish. A huge thankyou to everyone who attended this ☛ continued P64

Trent Baraclay scored a bass off a shallow point near The Quarry.

Noel Gothman with a nice bass caught from a suspended school in 6m of water on a spoon.

The author and Corey Goldie picked up solid bass on soft plastics fished near the surface with a fast retrieve.

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

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 63

Red and white shimmy-action diving lures are more associated with saltwater species, though this barra lure was very effective for Ned Ryan when cod fishing.

Sarah Wolski placed her lure with precision near structure to entice this Murray cod.

Luring the creeks W

ORKING out the most successful lures for freshwater streams in the Murray-Darling Basin takes a good deal of time on the water.

The author finds that noise is more important than colour for surface lures since most of the painted body sits above the waterline.

Graham Turner with a quality golden perch taken on a brown and green diving lure.

Having fished the Darling Downs region since Noah was knee-high to a grasshopper, it would be nice to say there is a ‘Yoda’ lure occupying the tackle box but this isn’t true. Some come close, but no matter what anglers say about ‘dead-set failproof’ lures, experience has taught me otherwise. Many factors are taken into consideration such as water colour, weather, stream levels and seasonal fish behavioural patterns. The last point is the most critical as it determines a major portion of success or otherwise. If the fish are shut down and refusing to bite, the angler can’t do too much except rethink the situation, change tactics and hope for the best. This is a difficult decision for most anglers though because of our inbuilt magnetism to tie on the old favourite fish catcher from last time and use it until algae has to be scraped off. Colours Colour is one of the most important choices but as the old saying goes, “lure colours catch more anglers than fish”.

Fresh Water by NOAL KUHL

The darker the water, the darker the lure is my basic principle. I have followed this method on the water for a long time and observed too much consistency to ignore this rule, except when surface luring. Very rarely are lures painted in mono duco. Pigments in two-tone or multi-colour are the norm, and purple, natural brown and green or a mixture are tried and tested. On bright days and in clear water I find fluorescent paint schemes achieve better results and this includes chrome for blades on spinnerbaits. Spinnerbait skirts in a natural green that incorporates yellow, red, orange or black have been winners for me. Running depth Ideal running depth depends on the conditions and many other factors. If the water is settled (no recent inflows) in warm weather, there is a good chance the fish will be active, so colours are not as crucial and it’s just a matter of choosing a lure that runs at the right level. An inflow is a good sign of high oxygen and there’s a strong chance the water will be murky

and stirred up. In this scenario I would tie on shallow-diving lures because fish tend to sit higher in the column as heavier silt-laden particles settle first and the better oxygen lies closer to the surface. Lure types When going to any area, local or abroad, I usually go to the tackle shop first and ask for locally made lures, whether diving lures or spinnerbaits. These are designed by anglers who have fished the same regions for a long time and know what works best to tempt the endemic species.

Better lure manufacturers will put them through a swim tank before sending them to tackle shops or your door if ordered online. The wider wobbling diving lures have a general appeal to Murray-Darling fish and Australian bass over the shimmy types that are designed for sleeker species such as barramundi and saltwater fish. I find more fish can be caught on a given day if anglers are willing to change lures frequently when a favourite from a previous trip is not performing. Better anglers are not pig-headed and will explore more avenues that will lead them to success.

Jim Harmon required wizardry to entice this cod when the surface lure’s trebles became fouled around the leader. Jiggling the lure imitated an animal in distress, triggering the cod to strike.

South Burnett sees some much-needed water flows ☛ from P63

year’s event and made the weekend such a success. Thanks also to the Boondooma Dam Fish Stocking & Management Association led by Terry Allwood for making the event so enjoyable. This group will put the money raised back into fingerlings for the dam to keep it flourishing for years to come. During the Easter

break the dams will become quite busy, so can I please remind everyone to be aware of the six-knot zone in front of the camping areas and please make sure you have your Stocked Impoundment Permits and lifejackets. Fisheries officers will be visiting quite often over the Easter break and we’d hate to see you fined. Don’t forget you can

Page 64 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

book a fishing charter with me on BP and Boondooma dams. If you’d like a great day out and all the info and knowledge to catch bass, yellowbelly and saratoga in our two great dams, make sure you give me a call on 0408 658 592 and I’ll be happy to take you out for a great day’s fishing. That’s it for this month. Until next time, tight lines and bent rods.

The views of Boondooma from the Bunk House are spectacular.

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Superb Somerset bass session I DON’T think I’ve ever been so excited to go fishing.

I’ve been flat-out at work lately and haven’t had a chance to get out as often as I would like. But over the past month I’ve managed to hit the water on two occasions. Between the rain at Lake Somerset, I’ve been pre-fishing for my first fishing tournament in three years – a B.A.S.S. Australia Nation event to be held at the lake. This lake is home to some extra-oversize bass and it’s definitely been living up to expectations. To give you an idea of how big the Somerset fish can get, I caught my PB fish here and it weighed 3.89kg and measured a massive 60cm. In a comp, I think anyone can win on this dam. Heaps of schooling fish are usually able to be found and they will take a variety of lures. It comes down to luck on the day. One of my recent trips to Somerset was an early morning session with good mate Matt Hoffmann.

Freshwater Luring

by CALLUM MUNRO

Matt had never fished the dam before and was pretty pumped to whack some XOS bass. He’d heard a lot about Somerset from me always talking up how big these fish can get compared to Lake Borumba and Lake Macdonald. The plan of attack was to target edge fish first with jerkbaits and reaction baits. We headed straight up the dam into the timber but I didn’t take into account the fact that the dam was only at 75 percent capacity compared to 95 percent the last time I fished it. This meant a lot of the edges I like to fish were a little too shallow and we basically wasted the first couple of hours. This is the beauty of a prefish prior to comp day. After this we headed down the dam, fishing areas including Queen Street, Bay 13, Eagle Nest, Pelican Point, Four Mile and The Spit. We managed to find fish in most spots, with the majority

of fish hugging the river line in 6-9m of water. We were casting spoons, Halco Twisties, Smak Smakos and Berkley Jigging Grubs matched to 5/8oz Smak jig heads. All these lures did the damage. When targeting schooling bass, I like to mix it up with different retrieves and lures. Fishing with a mate provides an advantage here. The two of you can mix it up until you find the winning lure or retrieve. The biggest school of fish was sitting on the south side of Pelican Point. Hoffy couldn’t believe how many fish we were seeing on the Humminbird Helix 12 sounder. This sounder is simply awesome and makes finding the fish so much easier. When we first spotted the fish, we were sitting in about 9m and the fish were suspending at 5.5m.

Fishing Freshwater events ideal for young and old

ISHING Freshwater is a relatively new business created to provide a friendly environment for people interested in fishing to test their skills against other anglers and have a good time both on and off the water. With arguably one of the most-awarded anglers in the country behind the wheel, one who would likely have more tournament fishing experience than anyone else in the country (especially fresh water), the Fishing Freshwater team has a wealth of knowledge on how fishing tournaments work. It is this knowledge that led Matthew Mott and I to create a fishing tournament environment that is less ‘tournament’ and more fun. There are plenty of very good professional tournaments for elite anglers. There are also some great family tournaments. Fishing Freshwater will hopefully find its place somewhere in between, offering something for the competitive angler on their own or with the family. We have everyone from tournament regulars to grandparents and grandkids who have never fished before entering our tournaments. Fishing Freshwater has three annual events on its calendar. The Golden Lure – National Freshwater Trolling Championship, the Freshwater Open and the Reel Wivenhoe Classic. All our tournaments are run in fresh water. The Golden Lure is only a couple of years old for us, however it was run by Mat-

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thew with several other parties for many years prior. After a few years’ break, we reopened the tournament because it fits in well with the atmosphere we are trying to create. The Golden Lure is a tournament for trolling hard-body bibbed lures only and it is run in October each year. This format allows the avid troller to show their skills but also allows Mum, Dad and the kids to enter without having the hassle of everyone casting lures, which can be difficult for young kids. Live music, giveaways and raffles set up around the fire make for an enjoyable atmosphere after fishing is done for the day. The Freshwater Open is run early in the year in much the same way as the Golden Lure, however as the name suggests, it is open to casting and trolling all manner of lures. If it is a lure, you’re allowed to use it (provided it meets all current fishing regulations). We alternate the Golden Lure and Freshwater Open between Lake Somerset and Lake Boondooma. One tournament is held at each lake per year and the next year the location alternates. The Reel Wivenhoe Classic is the next event on our calendar. This year’s event will be held on the weekend of August 18 - 19. The Reel Wivenhoe Classic is a Somerset Regional Council tournament organised by Fishing Freshwater and will be held at Lake Wivenhoe. We have secured exclusive

use of Captain Logan and Lumley Hill campgrounds for this event. Fishing Freshwater has worked with Somerset Regional Council and Seqwater to create a family friendly event with rides, jumping castles, a giant slide, rock climbing wall, live music, kayak demonstrations, food stalls, fireworks, a colouring competition and over $20,000 in prizes and giveaways. Captain Logan and Lumley Hill campgrounds will be open for camping on the weekend to tournament entrants only. A limited number of campsites are available (from $10 per person, per night). Camping permits for the weekend will be issued on a first in, best dressed basis. You will have to pay your tournament entry fee before securing your campsite. Captain Logan campgrounds will be open for day visitors on the weekend to allow them to come and enjoy the festivities, jump on the rides, listen to live music, watch the fireworks and even win a boat. You can buy your entry online at fishingfreshwater. com.au where you will also find information on all our events. Check out the Fishing Freshwater Facebook page to keep up to date with all tournament details and upcoming events. We will publish updates here in Bush ‘n Beach and on our Facebook page as the tournament approaches. Until then, happy fishing.

When bass suspend, it’s a perfect time to whack on a Berkley Jigging Grub matched to a heavy jig head. I usually run a 1/2oz or 5/8oz Smak jig head to keep the plastic in the fish’s face as much as possible. If you have a light jig head, the lure will rise too quickly and you won’t get as many bites. Hoffy and I caught 10 bass and three yellowbelly in quick succession before the bite slowed and we changed it up. I went to more of a reaction bait in the form of a 5/8oz Smak Smako in IB colour while Hoffy threw a 20g Halco Twisty. We landed several more thanks to the change-up and also got a couple of crackers in the high-40cm range. Matty was stoked to catch these studs but he didn’t land that massive XOS bass. I’m sure he will next time. I was pretty happy with how the pre-fish went and it was good to check out all the old haunts and get some confidence back. I’ll see how I go at the Garmin Somerset Slam. Somerset is a tough dam to win on because anyone can get lucky and pick up an XOS bass to catapult them into the lead. I’m hoping luck is on my side.

The author with a cracker Somerset bass.

Hoffy held a couple of solid fish.

This chunk of a fish smashed a Berkley Jigging Grub.

DAM LEVELS CURRENT AS OF 19/03/2018

DAMS

PERCENTAGE

OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR 6 Atkinson 18 18 14 10 15 118 Awoonga 100 100 100 98 100 18 Bjelke-Petersen * 18 19 19 17 22 49 Boondooma * 47 46 45 42 44 83 Borumba * 99 101 100 101 101 81 Burdekin Falls * 82 82 74 79 110 86 Callide * 85 84 83 80 79 104 Cania * 100 99 98 97 99 86 Coolmunda * 83 79 67 52 49 7 Dyer/Bill Gunn * 7 7 9 4 9 97 Eungella * 93 95 92 92 94 36 Fairbairn * 34 32 28 26 29 72 Glenlyon * 73 72 68 58 57 98 Hinze 99 100 100 99 102 80 Julius 78 77 74 72 100 66 Kinchant * 67 77 54 52 68 15 Leslie * 14 14 13 12 12 106 Macdonald 101 103 98 102 103 98 Maroon * 98 98 98 97 100 141 Monduran/Fred Haigh * 102 101 101 102 101 92 Moogerah * 92 92 92 89 92 70 North Pine/Samsonvale * 75 76 75 72 90 73 Peter Faust/Proserpine * 72 72 68 67 81 78 Somerset * 79 80 77 77 78 97 Teemburra * 97 99 92 91 93 41 Tinaroo* 41 40 36 47 74 101 Toonumbar 101 100 99 99 100 68 Wivenhoe * 71 72 71 68 78 104 Wuruma * 100 100 100 100 100 97 Wyaralong 97 97 98 97 100 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.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 65

Back to good fishing A

S March ends, so does the water going out of storages.

The season’s crop watering is over, apart from the hay making. With the water level here at Glenlyon Dam sitting at

Glenlyon Dam by BRIAN DARE

55 percent of capacity, we could well see good flows come in from solid rainfall around the catchment.

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institutions may well be classed as the be-all and end-all when it comes to results but it still comes back to seeing things that don’t sell or seem to be out of whack – you need to ask, is there a way? There is and it is a person who is prepared to listen and talk to you at your level. I met two such people 12 years ago who put me in touch with four blokes who helped me out. Thanks Stuart and Glen. P.S. I must also thank all those anglers who gave their time during the past 10 years, and a special group of people who feed these anglers. In the future I would like to put this in book form so all those who helped get the recognition they so deserve, with names mentioned, Queensland Murray-Darling Committee, Queensland Government, NSW Government and NSW Recreational Fishing Trust included.

-XPSLQJ &DVWOHV

Team $100

*CONDITIONS APPLY

Weed beds are now falling well away after the water outflows, leaving logs, ledges and tree lines exposed, and the fishing has picked up quite well. Given this is taking place, you will see a lot of good results from Glenlyon being posted on Facebook. Cod, yellowbelly, silver perch, catfish, in fact all species will be feeding up for winter and the next breeding period in spring. All storages will be fishing really well and even more so with water inflows from rains. So with that in mind, it is time to get those smaller lures out that you can cast from the banks, and the minute you see inflows, start catching yellowbelly and silver perch. This has always been the time when the kids have had a ball with Mum, Dad, Nan and Pop, all working flat out to get the fish off so the young ones can enjoy themselves by catching more fish. We may have seen the shutting down of water releases but it’s still no good upstream of Glenlyon. The Mole River, Bluff River, Deepwater River, Tenterfield Creek, Severn River and Beardy River are not running at the time of writing. It is no good for canoes and kayaks at this stage unless you put wheels on the craft and run billy cart races. Our latest Murray cod study, which we have been doing for the past 10 years, has come to an end. A full report will be made available at the end of May and when written up some major changes might take place. There could be a few red faces and words said about the different types of stud-

ies carried out by getting hands dirty in the field or getting hands dirty by pushing keyboard keys. Outdated information slammed into computers gives results too, but we will wait and see what eventuates. Some form of funds are always available for research projects and certain groups and departments have specialists who know how to fill out those forms. To the layman these are hard to fathom, so you just give up in most cases. Don’t! Get some help, put forward your project and give it your best shot. Don’t give up – push your points and maybe, just maybe, you will see your format used across the board. If that happens and the results cause problems, it may put some heads on chopping blocks but so be it. Some so-called science

Available &DPSLQJ )RRG 5DIÁHV

ORGANISER

PARTNER

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LIKE US ON FACEBOOK Reel Wivenhoe Classic Page 66 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018

Karen Monk caught this 1m Murray cod at 8pm on a large Kingfisher surface paddler in pretty pink.

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Offshore ffshor shore fishing fi ng co courses: •C Comprising mprising sing a nnight of theoryy and a ffull day’ss practical training raining on ooffshore reefs • Finding reefs • Locating different fish species • Bait rigging • Shallow and deep reef fishing techniques • Using a full range of rods and reels • Sounder and GPS instruction • Offshore anchoring • And much more

Contact Bill Corten T: 07 3286 3647 M: 0447 233 247 0447 ( a f f a i r ) E: reel_affair@yahoo.com Bush ’n Beach Fishing, April 2018 – Page 67

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Within this time, many Formosa Marine customers have taken delivery of their new Tomahawk boats and many familiar faces have returned to buy another Formosa model, with some onto their third or fourth Formosa. Now that is confidence in a brand! Pictured is a happy AMC/Formosa Marine boat buyer. Formosa Marine is constantly evolving to ensure the best quality, value and service, and that’s why AMC will continue to supply customers these great boats. Over 65 models are available to suit all facets of boating, whether it be fishing, skiing, wake boarding or a leisurely day out with

family and friends. AMC stocks a vast range of Formosa models and if the team doesn’t have the one you are looking for in stock, chances are it is on order or can be ordered to suit your specific requirements. Special 2018 offer Formosa Marine is celebrating its 20th year and AMC has watched this brand evolve over the years into a great, go-anywhere plate boat builder. Formosa Marine is now offering a free Railblaza StowPod Storage Caddy with every bait board with bait tank optioned to 2018 boat orders. Australian owned and operated Formosa Marine has been building trailerable aluminium boats on Brisbane’s bayside since 1998 and for the 20th anniversary, has refreshed its boat graphics to celebrate. AMC has also updated its logo to reflect the outstanding service provided as ‘Australia’s boating specialist’.

Visit Australian Marine Centre AMC has a full service and parts centre and stocks a range of Garmin quality electronics and Minn Kota electric motors as well as the ultimate four-stroke Suzuki outboards. Visit the yard for Formosa Marine’s latest Tomahawk brochure and have a chat with the knowledgeable sales team. Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show Please visit the AMC stand at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show from May 24-27, where you will find a range of Formosa Marine boats on display. The AMC stand will be located on Quay St (off Masthead Way). For more information, visit Australian Marine Centre at 3491 Pacific Highway, Slacks Creek, call 07 3808 7333 or head to amcboats.com.au Discover more with a Formosa: formosamarine boats.com.au

Seakeeper 2 delivers stability for sub-30’ boats

UE for Australian debut at the 2018 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, the much-anticipated Seakeeper 2 launched at the Miami International Boat Show recently, causing major buzz in boating circles. Twin Disc Pacific managing director Glenn Frettingham said, “The Seakeeper 2 is 25 percent lighter and 20 percent smaller than the Seakeeper 3 and specifically designed for boats from 27’ to 32’ in length.” “It eliminates up to 95 percent of boat roll and will be popular with recreational outboard craft looking for stability, safety and a pleasant day on the water for all, no matter the conditions. “Judging from the response in Miami, the Seakeeper 2 will prove very popular in Australia where this segment represents the largest community of boat owners, and it’s only growing. “Outboard boats are also getting even larger and packed with more features.” It’s effective at all boat speeds, including zero, and can operate in all sea states.

Running exclusively on 12V power, it does not require generator power and the compact size means it can fit into the leaning post of a centre console boat, thus requiring no structural modifications. The Seakeeper 2 will use the new touchscreen control panel and allows users to capture real-time performance information. Seakeeper COO Andrew Semprevivo said, “We have a relentless drive of bringing stabilisation to the masses.” “The Seakeeper 2 is the first of our products to reach down into the 20’ boat market, and we will continue to expand into new areas to ultimately

change the way the world boats.” Priced at $32,400 plus GST (Australian retail price), the Seakeeper 2 is destined to attract great interest from the massive sub-30’ market, which will be well represented at SCIBS 2018, where there will be a dedicated Sports, Leisure & Fishing precinct as well as dozens more vessels on water below 30’. Twin Disc will introduce the Seakeeper 2 at SCIBS 2018, from May 24-27 at its on-water display on the marina at F Arm. For more information, visit seakeeper. com/seakeeper_products/ seakeeper-2

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BRISBANE NORTH Brisbane Marine 306 Dufﬁeld Rd, Clontarf Q 4019 P: 07 3889 3033 E: info@brismarine.com.au W: brismarine.com.au

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