BNB Fishing mag | Sep 2019 by bnbfishing

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September 2019 Print Post Approved PP100001534 Volume 30, Number 9

Snapper season going strong Bountiful barra

Monster Moreton Bay flathead firing Preparing for Fraser Island adventures Proudly produced and printed in Australia

ISSN 1832-4517

9 771832 451001

Far north Queensland fishing features

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

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 1

Page 2 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

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Inside this month Moreton Bay

Monster flathead

P14

P11

4WD action

Fraser Island

P34

rocks and isolated bottom to drop on in the hunt for red emperor. When I can, I have been hitting the shallow reefs offshore from Brisbane targeting a mix of topwater and bottom fish. The last two trips to DI have been good to work out bite patterns regarding moon phase, current, time of day and other factors like bait and boat traffic. We have experienced hot

OUR COVER

BRANDON TREWIN caught this solid 65cm snapper off South Stradbroke Island in 50m of water. For more action offshore from the Gold Coast, check out HEATH ZYGNERSKI’S article, Page 20.

Ben Collins Daniel Tomlinson Kacie Hubbert Jo Hendley, Lily Rochelle

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

FISH ING ’S

E TUR FU

* continued P4

EDITOR: SUBEDITOR: ADVERTISING: PRODUCTION:

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

AUST

OCTOBER edition will be on sale in newsagents from September 27. See subscription form on Page 64 to go in the draw to win a tropical getaway plus awesome Zeikel gear with a total prize value of $2500.

fishing when everything aligns perfectly, but we have also had a few tough hours stopping on marks that have turned out to be duds. I have been fishing with close mate and fellow BNB scribe Jordan ‘Grinner’ Koschel, as we are both desperate to catch our first proper red. We’ve been trying a variety of techniques, including float lining, bottom bashing, live baiting and plastics fishing and netting good results with all. As usual, most of our snapper have come on large IQF pillies slowly floated down on a gang of hooks and 4 ball sinker. I have been using the classic Mustad 7766 in a double or triple gang, separated by a size 4 Mustad crane swivel. This is my go-to for most offshore applications because it has never let me down and has an excellent hook-up rate. Nothing does it for me quite like floating a big pillie into an awesome show on the sounder and getting proper railed by a big knobby. While dead baits have been our main choice, we have found in one spot a live bait will also get big bites. We have pulled nice snapper on live yakkas and been destroyed by some unstoppables. Quality maori cod and other demersal fish have been grabbing them off the bottom as well. Flesh baits and whole bottle squid have resulted in putting together a nice bag of mixed reefies including some cracker grass sweetlip and pearl perch. Plastics fishing has resulted in really nice squire

ATI ON

by LACHIE BAKER

I have been trying to make the most of the windows where weather, school and work align for me to get outside and chase fish of the deep. I’ve been enjoying sessions off Double Island Point as well as South Passage Bar, though my local fishing hasn’t been as regular as I would like. Most of my free time has been spent fishing wide of DI searching for new

Moreton Bay Young Gun

I all, I hope everyone has been able to get out and stuck into a few of the awesome species on offer over winter.

Snapper season going strong.....by Lachie Baker...................................P3 Moreton Bay species..................by Brian Webb......................................P6 Puzzle page......................................................................................................P6 Power Boat Anglers....................by Mick Clutterbuck.........................P10 Northern Moreton Bay...............by Mark Templeton...........................P11 PB flathead catches....................by Sean Conlon..................................P14 Game Fishing................................by Barry Alty.......................................P16 Deeper reefs more productive....by Wayne ‘Youngy’ Young...............P18 Fraser Island & Gold Coast.......by Heath Zygnerski...........................P20 Gold Coast snapper.....................by Scott Van Burck...........................P21 Favourite estuary lures...............by Brad Smith.....................................P22 Tailor on beaches........................by Warren ‘Wazza’ Morgan............P24 Evans Head Classic wrap-up...................................................................P25 North coast of NSW....................by Gavin Dobson................................P26 Quality Ballina action..................... by Brett Hyde............................................P27 Cracking catches continue.......by Tye Porter.......................................P28 Spectacular Sunshine Coast....by Grant Budd.....................................P29 Raptor coating a boat.................by Jim Cole..........................................P30 Hervey Bay.....................................by Tri Ton..............................................P32 Bundaberg Region.......................by Brad Young....................................P33 Fraser trip preparation...............by Sean ‘Skip’ Thompson................P34 Hinchinbrook adventure............by Keith Stratford...............................P36 Sojourn to the Swains................by Ben Collins....................................P37 Recipe.............................................by Melissa Frohloff...........................P38 Boating & Marine..................................................................................P39-42 Insights into boat insurance.....by Nautilus Marine...........................P42 Readers Forum..............................................................................................P43 Charter Directory.................................................................................. P44,45 Gladstone species.......................by Gary Churchward.........................P46 Stanage Bay..................................by Pee Wee.........................................P46 Spanish in the morning..............by Jason Kidd.....................................P47 Capricorn Coast............................by John Boon......................................P48 Hinchinbrook News....................by Team Crackajack.........................P50 Bucket list gets hammered.......by Brett Parks.....................................P51 Gulf reef wrangling.....................by Dave Donald..................................P52 Getting the bite.............................by Ryan Jamieson.............................P53 Magical barramundi...................by ‘Billabong’ Bazz Lyon..................P54 Caravanning adventure..............by Todd Eveleigh...............................P55 4WD trip..........................................by Greg Bell........................................P56 Cape York preparation................by Craig Tomkinson..........................P58 Monduran Dam.............................by Les Gane.........................................P59 Glenlyon Dam................................by Brian Dare......................................P60 Freshwater Impoundments.......by Matthew Langford.......................P61 Not just another drought............by Neil Schultz...................................P62 Trading Post..................................................................................................P63 Subscription form.......................................................................................P64

FIS

Snapper season still going strong

P56

PRO TE CT

The author with a live bait-caught knobby.

S a fishing fraternity, I think we can occasionally be found guilty of being too lax when it comes to safety on the water.

HIN G T R A D E

Too often I see (at the last minute) boaties on the water under the cover of darkness driving on the plane without navigation lights, small boat owners crossing coastal bars not wearing life jackets and ‘river rats’ wreaking havoc in our estuaries. The issue of on-water safety has been brought into sharp focus over the past month, with three serious boating incidents in Moreton Bay, one of which was still unfolding as we went to print. The first situation involved a Cruise Craft 685 Outsider (according to brisbanetimes.com.au), which crashed at high speed into a cardinal marker near Green Island late in the evening. It’s not yet known what caused the crash, but all three passengers were rushed to hospital with various serious injuries. This was followed just days later by a large cruiser ploughing straight into the Manly Boat Harbour rock wall, with the 83-year-old driver appearing to have suffered a medical issue leading to the crash. And finally, two fishos were still missing at the time of print, days after their 3.3m tinnie was found mostly sunk near Green Island. The men had phoned family to say they were returning from a daylong fishing trip about 10.15pm on Saturday, August 10 but they did not arrive home. I absolutely hope the two are miraculously found OK and my thoughts are with their family and friends, however, I have to say conditions on that particular day were terrible. With a 25-knot gusty westerly wind persisting for most of the day and forecast to increase overnight, I didn’t even contemplate taking my 7m boat out due to the conditions, so hitting Moreton Bay in a significantly smaller vessel was always going to be risky. No matter your level of seamanship and even if you’ve travelled a particular course a thousand times, unexpected events on the water can throw a spanner in the works. Though we love it dearly, the water is a dangerous place. Whether you’re 50km offshore, in a river, dam or bay, the water should always be treated with respect. This is advice I regularly give myself, as I have previously become complacent with certain things pertaining to boating and have needed to reassess the situation. But as the skipper of the boat, you are ultimately responsible. In other news, the Australian Fishing Trade Association recently held its annual trade and tackle show where a heap of new products were released. We will have a run-down of what’s hot and what’s even hotter in the next edition and also let you know when these products are hitting tackle shop shelves. Stay tuned! Ben Collins

July prizewinners

Congratulations to Andrew Lamont, West Mackay; and David Fraser, Wynnum who have each won a Barz Optics prize pack valued at $180.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 3

Snapper season still going strong * from P3

Grinner and a nice pearlie that fell to a flesh bait.

The author caught a solid knobby on a float-lined IQF pillie.

No complaints from the author with two quality table fish in two drops.

as well as bulk small pearlies. Nearly every cast has seen a fish eventually pick up the plastic somewhere in the water column. Though we are fishing in waters exceeding 50m, we have been sticking with 1/2oz jig heads because the slow, natural waft to the bottom is almost too good to resist for most species. On one recent trip my old man Glen decided to join us and he was able to experience some of the fishing on offer at awesome shallow water reefs. We left home before the clock had a two on it and were over the bar before sunrise. We instantly had a triple hook-up on quality squirey-snapper in the high-60cm range. Grins got absolutely towelled by a mystery fish on a float-lined bait. Dad decided to switch to a 20lb spin rod and one of the new Zerek Absolute Shrimp in 4.5” size, which proved to be an excellent choice. A long cast up-current and a slow fall to the bottom saw it get nailed on the drop nearly every cast. I am very keen to see how these plastics go on the reefs closer to home. We weren’t fishing on the typical offshore meat hunt, as we already had more than enough fish from the reef and previous offshore trips, so we only kept a couple of fish, which saw the majority of our catch tagged

Patrick Beard with a beast of a kingy from Point Lookout.

Grinner picked up a cracking maori cod.

Page 4 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

and promptly released. We could have easily achieved our bag limit by 7am. Next we began to move wider where we got stuck into cracking knobbies, with Grins and I nailing an 80cm snap each, mine coming on a pillie and his a live yakka. It really pays to try both when you are still relatively new to an area, as you will quickly figure out what presentation the fish like to eat. We continued gathering live bait and deploying offerings to the bottom to see what else would be poking around. Dad was the next to hook up and it looked like a solid fish. He could hardly budge it off the bottom but it certainly wasn’t fighting like a big cod. We were well away from structure but this fish knew exactly where the rock was and persisted well to get back there. After a few tense moments on the bottom, the shattering ‘pop’ was heard and the fish was gone. Bugger! We continued trying this spot until we had gathered enough livies for the day and then moved wider. On the way to our starting mark we ran over a big rock covered in fish. ‘Here we go’ I thought. I spun the Sea Jay Striker around and ran back over the spot, which lit up the big Humminbird Helix 12. We instantly started banging fish, with quality pearlies and grassies coming over the side. I floated down a whole bottle squid for it to be intercepted on the way by a solid fish. I called it for a big lipper and wasn’t wrong, rapt when a 60cm grassy slid into the net. We had a nice feed together by this stage and the fish were gradually going off the bite. It doesn’t help when a blowfly fisher comes and parks right beside you. In my opinion this is extremely inconsiderate but is common. If it isn’t your mark, leave people alone. It isn’t right to go and ping their spot and fish right on top of someone, simple. By this stage the moon had gone down, which I have found sends fish off the bite. We decided to work our way further north and scope out new areas. It wasn’t long before we had found an awesome new rock loaded with bait. We deployed single dropper rigs and big baits in the hope of connecting to a big red. We worked through the pickers until finally Grinner’s bait was monstered. He struck and came tight to a good fish. Only one thing eats a

30cm-long bay squid and pulls that hard to get back to the bottom, and it comes in one colour: red. Jordan did extremely well to keep this rampaging fish out of the bottom and he brought it almost all the way to the boat. All three of us knew exactly what it was. We got a split-second glimpse of it before a man in a grey suit crashed our party. We were heartbroken. I don’t think I have ever been so cut to see someone lose a fish. It had taken four trips to get a bite from a fish like that and for it to be taken at the boat was devastating. It only means we are all too keen to regroup and revisit that spot. In terms of South Passage, the fishing has been a little hit and miss for me. I have only done a couple of quick sessions out there but got a few nice fish. I haven’t landed a proper knobby around here this season, but I have boated cracking spangles and a really nice spanish

off the surface. Nothing puts your heart in your mouth quite like seeing a mackerel explode on your stickbait and launch 5m into the air. I have found the Zerek Zappelin in 160mm and 220mm to be the go for these fish because they have an awesome swimming action and hold in the water really well. Sharks have been a serious problem though, so heavy gear is a must. Hopefully I will be able to get out again for a proper day’s fishing soon because I don’t want to miss out on my 90cmplus South Passage

knobby this season. I will be working hard to tick this goal off ASAP. Once again I am planning my annual family holiday to Hinchinbrook Island over the September holidays. So while everyone is enjoying the Gold Coast Flathead Classic, I will hopefully be tangling with the tropical brutes of far north Queensland. Fingers crossed the weather is a little better than last year’s constant southerly blow. Stay tuned for that article, as it will be a cracker. Tight lines and sore arms.

The Zerek Absolute Shrimp did the job for Glen on this squire.

An after-school spanish taken by the author off the surface. Nothing like an aerial strike.

The author captured a quality spangled emperor on a plastic from the shallows.

Grinner with a solid 80cm knobby taken on a live bait.

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Tougher Fisheries enforcement protects jobs in Mackay region

G E T-T O U G H approach to Fisheries enforcement will help to protect jobs in the commercial and recreational fishing sectors.

Member for Mackay Julieanne Gilbert said more than nine out of 10 local fishers did the right thing and followed the rules, but fishing stocks needed to be protected for everyone. “In the Mackay/Whitsunday region over the past year the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol found a 92 percent compliance rate with fishing regulations,” Mrs Gilbert said. “That high level of compliance shows the vast majority of our fishers are doing the right thing. “We want to improve the sustainability of the fishery so it can be enjoyed by

generations to come.” In the year to June, Fisheries officers issued 82 fines totalling more than $68,000 and 123 cautions in the Mackay/Whitsunday region. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said across the state QBFP carried out 22,407 inspections, detecting a total of 2460 offences in the past financial year. He said the most common fisheries-related offence over the past 12 months was recreational fishers breaching size and possession limits for regulated fish species. “It is vitally important that anyone thinking about casting a line in Queensland knows and follows our state’s fishing regulations,” Mr Furner said.

“Our state’s fisheries resources belong to all Queenslanders and it is our job to protect fish for the future. “Fish stocks are a resource that belong to all Queenslanders and protecting them protects thousands of jobs in both the commercial and recreational sectors.” Mr Furner said the Queensland Government had introduced tough new penalties for black marketing and had consulted with key stakeholders and the public for more than two years on a range of proposed changes to fisheries regulations. “Currently there is no limit on many of our major target species, no certainty for commercial fishers to allow business planning and significant competition and conflict on the

water,” Mr Furner said. “Years of consultation and scientific stock assessments have told us that doing nothing is not an option.” The Government’s gettough approach on illegal fishing includes fines up to $390,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment, while QBFP officers have been given greater search powers and more technology to carry out enforcement duties. That includes the rollout of drones for investigation work, including one based in Mackay. “By its nature, QBFP field work can be hazardous and officers at times operate in difficult and often isolated environments,” Mr Furner said. “The new drones will allow QBFP officers to monitor marine habitats

and fishing operations from Midge Point to Saint Lawrence and anywhere in between from a distance. “Ten drones have been deployed around the state, including to the Gold Coast, Warwick, Noosa, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns, Karumba and Brisbane, with trained pilots in each of these locations. “Footage from these drones could be used to gather intelligence, prosecute people who break the rules and support training of the Marine Animal Rescue Teams. “Body-worn cameras and new surveillance kits have also been rolled out across the state to help officers do their job and identify anybody breaking the rules.”

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Indigenous commercial fishing development draft policy released

ROVIDING opportunities for Indigenous communities to be part of the state’s world-class sustainable fisheries is at the heart of a draft policy released recently by the Queensland Government.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the government recognises the importance of fishing to Indigenous communities and is looking at ways for Aboriginal and Tor-

res Strait Islander people to participate in commercial fishing-related businesses. “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders have told of their desire to have more economic opportunities around fishing, particularly in their own sea country,” Mr Furner said. “This draft policy aims to support economic development opportunities by providing more flexible pathways for communities to enter or take

part in fishing-related businesses under an Indigenous Fishing permit. “These could range from supporting small business opportunities to catch and sell fish to local communities or even initiatives to support training to participate in commercial fisheries. “The policy also sets overarching principles, including setting aside an allocation of up to 10 tonnes catch per year of various species to ensure access and provide opportunities for eco-

nomic development.” The actual amount allocated is based on the sustainability of a species or management region and will be released later in the year as part of consultation on draft harvest strategies. Mr Furner said the draft commercial fishing development policy is separate to traditional fishing and native title fishing rights, which are preserved under state and federal legislation. Fish can be taken for traditional use by Abor-

iginal and Torres Strait Islanders already under the legislation, but cannot be sold. “This policy is a commitment under the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy and recognises the rights and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in relation to fisheries resources in Queensland,” Mr Furner said. Fisheries Queensland will be seeking feedback on the policy until October 25, 2019.

Illegal marine park fishing ends in hefty fine

COMMERCIAL fisher has been fined $15,000 for trawling in a marine park and not having his vessel tracking unit turned on.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the fisher was found guilty in the Sandgate Magistrates’ Court of fishing without operating a vessel tracking unit on three occasions, and also for commercial fishing in the Middle Moreton Bay Marine Park Zone, which is prohibited. “The fisher was trawling in a green zone, which is a serious offence,” Mr Furner said. “The operator’s commercial fishing boat licence has since been cancelled for non-payment of fees. “This prosecution is

a great example of the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol working closely with a partner agency, in this case the Department of Environment and Science, to get a successful outcome. “QBFP uses a range of techniques and technology to uncover illegal activities, including surveillance cameras. “We also recently deployed drones as part of our compliance enforcement effort, making it even harder for people to hide illegal activities.” Mr Furner said enforcing fishing rules would leave a legacy of a sustainable fishery for our children and grandchildren. “It is vitally important that anyone thinking about casting a line in Queensland knows and follows our

state’s fishing regulations,” Mr Furner said. “Our state’s fisheries resources belong to all Queenslanders and it is our job to protect fish for the future.

“Fish stocks are a resource that belong to all Queenslanders and protecting them protects thousands of jobs in both the commercial and recreational sectors.”

For more information on Queensland’s fishing regulations, visit fisheries. qld.gov.au, call 13 25 23 or download the free Qld Fishing app from Apple and Google app stores.

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Species inhabiting southern Moreton Bay

AST issue I gave you a run down on the shipping channel and northern Moreton Bay.

A blackspot tuskfish from the Rainbow Channel.

A good mixed bag of snapper, venus tuskfish, moses perch and bonito.

This issue provides a comprehensive guide to the southern bay, the species that inhabit it and areas for new bay fishos to explore. The bay begins at the Gold Coast Seaway and runs north to the top of Moreton Island, which is a large area to cover. I’ll usually start at Coochiemudlo Island, moving north to the Brisbane River. Jumpinpin and its multitude of islands is renowned for bream and flathead fishing but more experienced fishos can target other species including squire, whiting, trevally, jew and tailor as well as prawns and a few bait species like poddy mullet and herring. The bay and its islands north of Coochie are only fished by around 40 percent of those who fish the full length of Moreton Bay.

Mack tuna feeding on a bait ball with no birds present.

Moreton Bay by BRIAN WEBB

You need a reasonable size boat if fishing the Moreton Island side and fair weather to cross the vast expanse of water. The five islands closer to the mainland and North Stradbroke Island are much easier to reach distance wise and you have a diversity of boat ramps to use depending on which island you intend to fish. The vast expanse between the western and eastern islands doesn’t hold much except for tuna and pelagics. The bay can be affected by winds and anything over 15 knots can curtail your trip and make you fish closer to shore. The Brisbane River is fished quite heavily these days and there are restrictions around the shipping terminals. Moreton Bay itself has a fair few green zones and it pays to adhere to these areas. There are also some go-slow areas around the Rous Channel to protect the dugong population. Like many areas around Queensland, the bay has times of the year that fish better than others for specific species. Spring sees good numbers of flathead arrive to take up residence in the shallow flats. Many of the locals will have targeted these bottom dwellers at one stage

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or another, mostly on soft plastics or bait. The surprising thing is if you use bigger baits, you’re more likely to attract a flathead. Look for the usual haunts of weed beds, sandy bottoms, creek mouths and the junction where two channels meet and closer inshore around the islands. Being north of the NSW border you can use cast nets to gather bait like prawns, and you can usually tell when prawning season is upon us by the number of boats in the Pine River and around the mouth of the Logan River. Other species including poddy mullet and herring are great bait for bream, flathead and jewfish. The northern bay has areas where yakkas and slimies can be caught. The predominant whiting in the bay is the diver, which ranges from the flats off Nudgee and Scarborough across to the Sandhills and the entrances to the Rous Channel, but the last two often deter people in smaller boats from crossing the vast expands in the middle of the bay. Some banks to the south of Peel Island hold sand whiting, while a number of the mud flats on the western side of the bay hold bloodworms and yabbies, which are gun baits for whiting.

On the subject of seafood, ‘egi-ing’, which is the hunting of squid, is becoming very popular. At this time of year, the bigger squid turn up and most of the rock walls, weed beds and rivers can get you a feed, but there’s no better place than the weed beds south of the Sandhills. Squid fishing has really taken off in the past couple of years because you can target them from the land or by boat. Just watch some of the restrictions in certain marinas. You’ll find rock walls and marinas with weed beds close by or rocky shorelines are best fished at night.

Most of the Japanese jigs such as Yo-Zuri and Yamashita are best. Some days lighter colours will work better than darker colours, so it pays if fishing by boat to have both colours ready. Often when the squid are thick you can see them in clear view trying to steal the jig from their hooked brethren. So if the fish aren’t biting, it pays to give squidding a try, as it saves coming home empty-handed. There is a fisho on the northside that runs squid fishing lessons at night and his little business seems to be going great. Pelagics in the bay, especially spotted mackerel * continued P8

A solid haul of grassies.

PUZZLE PAGE Spot 10 differences

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

O S A blue A devil. W Photos: S APaulFSelwood L P An eastern

Catch me S C O T N R Y D you M A U Q if A A C L S K M W G F T X can!

M W

ALUVAN AQUAMASTER BAR CRUSHER CRUISE CRAFT FORMOSA

Q N

I X

Y G

R B

HAINES SIGNATURE HORIZON MCLAY POLYCRAFT QUINTREX

Page 6 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

E C

I I

SEA JAY STACER STESSCO STESSL YELLOWFIN

WIN a prize pack worth over $50! For your chance to win, simply solve page or email design@bnbfishing. the puzzles, take a picture and mes- com.au before September 19, 2019. sage the Bush ‘n Beach Facebook GOOD LUCK!

Congratulations to Louis & Lynette on being the winner of the August puzzle competition. T&Cs: One winner per month. One entry per person. www.bnbfishing.com. au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 7

Species inhabiting southern Moreton Bay * from P6

A goldspotted cod from the northern side of Peel Island.

Doggy mackerel from the paddock.

and longtail tuna can be a hit and miss affair. Spotties are a summer fish and you usually have to cover some distance in the search for them. Of course, the easiest way to find them is to spot the birds, but you can at times find them feeding by noticing turbulence in the water. Tuna will breach the surface while spotty and doggy mackerel don’t, though most times they’re mack tuna. Doggies on the other hand are around all year in areas like the Rainbow and Rous channels, the shipping channels and the top and bottom of the Pearl Channel. They also quite often turn up off the Amity Banks and down to Peel. There’s nothing better than chrome slugs to target these fish. Longtail have a cult following in the bay and can be caught with both

Likely areas throughout southern Moreton Bay. Full-size image will be published at bnbfishing.com.au

Page 8 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

lures and flies. Some days you can find them feeding on small pillies and they will only be keyed into hitting lures or flies of the same size. Other days they will hit big plastics and lures and live baits trolled along the shipping channel edges and Rainbow Channel. These sushi train species can certainly test your equipment and don’t expect them to be an easy fight. You’ll lose more line at first than what you can retrieve in trying to stop one. I have also seen them feeding off Peel and Mud islands. Further north in the bay, trolling can entice a spaniard or cobia and the odd giant trevally. I find the best area is from Tangalooma up to the Wild Banks. From the Gateway Bridge to the rock wall at the entrance to the Brisbane River you’ll find bream, flathead, jew, threadies, squid and more regularly snapper. Snapper can also be found around Mud, Green and Peel islands, the Wellington Point and shallow reefs, Peel, and the Harry Atkinson Artificial Reef. Some coffee rocks and wrecks around the Measured Mile hold snapper, but exactly which ones are closely guarded secrets. Winter sees the 70cm plus snapper turn up but don’t expect to bag out as they are few and far between. For those who want to head out before sunrise, you have a better chance of snaring a decent feed of snapper. Some days you only pull in undersize squire, but when the moon and tides are right and under the cover of darkness you have a better chance of finding a school, especially on an incoming tide. Summer sees grass sweetlip turn up in good numbers around areas like Mud, the eastern side of Green, the Wello shallow reefs, the odd one at Harries, Coochies northern drop offs and the western side of the Rainbow Channel. In the rainbow you’ll also have the chance of tangling with a reasonable spangled emperor, but they do pop up around the bay islands. Other species that inhabit the bay’s coral reefs

are moses perch, bream, nannygai, morwong, king fish, cod, trevally, venus and blackspot tuskfish and the ever-faithful grinner and sharks. For venus tuskies, try Mud, Green and Peel islands and the Rainbow Channel. If you really want to target the big tuskies, crab baits are the only choice and make sure your gear is up to standard, as some of the big blackspots will make short work of light gear. I have used 50lb braid and 50lb leaders and still been busted off. I usually go through six to eight sand crabs when targeting these fish in the Rainbow and around Peel and often still miss out. Some small Cranka Crabs (plastics) are on the market, but they’re better for bream near rocky areas. Tailor are best targeted in the Rainbow and Rous channels and off the eastern side of Mud, but some days they turn up anywhere. Moses perch are usually a by-catch when targeting snapper, but once again the bay island coral reefs are the best places to find them. Sandies can be found on the banks south of Peel and across to the mainland as well as around some of the islands. Muddies can be found in the Brisbane River and the smaller creeks heading south to Coochie. I hope this report gives you some ideas as to where to fish. You must plan your trips to target certain species

and usually tuna and pelagics will turn up while fishing for the bay reef species. Or you can spend the day cruising around the middle of the bay, Rainbow and Rous or along the Amity Bank drop offs. Since the invention of plastics more fish are being caught. It took me years to convince myself they were worth a try and I now use them offshore, but I still carry bait on most trips. An array of public ramps around the western side of the bay provide access to specific areas to fish for the day, but the best advice I can give is to keep your eye on the weather, because it doesn’t take long for wind to increase to 15 knots, making the trip home uncomfortable, especially through the gap between Peel and Green. Believe me, the bay can turn from a mill pond into a turbulent affair in a short time. I mainly use three ramps. Victoria Point covers Peel, Rainbow and the Rous and allows me to travel with or against stronger wind. Whyte Island gets me to the Brisbane River, Mud, Sandhills, the paddock, Measured Mile and the shipping channel off Moreton, but from here you have no choice with wind but to bash your way across the bay. On the odd occasion I use Manly for Green, Harries and the Wello drop-offs.

Diver whiting from the Rous Channel.

Flathead and bream from the Brisbane River.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 9

Club champion Rob Schomberg with Darryl Burgess.

Mikayla McClurg won junior champion beach angler.

Offshore reef fishing fanatics WANTED One of Brisbane’s oldest deep-sea fishing clubs with a 100 percent safety record has vacancies for new members. Owners of suitable vessels encouraged. All levels of experience. Those without own vessels also invited to apply. Approximately 15 deep sea trips per year. One week-long fishing holiday to Town of 1770. Monthly meetings, video shows, guest speakers and free nibbles. 4WD beach fishing and camping. Inshore fishing also on the agenda. Interested? Then call Darryl (0407 596 822) or Robin (3269 5013). POWER BOAT ANGLERS REEF FISHING CLUB INC

Helaine Wilesmith presented Darryl Burgess with his Life Membership.

Power Boat Anglers annual presentation night

NOTHER great night was had by all at the annual Power Boat Anglers presentation night, with a turnout of about 50 people coming along to enjoy the food and drinks and see who’d won what bragging rights for the next 12 months.

Fishing trophies weren’t the only thing up for grabs on the night, with the big raffle always a hit. With about 60 prizes on hand this year, most people were able to walk away as a winner of some kind. Being fisher people, we’re all pretty good on the tooth and everyone made quick work of the roast lamb and pork, with a bit of jostling for plates to get the preferred dish. After dinner it was time for what everyone was actually there for, the presentation of the trophies. First up was the presentation of Life Membership to Darryl Burgess. Darryl has given over 22 years of loyal service to the club and I’m pretty sure most of it has been as treasurer. It was only fitting that upon retirement Darryl was given something in return. He and Rob got the sooks and Helaine had to turn away because she couldn’t bear to see two grown men cry. Darryl assures us he will still be a regular face in the club and has been

Power Boat Anglers by MICK CLUTTERBUCK

given the green light to repower the pony and get her a new trailer, so basically in retirement he can do more fishing. Rob took out Club Champion once again, so like we say every year, we really need more people weighing in so we can get him off the stage. Rob also took out the Bush ‘n Beach 1770 trophy, which was won by a very slim margin from Terry, who now on reflection knows he should have popped a 10 ball sinker not a 6 down the guts of that fish as that would have got him over the line. The McClurg family took home the Alvey beach trophies, with dad Dale winning the senior trophy and Mikayla taking out the junior trophy. John took out the dreaded SS Minnow trophy who, like all previous winners, wasn’t too pleased about it. Lucky for him, he also fished well during the year and picked up the largest parrot trophy to ease that pain. Gary took out the largest trout trophy, which also should have included ugliest fish award for his Rambo trout caught at 1770. From all accounts, it was the ugliest trout ever seen, with doubts even its

mother could have loved it. Gary informs me it ate beautifully though. There were lots of birthdays and anniversaries to celebrate on the night as well, but Rob’s 60th was the highlight. His darling wife Sal brought along a 60-candle cake and all joined in to sing happy birthday to the old fella. After the trophies, the raffles got into full swing and just like every year, there was a lucky table. It seemed to go full circle again and the Crompton table appeared to be getting the lion’s share, except it wasn’t actually the Cromptons cleaning up, it was the Slomkas. In fact, poor Pete didn’t even get a prize for the whole night, which is definitely a turn up for the books. You couldn’t wipe the smile off Stefan’s face when his wife won him the coveted prize of the Okuma offshore spin combo donated by Tackle Tactics. He was like an excited schoolboy holding his rod and you can bet it will be in use around Rockhampton in the very near future. The McClurgs also did well in the prize pool and the barrel girls certainly worked their magic to get

Mum and Dad up and collecting prizes. Most of the tables ended up getting up and receiving a prize or three, so almost everyone went home with a prize (sorry Pete). Our visitors all had a great time and loved the night so much they also joined as club members. We thank our sponsors for their generous donations because our raffles and trophy night would be a pretty sad affair without their support. Big thanks to: Bush ‘n Beach Fishing magazine, Tackle Tactics (Okuma and Oceans Legacy), Tackleland Sandgate, BOQ Geebung, Trailer Accessories Wholesale, Mike’s Marine, Trymax Marine and Expro. More thanks has to go to the committee members who donate their

time and effort throughout the year. It’s these same people who organise the trophy night and you would have seen them there in the morning preparing and setting up the venue. So again, thanks from all the club. Next meetings We’ll be having two meetings in September due to people being away at 1770 in October. The next club meeting will be held on Monday, September 2 and then again on Monday, September 30. Meetings are held at The Club Manly (bowls club) located at 26 Faine St, Manly. All interested parties are more than welcome to attend. Until next month, safe boating.

Dale McClurg was the senior champion beach angler.

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Classic catches continue through Moreton Bay

E have had an incredible run of great weather over the past couple of months and I hope it continues for a while longer.

Like any serious fisho, any time Luke gets the chance to take his Sportsman boat out in Moreton Bay and play with some bruisers, he is out there. On one of Luke’s recent trips he took good mate Chris along to share the experience (and work the gaff) only Cape Moreton could offer. Luke summed up what it is like to be on the water on a perfect day and with a best mate.

Northern Moreton Bay by MARK TEMPLETON

“Just one of those days you live for and even better to watch your mate tick off his first topwater spanish and a solid one at that.” As you can see, Chris was more than just a little excited to be holding his PB spanish. Luke continued the cracker day and was stoked to get a 20kg beast in the boat after several missed opportunities. A lot of runs, a lot of tackle lost, a lot mixed

vocabulary but the guys still boated tuna, mackerel and a stonker snapper to top off another awesome day in Moreton Bay. If you are chasing snapper closer to home, it would appear you do not have to travel far. Brandon did a lot of prospecting in the Moreton Bay area and ended up at Mud Island on his way home. Like most fishos down * continued P12

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to the dregs of those kilos of bait we take out, he made one last stop, and one last cast, because you never know. Then boom, a nice snapper was boated. He then asked himself: ‘Why didn’t I just come here in the first place?’ Well that is what fishers have always done, and I guess we will just keep doing it. A very nice Mud Island snapper Brandon, and I bet it’s a location that has been bumped up on the ‘go-to’ list for the next trip.

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I have always said if you take kids fishing, they will always outfish you. Well Charlie and Zac certainly did an awesome job on Dad one recent night when they caught the awesome tailor pictured at Woody Point Jetty. Well done, boys! Next time, how about teaching Dad how to catch fish like these? I am pretty sure the last thing Tammy expected when she went out for a session on the water was to boat a cracker 64cm flathead. Well done, Tammy, awesome catch, you have earned bragging rights until the next trip! Jacqui also went home a with a very tasty feed in the form of a 36cm bream caught on the Shorncliffe Pier, which was an unexpected but welcome sight coming over the rails. At 36cm, it was a good size, but the girth on the fish was awesome. A very solid model and possibly even two meals! Great stuff, Jacqui. Gemma had a triple whammy one night while fishing the Redcliffe area. Not only did Gemma land a very nice 76cm jewie but she followed it up with two snapper, one coming in at 56cm and the other at 43cm. It is safe to say Gemma not only had a cracker night, but she also gave her cousin Albert a lesson

on how things are done in style. Nice one, Gemma! We are still getting a lot of great reports from the fishos chasing whiting. The key area has been the Sandhills at Moreton Island in both deeper and shallower areas, with good numbers and sizes coming in. The mouth of the Caboolture River has seen fishos going to get a healthy feed and the Cockle Banks have also been producing on live bloodworms and stripped squid. A healthy reminder to a couple of lads who shall remain nameless: check the rope on your scaler bag before you head off home and you will have a feed at the end! I recently came across a photo opportunity you just can’t pass up – three young fishos Tyronne, Breaden and Xanthie all having a great morning

with dad Gerry on our local pier. It is so good to see more kids spending quality time doing what they love.

As Gerry believes, “more tackle boxes and less Xboxes” is what the kids of today need. Enjoy your time around the water!

A big 36cm bream for Jacqui.

Charlie was happy with this tailor.

Tyronne, Breaden and Xanthie enjoyed a day fishing with Dad.

Tammy’s sizeable flathead was a very rewarding capture.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 13

The author snuck in a fish this month and picked up a lizard on a Bulldog Crank.

Martin and a flathead hooked while learning a few techniques after doing an off-water tuition course.

Personal-best crocodiles coming from southern Moreton Bay

T Roman with a nice lizard landed after casting a Flash Wriggly in the shallows early in the morning.

One of the author’s happy customers out on a charter catching a few flatties.

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HIS month has been a bit of a mixed bag, with some days quite productive and others simply hard work.

The better fishing has occurred on the lead-up to the full and new moons in the shallows. One thing I have noticed is even with the right tides, the fish have been rather finicky. All the little things such as really clear water, changes in pressure and wind direction, snot weed and so on have been enough to put fish off the bite. You can go to an area one day and not get in touch, then go back the next and the fish will chew the heads off. If you have areas that were producing fish, don’t give up on them, just keep coming back every couple of days and have a look because they may have decided to turn on. The weather has been pretty good, so we’ve managed to get a number of charters out and a few tuition sessions to

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Southern Moreton Bay by SEAN CONLON

keep me occupied. My first tuition session was with Matt and we headed to Garden Island to chase flathead. Because we were there on a certain size low tide, within the first two or three casts he had landed a 50cm-plus flathead. He caught a couple of smaller ones after that. I showed him a few techniques on how to manage his line a little better and control different types of soft plastics. We then worked through the morning in a few different areas with different techniques and picked up several fish. Nothing fantastic but we had consistent bites all day long. My second tuition session for the month was with Terry. We headed out early in the morning on a good low tide and visited the same locations where I’d caught fish previously. You may think that because I fished those locations before I took all the fish, but we practised catch and release every time, so I had a pretty good idea those fish were still there. But try as we might with all the right techniques and right tide, we produced nothing. We trolled, we cast, we worked some rubble ground – nothing. We could see fish on the sounder, we just could not get anything to bite. However, Terry still learnt the techniques and a few areas to go and check in future. Because it had been a pretty tough morning, I decided to stay a little longer and work the high tide. We trolled one area first for nothing. Then I said to Terry we would go to one more area on the way home and we would have to call it quits. We got all the lures prepared, popped them in the water and started trolling a couple of Zerek Bulldog Cranks along the mangrove line. Terry’s lure was in the water for about two minutes and he got a solid hit. Line started screaming off the reel and the fish headed towards the mangroves. Terry panicked a little because he had lost good fish before by being cut off in the mangroves.

Luckily he got control of the fish pretty quickly, turned it and got it away from the mangroves. It was going to be a little tricky because the whole area was only about 70cm deep. The fish kept making long runs towards the mangroves but with a bit of boat work and good angling by Terry we managed to keep it away from the structure and get the fish close to the boat. Because the water was so clear we could see this fish from the boat and could tell it was a very solid lizard. With the light line we were using, even trying to lift the fish off the bottom saw the drag running, so Terry had to be very patient. The fish slowly swam along the bottom and we drifted with it. Terry said it was a pretty solid fish and all he could do was take his time and wear her out. Eventually she started

to come to the surface, so I grabbed the net and realised it wasn’t as big as the fish I was attempting to land. Luckily the flatty slid into the net nice and easy, rolled upside down and curled snugly into the net. I gently lifted the big fish out of the water and onto the wet deck. We got the brag mat out and she was Terry’s personal best at 90.5cm – a dead set crocodile. Needless to say, Terry was pretty stoked. We got a couple of quick pics and put her back in the water unharmed to swim away and live another day. This just goes to show persistence pays off. We had a super-tough morning and then Terry got the fish of a lifetime in the last 10 minutes. Well done mate, you put in the effort and were rewarded with a cracker. My next tuition session was with John and Martin. They had come out to learn a few different techniques for catching fish on rubble ground and flathead in the shallows. * continued P15

Roman with his PB 90cm crocodile caught on a Zerek Bulldog Crank. The fish of a lifetime for most people.

John got some nice fish after doing an off-water tuition course. This lizard was hooked on a Flash Wriggly in the shallows.

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Personal-best crocodiles coming from southern Moreton Bay * from P14

This was one of those sessions where I wasn’t going to stop at an area I fished the day before. However, as we went past a particular area it looked pretty good, so we decided to have a couple of trolls and flick a few plastics and it produced a number of nice flathead. The boys learnt a few new techniques and understood the reasons why a certain size low and high tide create the perfect scenario for targeting flathead. We then went and fished rubble ground, which produced tuskfish, tailor and squire by drifting with plastics and trolling hardbodies. We also did a bit of sounder work and I showed the boys how to

use their new Lowrance TI 2. They learnt about structure overlay and side scan to find new areas, then the sonar and down scan to show if any fish are on the structure. To finish the month I had a couple of my regular guys out for a charter. We worked a few areas and picked up undersize squire and tailor for the morning, which was a lot of fun with triple hookups aplenty. The boys weren’t too worried about the size because they don’t take anything home, they are strictly catch and release anglers. We then went flathead fishing and picked up a couple of nice 50cm fish. Nothing flash but still just chipping away.

Terry with his personal-best 90.5cm crocodile hooked on a little Zerek Bulldog Crank.

We decided to fish one last area for the morning before going home. On the way to the area I had noticed the northwesterly wind had picked up and we were getting a bit of snot weed on our lures, so I went to an area I’ve never fished before simply because we would be out of the breeze and snot weed. I don’t usually fish this bank because it isn’t exactly what I look for on low tide. It’s a bit too flat with no significant drop-off into the main channel. The boys had a couple of casts around a little rocky point that produced nothing, so I said we would have a quick troll before heading home. We tied on Bulldog Cranks and needless to say they were the same colour as the one that caught Terry’s 90.5 cm crocodile two days before. Roman was actually using the very lure Terry hooked his fish on, so it had mojo. The boys deployed the Bulldog Cranks and we started trolling. We wouldn’t have gone 20m and Roman’s rod buckled over and line started to come off his reel. At first it didn’t do too much other than create a very heavy weight. We even said it might have been a snag. Luckily I had my electric motor in while we were trolling with the outboard so if we got a fish I

could manoeuvre around easily. Suddenly the fish started making big long runs and peeling plenty of 6lb line while making the ATC reel sing, which is always a great sound. Lee and I said it could’ve been a stingray and I told Roman if it was a lizard, it was a crocodile. The water was a bit dirty in this area and while Roman got it close to the surface it took off before we could get a good look. Roman thought it was either a stingray or shovelnose ray, so at this stage there wasn’t too much pressure, just a bit of fun. After another good couple of runs, the fish came to the surface and yes it was a crocodile. She started shaking her head violently trying to get the lure out and Roman said she’s going to cut us off. I just take your time and keep her head in the water to lead her into the net. She finally settled and I slipped the big girl in the net and put her on the wet deck. After we got her on the brag mat Roman had his PB flatty at right on 90cm. What a cracking lizard. Needless to say, he was absolutely rapt and after a couple of quick pics we got the big girl back in the water and she swam off strong and unharmed to live another day. All I can say is two solid crocodiles in as many days – a 90.5 and a 90 – it doesn’t get much better

for my fishing clients! I must say using quality lures such as the Zereks (and I don’t even upgrade the trebles, these lures are straight out of the box) as well as quality line, reels and rods from the Wilson range really helps us to land these fish and give my clients the fish of a lifetime. And I can guarantee these were definitely not the same fish as they were caught roughly 5km apart. As we all know, we are time poor with our busy jobs and lives, so if you can learn more to optimise your time on the water, then why not? Remember, knowledge is the key! Until next month, stay safe on the water. If you’re interested in any of our off or on-water tuition classes or you just want to jump on a charter, don’t be afraid to give me a call on 0432 386 307, send me an email at sean conlonsfishing@hotmail. com or check out the Sean Conlon’s Fishing Charters and Tuition Facebook page.

Roman’s 90cm flathead on the brag mat.

Matt with a 50cm-plus flathead hooked on a Zerek Live Flash Minnow Wriggly cast in the shallows early of a morning.

Terry’s 90.5cm flatty on the brag mat.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 15

Currents, moon phases, tides & wind B

ILLFISH are brought to the Australian coast by currents that sweep down from the Pacific Ocean to the north.

At different times, currents vary in strength and, to an extent, direction. Marlin are brought down the east coast by the East Australian Current, the main body of which appears to be 80-90km offshore most of the time, so generally a bit out of day fishing range. In Perth, fish are carried to the area by the Leeuwin Current. This current manages to reach Perth most years but by the time it gets to Perth it is quite cool, usually around 22.5C or a little higher. This is the bottom end of the blue marlin’s temperature range, and as the biggest of a species is usually found at the extremities of the range, the fish caught off Rottnest Island west of Perth average around 200kg, which is quite high by world standards. Some years the Leeuwin Current doesn’t reach Perth and no marlin are caught.

Game Fishing by BARRY ALTY

Rather, the current off Perth will be running north. This is the cold current coming from the bottom end of Australia. If you are fishing from Perth and your sea surface temperature images show the water as being cold and the current running north, you may as well stay home because probably no billfish are out there. The EAC is more consistent and it extends well down into NSW. Its lowest temperatures off the Gold Coast during any 12-month period will be around 22.8C and its highest around 27.5C. Marlin travel in currents for a couple of logical reasons – they present the easy way to cover ground without having to expend too much energy, and bait is there. I have spent considerable time visiting game reserves in South Africa. It is noticeable that when lions go hunting at night

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they use the roads, whether asphalt or dirt. These roads are like their currents. They are the easy way to travel. It’s much better than walking through the grass. It also brings a serious hunting advantage as they can move relatively silently. In the grass, prey such as antelopes make more noise, so the lions can hear them easily, whereas the antelopes usually don’t hear the lions until they charge. On any occasion you are going fishing, check the most recent SST images for your area and loo not only at temperatures but at current directions. Temperatures are a factor of current movements because the offshore oceanic currents contain warmer water than is found inshore at the beach or coastline. So on the Gold Coast, water at the beach ranges from about 19C during winter to perhaps 23C during summer. The water offshore on the continental shelf is always much warmer. What you first want to find on your east coast SST image is the current moving in the right direction, which means to the south. Next, look for the warmest patches of water and work out why they are warmest. Are they an eddy that has broken off the main southerly current or just a patch of warm water that has spun off the main current? Over the years strange things happen. In a previous article I spoke about striped marlin being in plague proportions off Perth in 1998, whereas in New Zealand they were catching a large number of blues. Due to what? Changes in current movements? • Cape Moreton in the ‘70s and ‘80s was a prolific sailfish ground. They haven’t been there for years. Current change? • Cape Bowling Green also found its early fame as a prolific sailfish ground. Now it is a reasonable but not prolific little black marlin ground. The baits are still there. What happened? • Most years we have little blacks come down the east coast in large numbers. They feed on large schools of slimy mackerel, yakkas and herring. Some years they are sparse but from the Gulf of Carpentaria comes reports of good catches. Did the current go north around the top and take the baits with it?

Next look for the conversions of warm and cold water. Marlin are often found on the warmer side of this edge. The cold water seems to act as a bit of a barrier or hedge. If the current runs from inshore to offshore, fishing will generally be very poor unless that offshorerunning section is in fact part of a bigger eddy. Now we have considered currents and water temperatures and have a good guide as to where we should be heading, let’s consider tides. Marlin are like any other predator. They sleep a lot but have periods during which they are awake. I call these activity periods, not bite times, though obviously they do feed when they are awake. Usually, during the one or two 1-2 hour activity periods that occur each day, boats all over the place may get shots. Outside the activity periods are only sporadic shots. It is rare for marlin to remain active all day. I have only once experienced all day activity and it was back in 2002 when on Mistress we went 14 shots, 13 hook-ups and 11 tags for the day. We were getting shots from the time we put the lines in until we pulled them at 3.30pm and they were still on the go. However, we had broken our own one-day Queensland record of six for the day and thought 11 was enough. I believe that has now been equalled by a Mooloolaba-based boat. These activity periods can occur at any time during the tide phase but most commonly around the tide changes. I have found the most common activity periods occur from an hour prior to the high tide to an hour after it. With the low tide I find the most likely activity period is the two hours prior to the change. It should be noted that the above applies principally to blue and striped marlin. Little blacks are eating machines and if they are around they will usually bite all day, but with noticeable peaks during activity periods. The moral of this story is to make sure you are alert and looking for signs, and be in your most prospective location during likely activity periods. Moon phases I once kept meticulous records of every day’s fishing. I recorded: shots, hookups, tags, location, moon phase, absolute time, tides, tag time in relation to tide state, lure and skirt colours, lure position in

the spread, water temperature, water colour and depth. This data was only recorded in respect to heavy tackle blue, black and striped marlin. I didn’t bother with little blacks because it was evident early on that there wasn’t really a defined pattern with them. They don’t seem to care. They just want to eat and get big. I gave up this recording after about 800 heavy tackle marlin because I had learnt enough about all the aspects listed above and my data just seemed to be reinforcing or repeating what I already knew. What I found was the week before and the week after the full moon produced the most strikes and incidentally that strikes outside or leading up to activity periods were often timid compared to strikes during the activity period. However, I have to note that as always there are exceptions to rules. We fished the day of the new moon on 14 occasions without even seeing a marlin, then on the 15th occasion we were forced to fish it because we had entered a tournament. Prospects didn’t look good. There was only one mar-

lin tagged on the first day among a fleet of 25 boats fishing out of Queensland Yacht Squadron at Manly. On the second day, the day of the new moon, we got three before noon when the tournament concluded. Only one other boat tagged a fish that morning and he had found us. We had been lucky enough to find a school of sauries and these are just absolute marlin magnets. For your information I’ve attached a summary of my statistics in relation to moon phase. They are for the Gold Coast and Perth only. Wind Naturally you won’t be fishing on an optional basis if you consider the wind too strong to provide a comfortable and enjoyable day or if it is just plain unfishable. In the latter case, there will usually be a strong wind warning issued by the Bureau of Meteorology. If you fish during a strong wind warning you will probably be in breach of a condition in your insurance policy. Winds seem to have some sort of influence on blue marlin. On the Gold Coast the prevailing wind is a southeasterly. In the afternoons during

summer a northeasterly sea breeze is common. The southeasterly presents the best conditions for fishing off the Gold Coast. It is wind against current but fishing is more productive with this wind pattern. North or northeasterlies are OK, but not quite as good. Anything with ‘west’ in it is dead hopeless. The billfish just don’t seem to strike. Perth was enigmatic. Almost every morning there was an easterly and every afternoon around 1-2pm, in would come the ‘Fremantle Doctor’, a southwesterly wind. It never seemed to matter which way the wind was blowing over there. You could catch them in the morning or afternoon. One great blessing in Perth was of course you had a following sea out and a following sea back. Of late we have been fishing at Fraser Island. Wind seems to have a little less influence on fishability there than on the Gold Coast. We have done quite well in westerlies, which have the added advantage of allowing us to anchor on the outside of the island at Orchid Beach, which gives us a nice short run to the grounds.

% Productive days

Average strikes per day

One day after

71.4

1.29

Two days after

87.53

1.5

Three days after

1.2

Four days after

0.25

Fifth day after

1.16

Sixth day after

100

3.0

0.6

One day after

37.5

0.9

Two days after

14.25

0.3

Three days after

1.0

Four days after

0.5

Five days after

0.0

Six days after

0.33

Seven days after

2.0

7.2

0.33

One day after

0.5

Two days after

0.8

Three days after

1.83

Four days after.

0.35

Five days after

0.25

Six days after

0.5

83.3

1.83

Seven days before full

3.4

Six days before full

100

3.0

Five days before full

66.6

0.33

Four days before full

1.0

Three days before full

66.6

0.83

Two days before full

2.83

One day before full

0.69

Moon phase FULL MOON

LAST QUARTER

NEW MOON

FIRST QUARTER

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Pete with his cattle dog cod hooked trolling lures in the Broadwater.

Rebecca with her 130cm, 17kg cobia caught on the 36-fathom reefs.

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Unfortunately, this season’s fishing for snapper on the closer inshore reefs has been disappointing. I have been amazed at how slow the fishing has been on the 18 and 20-fathom reefs. The 24-fathom reefs that are only 5-10m deeper have been fishing much better and further out on the 36-fathom reefs it has been better still. Now, like all my fishing, the first thing I want to know is “why?” and the only thing I can come up with is the deeper water out wide has been colder than inshore. It certainly isn’t due to a lack of bait because the inshore reefs have been loaded with yakkas. We have been catching them on 4/0 hooks with pillies for bait, they are so thick. The good news is plenty of quality snapper will still be out there this month, but at the moment I would certainly be starting at the 24-fathom reefs and moving out. Great captures of big jew and cobia have come from offshore as well, as you can see from the photos accompanying this article. Young Rebecca’s cobia deserves a special mention. After starting an offshore trip on the closer reefs for not much and with the conditions being pretty good, we ventured out wider to the 36s. The first couple of drops float lining produced a couple of nice snapper. Soon after, the pillie Rebecca was using for bait never made it to the bottom before being smashed by a cobia. Landing a fish like this on 20lb braid and 30lb leader would test any fisher, but Beccy toughed it out and landed it after a 20-minute fight. That’s the beauty of fishing offshore – there’s a good chance of getting a feed and you never know when your next

Broadwater Region by WAYNE ‘YOUNGY’ YOUNG

personal-best monster fish is coming. A variety of baits can be used offshore but all the fish out there will eat a pillie, even the bigger fish. The sinker size can vary depending on current, but a 4 to 6 ball is normally fine. On the beaches, the better catches have come from the bottom of South Stradbroke Island, with tailor, dart, bream and tarwhine all caught. This month should see a run of bigger tailor on our beaches, but before you race out and imagine they will be easily caught, think again. A lot of the bigger fish in our estuaries and beaches seem to have a preferred diet as they get older and giving these fish what they want will result in much better capture rates. Far and away the best bait for big tailor, jew and even bream is bonito fillet. The trouble nowadays is it costs a fortune to use for a long fishing session. The bigger fish tend to hit the beaches for a feed later in the night, with a high tide around 10pm ideal. Fresh-caught tailor flesh is an OK bait for these bigger fish if you haven’t got bonito. A gang of Mustad 7766 5/0s with quality black swivels between them present the best rig. In the estuaries, most fishos have started this year’s big flathead hunt, with the Gold Coast Flathead Classic not far away. Flathead have a reputation for not moving around much but at this time of year they are on the move big time from upstream in the local rivers and creeks. They will move downstream on each run-out tide until they hit their main spawning areas of the Broadwater and inside Jumpinpin next month for spawning. Flathead are ambush predators, so any area

that holds big numbers of fish will have two things: baitfish and small amounts of structure to hide against. Areas with weed beds, small amounts of sunken timber and drop-offs from sandbanks are all perfect locations for flathead. Have a look on Google Earth at the area to the west of Tiger Mullet Channel on the northern side of Kangaroo Island and you will see what I mean. Also check out the area around Tipplers Island at the northern end of Tipplers Channel. Both areas are well worth trying, whether you like trolling lures or casting plastics. Down our way in the Broadwater, the area around Crab Island north to the yellow crossover beacon off the northern end of Sovereign Island always holds a lot of fish. During this month, while the fish are on the move, I would suggest trolling small hard-bodied lures that dive from 1-2m. This allows you to cover a large area to find fish. Lure colour is always a hot topic and the prime

choices for flathead are usually natural or bright colours. The easiest way to choose is put one of each on a couple of rods and see which catches more fish. I always find the bycatch interesting when trolling lures as it is amazing what species you come across. A mate recently caught a blue maori cod or ‘cattle dog cod’, one of the many species of cod that inhabits the Broadwater. This month gives you a choice of whiting options

as well, with plenty of good daytime fish from Isle of Capri upstream to Carrara. September is usually the start of spawning on both the full and new moons. This means the fish are in roe early and spawning will be in the usual haunts downstream. I will do a full rundown in my next article on the whiting fishing in the local rivers as we get into another big whiting season. ‘Til next month, fish for the future.

Len ‘Snowy’ Hargraves and one of many quality whiting he and a mate caught in the Nerang River.

Marty and his PB jew hooked on a pillie on the 40m reef off the Goldy.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 19

Brandon boated a nice snapper.

Brandon Trewin landed this solid kingfish in trying conditions.

Snapper sizes set to improve on Gold Coast n Annual pilgrimage to Fraser Island with the boys

OU could be forgiven for thinking we even have a winter in southeast Queensland.

Life is tough when waiting for a bite.

The weather of late has been nothing short of sensational. Along with the great weather, the fishing has been fantastic as well. Snapper have shown up in good numbers right along the coast, with excellent catches reported. Drifting over an area where the reef meets the sand has proved very effective, with boats getting

Drones are handy for spotting rips and gutters.

Mitch showed patience pays off, with a nice western-side noah caught from a drone-deployed bait.

Page 20 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

Gold Coast by HEATH ZYGNERSKI

fish each drift. As we march into spring, the size of fish will steadily increase and it shouldn’t be too long before some of those 10kg trophy models start to hit the deck. Just remember that some of these big fish can be several decades old and to be honest, they usually don’t eat too well, being a bit tough. Jewfish have been on the chew on all the local reefs. A well-presented live bait will rarely be refused. Jew are schooling fish, so if you get one, a school is usually somewhere nearby. They make great bycatch when fishing for snapper because they fight hard on lighter gear. It is at this time of year we head to Fraser Island for our annual boys’ trip away. The stable weather makes it a good time to hit the sand and leave your stresses and worries behind. Well, you would think that, but when things go wrong on Fraser, they can go really wrong. We had a couple of dramas this year, with one of the boys blowing his engine by not noticing quick enough that his radiator had split. On the island your car will generally run hotter due to it working harder in the sand. You need to be very vigilant in watching your gauges and stop driving immediately should you notice an issue. We also had a flat tyre and a loose brake calliper among the group. While the car and tyre were removed off the island on the back of a tilt tray, we managed to get the brake fixed by one of the very handy men on the island who is an ex-mechanic living at Orchid Beach. What could have been a show-stopper ended up to

be two missing bolts that were replaced in an hour, enabling us to continue our trip throughout the island. Erosion was very evident from the big seas earlier in the year, with some sections of beach simply flat and featureless. A stark contrast to last year when there were countless holes and gutters. That didn’t deter the tailor though, with the fish coming onto the flats on the top of the tide under the foamy wash of the waves. The boys got several each night, enough for a feed at breakfast each morning anyway. Poyungan Rocks has a lot of coffee rock exposed and the bypass track is getting flogged. We were lucky Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service fixed the southern entry a few days before we got there, but it is getting hammered, so take care to ensure you don’t wipe out your trailer guards. Ngkala Rocks lived up to its reputation, with some very interesting boggings. For the most part it was the incorrect selection of gears. I’ve found second gear 4WD high is perfect for when you have to get through soft sand. With your tyre pressure at around 18psi, you should get through. If not, going down as low as 10psi will usually do the trick, however you should reinflate your tyres as soon as you are through, otherwise you risk rolling a tyre off the rim. The western side of the island is spectacular with cobalt blue water and white sand. The fishing in general has been very quiet when we have crossed the island, but this year the boys got a good shark on a bait deployed by drone about 200m offshore.

This year also saw nil casualties in the drone department, with both units coming home this time. Drones are very handy on the island. Not only for deploying baits, but for spotting gutters, holes and rips. I found one just up from camp with the drone that was hard to see with the naked eye and it produced fish. We also used it to see if the track was clear at Ngkala before attempting our crossing. There is nothing worse than meeting a vehicle halfway and both cars getting stuck. We didn’t have any issues with dingoes and with about 30 blokes that is saying something about how clean and secure the camp is kept. All in all, it was a great trip and what made it more special was I had my old man Andy and son Mitch with me as well. It was good to show the old man how we do things Fraser style and he’s already locking in his spot for 2020. Back on the local scene, the rivers and creeks are very clear, so you will have to be stealthy in order to get a feed. Some big flatties should start to show themselves over the coming weeks and no doubt a few trophy 1m flatties will be caught. The local bars are for the most part pretty ordinary. Tweed River Bar can catch you on the outgoing tide and the bank is forever getting shallower in front. Currumbin Creek Bar is a mess at low tide, being all but impassable. It will be very interesting when the mackerel start running if we haven’t had a good flush to open it up. Tallebudgera Creek Bar is narrow and shallow. I’d give it a miss if you want to head outside. The Seaway is still the pick, being good over most stages of the tide. ‘Til next month, screaming reels to you all. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Sensational snapper fishing on Gold Coast

As the whales put on their beautiful show for the many tourists and locals, the snapper have ensured a trip out wide is worth the fuel expense, as every trip has seen charters bagging out on quality snapper. Float lining has ensured the high catch rate. The snapper have bred very well over their gestation period, which means we are seeing our best season in many years. Our female fishers proved more than competent too, keeping up with their male counterparts and surpassing them on some occasions with impressive snapper and amberjack catches. Kingfish are finally starting to come online. Their arrival into Gold Coast waters has been slow this season. Amberjack are being

Fish the Deep by SCOTT VAN BURCK

caught at 50 fathoms along with rosy jobfish, pearl perch, samson and kingfish. All have taken live yakkas and slimies. A bit of current is still running but it’s not affecting the catches. Quality catches are going hand-in-hand with whale watching. With increased numbers in our whale population during winter, those fishing are able to relish in their favourite sport while delighting in the antics of the humpbacks. Cobia and whales go hand in hand each winter. Quality pearl perch, the most flavoursome fish of the sea, are gracing many dinner plates. Their sizes this winter have absolutely been brag worthy. Gold Coast fishers appreciate the many other varieties that inhabit the Gold Coast waters including rosy jobfish, venus tuskfish, mulloway, moses perch, cobia, samson fish

A beautiful winter snapper for Dion Shaw.

and mack tuna to name a few. All these species have continued to embellish our waters throughout this winter fishing season. Our neighbours from across ‘the ditch’ have been gracing the warmer shores of the Gold Coast and many are enjoying good fishing, sunshine and telling the tale of the one that did not get away. Our bookings are also showing the regulars are returning to relish the challenging winter season. Chinese visitors and locals are demonstrating

fishing is a much-desired pastime, with many charters being booked by Chinese groups who enjoy the challenging sport. Reliable trag jew, tailor and flathead have saved many a half-day charter when the snapper decide it is their rest day, with sustainable quantities caught on pilchards, live bait and flesh bait, with sizes ranging from 38-80cm. Tailor are great eating when cooked in foil with lemon and a nice teriyaki sauce mixture. Spring is here and hopefully the immense snapper season will continue. Our warm weather has enticed the southerners north as they experience a very miserable few cold months.

Li Gang landed a big snapper.

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Dave Gradon captured a monstrous cobia.

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Richard with a big flathead caught trolling an SX48F minnow. This shows elephants eat peanuts.

Smithy’s favourite lures for fishing the Goldy

’DAY everyone, in this month’s article I thought I’d mix it up and not discuss how to target a specific fish but how to choose the right lure to catch more fish.

Selecting the right lures these days is very overwhelming, with a huge variety of models and colours available in tackle shops. And to make it more confusing, they will all work at the right time. I am without doubt a lure junkie and have literally hundreds of them, as do a lot of anglers. As they say, you can never have enough toys. The truth is, I will always collect them but I only use a handful regularly. It is vital for me to choose and have the right lures on a daily basis, as being a guide (for over 20 years) and only using lures while guaranteeing customers fish, I have to get it spot on. The lures in discussion are for targeting our local bread and butter species including flathead, bream, whiting, trevally and jewfish as well as tailor in season. Vibes Having a couple of small

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Gold Coast Guide by BRAD SMITH

vibes in your kit is vital because they are very versatile in that they can be drifted and hopped along the bottom as well as cast and retrieved and are deadly when jigged vertically in deep water. Vibes are well weighted for a small product, which allows them to be fished in a variety of situations. They also generate a strong vibration, which is detected by predatory fish’s lateral lines. Some of my favourite vibes such as Zerek Fish Traps and Atomic Semi Hardz have soft bodies, while in the metal vibe range I like Ecogear ZX40s, VX40s and Strike Pro Cyber Vibes. If it has gills, these lures will catch it, even big jewies. Hard-bodied minnows Having a few hardbodied lures in your kit is important for success because they can be both cast and retrieved, as well as my favourite go-to technique, trolled. You can cover a lot of ground trolling, even on windy days that make casting difficult. My go-to lures are Pontoon21 CrackJack 48SPDRs, Ecogear SX48Fs and Lively Lures Micro Mullets. These lures will allow you to cover water from 30cm deep out to 4.5m on the troll. My cut-off depth for CrackJacks and Ecogears is about 2.7m, while a Micro Mullet will hit bottom at 4.5m if trolled correctly. You might be wondering how a Micro Mullet gets that deep when the dive rating on the packet says 2.5m. Well here is the tip that will get all lures to dive deeper than their rated depth: use very light braid no more than 0.06mm in diameter and a short (50mm) length of 6lb fluorocarbon leader. You must also troll with the tide, which is the best

way to go anyway, with your lures set about 20m behind the boat and your rod tips held low to the water. Topwater lures More and more surface lures are coming onto the market and rightfully so, as surface fishing is great visual fun and can be very productive. My two best lures for the job are Bassday Sugapens and MMD Splash Prawns. If you see any surface activity, this is a great time to cast a topwater lure into the action in the hope of trevally, tailor and queenfish. For bread and butter species such as flatties, bream and whiting, use topwater lures in very shallow water over seagrass beds or yabby banks. Colour I have never really become too bogged down

on colour choices because I have always felt getting the lure into the right strike zone with the proper technique is more important. However, I follow a basic guideline which is to use clear-ish and naturallooking prints in clear to slightly discoloured water, and darker or sometimes fluoro colours in dirtier water. Final note Despite the small size of all these lures, if you don’t set your drag too firmly, and take your time to play

the fish slowly, you can still land a monster. As the old saying goes, elephants eat peanuts. If you would like to learn more about the lures or techniques mentioned, please feel free to contact my fishing partner Clinton or me on our Brad Smith Fishing Charters Facebook page. We are selling some of the lures discussed at special rates via our Facebook shop. Thanks and I look forward to talking to you next month.

Showing how a metal blade can match the baitfish.

Mulloway will readily take a small lure in deep water, like this one that hit an Ecogear ZX40 blade.

Working topwater lures over shallow seagrass beds can result in nice bream such as this one caught by Mike.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 23

Targeting tailor on northern NSW beaches

I folks, I hope you have been enjoying the sensational weather of late.

Even small chopper are fun to land.

The days have been magnificent and the nights not so chilly, making any fishing trip all the more enjoyable. A new moon and favourable conditions and tides should see all fishos out and about on our favourite beaches. I know the Currumbin RSL Fishing Club members have been taking full advantage of the condi-

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Tweed Coast by WARREN ‘WAZZA’ MORGAN

tions, with the members getting among really nice fish. You ng Ka it l i n McAddam took home the bikkies with an excellent catch of bream. Pirate Pete had a nice mixed bag of bream, tailor and tarwhine and Rudi picked up a mixed bag as well. My local beaches have been firing very well. I was recently at my closest beach (Fingal) writing this article and 16 fishos were there all loaded for tailor. There was no actual gutter, just one long sand spit with good deep water that could only be accessed at low tide. There has been a run of good sea bream this year, especially around the Pottsville area. Fish have been holding around the Black Rocks area and Maggies Hole at Hastings Point. In my August article I touched on a couple of different species, so I think I’ll expand more broadly and single out one of my favourite species, the mighty tailor (pomatomus saltatrix). The mighty chopper has been the mainstay of beach fishos ever since Adam could tie a uni knot. They inhabit the east, south and west coasts of Australia, ranging from Fraser Island in the north on the east around to Onslow in Western Australia. On our coast tailor seem to have two missions in life: feed and spawn. Tailor have been known to eat eight times their own bodyweight and grow 12-15cm a year, reaching sexual maturity

at two to three years. The great tailor migration or run starts in autumn and winter, with their objective being reaching Fraser Island. Most tailor average around 1kg, with the greenbacks anywhere from 2-5kg. A lot of big tailor come from the beaches and headlands of far northern NSW such as Main Beach at Iluka, Shark Bay and Seven Mile Beach as well as Hastings Point and Lennox Head. They also frequent rock walls such as the Tweed wall. Tailor inhabit the turbulent waters around reefs and headlands, chasing bait, and patrolling the surf up and down the gutters looking for a free meal. Tailor are indiscriminate or opportunistic feeders. As long as the target is smaller than themselves, they’ll attack it. There appears to be no pattern in their feeding. We know, however, the most productive times are early morning and late afternoon when light levels are low. A lot of my mates keep asking me to go to Fraser Island with them and I keep saying no thanks, I’d

rather fish in a bit of peace and solitude. However, we are getting swamped with four-wheeldrive traffic down here, with the beaches coming under extreme pressure from young hoons with about a week’s driving experience on P plates. These people are stuffing it up for those of us who have permits and do the right thing by obeying speed signs and local rules on beaches. Let’s face it, if you slowed down enough to check out some of the scenery on a beach, you may be amazed. I respect your rules and customs on your beaches, how about you do the same here. Back to the fishing. When I target tailor, I use mainly three baits: pilchards, cut bait such as bonito and every now and then (especially in Iluka) I like to get nice squid from the co-op. My choice of rigs doesn’t vary. I’m too bloody old and cranky for change. I run a simple threegang rig in either 3/0, 4/0 or 5/0 Mustad 4202s or 4200s with about 50cm of 40lb wire. I’ll also run a two-hook cut bait rig with a couple of 2/0 Tru-Turns linked together for small cut baits. As far as spinning goes, I’m usually too lazy.

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Page 24 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

Congrats to our August winner! George with a nice beach-caught tarwine.

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Evans Head Classic 2019 wrap-up

HE Evans Head Fishing Classic was a brilliant event, with the weather in this patch of northern NSW playing ball with beautifully clear skies during the day.

In fact, the most troubling issue for all was the frosty early morning starts. Over 700 entrants contested everything from bream and whiting to jewfish and snapper. Even on day one there were noteworthy captures including a near 1240mm jewfish and a solid jobfish, which was unusual for this area. Snapper, kingfish and even a blue groper hit the brag mats for photos. Inshore, a flathead of 92.5cm won for the day and bream and whiting were all large for this time of year. Sunday was all about the kids, with the 11am kids’ clinic going gangbusters. Kids were flying everywhere with competitions for winding timber fish in the quickest and knot tying and rigging. The kids’ day ended with over 20 enthusiastic youngsters trying their luck on the sandbank using lures and bait. There were clear skies but a strong wind warning was issued for day two. It resulted in many com-

petitors being forced to stay inshore. Some were lucky to catch quality fish before the strong wind warning at midnight. We even headed out at 11am to see if we could open up the offshore category and were promptly blown off the water and the restrictions stayed in place until 4pm when the Bureau of Meteorology lifted them. As the week progressed, the fishing and conditions improved. The swell never made it into the bay, even though the 3m sea at 13 seconds arrived as predicted. This saw a multitude of boats head wide chasing the offshore species that were closed to being targeted the previous day. For many, it was a futile effort as the strong westerly wind and full moon conspired to keep the numbers of fish down. Plenty of bait was around but nothing wanted to eat it. Whales cruised by and birds soared but finding numbers of fish was difficult. Despite the tough conditions, some great fish came in including a solid winter whiting of 440mm for Malcom Boddy and in the offshore category, a snapper of 897mm for Wayne Hutchins. A solid kingfish, no doubt caught as the wind

dropped and seas calmed, by Aiden Donnely came in at a healthy 979mm. Things really started to fire on days four, five and six. Brad Mayes landed a solid amberjack/samson fish at 834mm on day four. The largest mulloway also got knocked off with a 1290mm fish hooked by Darren Constable. A long pearl perch of 605mm went to Ethan Donnelly. A snapper approaching the magic metre mark came in at 973mm, we don’t know where, by Chad Banks, while a croc-sized flathead went to Bruce Jobson. The final day of the competition saw the competitors start amassing in the show area after an enthusiastic final day of fishing. A few fish were upgraded and daily winners announced but what everyone wanted to know was who sat atop the leader board. Many categories were hotly contested but there could be only one. AJ/sambo was won by Ben Campbell with a 940mm fish. Blackfish was a tough fight, with only a few centimetres between Alexander Klassen and second placed Brendon Palmer. Bream was similar, with

1mm between first, second and third. Offshore, the biggest pearl perch was over 600mm. Trag were also large, with Troy Robson landing a 785mm model. The event wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for the community that gets behind it and the interstate visitors and sponsors. We would also like to mention the excellent work of Surf Life Saving and Marine Rescue. On top of the event, we managed to raise over $3000 for them and other charities we support. With the category awards sorted, attention turned to the random prizes, and the kids went mad while the adults awaited the boat winner with bated breath. In the end, a local, Denise Innes was the luckiest of them all, with the Quintrex/Evinrude Renegade 420SC soon to find a place in her garage. Kayaks from Hobie, another Quintrex/Evinrude boat and Engel fridge/ freezers filled out the remaining random draws. In all, over $150,000 of product was given out during the competition. A great event and we would like to thank all competitors for the great spirit shown throughout the event. Good luck next year.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 25

Blackfish are starting to get caught in better numbers around the walls of the Brunswick River.

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Page 26 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

Lee with a quality parrotfish from a close reef off Brunswick Heads.

Concerning signs off the north coast

S opposed to last month, I can’t start this article by whinging about the weather.

While we have had some cold nights, the days have been magnificent. Speaking of cold, downtown Brunswick Heads had a cracking frost one morning. You know it’s cold when the frost is just behind the sand dunes! While the air might have been cold, one factor of concern in my mind is the water isn’t getting cold. I don’t like cold green water, but I’m sure it has its place as every year for most of my fishing career the inshore water off these parts gets down to 17C. The past couple of years it hasn’t reached this temperature, barely getting down to 19C and this year the inshore waters are still blue, clean and 21C. I might be worrying too soon because the coldest water on the beach fronts often doesn’t occur until late-September and October but it’s not showing any signs of it yet, that’s for sure. Maybe it’s the reason the inshore snapper seasons are rubbish these days.

Tweed to Byron Bay by GAVIN DOBSON

This year is another dud so far. I don’t like being all about doom and gloom, preferring to focus on the good things, but while I’m airing concerns I might as well bring up another subject I have mentioned before: sharks. Every mackerel season the sharks get worse to the point where some days it’s hard to land a mackerel. Unfortunately, recently, it’s not been limited to mackerel season. Not long ago, Lewan and I ducked out to Windarra Banks, with snapper being the main focus, but also considering mackerel and wahoo. The plan was going well because bait was everywhere and within a few minutes we were onto our first mackerel. Lewan had it under control within spitting distance of the boat when a shark ate it. By dark we had hooked another three mackerel and sharks had eaten them all.

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Heartbreakingly, I had a big one completely beaten and at the boat and a 7’ shark demolished it. We hooked a few kingfish and stopped a couple from reefing us but sharks ate them once we got them coming up. On dark the snapper came on the bite but we could only get the smaller ones in quick enough, with sharks wreaking havoc on anything that could take drag. Interestingly, we caught about a dozen rainbow runner both before and after dark and the sharks never touched them. Obviously they taste crap to sharks. A week later, I went up to Black Rock and fished a shallow reef, landing one knobby snapper but losing a couple more to sharks. Fighting fish these days, I live in fear of the thump and clunk feeling that emanates up the line when a shark eats your fish and the spool starts to empty at a steady pace. We all see and hear the stories that shark numbers are plummeting around the world, especially in the waters of developing nations, but they certainly aren’t going backwards around here. The increase over the past five years has been dramatic by my observation. Anyway, some good news is the leatherjacket came and went in about a two-week period. They weren’t quite as thick as the previous two years and you could float line a snapper or two off each spot before the jackets sensed the excitement and lifted off the bottom. It was a case of moving to different spots after each drift but at least you could still get a feed. Snapper have been in very solid numbers on the deep reefs and a bag limit of pearlies isn’t hard to achieve, especially now the jackets have moved on. Interestingly, I have a mate on a trawler working 80 to 110 fathoms off Moreton Island and they were getting jackets in the trawl nets just a couple of weeks after they left here. For a fish that doesn’t

appear to be able to swim very fast, they sure can cover some ground. I guess it’s a bit like a locust plague – they’ve got to keep on the move or starve because they consume everything. As I mentioned, snapper are not abundant on the close reefs but that’s not to say you won’t get a feed, so don’t let me talk you out of it. You definitely won’t catch anything if you don’t go. Jew have been very quiet lately too, but once again you’ve got to have a go if conditions are right because even if you don’t get the targeted jew or snapper, a good number of moses perch are around and a few maori cod and parrot make a tasty consolation. In the Brunswick River, the water is crystal clear and I am starting to see good whiting in the shallows while driving the cruise boat up the Brunz. Usually they don’t start getting caught until about a month after I begin seeing them, a phenomenon I can’t explain, but by the end of September they should start coming into fisher’s baskets. Another phenomenon I can’t explain is the whiting look dark when they first show up in the river, especially around the face. In about a month when they come on the bite they return to the normal silvery yellow colour. Weird I know, but just something I’ve noticed from being on the river most days. Bream are in the river but with the water being clean they are super cagey. Blackfish are starting to get caught at last but not in the numbers of the previous few years, though this could improve. Mud crabs have slowed up considerably, which is pretty much the norm this time of year and if recent history is anything to go by they will stay quiet for a few months now. If you have access to the ocean, the next few months are the best for spanner crabs, so a feed of crabs isn’t out of the question. That’s it for me this month. Best of luck whatever you pursue. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Catching quality between the pests

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

The past month has been very frustrating on the fishing front. Some areas are firing quite well, while others have been exceptionally quiet. I guess this is not an unusual situation, but given the fact we are basically still in our winter pattern, most of our winter species should really be in full swing by now. The past month has almost felt like we are into our transition phase from summer to winter, but that is certainly not the case. I believe the unusual weather patterns we have been experiencing over the past two months have had a significant impact on the fishing situation. Winter rain followed by a small fresh in the Richmond River and strong wind combined with rough seas for weeks on end have all contributed to the current predicament. I suppose all we can do now is wait and see how things progress over the next few weeks, and that may determine how productive the following few months are as we move towards summer. Beach and rock fishing have been very disappointing over the past month. The season started quite well and was almost a little on the early side to begin with, and I was hoping we were going to have a really good year, but unfortunately this just hasn’t been the case. A few bream and even the odd flathead are still around on the beaches. Bream have been showing interest in pipis, mullet fillets and worms, while the flathead have been nailing pilchards and natural-coloured soft plastics. Since the main part of the mullet run a few mulloway have been taken from the beaches, but few and far between. Tailor have been the most disappointing species of the lot, with very few taken in recent weeks apart from a couple between Seven Mile Beach and Flat Rock. I’m still hopeful of a late-season resurgence from tailor and that by this time next month I’ll be able to report they are firing… but I am not going to hold my breath. Recently offshore fishing has been the shining light around the region. For some anglers, this time of year is a headache, particularly when the leatherjacket move

Ballina Bait & Tackle by BRETT HYDE

in as they have on the 32 and 42-fathom lines. For those who want to catch a feed of fish quickly, the jackets are the answer, as there never seems to be any shortage of them and they always appear to be hungry. For anglers who like to fish in this area, it can be a nightmarish time of the year as the jackets will chew through line, leader, wire traces and even hooks. They are ravenous little critters and hard on the tackle box if nothing else. Anglers have managed to find some snapper, tuskfish and trag while staying clear of the jackets, so you may just have to be prepared to move around a bit until you can find a clear patch of reef. This time of the year is always great for those who want to head wide and get out into some really deep water on the continental shelf. We have already had captures of bar cod, gemfish, nannygai and kingfish, and if the weather pattern holds reasonably steady, then we should see more of these deepwater species landed over coming weeks. While the jackets have been thick in closer, good-quality pearl perch and kingfish are coming from the 48-fathom line. Most of the pearl perch have been taken on mullet or squid, but a few fish have also taken some slow-pitch jigs in pink and white. Kingfish have been showing interest in live baits as well as high-speed and slow-pitch jigs. With the slower currents at this time of year the bait can be a little spread out, so the speed jigs are not as effective and this is when the slow-pitch jigs can come into their own. It will be worth being set up for both during your next trip. The close reefs have been a little disappointing, with some small snapper, trag and a few mulloway landed. I think part of the problem has been the fact we have had quite a mild winter and the water temperature has not dropped as much as it usually does. This has meant a lot of the fish that would normally move onto the close reefs have stayed out on some of the wider grounds.

I am hoping to see some improvement over the next month though, as traditionally September and October can produce big snapper in close. Lightly weighted pilchards, mullet and soft plastics will all be worth trying on your next trip. Back in the river, we have had quite a productive month with quality bream up to 40cm caught from the mouth up to Pimlico Island. The bulk of the fish have been hugging the rock walls and taking prawns, mullet and yellowtail. Two-inch soft plastics, crab imitations and metal blades have once again been productive for the lure brigade. Some better numbers of flathead have shown up between Wardell and Rileys Hill, but the odd fish is still popping up below the ferry. The run-out tide has been the best bet, especially if you have some pilchards, squid or white pilchards on the end of your line. While tailor have been disappointing on the beach, we have had a few quality fish show up in the lower reaches of the river. As is typically the way with tailor, they have been taking baits intended for bream and flathead, as well as some smallish hard-bodied and soft plastic lures. The night tides in the lower reaches of the river have been the best time to try your luck for a mulloway. Live baits have been the most productive method, but they have been a little difficult to find at times, so it will be worth having frozen squid, yellowtail or slimies as backup. The deep holes on the Porpoise Wall and behind the CBD have been the best bets, but a couple of better-quality fish have also been taken around Wardell Bridge. Before I go, don’t forget we are fortunate to have the final qualifying round of the Australian Bass Tournaments series in the Richmond River on September 14-15 at Coraki. If you would like to check out all the bass caught and get a few tips from the pros, come down at 2pm for the weigh-in on the beach behind town. Well that’s all from me for this month. ‘Til next time, tight lines!

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Darcy Sanna with a healthy winter bream.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 27

Mischa’s 18kg Bluff jew had been dining on sea mullet prior to taking his lure.

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Mischa Porter with a solid 18kg, 126cm jew taken off the Iluka Bluff on one of the author’s homemade wooden minnow lures.

Hit the water while cracking catches continue

HILE September is the official start to spring, I am still waiting for winter to hit.

I suppose I must have been in hibernation and missed it because June, July and August have been far from cold here on the far north coast of NSW. Oh well, regardless of the winter we did or did not have, solid tailor and big jewfish continued to dominate catches around the breakwalls and headlands at Iluka and Yamba, while inside the rivers bream and luderick reigned supreme. Over the past month good jew to 23kg have been taken from the TPiece and shallow gutter on the ocean side of the Yamba breakwall on minnow lures and live mullet.

Just Jew by TYE PORTER

All things being equal, September should see the same quality of fishing before the weather warms too much and the schools of flat-tailed mullet head back upstream until next winter. Here at Iluka, our breakwall has also produced nice jew on live mullet and fresh squid, as Sydney angler Ben Tinkler and his mate discovered when they paid a visit in early August and landed good fish to a tad over 13kg. The last 200m of the wall out to the point on the river side has been lousy with big tailor to 4kg, with many a jew fisher rueing their decision

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large numbers of sharks. However, anglers who did their homework looked in the many arms and backwaters of the Clarence and found nice fish at the old ferry approach at Iluka, while on the Yamba side, Sleeper Point and the Skids also held good numbers of fish. Given that this will be the last month when schools of flat-tailed mullet will be found in the lower reaches, I would get out and among the fish in the next few weeks before the bait heads back upstream. Plenty of pan-sized flathead can be found in the Clarence year-round and by the end of the month we should see the first signs of whiting moving in for summer. While offshore catches have been dominated by snapper, several reports have confirmed baby, and I mean baby (1m), spanish mackerel boated offshore at Woody Head and Iluka, along with the occasional little longtail tuna, so go figure. Once again, the fishing is looking as good as you would ever want it, so dust off the cobwebs and get out and among the fish before things turn to crap. ‘Til next month, safe fishin’.

V T F B N B

Check out in-depth video coverage of the latest boat and product reviews plus fishing action and handy tips. Page 28 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

to throw expensive 6”-9” soft plastic lures in the vain hope of scoring a jew among the tailor. The area just past the wreck is still holding fair numbers of mullet at night, and in turn those anglers prepared to put in the hours have returned with a few nice jew around the 19kg mark. The back of the surf along the wall has fished well for solid bream and swallowtail dart along with the odd just-legal (70cm) school jew, with live beach worms the best bait by far. Up along Main Beach, excellent catches of greenback tailor are still being reported. Most anglers using bonito strips as bait are having no trouble getting their bag limit of 10 fish in pretty quick time. The southern end of the Iluka Bluff continues to be the pick of the local headlands for those anglers wanting to cast lures for jewfish and tailor, with good-sized specimens of both species taken last month. My son Mischa spun this location in early Au-

gust using my home-made minnow lures and white feather lures for jew to 18kg and choppers around the 2.5kg mark. He also scored quite a few small soapy jew on lures, which were all released to fight another day, but it is a good sign to see plenty of these little critters around for future seasons. Excellent catches of bream are to be had by floating a prawn or white pillie bait around the wash of the rocks at the Bluff, Frazers Reef and the Second Bluff, with the odd big tarwhine thrown in for good measure. Ten Mile Beach at Shark Bay will provide you with all the bream, tarwhine and swallowtail dart you need. Green prawns, live beach worms and pipis are the best baits to ensure a feed. Inside the mighty Clarence River, luderick finally turned up in both size and quantity last month, and Iluka angler Wayne Franklin was just one of many anglers having no trouble reaching his bag limit of 10 fish at the old ferry approach using black weed. Catches of big jewfish inside the main arm of the river were once again hampered by the return of

This nice tailor hooked at the Iluka Bluff could not resist one of the author’s handmade feather lures.

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Sunny September on the spectacular Sunshine Coast

HE rivers on the Sunshine Coast, especially the Noosa and Maroochy, are perfect at this time of year.

We have the kind of weather dreams are made of, and without the humidity and rain, now is a great time to chase a very wide range of species. As we move through September, water temps will be on the rise following a mild winter and you can expect to find big fat flatties in the Noosa system all the way from the lakes to the river mouth. If fishing Noosa, the areas near the river mouth and the Frying Pan are a couple of flathead hot spots. Trolling is a popular method for kayak and boat owners, with hard-bodies such as the shallow-diving Tango Shad from Zerek a good bet. Another option is to weedless rig a big Z-Man StreakZ with a rear stinger for serious flats fishing. Further upriver, the ski run is producing good jewfish in the deeper holes. A great way to secure one of these beauties is to slowly hop prawn-style soft plastics and 4” jerk shad plastics through the deeper sections, employing plenty of scent and long pauses. Be sure to strike hard on the slightest nibble because even the biggest fish can feel like a bream. They also have very hard mouths and you need to drive that hook home once connected. If using bait, live is best and can be caught quite easily with a cast net around the marina and public jetties. If you combine all this with a new moon, the chances of landing a trophy fish are high. The lower reaches are the trevally and whiting hot spots and we have seen great catches. A huge variety of trevally has included diamond, tea-leaf, golden and big-eye. A great whiting area is the Frying Pan and the banks over to the sandbags, with schools of whiting coming in on the run-in tide. Worms and yabbies are the prime baits. The bigger fish are hitting surface lures, with the Bassday Sugapen 70mm a popular choice. If you find the whiting are biting short on your favourite surface lure, try retrofitting it with Ecogear ZX assist hooks. These hooks are prerigged light jig assist hooks that give a better hook-up rate and a pair of split ring pliers is all you need to get ready. The Maroochy River is seeing mostly whiting schooling at the Black Banks and Picnic Point, with the trusty worms www.bnbfishing.com. au

Sunshine Coast by GRANT BUDD

and live yabbies securing the better fish. If wanting to troll lures, try the motorway bridge where bigger tailor and trevally are on offer. The fish in this zone can at times can be a little shy because it is a popular spot. Ensure your leader is a high-quality fluorocarbon and is as light as you feel comfortable using. Drifting baits around the mouth is another method of securing a quality catch. Using small pillies, whitebait and live yabbies on the change of tide will do the job, especially towards the end of the day. Some of the species that inhabit this area include flathead, trevally, whiting, bream and even mangrove jack. The offshore scene at Noosa has had plenty of snapper and jewies on the chew. Heading for Chardons or North reefs with the high tide at first light will see you cross the bar with safety. Make sure you have a quality berley trail on the reefs when chasing snapper and you are on anchor during lighter currents. You can create your own berley and mix in fish frames, old pilchards and guts as well as a handful of pellets, tuna oil and sand, which helps it bind together. Other fish on the catch list include big maori cod, cobia, sweetlip, pearl perch and even the odd longtail tuna. Sunshine Reef has held good numbers of squire, sweetlip and coral trout. Coral trout are suckers for a live yakka, so be sure to stop at the bait grounds around Halls Reef and the headland. Out wider from the Double Island Point region, anglers have caught amberjack, ruby snapper, moses perch, venus tuskfish and mixed trevally species including the longnose, which loves to hit smaller slow-pitch jigs up to 100g. Take a look at the Entice Flop jig and Black Magic Flipper jig, which amberjack love too. The Barwon Banks and the bottom of the Hards are holding big snapper, amberjack, pearlies, tuskies and cobia. A great way to catch big fish is with a big bait combo consisting of a squid placed over the top of a pilchard and rigged on a set of larger gang hooks. This can be lightly weighted and float lined or sent to the bottom for the big reef dwellers. Other Barwon Bank and Hards species on the chew include hussar and maori cod.

On the beaches, it has been all about jewfish and tailor, with the quality and size of fish sure to please everyone. Fishing around the river mouths, run-offs and gutters with an afternoon/ evening run-in tide will certainly go a long way to helping you land a PB. Places to fish include the gutters along Mudjimba to the southern end of Yaroomba Rocks as well as the Noosa headlands and various bays on the way out through the national park. Traditional pillies rigged on a set of three 4/0 gangs has been the popular method, with a running sinker on lighter baits and a trapped sinker on bigger baits. If you want to add a little more attraction to your offering, try putting a Neptune tinsel head on the top hook. The added glitter and sparkle of the tinsel head is a proven fish attractor. This can be placed directly on your gang hooks and you can let the tinsel lay down the side of your pilchard. They are very light, so have little effect on casting distance. Off the rocks, especially around the Noosa headlands, you can expect to find squire and grass sweetlip, with fresh mullet strips nailing the bigger fish. To the south off Yaroomba headland, a few quality jewfish have been landed. The run-in tide on the lead-up to a new moon has delivered the better fish. With all strip baits used in surf conditions, make sure you soak them in tuna oil because this not only enhances your catch rate but also attracts the bigger fish. Lastly, don’t forget to

use some bait wrap on bigger baits. This keeps baits streamlined for casting and prevents them getting quickly picked off. Freshwater options have been abundant, with clear water and gentle first and last light winds. The afternoon bite times have been better, with the sun warming the shallows and the fish. Saratoga can be seen free swimming just under the surface enjoying the sun and bass can be found along the weedy edges where the still water warms during the day. While we are yet to see warmer water, it still pays to throw suspending and slower-moving lures. It would be a great idea to take a wide range of sizes and styles of hardbodies and see what triggers a bite. Try not to get stuck using one style for the day and don’t forget to slow roll 3” slim-profile soft plastics like the Nories Inlet Shad and Keitech Mad Wag Mini on heavily schooled bass. Surface junkies could give an O.S.P. Bent Minnow a try. This slow-floating lure has an amazing presentation when worked correctly that some fish find irresistible because it perfectly mimics a wounded baitfish. Don’t forget to buy your Stocked Impoundment Permit and enjoy this time of year no matter where you are. Also check in to fishing noosa.com.au for all the latest 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!

Dean Bibeler with a pair of 70cm-plus pearl perch.

Gabriela Soos landed a 4kg snapper.

A spangled emperor hooked by Jeff Buchanan.

I HAVE done two half-day trips off Noosa in the past month. The first trip was with Dave Anderson (pictured, left with two sweetlip). We slipped out to Sunshine Reef and caught a nice feed of mixed reef fish. The second trip was with Ryan Kaukiainen (pictured, right with two tuskfish). It was a late start but we fished Sunshine Reef again and caught a solid feed of lovely reef fish. Craig Tomkinson

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 29

Using Raptor Liner for a new floor in the boat

I Before shot of casting deck.

AM back after a significant hiatus!

I guess that will teach me for letting work get in the way of my fishing career! After almost nine years, the marine carpet floor on our 425 Stessco Catcher was starting to look a little worse for wear. While I had already re-

Before shot of worn carpet.

New casting deck pieces pre-Raptor.

Contents of Raptor kit.

A couple of nice blackspot tuskfish taken during the recent Rainbow Beach Family Fishing Classic.

Page 30 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

Tin Can Bay by JIM COLE

placed the centre section 18 months ago, along with the hatches, the sides and front casting deck were resembling 12-monthold roadkill with matted chunks of carpet falling off and exposing the old weathered marine ply. As the boat is used commercially for hire purposes, the floor is constantly wet and the carpet seldom gets a chance to dry properly, so I needed an alternative flooring. I have been following Ryan Moody via Facebook and YouTube for some time and a while back I watched one of his videos showing how he had done the floor on his barra punt using a textured fibreglass finish, sealing both sides to prevent water ingress. I liked this approach but let’s face it, I am no fibreglasser and it looked very time consuming. That’s when I discovered a product from U-POL called Raptor Liner. Raptor Liner is a twopart UV-stabilised polyurethane traditionally used as a spray-on ute liner, though has proven to be successful in several other applications. I contacted the crew at Raptor Coatings Australia via their Facebook page to ask for some advice and to find out if it would be suitable for application directly over marine ply. I had a good phone conversation with one of their technical guys and decided it would be worth a crack. Raptor comes in three options: black, white or tintable. As I was looking for something that would not get too hot under foot, nor generate too much reflective glare, I opted for the four-litre tintable kit with a blue/grey tint. Using the old floor as a template, I cut the new pieces out of 12mm marine ply. Each piece required a light sand to make sure the Raptor would bond properly. With all the pieces cut out, I waited for a clear sunny day and set about applying the first coat. Mixing is simple. The kit contains four one-litre bottles of Raptor and a one-litre bottle of hardener. Simply add 250ml of hardener to the bottle of Raptor along with up to 100ml of tint (note: you will not get 100ml of tint in the bottle, so it is worth removing some of the base before adding the hardener), then simply shake, shoot or in this case roll. As I was looking for a heavily textured nonslip finish, I opted to use 100mm textured rollers. Another note: use the recommended PPE and wear old clothes.

A few weeks on and I still have Raptor on my fingernails and the boardies I was wearing now have a safety message about wearing the correct PPE written in braille from the splatter. With a flash off of 60 minutes between coats, I soon found that the 7 rollers I had purchased to do the whole job was greatly under estimated. The packaging states 3sq m per litre of Raptor and I quickly found four litres was not going to be enough to coat both sides of the ply, so I instead opted to buy a litre of exterior paint to seal the underside of the ply. With all sections coated, I had to leave them in the shed to cure for a minimum of three days before they could be installed. While the floor was out, I decided I would give the old girl a birthday and installed a rear casting deck that included a live bait tank, more underfloor storage and a builtin 50-litre fuel tank to increase the boat’s range. The extra storage now means you’re no longer tripping over fuel tanks and tackle boxes on the deck. The mods were all finished just days before the Rainbow Beach Family Fishing Classic, which gave us a chance to really test out the new floor and layout. After a week of solid fishing, the floor held up great. It was so simple to clean. A quick sweep with a broom to remove the excess sand and then a hit with the hose and it was as good as new. The anti-slip coating worked a treat and at no time did the floor become hot under foot. All I can say is bring on the summer mangrove jack season! All in all, I was suitably impressed with Raptor Liner and we are already looking towards our next project, being my son’s freshly chopped GQ Patrol dual-cab ute. For anyone looking to follow the same path, here are a few tips and lessons learnt along the way.

1. Take your time when tracing the old floor sections of the boat. Marine ply isn’t cheap and unlike carpet, any wonky cuts will stand out with gaps. 2. If you are planning on using rollers, buy double what you think you will use. In hindsight, using a Schutz spray gun would have been quicker and easier and more than likely have given the same textured finish. 3. PPE. Wear the recommended gear. It’s taken a few weeks for it to slowly wear off my hands. 4. When adding tint, remove some of the Raptor from the bottle before adding hardener because you can’t fit 100ml of tint and 250ml of hardener in the bottle with enough room to mix thoroughly. 5. Seek advice from a professional. The crew at Kustom Paints & Industrial in Gympie were helpful with providing advice along the way.

At the end of the job, the entire new floor minus the rear casting deck mods cost $800-$900. Between three sheets of marine ply at $100 a pop, the Raptor kit ($330) plus incidentals (extra rollers, paint, brushes) it came to be a little more expensive than replacing the carpet, but I now have something harder wearing and much easier to clean. For more information on Raptor Liner, check out raptorliner.com.au If you have any further questions about my experience using Raptor Liner in your boat, don’t hesitate to drop me a message via the Tin Can Bay Boat Hire Facebook page and keep an eye on our page because exciting changes are ahead, which will give me the opportunity to provide more regular content in future. Until next time.

First coat drying.

Textured non-slip finish of Raptor using roller.

Testing out the new bait tank with a few squid.

Finished result of new floor and casting deck modifications.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 31

Hugh and his dad Clinton with a whopper queenfish.

Quat landed a nice snapper.

Every day is different on the water

T good.

Ming captured a nice diamond trevally.

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HE weather has finally turned the corner and come

We’ve seen a fairly solid stretch of stable seas, which you expect in winter. Some awesome fishing was experienced, no doubt the weather making it easier too. But at the time of writing it has been a bit tough. And looking at the numbers of fish you might find on the sounder, it is surprising the bites haven’t been more numerous. Many social media fans are commenting and relaying similar results. Anyhow, I would like to revisit a two-trip booking with some regulars from Brisbane. I was a bit concerned about the first day and the weather, but the boys were keen and knew the drill. We got off to a fairly slow start, with a light/ moderate southerly blowing up a bit of chop. We certainly wouldn’t be headed far if this persisted. I would say it was a couple of hours before we got dialled in. The conditions were making it difficult for the lads to regain the touch required for finesse fishing. However, we managed to convert a few fish,

Fraser Guided Fishing by TRI TON

mostly smaller stuff. Plenty was showing on the sounder and I was thankful for the regular bites. These smaller fish were great because they allowed the boys to get some confidence, so when time came, we upped the chances of converting a good one. As time went on and I kept finding decent schools, we started to convert better fish. A couple of nice queenfish were picked up, which I really didn’t expect. We then got three largeish tuna around the metre mark, several trevally between 70cm and 1m, and snapper to top it off. We had to take stock a couple of hours before heading back to appreciate just how good the fishing was. It certainly wasn’t easy, and I must tip my hat to Quat and Tri (yeah, another one) for working with me. Another crew and it would have been me battling to fish around everyone and trying to get bites for all. Instead I worked a few lures, had a laugh and kept

the morale going when the bite dried up. A heap of laughs and banter always makes a great way to keep us with enough edge to stay motivated and at the ready. On the second day, the weather was smooth but how our fortunes had changed! Getting bites was easy, but we struggled with sharks on our better fish. Sharks in winter!? Come on! We could go anywhere we wanted, but it goes to show the grass is not always greener in better weather. Well it was greener, but the taxman wanted a hefty cut too! Our quest to find table fish like snapper fell flat. Fast forward a few days and the shark issue became less problematic, though one day saw ridiculous fishing, and we lost fish to sharks that day. They were good fish too, and the apex predators just waited for the big fish to tire before they took a bite. The weather remained gorgeous thank goodness, because during the fol* continued P33

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Changing seasons and a big dry

E appear to be entering the transition from winter to spring as we start to experience warmer days.

Our winter has not been exceptionally long nor cool, with only a few short cold snaps and weaker than usual westerlies. As well as apparently avoiding the worst of winter, we have also unfortunately avoided any rainfall. Rain is desperately needed over most of Queensland. The saying “a drought on the land equates to a drought in the sea” seems quite apt. We need some good falls of rain to both green up the country and give our estuaries, creeks and rivers a good flush. Who knows when this may occur at this time of year. Fishing-wise, I was out of luck with the recent bouts of good weather, being tied up with family responsibilities and/or work-related activities. It was great to see many offshore anglers grab the opportunity and head eastward to test their skills in landing nice reef species. I heard word back from three different offshore trips and they were all pretty ordinary in terms of fish landed. Spider was able to head offshore again, departing from the Burnett River, and brought home a nice feed. It is important to remember at these times that a day on the water fishing, even if there are no fish, is always better than a day at work! Hopefully we will get well-needed rain before the next edition of Bush ‘n Beach hits the shelves in September. Boat Show opportunities I have been attending the Brisbane Boat Show on and off since the ‘70s when it was originally held at the Exhibition Grounds and more recently at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. I have fond memories of hearing my uncle’s voice from a distance as he was checking out the gear Mossops had available in their ‘store’ and his banter with old ‘Nicko’ from the original Northside Marine dealership at Sandgate. My uncle was a proud owner of a Sportsmancraft 157 Charger, a well-made and locally manufactured fibreglass runabout, powered by a reliable Johnson outboard. Dad’s boss owned a Cruise Craft Reef Ranger powered by a Holden V8 motor running a Keller Craft jet, revolutionary in the ‘70s. It could turn on a dime. Alec Lancaster, renowned for being a piowww.bnbfishing.com. au

Bundaberg Region by BRAD YOUNG

neer in float-lining techniques for catching snapper, had Big Ben, a large Haines Hunter decked out for fishing. At this time we owned a John Crawford Marinesupplied Compass Craft V15 powered by a Mercury 65hp which, at that time, had not really been adapted properly for our salty waters after being popular on the US freshwater lakes. Legendary Noel Stanaway had his boats, 690 and then 700 from where he provided up-to-date weather reports for 4KQ from Moreton Bay every weekend, hour by hour. These memories reflect where my love of boating and fishing began. Well, while the range of fishing gear may have changed and in many ways diminished, the range of new boats, outboards and trailers has certainly expanded. So too has the range of marine electronics available to support anglers in their quest to find and catch fish. The old paper scroll Koden depth sounder on the Reef Ranger has been left long behind in terms of the amazing electronics available at a reasonable price today. Here are some ideas for products to check out at the Brisbane Boat Show… sometimes you can get a great deal if you have done your research and are ready to do business. Depth sounders and plotters This is an area where the technology continues to improve at a fast rate. It is truly amazing to see what sophisticated technology you can buy at a reasonable price. Terms such as down view, side scan and CHIRP describe common features of modern fishfinders. Plotters are essential if you are heading offshore any distance, allowing you to ‘see’ what is ahead in terms of marks, land features and underwater contours, as well as storing any important marks you may have collected. Many can also be paired with a radar unit to add another whole new layer of technology. Trim tabs If you own an offshore boat, and especially if it is a fibreglass or plate hull with a deep vee, make sure you check out trim tabs at the Boat Show. The benefits of a deep vee hull can best be enjoyed when the ‘knife edge’ vee is able to cut through the water as designed. The challenge with most deep-vee hulls is

they tend to lean into/ towards the direction of the wind when under way, especially if they are a half cabin design. This leaning effect in turn will see the hull tilted to one side with the hull landing on one (flat) side, negating the positive effects of the vee in choppy water. Trim tabs can be used to ensure the hull remains upright laterally (from port to starboard) so the deep vee can do its work. Hydraulic and electric models are available, as well as some as simple as a vertical plate sliding downwards off the stern below the bottom of the hull to create lift. Trim tabs also provide the ability to trim the boat port/starboard when load causes the boat to heel to one side, again reducing the positive effects from the deep-vee hull design. The addition of trim tabs to my Haines Signature 632 would be the best improvement I have made to the boat. The Lectrotabs on my boat enable me to ensure the boat is always on an even keel and making the best use of the variabledeadrise hull. Electric anchor winch This is one addition I would love for my boat, though it probably wouldn’t be used enough to warrant the expense because I am usually anchored on a reef using a ring and float to retrieve my reef pick. There are older-style capstan models as well as quite a few newer-type drum winches priced to meet a range of budgets. An electric anchor winch is a must-have if you want your partner to enjoy boating with you because it will mean nobody has to manually lift the anchor out of the water and into the boat. EPIRBS, flares and VHF radios Check for bargains on these items because there are often a few suppliers to choose from. Check your EPIRB and flare expiry dates because the Boat Show presents a great opportunity to seek a bargain. In fact, this is a fantastic time to check over all your safety gear and replace, replenish or restock before the weather warms again. As always, I can be contacted via the Bush ‘n Beach website, by email at fishnboat@big pond.com or via post at PO Box 5812 Bundaberg West Queensland 4670. Until next month…

Spider with a nice grassy. Check out the weather!

A good box of tuskies from Spider’s last trip offshore.

Phill scored a lovely giant herring.

Every day is different on the water * from P32

lowing weeks the bite started to slow. Bite periods often only lasted a few bites, so we really needed to make it count. The fish ate random lures, with no particular pattern outstanding. And often they were foul hooked, meaning they were half-hearted bites. Thankfully the clientele were a bit more relaxed by this stage. Two crews come to mind. Both father and son duos, and their main concern was enjoying time on the water together.

One of the dads had not caught much before, and was happy with small trevally. His son Hugh nabbed a nice golden and a few smaller brassy trevally. Hugh had been with me before and was stoked with his previous trip. Halfway in, this trip’s highlight was the weather, as he didn’t get seasick! Well I think the highlight reel changed when Hugh’s father laid into a very large queenfish. One that Hugh had to hold for the duo picture because the old boy had run out of juice.

Then there was mildmannered Phill and his son. Phill seemed to know his way around the boat and he outfished his boy easily. Phill was quite content catching anything, even little snapper he would have caught in his southern home waters. It was rewarding to see him bent on nice queenfish and trevally, fish that would give him quite the workout. I wondered how he would fare with an accidental longtail. The highlight was when he was fighting (and boating) a fast-run-

ning herring, a fish he had no idea about. He remarked how he had to hang on, and there were some nervous moments when the fish ran at us and we thought it had thrown the lure. It goes to show how quickly things can change in a few weeks. How you look at situations can let you perceive what is and isn’t a success. All these trips in my mind were successful. Not everyday has constants, and even every hour sees changes. Having an open mind helps you enjoy each session for what it is.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 33

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4WDing and fishing tips for Fraser Island

EGULAR readers know I’m a frequent visitor to Fraser Island (K’gari) and in fact will be back there just as this edition hits the stands in lateAugust.

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Page 34 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

So this month I thought I would share a few tips on getting the most out of your stay, be it fourwheel-driving, fishing or sightseeing. 4WD tips First things first: you need a 4WD if you plan to get around the island. It is possible to take a 2WD vehicle if you just plan to stay at Kingfisher Bay Resort with its area of bitumen road, but other than that you would need to do an organised bus tour or hire a 4WD to go any further. When it comes to 4WDs, some low-clearance SUVs and AWDs occasionally make their way to and around parts of Fraser, but they normally come unstuck on any thick inland sand tracks or beach entry points and so are not recommended. The other, and probably main reason why so many people get stuck at Fraser Island is tyre pressure. Basically, you need to reduce the pressure (psi) in your tyres to create a wider footprint on the sand so the tyre rides on top of the sand rather than sinks into it. In our many years of driving on the island, 18psi has kept us out of trouble on all but the most difficult tracks, with 14psi occasionally required around Ngkala Rocks after a period of dry weather. Different tyre treads and diameters mean you could go a little more or less, but 18psi is a good starting point if you are not sure. While we are on the topic, be sure to bring recovery gear like a weightrated snatch strap and D-shackles, dampeners, MAXTRAX or similar, a shovel and a good sand jack. On my vehicle, the spare tyre is mounted under the body, so before every trip I like to take it out and fix it to my roof cage in case I get in a flat in deep sand or mud and can’t get access to it. I also always remove my tow ball before my trip and replace it with a quality D-shackle in case I or others need to be pulled out. Snatches with tow balls

Fishing Tips by SEAN ‘SKIP’ THOMPSON

have sadly taken lives over the years when they become a projectile. It should never be attempted. Driving tips While Fraser Island is a beach, it is also a public road and normal road rules apply. Drive on the firm sand not too close to the waves and keep left. At times when confronted with another vehicle in a tight area it can also pay to indicate your intentions. Stick below the speed limit (80km/h along the beach and 40km/h in goslow areas like townships and around tourist attractions such as the Maheno shipwreck and Eli Creek). Take particular care of wash-outs on the beach and ‘whoop-de-doos’, areas of undulating sand on the lower beach. If you can, it also pays to drive a safe distance behind another vehicle or vehicles to spot such hazards more easily. Other things to be aware of on the beach are aircraft (light planes use the beach as a runway – obey all signs) and bypass tracks at rocky areas such as Yidney and Poyungan rocks. Generally if there is no clear sand route around them free of any saltwater wave wash, take the overpass. An extra four or so minutes could save you a written-off vehicle. When you stop on the beach, Queensland National Parks guidelines state you should park near the top of the beach away from moving traffic. You should also park on an angle so traffic can see you have stopped. Another word of warning, particularly for newcomers, is to be very careful ‘crossing the road’ if heading down to the water or back to the car. This is especially important for kids. The sounds of the waves can make it hard to hear cars, so take care and look both ways. Drivers, on the other hand, should always slow down around people or stationary vehicles due to the risk of children running out. When my kids were young I had them wear

high-viz vests when fishing on the beach for added safety. On the inland tracks, the speed limit is 30km/h and visitors should be aware that many of these tracks are two-way. You should be both careful and courteous to other drivers on these tracks. On the two-way tracks, it is wise to slow further around the sharp corners and I also like to sound my horn as a warning to vehicles coming the other way. The other consideration is the use of stopping bays. QPWS has cleared these bays for cars to pull up to

make way for traffic from the other direction, or for slow vehicles to let others pass. The give way rules state if two cars are approaching head on, the vehicle closest to the parking bay in front or behind should manoeuvre safely off the track. An added tip from Fraser’s ‘Senior Ranger Annie’ at Kingfisher Bay Resort is when pulling over for another vehicle, don’t try to reverse into a stopping bay, reverse right back and drive straight in. Alternatively, if there are a few vehicles in convoy, it makes sense for the single vehicle to pull over to allow the other vehicles to pass. Heavy vehicles and those with trailers have

right of way because they are more difficult to manoeuvre. Further, few people realise you must also give way to traffic coming downhill. The exception is departing Kingfisher Bay Resort. Here, specially designed pull-over areas are cut out at angles for cars coming down the hill to pull straight in so other vehicles coming up can continue. Overall, just use a bit of common sense and be courteous to vehicles and give them a wave for pulling over for you. Places to stay, stop and visit A range of accommo* continued P35

Be sure to park your vehicles up high on the beach and on an angle to the ‘road’ to indicate they are stationary.

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4WDing and fishing tips for Fraser Island * from P34

dation options exist at Fraser, from camping to resort-style accommodation. For those who prefer to camp, you will require a permit and these must be bought before you set up. Permits can be purchased online or at permit-issuing agents, but cannot be bought from rangers on the island. Currently, 45 camping areas are available on Fraser, and camping areas with dingo-deterrent fences are recommended for families with children 14 years and under.

If camping is not for you or your group, a range of houses can be rented on the island, both privately and through booking agents. A quick Google search will find them. Think about where you want to stay and what you want to see before booking. For example, Orchid Beach is a lovely area with magnificent views but has some downsides. It is a long way from attractions such as Eli Creek, Central Station, Lake Wabby and more, and the track there is slow

Taking some gear for the western side is a good option for a bit of fishing variety.

A selection of beach rigs and tackle boxes ready for the next Fraser trip.

Sunset at Kingfisher Bay jetty – what a view!

going across numerous boarded wooden tracks in the sand. Also, in tailor season if the fish haven’t arrived that far north, it is an hour or so drive back south of Indian Head to the main beach. The main beach has a few other accommodation options. This includes Cathedrals, Fraser Retreat, Eurong Beach Resort, Sailfish on Fraser, Fraser Island Beach Houses and Yidney Rocks Beachfront Units. As I wrote last month, Eurong Beach Resort has been home away from home for my family and plenty of boys’ trips due to its central location on the island for good fishing (east and west coasts), it being fully fenced from dingoes as well as having plenty of recreation options (pool, tennis court, grassy areas) and the ability to either do your own cooking or eat out at McKenzie’s Restaurant or the bakery. Even if you don’t stay here, the bakery and restaurant are a great place to stop for lunch or a cold drink or two. Finally, on the western side of the island, Kingfisher Bay Resort has the advantage that the ferry lands right on your doorstep. What’s more, it has great fishing options right off the jetty and beach flats. For those who enjoy a few extra creature comforts, it’s the perfect option and you can sit by the pool or at the Sunset Bar and take in magnificent views across the water. What fishing gear to take Once you have decided where to stay, and what 4WD gear you need, you need to think about your fishing gear. This depends somewhat on where you are going to fish and how hard you want to fish. For basic bait fishing from the beach you should have two outfits – a light 10’6” whippy rod rated about 2-5kg for whiting and bream and a bigger 13’-plus rod rated 7kgplus for tailor fishing. Reels can be Alveys or

The Eurong bakery is a must-stop location for a pie, pizza, cream bun or espresso coffee for lunch.

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spinning/baitcasters depending on your preference. If you go for Alveys, get a 5” model for the whiting rod and a 6.5” model for tailor. A starting point for line is 6lb and 20lb respectively. Braid is not recommended on Alveys. In terms of spinning reels, sizes 2000/2500 and 4000 are sufficient. If you want to throw a few lures off the beach for tailor, a lighter graphite rod of 10’-plus is a good option. Or if you want to chase big fish with big baits, slide baiting or targeting mulloway, go up in rod and line strength and reel size. A 6000 or better still 8000 spinning reel and direct wind Alvey such as the 650A5 with 40lb line is a good option. You can use 40-50lb braid on the spinning reels. The western side is also a good option, not just to get out of the wind in strong southeasterly wind but also due to the variety of fish on offer. For plastics fishing on the western-side flats or off Kingfisher jetty, bring a 7’, 2-4kg graphite spinning rod with 5-6lb braid and a 2000/2500 reel for flathead, bream and other smaller jetty species. Go up in rod strength and reel and braid size for bigger targets off the jetty. For flats bait fishing, you can use the same whiting rod and reel as you used on the beach. Other accessories When it comes to other fishing tackle, I like to take a bunch of pre-made whiting and tailor rigs and have small tackle boxes including lures for each target species. You will also need a ruler, shoulder bag, knife and bait bucket for the beach as well as waders in the cooler weather, particularly at night. A headlamp is also a necessity for night fishing. For the western side, I’ll take a sling-style shoulder bag with all my spinning gear (lures, jig heads, scent and so on) as well as a yabby pump. An aerator is also a good idea to keep beach worms alive in a shallow tray. A couple of other goodies we always include are ‘plonker pads’ to stop our big sinkers banging on the roof or windscreen of the 4WD as well as filleting gear and a filleting table. For over eight years we have used the Ice Box Bloke Filleting Table and with tap, spray and plenty of room for two filleters, this Queensland-based company supplies the original and the best filleting table bar none. For more tips and reports, be sure to jump on and like/follow my Ontour Fishing Australia Facebook and Instagram pages.

COMPETITION DATES COMPETITION

DATE

LOCATION

2019 King of the Fitzroy Aug 24-25 Fitzroy River FB @events/182647292394368 ARB Moreton Island Aug 27-31 Moreton Island Fishing Classic moretonislandadventures.com.au ABBT* Bass Round 4

Aug 31- Sep 1

Somerset Dam – Russell Nowland 07 4167 8183

Emu Park Fishing Sep 6-8 Emu Park – Classic emuparkfishingclassic.com.au Women that Fish Sep 6-7 Barra Classic

Rockhampton – Shara VanHaeren 0429 923 243

Costa Bream Series Sep 7-8 Round 7

Gladstone – abt.org.au

Sunshine Coast Fishing Sep 13 Research & Sustainability Competition

Maroochydore – FB @scfaustralia

Wyaralong Carp and Sep 14 Tilly Bash

Lake Wyarlong – ozfishmoretonbay.org

Western Downs Sep 14-15 Condamine – 0408 777 811 Carp Busters Round 2 E: miles4x4@machinerysolu tions.com.au ABBT* Bass Sep 21-22 Wuruma Dam – Russell Nowland Round 5 07 4167 8183 Bowen Family Fishing Sep 21-22 Bowen – Russ McCabbin Classic 0428 776 653 E: bowenfamily fishingclassic@yahoo.com.au Flathead Oct 1-4 Gold Coast Classic flatheadclassic.com.au Monduran Family Oct 19-20 Lake Monduran – Gin Gin Fishing Classic masa-fishstocking.org.au Rocky Barra Oct 21-23 Rockhampton Bounty rockybarrabounty.com Lake Moondarra Oct 25-27 Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic lakemoondarrafishingclassic.com.au ABBT* Bass Grand Final

Nov 30- Dec 1

Dam TBA – Russell Nowland 07 4165 4286 or 07 4167 8183

2020 Boondooma Dam Feb 8-9 Yellowbelly FC

Lake Boondooma – Terry Allwood 0400 860 122

Moura Muddy Water Apr 11-12 Moura –Zelma Lewis Family Fishing Classic 0428 971 932 Wynnum May 4 Fishing Classic

Wynnum – ozfishmoretonbay.org

Weipa Fishing Jun 7-9 Weipa – Classic weipafishingclassic.com *Australian Basstasstic Bass Tournament To have your competition listed in the calendar please phone (07) 3286 1833, email design@bnbfishing.com.au or fax (07) 3821 2637

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 35

Archerfish are aggressive and will happily eat a surface lure.

Ashlee Levy got stuck into the Hinchinbrook jacks.

One of the better jacks landed by the author.

Hinchinbrook Island fishing fires in winter

WAS lucky enough to take my partner Ashlee and two kids to Hinchinbrook Island to visit family during winter.

This was the best fingermark for the trip. It ate a Zerek Fish Trap.

The author jigged up this fingermark on a Zerek Fish Trap in Fat Betty colour.

The Zerek Absolute Shrimp accounted for a lot of cod when cast around rocks.

During my last visit in September 2018 the fishing was red hot. I had never fished Hinchinbrook during winter before, and wasn’t sure what to expect. However, I did a bit of research before heading up there. Most people told me not a lot changes, except trevally and queenfish are in big numbers throughout the Hinchinbrook Channel. I found a stack of good fingermark and plenty of jacks among other regular snag-dwellers. For this visit, we booked a house in Lucinda through Airbnb and it turned out to be perfect. It was modern, had undercover parking and a big shed to put the boat in. Most of the holiday houses in Lucinda are set up for fishers. They have big fridges and freezers outside to make ice and store bait. We arrived in Lucinda around 2pm and quickly

Small grunter were feeding with the jacks.

The author jigged up this little fingermark in Morrisseys Creek south of Townsville.

Page 36 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

Fishing Trip by KEITH STRATFORD

unloaded the gear and rigged a couple of rods. We had my dad’s little tinnie, which is best suited for two people rather than three, so the old man and I went for the first session. We stayed fairly close to the ramp and fished a couple of banks where we hooked big fish on our last trip. A bit of rain was passing through, which caused the wind to drop out. This equated to one thing. Mosquitoes! We stuck it out for an hour and only managed a couple of small cod, queenfish and an archerfish off the surface. The mozzies eventually drove us nuts, so we headed back to the house to get ready for the next morning. We got up early the next morning and drove to Fishers Creek boat ramp. The weather was a lot nicer, with the trip to the main channel a glass-out. The plan was to hit reef areas in the channel where we scored a heap of fingermark on our last trip. We caught all our fish on 7” Berkley Gulp plastics rigged on 1oz 8/0 jig heads last trip, so I had stocked up on a heap of them for this trip. The water ranged from about 9-21m in the spot we were fishing. The current at Hinchy is a bit hard to understand and doesn’t seem to do the same thing two days in a row. From what I’ve worked out, the fish chew really hard when the tide is running at its quickest. The bite was very slow early on, which we put down to the tide barely moving. The Gulps weren’t getting any attention and were sinking way too fast due to the lack of run, so I switched to a Zerek Fish Trap. It had just started trickling out when I got the first bite. It ended up being a pansize fingermark, which gave us a bit of hope. The tide started picking up and was forming good current lines, which the fingermark like in this spot. We drifted through a big eddy and could see plenty of arches down deep, but

unfortunately they turned out to be big tarpon. We hooked a few, despite doing our best to avoid them. A couple of nice GTs also got in on the action, eating the Fish Traps. I snagged my Fat Betty Fish Trap and lost it, so decided to try the bigger model. It didn’t last long before it was belted by a bigger fish. This thing gave me all sorts of problems and had me within centimetres of the bottom on several occasions. Even when I got it halfway up, it would run me straight back down. We called it for a fingermark and weren’t disappointed when a big golden slab popped up next to the boat and slid into the net. It was a pretty solid fingermark for the Hinchinbrook Channel. It wasn’t a PB and I didn’t get an exact measurement of the fish, but we were pretty happy with it after getting busted off by so many solid fish on the previous trip. The current stopped after that fish and so did the action, so we went back to the house to swap crew for the afternoon session. After lunch and some time spent with the kids, Ash and I slid the boat in at Dungeness and took advantage of the calm weather, cruising up to some rocky points around Haycock Island. We threw a heap of lures and nailed a few nice cod, but nothing else too exciting. We saw a couple of barra feeding but couldn’t get a bite from them. A number of big tarpon

were also landed on Fish Traps, but the wind was making it a bit difficult out in the open without an electric motor. On our last trip, my dad and I fished a small creek mouth while we waited for the tide to come in enough to get the boat out. I cast a lot of lures in there and couldn’t catch a fish. As soon as we cast half pilchards, it was a fish a cast and most of them were jacks, big pikey bream and solid cod. I took Ash up there for the first of the run-in tide and the action was just as hot. She landed her first jack and quickly followed it with a couple more. We got smoked by a few and pulled sizeable cod, pikies and grunter. The sun was getting low, our bait running out and the Aerogard levels struggling. Once again, the mozzies and sandflies were terrible. The trip back was dead calm and the scenery amazing. Hinchinbrook Island was blanketed in heavy fog and was an awesome sight. The next morning, I took Ash back to the fingermark spot but the tide never got moving enough for the fish to bite.

The tarpon were on the job again though and keen to eat my declining stock of Fish Traps. The rest of the morning was pretty quiet, even on the crabbing front. We left our pots in a creek on Hinchinbrook Island all night with good fresh baits and got one undersize crab out of the whole lot. We took the pots home and didn’t waste our time after that. That afternoon, Ash and I went back to the jack spot and got stuck into more jacks, pikey bream and cod. It’s a pretty relaxing way to fish and is good fun, with a fish or bust-off every cast. We headed back to Townsville the next morning and spent a relaxing day with the kids. The following day we were due to fly out in the afternoon, so my dad and I had a morning session at Morrisseys, which is one of his favourite creeks in the area. We managed plenty of big pikey bream, small cod and a nice fingermark jigging a plastic. I can’t wait for the next trip to Hinchinbrook. If you have never been there, you need to go! The scenery of Hinchinbrook Island makes it an amazing place to visit.

The business end of a very angry fingermark and the Fish Trap it couldn’t resist.

Hinchinbrook’s creeks are loaded with snags and fish.

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Sojourn to the Swains – part two

OR those who missed last month’s part one article, I recently embarked on the trip of a lifetime with a crew put together by Wilson Fishing.

We went on a Swain Reef adventure chasing everything from big GTs to awesome-looking coral trout and everything in between. The aim of this trip was to destroy some fishing gear (well, test its limits) and catch a fish or three for a feed. In part one, which you can find in the August edition, I covered the rods used and abused. This article can be checked out online at bnbfishing.com.au/exploratory-sojourn-swain-reefs and on Issuu at issuu.com/ bnbfishing This month I’ll look at a selection of lures we used and other gear I think will be appreciated by dedicated fishos. Lures To accompany the plethora of rods was what

Fishing Trip by BEN COLLINS

seemed like an endless supply of lures, but like most fishing trips, you soon end up with a few favourites that seem to do the damage. My lure of choice for chasing GTs was the Zerek Zappelin stickbait in 220mm size. This lure weighs 125g and was a pleasure to cast on the PE8 rod, working straight out of the box with the supplied 6X strong Mustad hooks. However, as we were there to test the gear, I mixed up the hooks a little and ran assist hooks on the back, which also worked. You could also change the front treble to a larger size if you wanted a slightly deeper retrieve or action. While we did throw some poppers, the stickbaits definitely outfished

them, with erratic retrieves encompassing fast twitches working better than the traditional longer rip. This retrieve also seemed to keep the lure in the strike zone longer. Interestingly, a lot of our strikes came from deeper water off the bommies or reef edges but as always, when we found the bait we found the fish. Another standout in the lure department was the Zerek Fish Trap. This lure was absolutely deadly on a mix of fish, with 110mm and 160mm sizes the go. Colour wise, it was hard

to tie on anything other than Flying Bear (white with red head) or Fat Betty. If you haven’t heard of Fat Betty, jump on Facebook as she has her own page with a heap of fish captures. It might seem a bit farfetched but we saw a lot of double hook-ups on single Fish Traps, with one fish hooked on the front treble and another on the rear. The first time it happened I thought it must have been a fluke, but the flukes kept coming all week. It would have been really interesting to have an underwater camera on these lures in the deep to see multiple fish climbing all over them. On the trolling front, which we did a fair bit

of, especially when heading from one possible GT spot to the next, the Zerek Speed Donkey was the go. However, I usually had to get my lure out pretty quickly because my fishing partner Shaun often hooked up seconds after deploying his lure. It was insane how fast these lures would get hit and a lot of the time we just kept the boat going for a few more seconds after the first hook-up and the other person would be on as well. While we didn’t manage any monsters (though the head of a dogtooth Shaun brought in was massive), we did manage a mix of fish including shark mackerel, dogtooth tuna, barracuda, spanish mackerel, green jobfish, * continued P38

The Zerek Live Shrimp was deployed to great effect on many reef species during the trip.

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Myriad varieties of trout attacked all manner of Zerek lures. A Live Shrimp undid this colourful example for Clint Fannin.

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www.escape2fish.com.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 37

by MELISSA FROHLOFF

Seafood mornay pot pies Ingredients • 250g green prawns • 250g sea scallops • 250g marinara mix • 1 1/2 cups plain flour • 4 tbsp butter • 1 cup warm water • 1 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder • 1 cup milk • 300ml thickened cream • 1 1/2tsp minced garlic • 1/2 cup shallots • 1/2 cup garlic chives • Salt and pepper • 250g grated cheese • Puff pastry • 1 egg yolk, beaten • 1 tbsp raw sugar Method 1. Cut sea scallops and prawns in half. 2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Fry prawns and scallops until they change colour. Remove prawns and scallops from pan. 3. Add marinara mix and lightly fry. Remove marinara mix and juices from pan and set aside.

4. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to pan and lightly fry garlic chives, garlic and shallots until aromatic. Remove from pan. 5. Melt remaining butter on low heat and stir in flour until butter and flour is combined. Remove from heat. 6. Add chicken stock to warm water. Once dissolved, add to flour and butter mix. Whisk to remove lumps. 7. Return to a low heat. Add milk to mix and stir to a smooth consistency. Add cream and sugar – this will be the base to the mornay sauce. 8. Add seafood, shallots, garlic and chives to mornay sauce and stir consistently over low heat until seafood mornay starts to simmer. 9. Add salt and pepper to taste. 10. Divide the cheese evenly and place on the bottom of four pie pots, add seafood mornay filling. 11. Cut a square piece of puff pastry and place on top of the pie dishes. 12. Lightly coat the puff pastry with egg wash. 13. Bake in moderate oven until pastry is golden.

Notes This is one of those old-time favourites that was shared with me from an old friend. Food is about bringing people together and keeping treasured recipes and memories alive.

Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 45 min | Serves 4

Mustad’s Casting Gloves kept the author’s keyboard hands in mint condition, despite handling hundreds of fish and throwing thousands of casts over the week.

Sojourn to the Swains – part two * from P37

bluefin trevally and the list goes on. Like the Zappelin, we ran the Speed Donkeys straight out of the box with Mustad 9430MD trebles. These lures copped an absolute hiding and if a hook did get a little bent, we just applied the fastest remedy, straightening it with pliers, to get the lure back in the water and bang, have a fish on again. In saying that, we did run a few of the Speed Donkeys with single hooks, which also caught fish, but I think they worked better with trebles. Standout colours were SM, RH, SB, SLM, PBY and GM, which is almost half the colour range, so I don’t think it would have mattered what colour we tied on. Other impressive gear – gloves I’ve never been a big fan of wearing gloves when fishing, even the sunprotective ones, though the sunspots on my hands suggest I should reconsider this. So, I decided to give the Mustad Casting Gloves a go and soon wished I’d been using them for years. They were relatively heavy-duty casting gloves and while I probably wouldn’t wear them finesse fishing for bream, they were awesome for

throwing big stickbaits at GTs, often for hours on end. They were also great to wear when bottom bashing with bait and flicking some of the bigger lures. The gloves also give plenty of protection when jamming your thumb against the braid, as it peels off the spool, in order to stop the brute on the other end of the line bricking you in the coral. Unlike some of my other week-long fishing adventures where my hands ended up cut to pieces from spines, spikes and braid, I managed to keep my soft keyboard hands in prime condition. Braid scissors Even if you don’t use braid, I highly recommend everyone having a good pair of braid scissors when fishing. Whether cutting braid, thick fluorocarbon or mono, the Mustad Braid Scissors, with their pouch and spring lanyard, were well and truly tested over the week. My scissors were attached to my shirt and spent the week cutting a plethora of lines as plenty of lures were changed and rigs retied. Despite the gruelling week, the scissors survived unscathed and continued cutting lines of all diameters with ease.

Mustad hooks As mentioned, the lures were often tricked up and played with to change how they worked, but one element remained constant and that was the use of Mustad hooks. It didn’t matter if you were putting a big 4X or 5X treble on the front of the Zappelin stickbait to make it sit a little lower in the water or were running Mustad assist hooks on the rear, a whole range of hooks were tried and tested and I did not lose a single fish to hook failure. We also tested the trusty

7766 in 7/0, which was pushed to its limit with sharks scavenging our prized reef fish before we could retrieve them. Next month The adventure to the Swain Reefs continues, and next month we’ll investigate fishing techniques for a mix of fish, reveal a bit of karma and take a good look at Big Cat Reality Charters and what the operation offers keen fishos, so stay tuned. For more information on all the Wilson Fishing gear, head to wilsonfish ing.com

The Mustad Casting Gloves and Braid Scissors are highly recommended additions to any fishing trip.

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BOATING & marine

Team Abu Garcia/Evinrude will turn heads in their new Stacer bass boat

EAM Abu Garcia / Evin r ude will compete in a tricked-out Stacer for the first time ever.

Powered by an Evinrude E-TEC 150 HO G2, Ross Cannizzaro and teammate Codie Stewart will take their Stacer 529 Assault Pro to Australia’s east coast fishing competitions. Cannizzaro and Stewart are Sydney locals who have been fishing in Australian competitions from northern NSW to Gippsland for the past four years. Their greatest achievements include finishing Team of the Year three out of the four years they have competed together in the Berkley Super Series and winning the Sydney Major Grand Final in 2018. To compete in the Major Grand Final, Cannizzaro and Stewart needed to finish within the top 25 out of 200 entrants over five rounds. In addition to the Berkley Super Series, Cannizzaro and Stewart also regularly compete in the East Coast Bream Series and Australia Bass Tournaments.

The duo’s favourite event is the grassroots Urunga Estuary Sport Fishing Flathead Tournament held in north coast of NSW. Since this event is geared towards young anglers, Cannizzaro and Stewart get a lot of satisfaction out of attending a competition that encourages young fishos to have a passion for the sport. The duo chose the Stacer 529 Assault Pro because of its standard large casting platforms, live well, thruster bracket and the ability to equip their boat with heaps of electronics. Cannizzaro and Stewart grew up using Evinrude outboards and are true believers in the product. When the G2 range was first released, they were trusted to test prototype engines for hundreds of hours. Formerly the team only used fibreglass boats, but after experiencing the Stacer charge through the rough waters of the Sydney bay, they were both impressed with how well the boat handled. “Bass fishing competitions have got out of hand; the average Joe doesn’t

need an expensive bass boat,” Cannizzaro said. “Our new Stacer will prove you can be competitive in fishing competitions using a boat priced for better value. “After fishing for my whole life and competitively for many years, Stewart and I know exactly what we want in a boat. “Stacer is not your average tinnie.

“The hull is designed to go fast and we were surprised with how much gear could be put in the boat. “I have used bigger boats that have had less storage that the Stacer 529 Assault Pro!” For more information on the Stacer 529 Assault Pro or the entire Stacer range, visit stacer.com.au Stacer, it’s a revolutionary ride.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 39

BOATING & marine

MerCruiser repower promotion – savings of up to $1575

UMMER is coming!

After months of cold, the warmer weather is on the horizon and to help boat owners make the most of it, Mercury is offering a free rigging kit worth up to $1575 with the purchase of a new 4.5, 6.2 or 8.2-litre MerCruiser package. This great offer means boaters will be able to significantly upgrade their craft for less, thanks to a free rigging kit (consisting of mechanical SC1000 SmartCraft rigging kit, a single panel control, two control cables and one trim harness). Those wanting the premium experience can use the bonus value and upgrade to Digital Throttle & Shift and simply pay the remaining difference. It’s an offer that is hard to resist given these MerCrusier motors represent the next generation of marine power – engines

which have been designed and built for true customer value with: • Proven durable marine design; • Smooth and quiet boating experience; • Greater performance with increased power and torque; • Exceptional fuel economy at cruising speeds; and • Improved access to maintenance touchpoints. 4.5-litre V6 200/250hp Featuring a host of engineering innovations, this MerCruiser has established new standards for power-to-weight ratio, driver experience, acceleration, durability and ease of maintenance. Thanks to its new, long-runner scroll intake manifold, this is V8 power in a V6 package. 6.2-litre V8 300/350hp A V8 like no other, with unparalleled torque and acceleration to get you on plane quickly and smoothly, yet with

significant reductions in sound and vibration. Adaptive Speed Control maintains RPM during hard turns, creating a sportier, more intuitive driving experience. 8.2-litre V8 380/430hp A mighty powerpack that is a triumph of marine design, with unmatched throttle response, plane time and acceleration. A multi-port injection system ensures maximum fuel economy, while a high-output 65A alternator generates more power. Add to that easy maintenance and the simplicity of regular unleaded fuel and you’re only scratching the surface. Repowering with a MerCruiser package – full engine, drive and transom – is a guaranteed way of giving your boat a new lease on life, with improved power, performance and reliability. Mercury MerCruiser

engines and drive systems are designed, tested and built exclusively for the marine environment. They are engineered to have ultra-responsive acceleration, impressive manoeuvrability and superior durability. The large displacement of a Mercury MerCruiser means it will barely break a sweat while it delivers all the wellmannered power you want. This offer only runs until September 27, 2019, so now is certainly the time to act. Head to your nearest participating MerCruiser dealer and see just how good MerCruiser power truly is. Discount only applies to full engine, drive and transom package sales, and excludes bobtail engine sales. For full terms and conditions, and to learn more about MerCruiser, visit mercurymarine. com

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

Page 40 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

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BOATING & marine

Life jackets – myths and smart moves

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

Here, director Aaron Hunt looks at life jackets and clears up a few myths including some about ‘self-servicing’ the inflatable types. There are plenty of myths and misinformation about life jackets – and unfortunately, they can even come from police and retailers, as well as the more common socalled expert up the road. And many of the life jackets advertised on eBay don’t comply with Australian standards. Back to the ‘experts’: We once had a law officer in the shop extolling his knowledge about inflatable life jackets to a customer. He was wrong on so many fronts that he eventually was asked respectfully to leave the shop. One of his claims to a customer was you could not service your own inflatable life jacket. Well in some circumstances, you can: Maritime Safety Queensland states: Inflatable life jackets used on a recreational boat must show an expiry date and be serviced by the manufacturer or authorised service centre annually (the only exception is if the manufacturer has established a documented servicing program, the owner or master can service the life jacket themselves, but must produce documentary evidence showing they followed the servicing program). The key here is that selfservicing of a life jacket is only valid if the manufacturer allows it and if you keep all servicing receipts and certificates as evidence. Boating & RV stocks the Axis range of life jackets and personal flotation devices – it is one of the brands that does allow self-servicing of life jackets for recreational use, but not for commercial purposes. Axis life jackets for commercial use must be serviced by one of their agents, which are located in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and on the central Queensland coast at Gladstone, as well as interstate. So, your first step is to ask your life jacket retailer for evidence that self-servicing is allowed on a particular life jacket, as well as documentation for the procedure. Alternatively, check with the manufacturer of your life jacket or its importer and distributor. Be aware that some manufacturers require www.bnbfishing.com. au

you to have your life jacket serviced by them or an authorised agent. This will ensure it continues to function as it should. To give you a general idea of the types of requirements demanded under such a self-servicing program, they typically might include: • Checking for visible signs of deterioration and the condition of straps, strap keepers, buckles and so on. • Checking the inflation system and the tube you can use to inflate it by mouth. Some will suggest inflating it and leaving it overnight before checking in the morning so see if the inflation bladder has lost any air. The room would need to be a constant temperature. • Unscrewing and inspecting the CO2 cylinder with particular attention for any signs of corrosion or damage. The manufacturer might also suggest weighing the cylinder on an accurate set of fine scales. The manufacturer should stamp the weight tolerance on the cylinder (normally within a gram or two). Anything outside this indicates a problem. • Repacking the jacket in accord with its design and making sure the inflation toggle doesn’t get caught up. • Documenting all servicing work undertaken. Again, the above is just a general indication of what might be involved. Any servicing must be undertaken in exact accord with the manufacturer’s instructions for a particular jacket. You should never attempt to repair a damaged jacket or one which you suspect has faults. Return it to the manufacturer’s agent for verification of its status, or replace it. Another example of life jacket misinformation – A boat accessories supplier continues to state on its website: Life jacket requirements: One life jacket or PFD for all passengers and crew of any age that must be worn on any open boat less than 4.8m in length. Not true. While it certainly is a smart and safe idea to do so, that claim is not universal in Queensland. Yes, a life jacket must be worn by a person aged from 12 months to 12 years in a boat less than 4.8m long while it is under way. A life jacket also must be worn by everyone crossing a designated coastal bar in an open boat less than 4.8m in length – but that’s it. Not all the people, all the time in all the boats. But again, wearing life jackets makes sense. Next time you motor over to Tangalooma, get a friend who you know can and is prepared to rescue

you. Then jump in the water next to your boat, in a depth just over your head and try to put a life jacket on while in the water. Time yourself. Then imagine trying to do that in rough water. As an overview, life jackets show which Australian Standard they comply with. The current standard is AS 4758, which has replaced AS 1512-1996, AS 1499-1996 and AS 22601996. Life jackets that meet

the previous standards are still legal provided they are in good condition. The new ratings system: Coastal and SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea). These offshore life jackets can be used in all waters and are designed to keep you afloat for a long time at sea. They have more flotation than a level 100 and have reflective tape and a whistle. Level 100, 150 and 275 are different versions of life jackets for open waters – think in terms of

fishing offshore. Accordingly, they can be used everywhere. Level 50 partially smooth waters – the areas are defined on charts but think in terms of them being very close to shore. They also can be worn on a personal watercraft. Level 50S - the S defines them as being for special purposes such as skiing and tubing, or buoyancy control for diving. Designed for help you keep afloat for a short time.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 41

BOATING & marine Insights into boat insurance

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

The scenario Boats and engines work in the most spectacularly beautiful but ‘anti-machinery’ environments imaginable. Engines virtually spend their entire working lives in first or reverse gear, going uphill underwater, while the boat is being

dragged across the face of the water, which is often salty and corrosive, before it is nosed up onto a beach, equating to a quick rub under the bow with sandpaper. The good news is today’s materials, manufacturing standards and practices, designs and electronic management systems make them immeasurably more reliable and durable. They still wear, but if given the manufacturer’s recommended levels of servicing and maintenance, deterioration is a

slow but normal process. And being a normal process, your boat’s insurance policy, even it is from a marine specialist like Nautilus, does not cover wear and tear, which is part of the aging process. It’s a little like the exterior paint on your house, or the carpets within it. If rain, wind, sun, dust and age damage the paintwork over 15 years, would you expect your house insurer to cover the cost of repainting? Three kids for 16 years inflicting their best on your carpet – think your

house insurer is going to stump up for its replacement? Of course not… and so it is with boat insurance. However, should some unfortunate incident befall your vessel such as it being struck by another vessel while at anchor, that comes under the heading of accidental damage, rather than deterioration. And accidental damage is insurable – you can lodge a claim to cover the cost of approved repairs. In between those two extremes – normal deterioration through wear and tear and a calamitous event – are myriad ‘case by case’ circumstances. A boat stored in a humid climate under a tight-fitting cover that severely restricts air flow could suffer damage to timber due to ‘sweating’. That deteriorated timber is not a result of damage – it’s from lack of care. Likewise, it is unrealistic to expect that over time there will not be some sun and salt damage caused to vinyl seat covers.

Even wetsuits, if not thoroughly washed out and dried, can trap little pockets of salt water that then dry, leaving sharp little salt crystals that begin abrading the neoprene. Engine computers will tell insurers how long you ran the engine at high temperature after a plastic bag blocked the water intake to your cooling system. Was damage caused very quickly or was there a lack of good seamanship where the boat driver just ploughed on, perhaps even ignoring warning alarms? If the skipper did plough on, was it in the interests of moving the vessel and crew to a safe location, or was it simply to continue the day’s outing with little regard to potential engine damage? Accurate descriptions of the event, or conversely, fibs the owner might be tempted to tell, very often are revealed quickly by on board electronics that monitor a variety of engine functions.

Those results will help guide the insurer to a determination. The concept of gradual deterioration also shows why a company like Nautilus requires an authoritative report from an accredited marine dealership or repairer on any vessel 20 or more years old before deciding whether or not to offer insurance cover. The two decades of wear and tear might not be an issue, as evidenced by the number of superbly maintained and refurbished vessels travelling our waterways with full insurance cover. However, if termites or other bugs have invaded your hull, that would be a maintenance consideration, rather than one relating to accidental damage. Insurers vigilantly investigate claims that might appear at face value to be deceptive. The key reason is to avoid fraud and the consequential pressures on increasing the price of premiums across the board, including those

paid by honest boaties. If you are unsure where you stand, your first call should be to your insurer seeking clarification. As always, any special conditions and excesses should always be explained clearly in your insurance policy’s product disclosure statement. Always check your PDS and if you have a query, ask for clarification. If you need further information, you can contact Nautilus Marine Insurance on 1300 780 533 for any boat insurance requirements. Win a Nautilus Prize Package Nautilus will also be answering your boat insurance questions of a general nature and will be offering a great bimonthly prize to the best questions received. The prize is a Nautilus Marine merchandising pack comprising a collapsible chiller bag, handy marine sports bag and cap. Just email your questions to qld@nautilusin surance.com.au

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

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Page 42 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

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Here’s Edie’s big bream landed at Currumbin Alley. She cast the line out and brought it in all by herself. James Dever I caught this good little sweetlip off Brunswick Heads, NSW. Jack Rutter

These bream were captured in the Brisbane River on Z-Man plastics and 6lb line. Chris Whatson

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A mid-50cm snapper taken in Moreton Bay on a recent morning by Lee Stopps. Ryan Mellors

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 45

Hotly anticipated September species

EPTEMBER is a hotly anticipated month here in central Queensland as we start to say goodbye to the winter chill and hello to the warmth of spring.

Jacks will be firing on all techniques. This one took a liking to a vibe fished over a rock bar.

With the warmer weather, we will see the water temperature on the rise

The Fitzroy will be fishing well for barra. This one ate a plastic near the city.

Phil with a typical size barra taken from shallow timber on a hard-body lure.

Gladstone Region by GARY CHURCHWARD

and the mighty barramundi wandering back into people’s minds. The first jump in water temperature can trigger an amazing bite from these fish. As they become more active, they will start to have a longer and stronger bite period. During the cooler months I have found they tend to take smaller lures and baits, though as they become more active a larger presentation can be required to get better results. Locations you fish can also change, with schooling fish in the open now a little easier to get a bite from. These fish will tend to be of a larger size than those hooked from timber. They will be more active as they move through a system and may only stay in one location for a short time depending on the tide. When actively targeting these fish, you may spend hours sounding a system to find the schools before you wet a line. Then it can be a case of persistence, staying with the schools and changing your presentation until the right conditions occur and they bite or you at least get a reaction. Shallow timber and rock bars will hold plenty of small to average fish. When targeting these,

throw a couple of different lures at each snag to see what they will feed on. When bait fishing, it’s also a good option to have different offerings. If a live mullet doesn’t work, try a live prawn. Even a cut bait can get a bite when everything else is ignored. Gladstone holds a good population of wild barra. The harbour has small schools of solid barra that move quickly. It can be hard to actively target them from day to day. Both the Calliope and Boyne rivers also hold decent numbers of barra. I find the fish in the Calliope to be more structure-based than those in the Boyne. When fishing the Calliope, I will target larger fish around deeper rock bars, bridge pylons and steep banks. Rarely do I find fish in the open. Smaller fish can be found around the shallower areas that hold good structure such as timber, rock bars and the rock wall at the mouth. I find fishing the Boyne River different again, with the fish not so much in schools but moving through areas as individuals or small groups of one to five fish. With much of the river having rock walls dropping into deeper water, it’s

a case of slowly sounding likely areas to find fish. Again, smaller fish will come from shallower areas, with good structure in the upper Boyne holding plenty of fish. For consistent barra results, spending time on the Fitzroy River and Port Alma area working out where to be and when will see you catching more. The entire system can fish well at different stages, with many conditions influencing your choices. Being such a large waterway, there is a significant time difference in the tide changes between the mouth and city. You need to try to pick the best time and location to fish to give yourself the best chance. One of the joys of this system is the number of threadfin salmon getting around. If the barra are being hard to find, you can usually pick up a school of salmon somewhere. Mangrove jack will be starting to fire as the water warms. They will be more aggressive and more willing to move a little further from their snags. Hitting the water early for a topwater bite will be the go, especially early in the season as they can fire with the first of the warmer temperatures. As the day gets on, move through the water column and fish deeper to get them to bite. Lures measuring 50100mm will work best. If the bite is slow, try using a 3” or 4” weedless

plastic and wind the lure quite fast past the structure to get a reaction bite. This can be done with vibes as well but expect to lose a few more lures because they will snag often. When bait fishing, if live baits aren’t working, try using the humble old pilchard because the oily scent can get them to turn on. A few blue salmon will be around in September. The school sizes will be smaller than in winter but the size of the fish is usually larger. Vibes and plastics fished through the school will get their attention and a fast retrieve is rarely ignored. Flathead will start to come together as they head into their spawning run over the coming months. Often you will catch a lot of smaller male fish at this time. Bream will have spawned and will be a bit skinny but will be out looking for food to bulk up again. Good numbers will be captured around gravel banks and rocky outcrops, especially in Gladstone Harbour. Crabs will be worth a crack. We really need some rain to give the waterways a flush and get them moving but you can still get a feed. Now’s a great time to be on the water as the temperatures start to rise and before the barra season closes for another year. Cheers and happy fishing from Gladdy.

Beaut weather better late than never

HOUT out to everyone who has been fortunate enough to head out and embrace the fantastic weather of late.

Beautiful red emperor are the jewels of Stanage Bay.

The calm seas have taken some time in getting here, but the window is now open. Some great fish have been coming through the boat yard for show and tell. Supersized muddies are out and about too. Working the northern side of Quail Island should get you a decent haul of muddies. Local creeks have yield-

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Page 46 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

Stanage Bay by PEE WEE

ed plentiful catches of bream, steelback and blue salmon, which is excellent to see throughout the cooler months. Even the odd barramundi has been caught. Boat ramp work is progressing well, as is roadway maintenance, but if these are our biggest setbacks, then I’d say life is pretty good. In all, the road is not too bad. Whales should almost be commencing their journey back up the coastline past Stanage Bay, so if your intentions are to go wide, please be cautious because they may be about. Some sightings have been reported but numbers will be on the increase over the next couple of months. If you’ve got the time, it’s worthwhile even just doing a whale watching day. Fantastic! Please remember to allow them their space. Reef fish are getting better by the minute. Some massive red emperor and cod have been coming through from se-

cret locations in the Percy Isles and around the Marble Island group. Hefty-sized sweetlip, coral trout and snapper are also being caught around the Marble Island group. Hexham Island is providing entertainment in the form of smaller species such as stripeys, little rock cod and younger nannygai. Though the catches this year have been a little steadier, it’s been excellent to see the great quality of fish coming in. Fishing should be picking up to the south around Shoalwater Bay because it has had quite a spell from rough weather and the Army exercise closure. The area being reopened should give anglers the chance at chasing nice queenfish and mangrove jack. So load up your hooks with lovely fresh bait and give them some variety. The boat yard has all your needs covered, with a great assortment of bait and lures. If you’re finding success using new trends, please

let us know so we can encourage others to give it a go. Hints and advice are always welcome so we can help everyone take a turn at catching a big one. The boat yard also has some spare room at present, so if you’re tired of towing your prized pos-

session in and out of the dirt road, why not come in and see us about our wellpriced storage solutions. Not that your boat should be stored given the top conditions! Enough chit chat for the month – let’s get out on the water. Cheerio!

Wellsy and a stellar cod.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Billy nailed a cracker queenfish on a live herring.

Spanish in the morning

I all, after a few weeks of cooler weather by our standards the estuary fishing has been hit and miss.

We’ve seen great catches of good size whiting in most creeks one day but can’t find them the next. It has been the same story for blue salmon and most estuary fish. This is fairly common for this time of year as the estuary waters begin to clear during the dry winter season. The clearer water will see the fish being very skittish, especially in the shallows, so being quiet when setting up and getting your baits as far from the boat as you can are good tactics. This can help with getting a bite from the larger, wiser and more timid fish that often skirt the outer edges of a school. The fishing offshore has been pretty hot, with multiple tuna and mackerel species busting bait balls all along the coastline. Among these scenes it has not been too hard to find drag-screaming action. The recently held Mac-

Fishing Mackay by JASON KIDD

kay Spanish Mackerel Shootout drew over 110 senior and junior anglers to try their hand at catching one of these awesome creatures. Throughout the duration of the comp, over 25 mackerel where caught and weighed. The winner of the junior section also got the biggest for the comp with a 19.54kg fish, pipping a senior angler by 0.24kg. This event is always a great success and marked early in the calendar for many local fishos. I have never competed but with the weather looking good that weekend, we thought we should get into the spirit and go chase a spanish ourselves outside of the official competition. On this morning the high tide was about 45 minutes after sunrise, setting up the perfect conditions for stirring some interest. We launched at about 5.30am, giving plenty of

time to get out to the chosen fishing location before first light. After a good 10 minutes of looking around with the sounder, we found where the bait was sitting and hit spot lock on the electric. With the baits already rigged prior to leaving the ramp, we were ready to go with a good 10 minutes up our sleeves before daylight. On one line we had perfect ribbonfish about 50cm long floating 2m under a balloon sitting nicely out the back in the current, while on the other line a garfish drifting and rigged with a set of ganged hooks. It was about 15 minutes after sunrise and just as I commented on the light being the perfect bronze colour for a fish, it happened! The balloon launched sideways across the top of the water before popping and the line started ripping through the water

Young Nic captured a good size spotted mackerel.

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as the fish smashed the ribbonfish. It is always a tense 10-15 seconds after a spanish strike, or at least until you set those hooks and get a positive hook-up. Setting of the hooks is usually followed by a blistering first run and this fish was no different, peeling 100m of line like it was nothing. After another three or four incredible runs and 15 minutes the fish turned and we got our first look at it. In the early morning light, seeing a monster spanish mackerel come alongside the boat is an awesome sight and a special experience for the angler. After bringing the fish on board and getting all the happy snaps and high fives, I promptly re-rigged the line with another ribbonfish and floated it away from the boat. By now it was just before the turn of the tide, another prime time for a bite. The balloon didn’t even get all the way out before it was taken and I struggled to get the rod out of the holder with the fish tearing line off. As I got it out, the fish dropped the bait. Quickly free spooling the reel, I let whatever was left of the bait fall through the water column. A few seconds later, the fish took it again and began screaming off. As I loaded the rod up to set the hooks, they pulled and the fish was gone. After the disappointment of missing the second fish and with the sun getting high in the sky, the breeze starting to pick up and with a good fish on the deck, it was time to head the 2km back to the ramp. The fish we caught was never weighed or measured but we made a conservative estimate of 20kg-plus – a fantastic spanish in the morning! Maybe next year we should have a go at fishing the comp.

Marius with an estimated 20kg spanish mackerel caught on a floating ribbonfish.

Paul landed a good golden trevally while trolling.

Jason Kidd

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 47

Action heating up as water temperatures rise A WE’VE done it, we have weathered the winter storm and it’s good to see water temps on the rise.

Reef Action Fishing Charters skipper Weylin Zonruiter with a fine goldband snapper from the author’s last trip out the front in the centre console.

With warmer water by day, barra will be responding accordingly. It wasn’t an overall bad winter for barra because there were some really good stable periods that brought them on the chew. I did a lot more live baiting for barra than ever before during the cooler months. It was amazing to see thick numbers of barra hanging on snags that wouldn’t touch a lure but waft a live prawn through the same area and it was engulfed immediately. I would rather throw lures than soak live baits but if it’s for a purpose, I don’t mind getting the

Capricorn Coast by JOHN BOON

boat dirty for the greater good. Hopefully we will have good conditions for this year’s Women That Fish Barra Classic, which will be held on Friday, September 6 and Saturday, September 7. This year I’ll be fishing with my wife Amanda and sister Cassee. How the hell am I allowed to fish the WTF you may ask? Well I’m not allowed to fish, but I can skipper the boat. Blokes are allowed to drive the boat and do all of deckie work. The women are the ones who can fish.

I believe those rules are spot on and it’s a great stepping stone to get more women keen and on the water if a bit of the pressure is taken off. The tides for this year’s comp are perfect, right on the neap tides. Water clarity will be good for the top half of the Fitzroy River, let’s just hope we get some calm whether to go with it. If barra fishing isn’t your thing, then may I direct your attention to the Emu Park Fishing Classic, which will be held on the same weekend as the WTF (September 6-8). This comp has heaps of different weigh-in cate-

gories for juniors/seniors and the best part about this comp is you don’t have to catch a fish to win a prize. It gets bigger and better every year. No matter what fishing tickles your fancy, make sure you get to Rockhampton/Emu Park that weekend. With the water temps climbing, species like fingermark and mangrove jack should become more active. Grunter should still be around in numbers, as will blue salmon. It is a changeover period in the creeks, so you will get a cross-section of both summer and winter species. On the offshore scene, I’m pleased to report we have had fantastic weather * continued P49

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channel! Adam Williams scored a top land-based flathead walking the banks of the Fitzroy River.

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Action heating up as water temperatures rise * from P48

windows to get out and put fish in the freezer. The 40-60km area from the harbour has been very hit and miss. We did an offshore run not that long ago in my old man’s 4.8m Sea Jay centre console. Yes, the weather was that good the small tinnie brigade could punch out and target some red fish. Unfortunately, we struggled big time. Plenty of quality fish were showing on the sounder but we struggled to get them interested. Live bait, fresh bait, dead bait and jigs were turning up doughnuts. Even the pickers were quiet. In among the boredom, my deckie Weylin Zonruiter registered a good bite and turned it into a solid hook-up. I was watching all the action on the Humminbird Helix G3N which has the Low Q Dual Spectrum CHIRP transducer. It’s a massive improvement on the previous 2D. Clarity is unreal when you have a look at one of the attached sounder shots. We were both relieved when a nice red hit the surface. Not a massive fish but at about 7kg it was a welcome addition to the Esky. We pressed on and hit the next few marks for

pretty much the same result, with plenty showing and nothing wanting to bite. We hit another mark and this time the pickers gave us a hammering, which is always a good sign. Weylin loaded up again with good weight. A different fight had us peering over the side once colour showed. A nice goldband snapper of about 5kg hit the surface and joined its red mate in the Esky. With the lack of action for the morning, we were in need of a fix. We figured if we couldn’t get the quality to play ball, then let’s have a play with some pelagics. We headed for a wellknown wreck about 60km northeast of the harbour. First pass over it and the sounder was chockers. You couldn’t even see the wreck through the life on it. First drop and it was a double hook-up straight away on the light slowpitch jigging gear. Two tea-leaf trevally were doing circle work in no time around the boat. This would be the norm for the next hour. We caught a range of species including tea-leaf trevally, golden trevally and amberjack. Not much good for the Esky but with the lack of bites for the morning, it restored morale.

We hit one final mark on the way home and Weylin bagged another nice goldband on a jig. A tough day out on the water but at least the weather made up for it. I spoke to a few other guys who have managed to clean up on the reefies in recent weeks. Most have headed to the main reefs and further, doing big kilometres to get the rewards. Overall, squid were pretty quiet this winter. We have only had a few reports about anyone getting any numbers. It seems one day you get them and the next they are gone. Inshore grunter have been biting reasonably well, with some big ones getting caught at the usual haunts. Finlays Reef has been one of the more reliable areas. It gets a lot of pressure but still produces. Sounding around to spot the bait concentrations is key to finding productive ground here. Watch as the tide changes and where the bait shifts to. These are the areas you need to stay on top of. I would like to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to Weylin, who I had the pleasure of fishing with as described earlier. Weylin is the skipper of a new charter business

here on the Capricorn Coast. Reef Action Fishing Charters is a name you are going to hear a lot more of. Weylin and his dad Craig have the right attitude and personalities to make your reef fishing experience a memorable one. You have only got to chat to Weylin to see immense maturity in such a young person, something that seems to have gone missing these days. The business hasn’t been operating for very long and already clients have

caught massive nannygai, red emperor, trout and lots more. Reef Action Fishing Charters is the real deal and I can’t recommend them enough. If you would like to get in contact with the guys, call 0408 072 958 or email Craig direct on craig.zonruiter@gmail. com Well that’s it from me for another month. It’s time for me to go and find some nice barra spots for the girls to have a cast at. Stay safe and fish hard.

Byron Housman picked up a fine haul of grunter.

The author with a little Fitzroy winter barra.

IT’S NOT HARD TO SEE WHY SO MANY PEOPLE ARE

y a k c a M Hooked on

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 49

A crocodile relaxing on its log.

Reg landed a nice cobia.

Wind won’t relent but fish aren’t fussed

IRST, we’d like to say a big g’day to everyone and we hope this finds you well.

Frank with a sweetlip bream.

Matt and Billy enjoyed some family time.

Is it just us or is this year playing out in fast forward? It feels like it’s flying by, with December fast approaching! We’ve just had the Italian festival here in Ingham. It’s worth a look if you find yourself here at the start of August, with a relaxed family atmosphere, music, stalls and great Italian tucker on offer. It was a good couple of days. Moving on to the fishing, inshore, the Hinchinbrook Channel has seen varied catches this month, with quality fingermark, mangrove jack, grunter, estuary cod, juvenile nannygai and redthroat emperor falling for live and strip baits. The cold starts early in the morning have resulted in good size bream to boot. Barra are still slow, with only the odd catch. We can’t wait for the water temperature to increase and the jacks and barra to really get active. Crocodile sightings are on the rise and they can be seen sunning themselves on the banks as the tide drops.

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Hinchinbook News by TEAM CRACKAJACK

We even saw a small one sunning itself while perched on a fallen tree about a metre above the water. Other sights while fishing include turtles, dolphins and stingrays as well as sharks leaping from the water. It’s pretty spectacular and sometimes a little unnerving when a 2-3m shark leaps straight out of the water spiralling not 10m from the boat before crashing back into the water. As long as they don’t land in the boat when doing so, we’re happy! While trolling or throwing hard-body lures and casting soft plastics we’ve encountered big-eye trevally, juvenile GTs, jacks and good queenfish, along with the ever-hungry gold and blackspot estuary cod. Offshore, the wind just won’t relent, and it has seen more than a few trips either postponed or cancelled. In saying that, we’ve still managed to get out a few times and found fish. A good spray jacket or raincoat is needed to stay dry for the run out as we punch through the swell and chop. A few mackerel have been taken on the troll and there’s been no shortage of tea-leaf, diamond, golden and bludger trevally hooked while jigging. They also like bait and are keen to eat almost anything thrown their way. We’ve come across good cobia and nannygai out there, though sharks are still a pain in the proverbial and taking some nice fish before we can get them to the boat. The sharks that not only take fish but end up hooked prove difficult to lose until the line inevitably gives way, with some leaping spectacularly from the water trying to get rid of the hooks and others just staying deep and testing the anglers and gear. A couple of GTs have

taken floating baits, making for a great run but short-lived fight, and busting us up as soon as they reach structure. Frying pan or longfinned snapper have shown up regularly but no great-sized models. We’ve had no shortage of whale sightings, with giant tails sitting out of the water while their young have a feed below, and others breaching or simply slapping their tails and fins on the surface. The first one we sighted for the year gave us a fright. While staring intently at the GPS as we dropped anchor, we heard a giant blow of air beside us. When we turned to look, a giant head and eyeball was staring back at us not

2m from the starboard side. We almost bailed out the other side of the boat in fright at seeing such a giant so close. The whale was very inquisitive and the race was on to retrieve the anchor from the depths before it could snag the rope and pose any real danger to us or itself. All the while it swam under and around us, coming up on the other side and having another look at these curious things floating on the surface frantically looking for cameras. We moved away from the area as soon as the anchor was retrieved so as not to become an obstacle for it to accidentally bump into, but the sight of its giant head and eye looking us over in what quickly became a very tiny boat will be something we won’t forget in a hurry. Until next time, from all of us at Crackajack Sportfishing Adventures, stay safe. May the wind stay low and the fish count high.

A little barra caught by Graham.

Tim captured a solid mangrove jack.

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Bucket list gets a hammering

RECENTLY had the pleasure of taking a keen angler fishing in tropical north Queensland. He had set himself up with a couple of trips arranged through Fishing Cairns, one out to the reef to chase GTs and the other up the river with me to chase jungle perch and sooty grunter.

Fishing Cairns by BRETT PARKS

The trips were a birthday present from his wife. As with a lot of keen anglers, Clark brought his own gear, ideal for the light tackle action I had in store for him.

Clark captured his first jungle perch.

Clark had a great day out on the sooties.

The trip up the river was enjoyable as always, spotting many crocodiles, sea eagles, a jabiru and many other bird species. With the water levels dropping, we made it as far up the river as possible and then started our drift. As usual in my experience, the first 15 minutes produced little action as the fish settled down after the boat hurtling upstream. It wasn’t long before Clark was onto his first sooty, and there it was, a bucket list species ticked off the list. He was impressed with how hard the little fish hit and fought all the way to the boat. Is it any wonder sooties are right up there when experienced fishers are asked about their favourite species to target with lures? I know I never tire of catching them. As we fished on, the catch rate increased and Clark relished the action in the crystal-clear water. Clear water can be problematic for inexperienced anglers, with fish following lures out from shadows and structure only to see the boat and

The author picked up a solid sooty.

peel back to cover. In times like this, accurate casting increases the hook-up rate as fish will make reactive or territorial hits on the invasive lures. Put the lure a metre from the fish, it will come and investigate; put the lure on its head and you will get a more instinctive reaction. The next fish on the bucket list was jungle perch. A lot has been written about this little gem of the north. We drifted down on a JP hot spot and I slowed the boat with the aid of the electric motor to allow Clark to get a few casts into the spot. The backwater produced as it usually does, and a healthy big sooty came out and engulfed Clark’s lure. It wasn’t long before the JP was added to Clark’s completed list. It was a classic catch as well, with a well-directed cast behind a huge root ball of an upended tree. As the lure began its way back to the boat, it had to make it over a root running parallel and 6” below the water’s surface. We could see the lure inching closer to the apex when the JP appeared out of nowhere and hammered the lure. Thankfully the fish came over the obstruction with no problems, but it was heart-in-mouth stuff for a split second. As a guide, it is always very pleasing to see angling skills rewarded when out on the river. We’ve all put in accurate, well-guided lures on the spot and not been rewarded with a strike. To see visitors to the region come out, hit the spot and get the rewards is very satisfying. The beauty of fishing in these clear waters is even if my clients cannot put a lure on a ha’penny, they see hundreds of fish during the charter. A much better experience than casting all day and not seeing any fish at all.

The author with a sleepy cod – a rare catch on a lure.

Clark with one of his bucket list jungle perch.

Planning a trip to North Queensland?

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Check out the colouration on this specimen.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 51

Gulf reef wrangling D

What a stonker! Dan Smith with his first fish taken on a soft plastic – 5kg of one of the toughest reefies around – a blackspot tuskfish.

The author managed to pull this 78cm fingermark off a shallow Gulf reef while trolling a Twin Rivers hard-bodied lure. These beauties will find any weakness in your tackle in those conditions.

Dan’s vibe was grabbed before it hit the bottom by a chunky golden trevally. He soon found out they never give up!

Reef wrangling black jew is something to be savoured but not always successful. The author with a 20kg model taken on a Berkley Squid Vicious plastic – showing it can be done!

Page 52 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

AN had never fished a soft plastic before!

He’d arrived a day early for his trip with mates aboard one of the Weipa houseboats and was going stir crazy having to sit in his unit at the Weipa Caravan Park & Camping Ground looking out at all that fishy Gulf water 100m away. Luckily, Steve from the houseboats knew I was looking for a deckie for the day and the cards suddenly fell into place. I’d already briefed Dan on my intentions. How far we travelled depended on the strength of the dry season trade winds and the forecast indicated they might reach 20 to 25 knots mid-morning. If that turned out to be the case, we’d probably restrict our activities to the inshore reef areas as far south as the Red Cliffs, about 22km down, but the option of heading further was available if conditions looked better. We came out of the Embley River mouth just after sunrise to find the breeze light and not a white cap in sight. I pushed the throttle to 5000rpm and set a course for the new Amrun bauxite loading wharf just south of Boyd Point, about 37km away. Around 45 minutes later, with sea conditions still virtually unchanged, we pulled up on our first reef about 4km southwest of an ore ship being loaded at the facility. It took three stops before our first decent fish came along. Dan was using a 5” Berkley Shrimp pattern I’d dabbed a couple of times with my ‘secret’ scent. Being a complete soft plastic novice, I’d been giving him plenty of hints on how to work them effectively. “Don’t strike immediately if you feel a bite!” “Drop your rod and feed them the lure – almost like a bait.” “Just lift your rod slowly!” “There’s no need to jerk it like a metal jig.” “Stay in touch with your lure as it drops back down after a lift!” “Many of your hits will come as it falls back to the bottom.” He was still trying to take it all in when his rod slammed down! No bumps, no picks, no warning at all. Braid was ripping off a tight drag and he was struggling to control something very powerful that was intent on finding a clump of reef to rid itself of the weird bait that had bitten back. I was yelling instructions as I retrieved my jig out of the way – instructions that were falling on deaf ears as Dan tried to find his rhythm. Then he managed to get some line back and the fight suddenly changed in his favour.

Gulf of Carpentaria by DAVE DONALD

Regardless, it still took another three or four minutes of white-knuckle pump and wind before 5kg of beautiful blackspot tuskfish hit the landing net. Tuskers, as they are known locally, are noted for their raw power and will pull almost any other reef species backwards on a kilo to kilo basis. Most locals use live crabs for bait when targeting these heavyweights that are renowned for their edible qualities. Dan’s fish was brain spiked, bled and stored on ice once the obligatory photos had been taken. With a start like that, and the unexpected drop in wind strength, the day was looking pretty bloody good already. The next few drifts found a procession of small tomato cod and stripeys coming aboard, so I decided to head further offshore while the breeze was light to a spot that had been very good to me during my years in Weipa. Off the side of the ledge, my new Humminbird Helix Mega identified what looked very much like black jewfish plus a few other shapes on the top of the reef, possibly fingermark, mackerel and queenfish. As the current was heading north, I positioned the Hooker boat just south of the largest shows so we would drift through the prime area. It took a couple of passes to adjust our position. Even though our lures seemed to be passing right through stacks of large fish arches on the up-current side of the reef, whatever was down there didn’t seem to be hungry. Dan was again the first to hook something decent, a nice fingermark, but this fish was sitting on the top of the reef rather than on the drop-off. I was starting to feel a bit left out, the ‘expert’ who didn’t seem able to

practise what he preached, but the fish gods decided to sort me out on the next pass. Almost as soon as my Halco Madeye Power Prawn reached the bottom, I got a couple of heavy bumps that I quickly followed by dropping the rod tip and giving line. When the line pulled tight a second or so later, I lifted the tip firmly to set the hook and all hell broke loose! The run was typical of a big jewfish, a galloping run along the bottom at 100 miles an hour, pulling 30lb braid off the heavily set drag with apparent ease. I managed a glance at the sounder screen. The current had pushed the boat towards the ledge and the bottom was starting to rise. That could only mean trouble. I tried to turn the fish when the run stopped for a few seconds but the fish just shook its head, then had the line crackling over the runners for a second time. There was that awful feeling as leader rubbed bauxite and coral and the rod went slack. All over, Rover! Next drift, both our lures were snipped off by mackerel on their way down and while we were tying new rigs, the sharks arrived. When 3m-plus whalers and bull sharks start circling the boat, it’s definitely time to move on. We reluctantly left the jewies and their mates for another day. Dan was really getting the hang of this reef luring caper and decided to try one of his brand-new soft vibes at the next spot. Before my offering had reached the bottom, he was grunting and winding again as his rod bucked to the pull of another great fish. This time, the culprit was a lovely golden trevally weighing around

5kg, another species to be crossed off his bucket list. He was smiling broadly when it swam off after a couple of pictures. We poked around a few more bommies for a brace of fingermark and coral trout (and a couple more bust-ups) before making one final stop at an old favourite. The sounder screen showed heaps of activity, with several bait schools and mackerel scattered over an area probably a couple of hundred metres across. Because mackerel were in evidence, I suggested we change to metal slices and work them through the bait with a high-speed retrieve. Yeah, the mackerel were waiting all right, with both our lures racing off while they were still dropping to the bottom. Unfortunately, the mackos’ razor-sharp teeth interacting with 30kg mono leader quickly ended those encounters! I fitted my next metal with a short wire trace to try to counteract that problem and hooked up on the drop for a second time. Feeling confident, I worked the fish hard and, after controlling a couple of screaming runs, had the 8kg spaniard heading towards the net. But the taxman had other ideas – and so did a couple of his henchmen. Next minute the spanno was 2m in the air, disappearing in a welter of teeth, spray and blood as soon as it hit the surface. A big whaler slid right by the boat shortly after, seemingly asking us for a repeat performance. Oh well, that mackerel I wanted for the icebox would have to wait for next time. My tackle box had already been lightened enough! I called it a day and Dan was more than happy to concur. Wrangling the reefs around Weipa is always exciting – and we’d definitely had plenty of excitement!

Fingermark of this size are perfect for the table. Not many species can match them in edible qualities.

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The author with a winter barramundi.

Ashton with a tuskfish.

Getting the bite in tough times I

T has been a superbusy month here on western Cape York, as we are well into tourist season.

Weipa has certainly transformed from the quiet little mining town we knew. The southern adventurers have been stopping in to pick up supplies and of course experience the diverse fishing options the region has to offer. Those intending to make the trip to Weipa along the Peninsula Development Rd should know the road is in fair condition but is showing signs of wear in parts. Care should always be taken as we have had several accidents in the past few weeks, some of which could have easily been avoided by slowing down and driving to the conditions. Though the good weather windows have been few and far between, boats that have managed to get out on the water have scored good numbers of sailfish, and a few juvenile black marlin have

Weipa Wonders by RYAN JAMIESON

been popping up as well. The preferred method for targeting these species is trolling rigged skipping gar or trolling with a teaser and then switching it with a live bait (switch baiting). Plenty of tuskfish are about and a few anglers have been finding good numbers of black jewfish. Just remember the new bag limit for black jew is one per person and keep in mind this species is susceptible to barotrauma. If you have caught your bag limit, it is a good idea to move on to prevent killing fish unnecessarily, especially if you are fishing deep water. Winter is here, and even though we don’t experience the very low temperatures like down south, the water temperature has still dropped. This makes some estuarine species such as barramundi and mangrove jack

a little hard to tempt. The decrease in temperature slows their metabolic rate and the fish go into a hibernation mode. As a result, barra and jacks tend to eat less and become less aggressive. Even though barramuni are hardy fish, the weather can significantly impact them. I have heard of barramundi dying in farms as a result of the water temperature dropping below 20C. Their metabolism can slow so much the food in their stomach can’t be digested, causing death. Generally, fishing becomes more difficult at this time of year because the water temperature not only drops but it becomes clearer. This clarity enables fish to see more, and fishing for tropical species in these less-than-ideal conditions can be challenging.

Jess captured a cold-water barramundi.

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This is not to say you can’t have a successful fishing trip. With a few tweaks to your technique and gear selection, shut-down fish can be persuaded to bite, turning a quiet day’s fishing into a productive one. When the water is cold and the bite tough, the first thing I do is scale back my lure size. Like most anglers, I have my go-to favourite lures, and I believe lure confidence plays a major part in fishing success. Instead of changing my entire fishing style, I’ll try to find a smaller version of the lure. For example, if I’m using a 4” Z-Man SwimmerZ without success, I’ll scale back to a 3” Z-Man MinnowZ. It has a smaller profile but the lure’s overall action is the same. I also like to try more neutral lure colours, such as dark green, brown, dark grey and clear, which don’t stand out as much in the clear water. Next, I will start looking at my leader material. When fishing for barra and jacks, I usually run 50-60lb leader. During a tough bite in winter, I might scale right back to 20lb leader. Though this results in some lost fish, I am a firm believer in getting the bite first and worrying about landing the fish after it is hooked. When I scale my leader back that far, I tend to use fluorocarbon as the material because it is a bit harder and has more abrasion resistance. Also, it is a great idea to tie your lures with a loop knot and steer clear of snap-lock attachments, as these stand out in the water more than the traditional perfection loop. You should also try

changing your retrieve. As a rule, when in cold water you should slow your lure right down and add a few pauses. I have noticed in the past that a slow retrieve followed by a quick burn back to the boat can wake dopey fish up. When possible, another suggestion is to fish for longer. We are lucky in the Cape, as we may get some slightly brisk mornings but when the sun comes out it doesn’t take long to heat up. When you head out early in the morning the water temperature is always going to be at its coldest, but as the sun stays on the water throughout the day, the water will gradually warm. When the water temperature hits that magic number of 27C, you will suddenly have hungry fish ready to feed. Until next month, see you on the Cape.

Craig landed a black jewfish in the Pine River.

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www.bnbfishing.com.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 53

Headlands like this one in Ninian Bay, Cape York offer prime habitat for coastal barramundi.

Barramundi will target cascades and waterfalls at any time, but especially during the wet season. This is the North Kennedy River in Rinyirru National Park.

The magical barramundi

ES, some fish may arguably taste better, some may be better looking, and there are those that do fight harder.

Josh Lyon with a cracker mangrove edge barra.

However, few fish come close to the fabled barramundi all round in terms of their large (to potentially huge) size, great eating, good looks and acrobatic fighting style. Not to mention that huge bucket-like mouth that sucks in lures and baits in such dramatic fashion, and the fact barra are found over such a vast area of tropical and subtropical Australia. My first experience with barramundi was on the Scrutton River, a tributary of the Mitchell River in the Gulf country, about 40 years ago. It was late-October and

A classic yellow-tailed saltwater barra from the Bizant River, Rinyirru National Park.

Cape York by ‘BILLABONG’ BAZZ LYON

we were catching crocodiles as part of a research program. One steamy afternoon, as the first storm cloud of the season began billowing skyward, the barramundi clicked into action. We could hear, and often see, them ‘boofing’ about the river in dramatic fashion! I had grown up fishing for that wonderful trio of whiting, bream and flathead in southern Queensland. However, this amazing spectacle of power and energy, in a fabulous tropical river, was totally new to me. My first cast from a borrowed rod was absolutely smashed, and the powerful run by that silver-sided beauty left me stunned – and hooked on barramundi fishing for life! Plenty of adventurous remote area fishing expeditions, and working and living as a ranger on many Cape York national parks, has provided an abundance of opportunities to tangle with this fabulous iconic Australian fish. One of the amazing attributes of barramundi is of course the fact they can be found in such a diverse range of country and habitats.

The fish-rich Princess Charlotte Bay is a case in point. Barra love hunting the headlands at the eastern end of the bay, particularly the lee sides to the southeasterly wind, and on the upper half of the tide. Sometimes you’ll find them lying in ambush around isolated boulders, and these features are always worth targeting. Swing further southwest into the bay and you’ll find barra hunting the mangrove edges again on the higher part of the tide, often in surprisingly shallow water. Fishing the mangrove edges requires pretty accurate lure casting, and occasionally getting snagged on roots is to be expected. However, the rewards can be great, and in my experience, the barramundi that hunt mangrove edges abutting shallow mud flats are among the hardest-fighting examples of the species. This may be due to a fitness factor, with the fish having to move backwards and forwards a long way with each tidal cycle – as the tide drops, back to deep water well offshore, and then back in again with the flood tide.

Any gutter like this is an absolute barramundi magnet. Threadfin salmon were also encountered at this one.

Page 54 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

As with isolated boulders, it is worth targeting isolated mangrove trees or clumps away from the mangrove edges in these areas. Barramundi and mangrove jack love hanging in these trees and ambushing small fish cruising past. The various rivers that drain into Princess Charlotte Bay of course offer excellent barra fishing, from the tidal estuarine reaches right up into the fresh water. While riverbank snags are obvious hideouts for these fish and others, search for rock bars and midwater snags. These can both be hugely productive features, and with a sounder you can also find submerged snags where barramundi often hang out. Wet season fishing can be a hit or miss affair, and often not predictable at all. For example, we once fished below a natural gutter running into the Cains Inlet during a very wet February with awesome results. The barra were hungry, lean and mean, and we rarely had a cast that didn’t result in a hit. The next day we returned to virtually identical conditions and scored only a few disinterested bumps. Why? While living in Rinyirru National Park (formerly Lakefield), we once fished below a small cascade during the wet season with outstanding results, tagging and releasing over 60 hardfighting barramundi. Again the fish were all lean, and with a beautiful hint of pink on their silver-sided bodies, signalling they had recently moved upstream from the saltwater reaches. Returning about a week later in near-identical conditions, we scored only a couple of tarpon. Checking the moon cycle, it had changed from near full on the bite ses-

sion to the last quarter on the close-down. Whether the moon phase was a driving factor was not clear, though I have generally, but not always, found the last quarter to be less productive for barramundi. One thing I have discovered is different populations of barramundi may vary in their ability to hunt and feed in water of different clarity, especially during the wet season. For example, we have fished the Norman River when it looked like mud soup with great success, though lure choice was important. A darker lure, or one with dark contrasting stripes, definitely scored better. This has been replicated in many ‘muddier’ or turbid rivers. Moving to Cooktown, I found barramundi to be much harder work when the Endeavour or Annan were muddied by wet season flows, except right below gutters or drains. Fishing is a pastime where we are continually learning, and no doubt that is part of the allure of the sport! Cape York wrap-up Well 2019 so far has been a big year for big barramundi, with of course the usual, natural slow-down over the cooler months. Some absolute crackers have been caught, with an abundance of metreys. September signals increasing temperatures, with barra regaining their appetites as the build-up to the wet season progresses, so they are well worth targeting until the Gulf of Carpentaria closure on October 7 and the east coast closure on November 1. Then it’s time to turn to reefies and other estuarine species. As the trade winds tend to start easing during September, this is a prime month to get out and about. Until next month, good luck! www.bnbfishing.com. au

C ARAVANNING & adventure Searching along the Savannah Way

HE Savannah Way has many different options and locations to explore as it runs along the Gulf Country.

It’s mostly dirt from Normanton through to the Roper River. I could literally write a book about this place, as there are so many things to see and do. One of our favourite free camps was Leichardt Falls, at the top of the Leichardt River. This is a beautiful free camp where you can pull up alongside the falls, however, you need to travel through soft sand in spots, so it’s important to let your tyre pressures down because a lot of people who don’t get stuck. We also came across many flat rocky sections where we could stop to gain momentum. Not only do you have this beautiful waterfall, but little rockpools above it are great for a swim away from the crocs. The kids had an absolute ball, as after the huge wet in the Gulf of Carpentaria region the river had created massive sand dunes where they could play for hours. From here we were off to Lawn Hill National Park, which in my opinion is a must do, whether you have an off-road van like us and are able to tow it into the park via the Savannah Way, or as many others do, come up from the Barkly Highway into Gregory Downs, which is all bitumen. They would leave their vans at Gregory Downs and do the last 60km of dirt in their vehicles only. At the time we went into Lawn Hill National Park, the dirt road from Gregory Downs to the National Park was severely corrugated. It was really important to drop tyre pressures in the vehicle and van and take time to reduce any damage on the rough roads. Lawn Hill was truly epic, with amazing walks

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Caravanning by TODD EVELEIGH

(hikes) to have a look over the rugged country. The gorge and waterfalls are an absolute oasis in the middle of nowhere. We hired a canoe and paddled up the gorge. The huge red cliffs come down to the waterline and, being quite narrow, truly were spectacular. Once you get to the top of the first waterhole, a series of waterfalls comes in and it makes a great place for a dip because only freshwater crocodiles are in these waterholes. From here is a canoe slide where you can drag the canoe about 100m up into the next section of the gorge and continue to paddle. It really is beautiful and you paddle through some really narrow sections all the way to the top where you find a nice little run where all the archerfish seem to congregate and follow your canoe back downstream and out of the run. We saw many fish in the gorge including barramundi, sooty grunter, sleepy cod, bony bream and heaps and heaps of archerfish, but unfortunately no fishing is allowed. The archerfish were amazing and really entertained the kids as they were sitting on the rocks whirling a waterlily flower and the archerfish were spitting water at the flower trying to knock it out of their hands. The kids thought it was fantastic fun. Lawn Hill campgrounds can be booked out months in advance, so if you are thinking about planning a trip there, book a site as soon as you can. They had toilets and cold showers and the rangers were very helpful. If Lawn Hill National Park is booked out, then

Southern Lost City.

Adels Grove 20km down the road is your next best option at more than twice the price of the national park. However, we found plenty of shady camp areas down beside the creek in ‘the grove’ and nice swimming holes with fishing allowed. From here we decided to take the shortcut through Lawn Hill Station back to the Savannah Way, with a couple of creek crossings at the beginning and plenty of cows and bulldust. A really worthwhile drive, with amazing scenery throughout the station. From here we had a few nice free camps just west of Hells Gate at the Hann Billabong and the Calvert River Crossing, where we caught up with one of our friends for the night. Then it was across to Borroloola in the Northern Territory to catch up on washing and stock up on supplies, then on to one of our favourite places along the Savannah Way, Lorella Springs Wilderness Park. What an awesome offroad adventure Lorella Springs offers. It is a million-acre cattle property in the Gulf that has opened its gates to tourists and those running it do a really great job. Not only were they friendly when we checked in but informative regarding what the place had to offer. There was a lot to see, with numerous gorges, swimming holes and hot springs. It also provided access out to Rosie Creek and the Gulf. One of our favourite spots at Lorella was Nannys Retreat, which was an amazing swimming hole between two cliffs. If you climbed one of the cliffs you got a great perspective of how huge the property was and how

diverse the terrain was, with sheer rock pillars, Bungle Bungle-looking rocks and huge expanses of ironbark forests. It really was beautiful. There was also a cave you could climb through that the wet seasons had carved out of the sandstone. After a day of fourwheel-driving out to these locations on the property, it was nice to swim in the hot spring adjacent to the homestead and wait for the bell to be rung for happy hour drinks. We would then wander up and have a nice cold beer. Life really doesn’t get any better. Being so remote, you need to be self-sufficient because there is no power or water. They did have toilets and hot donkey showers. For those who aren’t familiar with a donkey shower, it is basically a fabricated or modified drum that water runs through, with a fire built underneath to heat it. The showers and toilet were quite rustic and really gave you that Outback station feel. It was wonderful having a hot shower and looking up at the stars! It makes you think the simple things in life are all you really need. Make sure you take plenty of fuel when you go to Lorella Springs because you use a lot of fuel 4WDing and exploring. You can buy fuel at Lorella for $3 a litre (ouch!), but you can expect that for the logistics of getting it there. As we left Lorella and headed further west, we stopped at Butterfly Falls. The falls weren’t running but it was still a beautiful place to have lunch or spend a night or two. From here we went to Southern Lost City, which was spectacular, the walking trail through it was incredible, as was the lookout on top. I thoroughly recommend you spend a day and check it out because it really makes your mind boggle. We continued out via the Roper to the Stuart Highway, concluding our Savannah Way journey. These were a few of our favourite places along the Savannah Way. You can find lots of fishing opportunities along there but we found some of these places had been heavily netted and commercially fished, so we tended to give them a

wide berth, instead looking for more fruitful fishing locations. Our Savannah Way experience was a great couple of weeks. We loved every minute of it and the roads were quite good, except for the last 300km from Lorella through to the Roper, which was heavily corrugated. I hope you enjoyed our article and get your own chance to explore the Savannah Way and some of our favourite spots, as well as finding some of your own. Until next month.

Canoeing through Lawn Hill Gorge.

Leichardt Falls.

Lookout over Lawn Hill Gorge.

Nanny’s Retreat Waterhole at Lorella Springs Wilderness Park.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 55

4WDING & off - road

The crew lined up for a group photo at Landcruiser Mountain Park.

Getting amongst Gordon Country and Landcruiser Mountain Park

E’VE had a busy few months here at Flexible 4WD Solutions.

The Jeep picked up wheels regularly thanks to its independent front and rear suspension.

What a view of two majestic rigs.

The author and his girlfriend Sammy parked together to grab a record of their first trip in separate rigs.

Page 56 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

Between fixing the LandCruiser, testing it (then fixing it again), preparing the Milk Carton for sale and helping my better half buy a Jeep, we’ve been simply flat out. We’d like to take a quick moment to celebrate the life of the Milk Carton, well the three years it’s been ours anyway. Everyone can be quick to jump on the ZD30 ‘grenade’ bandwagon, but we have to say, the ZD30 motor has truly served us well. From our old 2003 D22 Navara to the 2008 GU Patrol, we never had any issue with the motors. The Milk Carton facilitated so many adventures and valuable memories. Back in 2016 we bought it from a guy in Melbourne sight unseen. We flew down to pick it up and road tripped it along the Great Ocean Rd before heading back to Brisbane. We started our ownership with an adventure and kept the adventure rolling over three years. In that time we ticked off nearly all the fourwheel- d r ive pa rks around Brisbane, North Stradbroke Island, Fraser Island (right to the tip!), Byfield National Park, many a trip to the Glasshouse Mountains, and more than a few other destinations, including the 12-hour round trip we did to play around in the Border Ranges National Park. In all the trips we’ve done, all the gear we’ve broken and all the bush fixes we’ve thought of, the good-old GU only once returned home on the

4WD Trip by GREG BELL

back of a tow truck. And to be fair, that was my fault! Sammy had been looking at buying her own 4WD since we met. Finally this was the year, and she bought a Jeep! She’s long scolded me for buying a GU before she did, so that option was off the table. But with the requirements of the new rig being classy, comfortable, powerful, fairly capable and in a reasonable price bracket, we had a mission on our hands. Long story short, Sammy settled on a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. The one she purchased came with a whole bunch of aftermarket accessories that had been removed by the seller, as they had planned to sell them separately, however through some solid negotiations we ended up with all the

gear and a few grand off the price. We picked up the car on a Friday night and by Sunday had re-installed all seven of the bash plates, the winch cradle, hidden bull bar and sliders. You’ve got to love it when the boys come around to help out, as it literally quartered the fitment time. Of course, now it was all kitted out, Sammy was

frothing to get out on the tracks. Next stop, Gordon Country. This was the first trip for Sammy in her Jeep, the first trip for me in the Cruiser and our first-ever trip in two separate cars! We quickly noticed how easy packing was with two cars. They both felt empty on the trip out and our dog Biggie had loads of room in the back of the Cruiser. Gordon Country was an absolute blast, and it really is a stunning location. * continued P57

The valleys at Gordon Country are stunning.

The author parked at one of the top campsites for a photo opportunity.

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4WDING & off - road Gordon Country and Landcruiser Mountain Park * from P56

For those who don’t know Gordon Country, it is located in Goomburra, about half an hour before Warwick when travelling from Brisbane. Being just outside the Main Range National Park, Gordon Country is full of big hills, beautiful valleys and charming creeks running through the main campsites. Both the Jeep and Cruiser were in their element. The tracks are sometimes steep, however mostly fairly tame, so it was the perfect place to learn about our new rigs. Check out the photos, as words simply don’t do the beauty of this park justice. As expected with our first trip out in the Cruiser, we found a few weak spots in the gear. Mainly, we realised the rear wheel bearings were completely loose. The previous owner said they had replaced the bearings and everything was all sorted, however as I’ve learnt since working on this rig, always double check everything. I forgot to check the rear wheel bearings while

getting the old girl back on the road and by the time we got out to Gordon Country the axle seals had started weeping. By the time we got home they were pouring out, and within a few days the bearings had so much play in them the axle studs snapped and sent the axle out of the housing. Thankfully we were only around the corner from our house when the studs let go, and the rim’s centre cap caught the axle, so no real harm was done. We quickly towed her home with a snatch strap and the Milk Carton and she was back on the road within a few days. Fast forward a couple of weeks and we got a group together and went out to Landcruiser Mountain Park to test out the rigs on some harder tracks. In pure style, I started the Cruiser up the hardest hill climb at the Gums Campground. First track for the trip! She climbed her way up without any issues and we were cheering, but nobody thought to take video footage. Once our day tripping

The author used what was still connected of the hub and wrapped it with tape to waterproof it.

Once the author unbolted the hub, it completely fell apart.

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mates arrived, we tried to remedy that, but, of course, the second time around the Cruiser struggled to get up the climb. What do you do when you get up something the first time, but not the second? You give it a little bit more right foot, yeah? Not a great idea apparently, as the Cruiser started to buck and kicked sideways. Some solid advice from Sammy led to me calling it and walking away with my tail between my legs. We moved onto the planned, primarily easy tracks with the idea being Sammy could continue to learn about her new rig, while my cousin Jordan (who is fresh onto his Ps) could learn how his Suzuki Jimny handles off-road. Within 30 seconds of heading off, Jordan found himself sitting sideways up a climb with a rear wheel 1.5m in the air and completely bellied out. Oh well, perfect timing to test out his Carbon Winch for the first time (it performed flawlessly – hit us up if you want one!). Once up the top, he realised something was wrong and found he had bent and snapped a rear shock. Just 30 seconds into the trip! The rest of this drive was smooth running and great fun for everyone. Landcruiser Mountain Park really does cater for all levels. Sammy lifted a few wheels and all the kids had a ball checking out the scenery and wildlife. Upon returning to camp I decided it was time to drive something a bit more challenging, with a few of my mates’ kids in the car cheering me on. We found a rut on flat ground that went for about 50m. It was the perfect size for the Cruiser to straddle, cross over and play in. We thought we had been successful with showing off in the rut until we came to the end and found ourselves stuck. I couldn’t work out why I was stuck because this was the easiest part of the track. We noticed the front right wheel wasn’t turning and being front locked, this was a clear indication something was kaput. Closer inspection determined I had snapped a hub, but we had no idea how or when it happened. Anyway, a quick winch out and we were back at camp for a cook-up. The feeling of having 20-odd mates chilling around camp enjoying a feed and laughing about the morning’s events is pretty special.

At one point we started watching some of the videos for the day and the hub breakage mystery became crystal clear. We had snapped it on the very first hill climb when we got kicked sideways! After lunch it was time for a quick bush fix to stop any further damage. We pulled part of the hub off, covered it with a zip-lock bag and duct tape to seal it and headed off. The rest of the trip was very chilled, with a few of the boys doing Camp Road and the rest of the crew travelling the easier tracks and enjoying the vibes. We are extremely impressed with both the

Grand Cherokee and Cruiser. They take the tracks in their strides and have their own strengths and weaknesses. I truly believe they are a great match for our lifestyle. One to enjoy cruising in comfort and luxury while tackling easier tracks and one to tackle the next-level tracks without too much stress about damage. Make sure you follow our Flexible 4WD Solutions Facebook page to keep up to date with our adventures. Until next time, we’ll fix up the Cruiser and get out and about again. Take care on the tracks!

This scorpion surprised Biggie with a nice nipping.

Sammy and the dogs couldn’t resist a photo with this beautiful background.

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4WDING & off - road

The old 80 Series 1HZ ready to go with 721,000km on the clock.

Cracking on with Cape York prep

Oil and filter as well as fuel filter and air filter freshly changed.

The plate the author welded onto the diff.

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info@ palominorvaustralia.com.au Page 58 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

I, it’s Craig Tomkinson here.

Over the past few weeks I have been busy getting our 1990 six-seat 80 Series 1HZ Toyota LandCruiser ready for another trip to Weipa. It’s been two years since I was there. With my four-wheeldrive being 29 years old, I have to keep the maintenance up to do longer trips away, and there is always something to do. I am constantly looking around and crawling under my old girl just checking things out, like around the steering box as the old 80s are prone to cracking there on the chassis. All the suspension points crack around them too, so I am always checking these spots and it’s lucky I do. Recently I crawled under and checked the two driveshafts for wear and they were both fine, but I looked up and saw two of the plates welded on one side of the diff housing that hold the caster correction bushes and radius arms in place were cracked off. So I cleaned off all the rustproofing, ground them clean and welded them back together and in line. It took a bit as I had to jack the 4WD up to get everything to line up again. I also saw the front right shock absorber rubber was all loose, so I fixed that. Then I noticed the rear wheel seals were leaking oil out of the rear drum brake. So, I pulled the back axle out and fitted a new inner axle seal. While I was there, I jacked up the back diff and put a couple of twotonne stands under the rear end. I checked the rear brake pads and both sides had plenty of meat left on them.

4WD Preparation by CRAIG TOMKINSON

When I go north, I carry a full toolbox and another good socket set as well as a 100-litre box full of spares including fuel and oil filters, spare bulbs, fuses, wheels bearings, many different seals, recovery gear and heaps of other stuff for the 80. The wheel bearings were tight enough; it’s just little things you have to be onto. I jacked the front wheels up and checked the front wheel bearings and brake disc pads and found they were fine. I had already changed the timing belt, pulley and tensioner locking bolt recently, so it was all right. The fan and air-conditioner belts also got changed because they were a few years old. I checked the radiator hoses were lovely and soft with no little nicks or rubs. They were as good as I expected, as I run double the amount of coolant in the system and have fitted an all-aluminium threerow radiator that keeps the old girl nice and cool, which in turn keeps the pressure low in the radiator hoses to ensure they remain in great condition. When I go north, I carry a full toolbox and another good socket set as well as a 100-litre box full of spares including fuel and oil filters, spare bulbs, fuses, wheels bearings, many different seals, re-

covery gear and heaps of other stuff for the 80. If I had a new 4WD I would only carry a socket set and a set of ring spanners, but with the older 4WDs you have to take enough tools to rebuild anything that goes wrong or face the costs of getting it fixed up north. I’ve heard there are some great people up north at the Hann River Roadhouse who have rebuilt many 4WDs this season for a great price, and I say well done to them. However, I have also heard of terrible prices being charged to fix 4WDs elsewhere on Cape York. It’s only been two years since I fully rebuilt the brakes and rollers on the boat trailer but the salt always gets into them. So I recently pulled them apart and made sure everything was working as it should be. I also checked the wheel bearings and crawled around underneath the trailer checking where the spring hangers were welded onto the chassis was not cracked and all the shackle rubbers were

in good nick. Then I moved on to the outboard motor and gave it an oil change, new oil filter and changed the gearbox oil. I wanted to check the tiller arm because it was getting some sideways movement, so I pulled it apart and found two small plastic bushes were worn out. I replaced them and it’s sweet now. The tinnie needed some TLC, so I got my mate Ryan to weld up a few cracks around and in the old 5m rig. She gets the odd crack over time from doing miles at sea in rough conditions. We cut out bits of 5mm aluminium and braced the old girl up a bit where she cracks all the time. Hopefully that will stop her cracking again. I always give my old 90-litre three-way fridge a good blow out with the compressor down the chimney and around the gas jets to clean away any rust scale , then hook them up and run them to make sure they are working fine. I also pull the back off my 100-litre Trailblaza freezer and blow around the compressor and pipes to give them a good clean because the mice get in and build nests out of grass, which could catch on fire. Once clean, the freezer compressor runs cooler too. With all the jobs done, it was time to give the 80 Series an oil and filter and fuel and air filter change, a good grease and load the 4WD and tinnie and hit the road. Now I will have three weeks up the Cape with my mates fishing and camping. ‘Til next month, be safe on the roads and water. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Barra Havoc chapter comes to a close

S people say, all good things eventually come to an end.

Barra Havoc, bar ratackle.com.au and our monthly articles for Bush ‘n Beach are all wrapping up. All the above have played a large part in my life over the years and I am sorry to say it all has come to an end. Foxies Barra Havoc was founded by John Fox to serve anglers visiting Lake Monduran with not only tackle but expert advice on how and where to catch soughtafter barramundi in this

Monduran Dam by LES GANE

We need to rethink our lifestyles and educate our younger generations to appreciate and spend more time in the great outdoors. pristine lake. John and Jacky gave so much knowledge and assistance to anglers over

the years to catch their first, personal-best or metre-plus barra. Many of these anglers

returned to catch more fish, bettering their PBs and leaving Lake Monduran with many a memory and great story to tell. So many of these memories will continue as Monduran folk law, especially the accolade of the world-record barramundi caught on a dreary wet night in December 2010 and measuring a remarkable 134.5cm and weighing 99lb/45kg. Other achievements include five fishos boating well over 100 fish in as many days, a 65cm bass landed by a local lad and saratoga being caught at one of the annual angling comps. All these and many other enchanting stories were born from the waters of Lake Monduran. Over the past five years I have owned and managed Barra Havoc along with its website barratackle.com.au, not only supplying tackle and advice for anglers visiting Lake Monduran but many other areas and not only in the hunt for barramundi. I have offered advice for many areas throughout Australia and a few other countries as well. If I wasn’t conversant with the area I would research and contact anglers who were able to

give valuable advice to pass on to my clients. Sometimes it has been as simple as suggesting a lure for trolling across Auckland Harbour in search of kingfish. Another was a keen angler heading to Papua New Guinea to strike black bass off his bucket list, so I contacted a friend who had taken many a memorable trip to New Guinea and he gave me valuable techniques and lure suggestions to pass on. From targeting milkfish in the Philippines to fishing the depths of the Tasman Sea for groper, I have learnt, enjoyed and passed on any knowledge I could to others who have a passion for angling. During my time at Barra Havoc I have done my best to promote angling but unfortunately times are tough and there is not as much time being taken to enjoy the pleasurable pastime we love. We need to rethink our lifestyles and educate our younger generations to appreciate and spend more time in the great outdoors. Another factor that makes it hard for small independent tackle shops to survive is the discounts given to the large franchise and chain stores. Sometimes their specials are lower than our cost price, so it is hard to compete even when our mark-ups are cut to the point of us working for single-digit hourly rates on occasion. All I can say is try to support local smaller independent tackle shops because I can guarantee you will get priceless advice and the products suggested will not only be quality but will catch the fish you are targeting. As I end this journey, I would like to thank Bush ‘n Beach Fishing magazine and all the anglers who have supported us. Keep casting and try to take every opportunity to enjoy this fantastic sport and recreation.

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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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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 59

Limestone caves (top left) with the sinkholes in the foreground.

Limestone caves in the background as Nick Cosomo looked into a sinkhole.

Murray cod breeding time A S you read this, in our region the breeding season for the iconic Murray cod has started.

The author at 15 years old as a scout from Tenterfield at Texas Caves in 1964. Now Glenlyon Dam.

Some would be saying “when did it rain?” thinking that’s part of the breeding format for cod. This is not necessarily the case as for the past 12 years we have been watching cod in the north of their range going through their annual process, rain, hail or shine. The male cod starts in July by selecting an egg site and will be doing his house cleaning ready for

These steep banks see a 60m drop to the water’s edge.

GLENLYON DAM TOURIST PARK

Glenlyon Dam

by BRIAN DARE

the bride to say yes or no to his hard work. The above takes place in storages and local rivers that have deep waterholes left in them as the drought continues to take its toll on our region. This ongoing drought will be a major concern for all those who have empathy for our icon the cod. While on those storages that still have some water left, try the following to observe cod in action. Look for rock ledges, steep banks and drop-offs on the eastern side of the dam. You will need a pair of binoculars, sunglasses and a camera with a lens filter. If you don’t have an SLR camera with a filter you can try placing the lens from an old pair of sunnies in front of the camera’s lens. Stick it in place with tape and this will take the glare off the water. This is where you now use nature to your advantage. By having the sun behind you on a calm and clear morning you can wait and watch what takes place directly below you. Most cod we have watched are no more than 1.5m below the surface.

This applies to nesting sites on both rivers and dams. On the riverbanks you will be standing on top of the nesting site as the cod use the undercut banks to nest. It’s sad to say most rivers are empty or too low for nesting sites on the river, so it’s the large deep waterholes left that may be used. You may see large river logs with some deep water around them and these will make a possible nesting location for fish including cod. The photos alongside this article show how Glenlyon looks right now. I had the chance to head up to the limestone caves area and Nick Cosomo from Stanthorpe came along for the ride. I’ve talked about sinkholes in the past. These are large and deep drop-offs that hold water 7-10m deep. Underwater channels connect with the next sinkhole like a chain of connecting river systems. While Glenlyon is at 9 percent capacity, it’s quite possible large cod are holding in these locations. If further water releases take place at Glenlyon, you’re going to be able to

get in your boat, camera in hand, and have a look at the caves. Check out the sinkholes behind the limestone hill and see why you got those fish where you fished last time. This is the best time to get all the photos you need so that you, like many others, have a good idea where to fish when the dam fills up again. Here’s a bit of trivia for you: A cod of 1m in length has been found to be eight years of age. In Glenlyon, this size of fish has an average weight of 16.5-18kg, which is a bruiser of a cruiser in anyone’s terms. This is also a very good eating size fish the whole family will enjoy. Now before anyone starts to go on and shout “you should let it go!”, I ask you to do a bit of research on catch and release. You will find in Europe there is no choice regarding catch and release. You catch it, you take it home! As an angler in Australia, it’s currently your choice whether you keep or release. So let’s just get on with fishing and make our own choices, like I do. Don’t forget a dam is just a giant fish tank used for enjoyment by all, while a river is somewhere to cherish.

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Ph: 02 6737 5266 E: glenlyondamtouristp@bigpond.com Page 60 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

The author in 2019.

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Fish moving with changing water levels SINCE the start of winter the fishing has changed considerably in the South Burnett region. With a bit of patience and some searching you can find cracking catches of native fish. No matter what type of angler you are, you’ve always got great options when targeting fish in Boondooma and BjelkePetersen dams. Boondooma Over the past few months the fish have been sitting very deep in Lake Boondooma. Generally at this time of year you’ll see the fish along the rocky edges or feeding shallow among the weed. This season it’s totally different. The fish have been a little shallower in the morning in 6m of water but as the day warms they move into the 9-18m range. The reason for the fish sitting so deep is the bait. Bass are feeding on very small shrimp, red claw and huge numbers of bony bream. A large percentage of this forage is moving along the bottom in the deeper zones of the dam. Areas to target include the Boyne River in the timber and Pelican Point early in the morning when it’s cold. Small 1/4oz blades and ice jigs present the best way to catch yellowbelly and bass in 5-8m. Fish these lures verti-

Freshwater Impoundments by MATTHEW LANGFORD

cally with small but sharp hops off the bottom among the timber pockets. The afternoon has been the pick of the times to be on the water, as the fish are responding well to the warmer afternoons. Once the water gets above 16C, the deeper sections from 9-18m along the Barbers Pole area have fished very well. Fishing water this deep is still quite easy using 1/2oz blades, 20g spoons, tailspinners and 1/2ozrigged plastics along the bottom. Bait fishers are getting good catches of yellowbelly in the Boyne arm of the dam, fishing close to trees and the Boyne rocks. Most have been using saltwater yabbies, shrimp and worms. It’s a good idea to use smaller sinkers because the bite is hard to detect if you’re using huge ball sinkers. Simply tie up to a tree, drop your bait to the bottom and slowly move the bait up and down off the bottom. It won’t be long until you get a bite. Trollers have been getting yellowbelly but they have to work hard for them. Make sure you bring a tackle retriever with you because you’re bound to

get a snag or two while trolling. Red claw are still coming in but you’ll have to work around the shallow rocky edges. Soft fruits and vegetables have been the best baits during the cooler months. Lake Barambah (BP Dam) Typically, in winter, BP Dam’s fish move in closer to the edge and can be caught using a few methods. Lately, the best edge fishing methods have involved using Ecogear ZX blades, skirted jigs and jerkbaits cast into the shallows. Slower-moving baits like the ones suggested are dynamite in the cool. The key is small hops off the bottom near the edge with the ZX blades and long pauses near the edge with the jerkbaits. The deeper flats have also produced bass and yellowbelly. Jigging blades has been the best method. Most anglers have been sounding fish in about 6m and sitting on top of them. Ecogear ZX blades have been the real standout because they have two small stinger hooks attached. Drop them to the bottom and hop them with small sharp movements. A fish only needs to

touch the lure and the stinger hooks will grab them very quickly. The best spot has been the big flat out from the main dam wall. It’s valuable to remember most fish in the dam are gorging themselves on bony bream, so it’s a great idea to throw anything that looks like a small baitfish. Look for steeper banks that hold some timber or rocks because this is a likely place fish will be looking for bait. Out deeper, try to find flats close to significant drop-offs or the main submerged creek line. Bait fishers have been getting a tonne of nice fish from BP. Most have been fishing along the edge and fishing yabbies, worms and shrimps. Trollers are catching the odd fish around the main lake points with small deep-diving hard-bodies. Red claw have gone very quiet and should start popping back up as the water warms. Fishing charters Don’t forget you can 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 and yellowbelly in our two great dams, make sure you give me a call on 0408 658 592 and I’ll be happy to take you. You can also check out the website australian freshwaterfishing.com Until next time, tight lines and bent rods.

The bass are keen on bony bream, so don’t be afraid to try bigger lures if your small offerings don’t work.

y G u id e d b g f o rd M at t L a n

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Michael Close landed a great yellowbelly on a recent charter in Boondooma.

Brad Maloney with a cracking yellowbelly caught at Pelican Point in Lake Boondooma.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019 – Page 61

Not just another drought

One of the incredible shrinking lakes in Queensland. There is usually 10m of water over this bank in Wivenhoe Dam.

TWELVE months ago, I was on a road trip through inland NSW, spending time in the rural centres of Cobar and Hay. Paddocks around home were brown at the time, but once beyond the Great Dividing Range, the scenery became even more bleak. By the time we passed Bourke, grass was but a memory and it seemed the colour green had disappeared from nature’s palette. Wattles and eucalypts were a dusty grey colour, with most trees shedding many of their

Copeton – the high water mark is beyond the top of the hill in this photo.

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Fishing for Sport by NEIL SCHULTZ

leaves as they went into survival mode. Red kangaroos (those that hadn’t become roadkill) were literally starving on the sides of the roads, just skin and bones. Even the feral goats were wasting away, a rare sight indeed! Comments from the locals in both areas were refreshingly and surprisingly positive. One gentleman who lived and worked (in his eighties) on the saltbush plains near Hay laconically stated: “It’s just another drought and it will rain again.” That was a year ago and conditions haven’t improved at all since. Studies conducted by the University of Melbourne have determined the current dry spell, now known as the Millennium Drought, appears to be the worst in Australia in 800 years. Extended droughts like this don’t just affect farmers and wildlife. Entire towns are currently at risk of completely running out of water. Many urban dwellers take water for granted and complain when restrictions are put into place because they can’t wash their cars or sprinkle the lawn. Imagine that when you go to the tap tomorrow, nothing comes out. Consider how you would cope without being able to wash, or even flush the toilet. Wouldn’t that be interesting? Most of you would have seen the horrendous fish kills that occurred earlier this year throughout the Murray-Darling system.

These kills were not just a couple of isolated incidents and are continuing on a smaller scale throughout much of inland NSW and southern Queensland. Low stream levels see rivers reduced to isolated shallow pools where temperatures rise, reducing the dissolved oxygen carrying capacity of the water. First to succumb under those trying conditions are any species with low tolerances to reduced oxygen content – bony bream roll over quite quickly. Next are the larger specimens as their body size has a greater demand for oxygen just to maintain their vital functions. That is why we saw those massive old Murray cod floating dead in soupy green pools on news broadcasts. The Millennium Drought’s fish kills are not restricted to the inland rivers. A friend recently took photographs of several large dead

Murray cod in Lake Coolmunda, not that far west of the range in southern Queensland. For a snapshot of how severely low water levels are becoming in parts of southern Queensland, here are some current dam levels. • Wivenhoe: 53 percent; • Moogerah: 53 percent; • Fairbairn: 18 percent; • Boondooma: 29 percent; • Beardmore: 6 percent; • Coolmunda: 6 percent; • Leslie: 6 percent; • Bjelke-Petersen: 6 percent; • Kroombit: 0 percent; • Atkinson – no usable capacity; and • Lake Dyer – no usable capacity. Fortunately for the welfare of the surviving cod, September marks the start of the closed season. Anglers who obey the law will not be fishing for cod in the streams of Queensland or NSW for the next three months. Those who genuinely care about the species will avoid waters containing cod altogether during the next few months. Meanwhile, if any of you know how, do perform a rain dance...

Disappearing pools make it tough for farmers to keep their stock alive.

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DAM LEVELS CURRENT AS OF 12/8/2019

DAMS

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MAR APR MAY JUN JUL Atkinson 5 5 5 5 5 Awoonga 82 80 79 78 76 Bjelke-Petersen * 8 8 8 7 6 Boondooma * 35 34 32 31 30 Borumba * 94 95 95 95 96 Burdekin Falls * 104 105 100 100 99 Callide * 54 52 50 48 47 Cania * 77 75 74 72 71 Coolmunda * 14 12 10 9 8 Dyer/Bill Gunn * 9 4 4 3 3 Eungella * 100 99 100 100 101 Fairbairn * 12 17 21 20 19 Glenlyon * 12 12 9 9 9 Hinze 94 93 94 93 93 Julius 99 99 96 93 90 Kinchant * 87 86 86 87 86 Leslie * 7 7 7 7 6 Macdonald 96 103 102 102 103 Maroon * 79 79 78 76 75 Monduran/Fred Haigh * 82 81 80 78 77 Moogerah * 68 66 63 60 57 North Pine/Samsonvale * 73 72 71 69 69 Peter Faust/Proserpine * 81 81 81 80 79 Somerset * 76 75 77 76 78 Teemburra * 101 100 100 100 101 Tinaroo* 100 102 100 97 95 Toonumbar 75 73 71 67 61 Wivenhoe * 60 59 58 56 55 Wuruma * 89 88 87 86 85 Wyaralong 92 92 91 90 89 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.

AUG 5 75 6 29 95 95 45 69 6 3 100 18 9 92 88 86 6 101 73 76 53 68 78 76 100 92 62 53 83 88

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Page 62 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2019

Emus feeding where people were catching cod just a few seasons ago at Glenlyon Dam.

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