BNB Fishing Mag | September 2023

Free Angler’s Almanac inside 495

$

Includes GST

All set for snapper

September 2023 Print Post Approved PP100001534 Volume 34, Number 9

Spring options in Moreton Bay

Australian adventures

Techniques for flathead

Fishing tips for estuaries

ISSN 1832-4517

09

9 www.bnbfishing.com.au 771832 451001

Proudly produced and printed in Australia

Estuary • Offshore • Freshwater • 4WD • Camping • Touring Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 1

EX568ST LENGTH 5.68m | BEAM 2.33m | MAX FUEL 160L MAX HP 150hp | WEIGHT BMT 1,940kg

w w w. c r u i s e c r a f t . c o m . a u Page 2 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 3

Page 4 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

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From the Bush ‘n Beach Fishing editor

T

HERE’S been plenty of talk about the recent Great Sandy Marine Park rezoning since its release.

I’ve spoken to a mix of commercial and recreational fishos about the changes and views are divided – depending on whether they are specifically impacted or not.

With decisions such as these, there are always people who feel hard done by and people who feel they’ve won.

When you have extreme views that are poles apart, it’s impossible to have a plan that will make everyone happy.

I feel we need to move past this short-sightedness, take a step back and look at it from a different angle.

Yes, that’s easier said than done, particularly if your favourite fishing spot is now a green zone or you’re unable to net fish anymore, but there is a positive side to all of this.

Commercial fishers will be compensated for their loss and recreational fishos should see fish numbers increase.

A Future Fishing Taskforce consultation period – which closed before this edition went to print – encouraged stakeholders impacted by the phase out of gillnets to take the survey or provide written submission.

If you’re a commercial fisher, now might be the time to reskill and look at other employment opportunities within the fishing and tourism sector.

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Tourism is a growth area that the government seems keen to support.

Hopefully measures will be put in place to ensure fishing pressures in other areas, such as Moreton Bay, are not impacted with the commercial activities moving.

Otherwise, this is not solving the problem, only moving it to another area.

Who knows, one day there may be less netting in Moreton Bay and local seafood for general consumption is produced in a different way – aquaculture?

Snapper closure ends Despite it being a little tough not being able to chase snapper, I’m sure they’ve benefited from the break.

From all accounts, plenty of snapper have schooled or stacked up, no doubt doing their thing, which is awesome to see.

These days, modern sounders aid in identifying schools of fish, and the clarity and definition allows you to even distinguish what species the fish are.

With concerned anglers sighting but choosing not to cast at these fish, this has meant that snapper have received an even better break.

Whereas previously, blind casts to certain areas would have had the fish hooked.

Side imaging and Livescope technology has definitely swung the odds in favour of the angler.

However, that doesn’t always mean the fish are going to bite and it

does take a little time to get your head around the technology.

It’s incredible how far we’ve come in this space in recent times.

Fishing competitions It’s great to see so many fishing competitions back up and running, The past few years have made holding a fishing competition basically impossible, but those days seems to be well and truly behind us.

There’s nothing better than getting out for a fish with friends and comps are a great way to do this.

I’m fishing the Flathead Classic this year, teaming up once again with the old crew of George Mole and Sean Conlon.

If you are fishing this awesome event, make sure you say g’day – and let me know where you’ve been catching all your fish!

I’m also hopeful of getting over to Moreton Island and fishing the Classic there in early September.

A few things need to fall into place, but hopefully I’ll be rubbing shoulders with a few fellow fishos on the beach.

There is a full list of comps on our Fishing Event Calendar on page 24.

Father’s Day I’m sure plenty of the older readers would remember my dad, the late Ron Collins.

He loved having a joke – honk – and a fish, but unfortunately his time was cut way too short.

This year marks 20 years since his passing,

I do think about him a lot.

It’s uncanny, even unnerving, that all too often when meeting a deadline for this mag, the song Sailing by Christopher Cross – played at his funeral – comes on the radio.

I’m fortunate to be

a dad myself now and know the importance of spending time with your kids.

Hopefully this Father’s Day, all the dads get some quality time with their loved ones, and even better, they get out for a fish.

Ben Collins

OUR COVER Free Angler’s Almanac inside

$

495

Includes GST

All set for snapper

September 2023 Print Post Approved PP100001534 Volume 34, Number 9

Spring options in Moreton Bay

Australian adventures

Techniques for flathead

Fishing tips for estuaries

ISSN 1832-4517

09

9 www.bnbfishing.com.au 771832 451001

Proudly produced and printed in Australia

Estuary • Offshore • Freshwater • 4WD • Camping • Touring Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 1

MEGAN scored this snapper flicking soft plastics. Now the closure is well and truly over, it’s a prime time to target them. Photo supplied

by Chris Rippon - article on page 38.

NEXT EDITION: October edition will be on sale in news­agents from September 22.

SEPTEMBER SUBSCRIPTION OFFER: See the subscription form on Page 84 to subscribe this month and you’ll receive a pair of braid scissors, valued at $10.95 RRP each.

JULY PRIZE WINNERS: Congratulations to everyone that subscribed in the month of July, you all received a free BNB Beanie valued at $15 RRP each.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 5

September 2023 contents

8

Techniques for targeting spring species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Sean Conlon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P8 Notes for Moreton Bay fishing novices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Neil Schultz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P12 Tide Times - Brisbane Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P12 Fantastic flatty, jew and trevally fishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Keith Stratford . . . . . . . . . . . . . P14 Sneaky squid, tailor and wahoo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Mark Templeton . . . . . . . . . . . P16 2023 Gold Coast Tailor Fishing Classic wrap up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P20 Classic trolling techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Clint Ansell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P22 Fishing Events Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P24 2023 Gold Coast Flathead Classic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P26 Targeting knobbies with SnappaSlappa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Andy Melville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P26 Awesome offshore snapper fishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Darren Rama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P28 Shut-down bite makes offshore fishing tough . . . . . . . . by Gavin Dobson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P30 Springing into tailor, bream and flatties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Brett Hyde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P31 Luderick, flathead and jewfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Tye Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P32

16

Angler’s Almanac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P34 Insights into boat insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P36 Squid, snapper and dozens of demersal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Chris Rippon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P38 K’gari Beach Resort family fishing trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Sean ‘Skip’ Thompson . . . . . . P40 Bothersome bronze whalers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Tri Ton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P46 Tide Times – Waddy Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P47 Woodgate Beach Hotel Fishing Classic 2023. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P48 Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival 2023. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P50 Sensational spring on Capricorn Coast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by John Boon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P51 Seventeen Seventy PBA sortie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Mick Clutterbuck . . . . . . . . . . . P52 Fishing paradise for all anglers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P55 Humminbird Fitzroy River Barra Bash 2023. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P56 Caravan and boat trailer safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Paul ‘Chief’ Graveson . . . . . . . P58 Choosing the right trailer for your boat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P59 Basking in paradise on WA coast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Ben Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P60 Tips for driving to the Tip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by ‘Billabong’ Bazz Lyon . . . . . . . P64 Kayak fishing fuel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Jackson Williams . . . . . . . . . . . P65 Exploring and fishing Ningaloo Coast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Matt Potter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P66 Back in Queensland for a quick Cape York trip. . . . . . . . . by Craig Tomkinson . . . . . . . . . . . P70 Charter Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P72 Re-establishing river flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Paul Suttor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P74 Murray cod is a no-take species. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P76 Protect Mary River cod during breeding season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P77 Primed for big barra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Sam Rowley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P78

38 51

Closed season for cod on rivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Brian Dare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P80 Dam Levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P80 Trading Post. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P82 Readers’ Forum ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������P83 Subscription Form ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������P84 Page 6 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

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The Team

EDITOR: Ben Collins PRODUCTION: Tiffany Brown Lisa Jones ADVERTISING: Laura Campbell

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.

Phone 07 3286 1833 Email: ben@collins.media PO Box 162, Wynnum, Qld 4178 PRINTER: Spotpress DISTRIBUTION BY: Wrapaway Max. recommended retail price $4.95 (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 and contributors to ensure the correctness of their claims and statements. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 7

A nice flathead caught using the right techniques at the correct time of the tide.

Casting soft plastics in the right areas can reward you with solid flathead.

Techniques for targeting spring species

W

Keaton with a southern bay flathead captured on Zerek Hot Legs.

Page 8 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

E spent a bit of time off the water with engine troubles recently, but that’s sorted now, so here’s an article on what we’ll be targeting in September and the type of gear we’ll use to target them.

Flathead With the Flathead Classic on the horizon, let’s look at targeting this species.

The technique and gear we talk about here is for fishing the shallows.

So, the first of my preferred two rod and reel setups is a lighter outfit – a 2-4kg 7’ medium-action rod paired with a 2000-2500 spin reel, 6-8lb braid and 1012lb leader.

I like this rod for casting jig head weights in 1/6-1/8oz and trolling small hard-bodies, such as the Zerek Bulldog Crank.

The second setup is the heavier 3-6kg, 7’ medium-action rod paired with a 25003000 spin reel spooled

Southern Moreton Bay

by SEAN CONLON

with 10-12lb braid and 12-15lb leader – I usually use this for casting jig heads from 1/4-3/8oz.

Target flatties on a high tide, two hours before the top and two hours after.

Fish close to the man-

grove line where they’ll be lying in wait to ambush an unsuspecting baitfish.

Also target them two hours before the bottom of a tide and the first two hours of a run-in. * continued P9

A heap of different retrieves will work on flathead – mix it up until you find what works.

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Techniques for targeting spring species * from P8

Areas to look for are flathead are the spots where baitfish will have to come off the bank and where the last water drains off into the main channel.

With regards to tackle, a mix of jig heads in 1/6, 1/8, 1/4, 3/8oz all on a 3/0 hook.

And if you like painted jig heads, the yellow and white colours work well for me.

I prefer soft plastics in 90mm length and an assortment of prawn-style lures, such as Zerek Hot Legs, along with some paddle tails and curl grubs.

Colours will range from nice and bright, such as pink chartreuse, to white if the water is clear.

If the water’s dirty, use more natural colours such as olive greens, browns and white.

A heap of different retrieves will work on flatties.

In dirty water, get your plastic back to

the bottom and have a pause of up to at least five seconds.

In clear water, make sure your plastic hits the bottom with only a short pause for maybe one or two seconds, or no pause at all – but make sure it hits the bottom.

When trolling hard-bodies, while the colours and setups will remain the same, the lure must make contact with the bottom.

Flathead live on the bottom, so it’s important to get your lure down to the strike zone.

And I usually have better results when trolling with the current.

Snapper For targeting snapper in the southern bay on lures, I use a 3-6kg, 7’ medium-action rod paired with a 3000 spin reel, 10-15lb braid and a 15-20lb leader.

The two areas that are ideal for this species are our big flat rubble grounds and the isolat-

ed pieces of structure, rocks and wrecks.

When on rubble ground, drift with soft plastics to cover a lot of ground, ensuring you have enough weight on to make contact with the bottom.

Snapper tend to stick close to the bottom, so we fish shallow water of 3-8m.

If fishing structure, position the boat with the structure off to the side and roughly in the middle of the vessel and within casting distance.

Then cast upcurrent and work the plastic down through the structure or the school of fish.

If you don’t hook up and the plastic is then at the back of the vessel, reel it in and cast forward again, working the plastic back through the area the fish are in.

Have a selection of jig heads in 1/8, 1/4, 3/8oz and a 3/0 hook, with colours similar to those for flatties. * continued P10

Victor finished off a great flathead session with a decent 76cm flathead.

Tick all the boxes and catch more fish!

FISHING TUITION

WITH SEAN CONLON

A four-hour off-water course for up to four people covering: Target species BOOK TODAY Moon phases Weather and tides Techniques Environment Tackle tips

0432 386 307 Solid fish can be hooked trolling hard-bodies close to the mangrove line. www.bnbfishing.com.au

seanconlonsfishing@hotmail.com Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 9

Techniques for targeting spring species * from P9

In clean water, use brighter colours and if the water is a bit dirtier, use darker colours.

Snapper love the Zerek Flash Minnow Wrigley, though for me, any of the curl tails and Berkley Gulp Jerk Shad plastics in that 90mm range seem to work best.

Bream We target our breadand-butter bream on lures with little vibes working well, but I predominantly baitfish for them.

Areas to look for bream are rocky outcrops and structure, however checking underneath old moored boats carrying extra growth around the southern bay islands may also be worthwhile.

Don’t fish too technically – use a 7-8’ glass rod with a nice soft tip,

10lb mono line on a 3000 spin reel and very lightly weighted bait.

This could consist of squid, pillies and even chicken breast soaked in a little minced garlic overnight prior to use.

When targeting bream, get a good berley trail going – that tends to stir them up.

And make sure your bait is well presented when cast into the berley trail and then let the rod holder do all the work.

Don’t bother picking the rod up until it’s buckled over with some drag running out.

This will tell you the fish is hooked, then it’s a simple matter of winding it in.

These are a couple of things we’ll be doing this month, and will hopefully provide tips that may have been

forgotten or were unknown when targeting these species.

If you’re looking to brush up on some of techniques before the Flathead Classic, I’d be happy to tailor a charter for you – my details are below.

As we all know, with our jobs and lives we are time poor, so if you can learn more to optimise your time on the water, why not – remember knowledge is key.

Until next month, stay safe on the water and, if you’re interested in our fishing tuition or want to do a fishing charter, give me a call on 0432 386 307, send an email to seancon lonsfishing@hotmail. com or check out the Facebook page Seano’s Inshore Fishing Charters and Tuition.

Victor picked up a couple of great-sized flathead when casting soft plastics on low tide.

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VICTORIA POINT

07 3820 9757

Page 10 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

A 45cm squire was captured drifting rubble grounds on a Zerek Flash Minnow Wrigley.

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Email: admin@wynnummarine.com.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 11

Tide Times AUSTRALIA EAST COAST AUSTRALIA, EAST COAST – BRISBANE BAR BRISBANE BAR LAT 27° 22ʼ S LAT LONG 153° 10ʼ E SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER

Time Time

m m

Time Time

Times and Heights of High and Low Waters Times OCTOBER NOVEMBER

m m

Time Time

m

Time

m

Time

m

Time

2023

m

Time Zone –1000 DECEMBER

Time

m

Time

m

Summer is spotted mackerel time – the same tactics and tackle used for tuna 0443 0.36 0505 0.35 0511 0.49 0515 0.36 1will 1 1200 on 1122 these2.42 toothy speedsters.

1143 work 2.40 16 2.34 16 1201 2.56

0443 0.23 0.23 0443 1022 2.13 2.13 1022 1630 0.19 0.19 FR 1630 FR 2243 2.61 2.61 2243

16

0.33 2.25 0.53 2.00

WE 1823 0.66 2344 1.63

TH 1804 0.63 2323 1.70

FR 1851 0.74

SA 1857 0.56

0521 0.22 0.22 0521 1108 2.19 2.19 1108 1717 0.27 0.27 SA 1717 SA 2323 2.46 2.46 2323

0446 0.40 0.40 0438 0.34 0.23 17 0446 2 0515 1045 2.07 2.07 1127 2.37 17 1057 2.27 1045 1655 0.50 1748

0537 0.46 1225 2.29 TH 1912 0.76

FR 1858 0.67

SA 1240 2.25

SU 1250 2.51

1 2

0419 0.42 0.42 0419 1010 2.03 2.03 1010 1619 0.45 0.45 SA 1619 SA 2219 2.24 2.24 2219

SU 1655 0.50 SU 2248 2.15 2.15 2248

0443 0443 1044 1044 1703 SU 1703 SU 2252 2252

1

0409 0.19 1021 2.36 0.35 MO 1643 2219 2.20

MO 1748 0.48 MO 2330 1.99

16

TU 1721 0.59 2253 1.89

0007 1.57 0016 1.75 fishing novices for0.42Moreton Bay 2Notes 17 0520 2 0547 1208 2.39 0.59 17 0604 0.43

F

1948 0.56 OLLOWING on 1932 0.78 0557 0.25 0.25 0514 0.40 0.40 0015 month’s 1.63 0051 1.53 0557 0514 0545 0.32 0506 0.38 0027 1.50 0114 1.74 from last 3 1153 3 1209 2.32 18 1134 2.26 3 0613 0.59 18 0605 0.50 3 0630 0.69 18 0700 0.52 Fishing for Sport 1153 2.22 2.22 18 1119 1119 2.09 2.09 1803 0.41 0.41 MO 1731 0.58 0.58 2.34 SU 1803 MO 1731 SU 1322 2.16 MO 1341 2.44 SU TU 1835 0.63 WE 1802 0.67 FR 1309 2.17 SA 1300 answers to finding

by NEIL SCHULTZ 2317 2.04 2.04 1959 0.69 2018 0.81 2040 0.55 2009 0.84 2317 2330 1.76 cod water questions – 0001 2.24 2.24 0540 0.43 0.43 0117 1.57 0145 1.51 0217 1.76 0001 0540 0008 1.77 0537 0.44 0120 1.41 4 0631 4 0616 0.43 19 1215 2.22 4see 0631 0.32 0.32 19 1155 1155 2.09 2.09 0657 page 0.73 19 0.59Au-4 0722 0.80 19 0803 0.62 90 0702 of the 1239 2.20 2.20 TU 1809 0.68 MO 1239 TU 1809 MO 1409 2.08 TU 1435 2.33 MO WE 1254 2.23 TH 1850 0.74 SA 1400 2.06 SU 1358 2.30 gust issue – let’s address Geographically, I’ve smaller tuna, 1851 0.58 2348 1.90 1928 0.78 2105 0.67 2109 0.80 2132 including 0.53 1851 0.58 2115 0.87 2348 another 0040 1.99 1.99 0608 0.47 frigate both found that launching in 0234 query.

1.57 0253 1.52 and 0327 1.83bonito 0040 0608 0050 1.56 0013 1.63 0235 1.37location 5 0826species.

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FR SU 1714 1.98 MO 1642 2.21 SA 1300 2358 0.87 2246 0.84 2345 0.59 1802 2.03 1810 2.20 1834 2358 1834 1.88 1.88 string. are feeding on schooling As you zoom along 0521 1.40 0045 0.57 cooler 0053 months, 0.34 0028 0.52 0100 0413 1.46 0.75 0529 1.69 0.52 0100 0.39 0.39 During 9 0521 9 0019 9 9 1059 0.74 0.74 24 1006 0.67 0651 1.87 24 0702 2.19 0655 2.06 2.37 baitfish, an0734 activity that on the plane keeping an 1059 0604 1.52 24 1114 0.60 2.06 24 0734 2.37 1757 2.07 2.07 SU 1247 0.72 0.58 SA 1757 SU 1709 2.16 MO 1141 0.78 TU 1748 2.30 TH the 0.80 SU 1404 0.70 0.70 FR 1313 SA 1303 0.80 most frequentSA SU 1404 has1.90 them visibly 1846 2.06 1903 2.14 eye on the horizon for 1838 1930 1.81 1811 2.05 1.90 1930 1.81 slashly found ‘fast fish’ in 0059 0.76 ing0.45 and leaping 0.76 0010 0.69 0.69 0122 0.48 0137 0.28 0110 0147 feeding birds, electron0059 0010 0101 0.65 0042 0.44 0110 0.45 0147 0.37 0.37at the 0630 1.50 1.50 25 0539 0539 1.58 1.58 10 0650 1.68 25 0630 1.89 10 Moreton 0730 2.02 25 0751 humble 2.34 10 0738 10 is the 0630 0738 2.22 2.22 25 0822 0822 2.46 2.46 surface. * continued P13 1212 0.68 0.68 MO 1130 0.57 0.57 1238 0.68 WE 1226 0.50 0.72 SU 1212 MO 1130 TU 1238 FR 1336 0.65 SA 1412 0.55 1358 0.72 MO 1500 0.65 0.65 SU 1358 SU TU MO 1500 mackerel tuna – fre- 1926 1852 2.15 2.15 1818 2.31 2.31 1858 2.12 2.12 1845 2.37 1927 2.06 1952 2.05 2023 1818 1926 1.88 1.88 2023 1.76 1.76 1852 1858 quently to as 0150 0143 0.65 0.65 0113 0.52 0.52 0138 0.56 0.56 0131 0157 0.40 referred 0217 0.26 0230 0138 0113 0131 0.32 0150 0.39 0.39 0230 0.37 0.37 11 0143 0719 1.63 1.63 26 0645 0645 1.75 1.75 11 0729 0729 1.82 1.82 26 0723 0808 2.15 26 0837 2.45 11 0820 0719 0723 2.07 11 mack 0820 2.35 2.35 26 0906 0906 2.51 2.51 tuna.

1308 0.59 1242 0.44 1325 0.59 1329 0.42 1421 0.60 1505 0.54 1448 0.65 1550 0.63 MO TU WE TH SA SU MO TU 1325 0.59 1308 0.59 1242 0.44 1329 0.42 1448 0.65 1550 0.63 WE MO TU TH MO TU 1937 2.22 2.22 1915 2.45 2.45 1937 2.18 2.18 1935 2004 2.04 upside 2038 is 1.95that, 2011 2111 1937 1937 1915 1935 2.38 2.38 2011 1.85 1.85 2111 1.74 1.74 A real 0220 0.58 0.58 0204 0.37 0.37 0211 0.48 0.48 0215 0230 0.35 are0255 0.26 the 0230 0309 0220 0211 0215 0.24 0.24 0204 0230 only 0230 0.34 0.34 0309 0.38 0.38 not these 0759 1.74 1.74 27 0741 0741 1.93 1.93 12 0803 0803 1.94 12 0759 1.94 27 0811 0811 2.24 2.24 12 0845 0845 2.27 2.27 27 0920 2.52 12 0902 0902 2.45 2.45 27 0947 0947 2.51 2.51 1354 0.51 0.51 WE 1344 0.32 0.32 1407 0.52 1506 0.54 TU 1354 WE 1344 TH 1407 SU MO TU 0.52 FR 1424 0.37 0.37 1506 0.57 0.57 0.54 1537 0.60 0.60 WE 1634 0.63 0.63 numerous TU TH FR 1424 SU most MO 1556 pelagic TU 1537 WE 1634 2015 2.28 2.28 2006 2.54 2.54 2012 2.20 2021 2041 2122 2057 2154 2015 2012 2.20 2021 2.33 2.33 2006 2041 2.00 2.00 2122 1.86 1.86 2057 1.83 1.83 2154 1.73 1.73 species in the bay, they 0253 0.53 0.53 0249 0.27 0.27 0242 0.42 0254 0303 0330 0309 0345 0253 0249 0242 0.42 0254 0.20 0.20 0303 0.31 0.31 0330 0.28 0.28 0309 0.31 0.31 0345 0.40 0.40 13 0833 13 0945 0833 1.83 1.83 28 0830 0830 2.08 2.08 13 0838 0838 2.04 0923 2.35 the 1001 most2.53 coop2.04 28 0856 0856 2.36 2.36 13 are 0923often 2.35 28 1001 2.53 0945 2.53 2.53 28 1026 1026 2.49 2.49 1433 0.46 0.46 TH 1439 0.25 0.25 1446 0.49 WE 1433 TH 1439 FR 1446 MO WE 0.49 SA 1515 0.37 0.37 1549 0.56 0.56 TU 1643 0.57 0.57 1626 0.57 0.57 TH 1714 0.64 0.64 WE FR SA 1515 MO 1549 TU 1643 WE 1626 TH 1714 erative.

2050 2.31 2051 2.56 2.56 2045 2103 2118 2204 2144 2233 2050 2.31 2051 2045 2.20 2.20 2103 2.23 2.23 2118 1.94 1.94 2204 1.77 1.77 2144 1.81 1.81 2233 1.72 1.72 Less0.30 0323 0.49 0.49 0330 0.20 0.20 0312 0330 0335 0403 0421 0323 0312 0.37 0.37 0330 0330 0.19 0.19 0335 0.30 common 0403 0.33 0.33 and 0349 0349 0.31 0.31 0421 0.44 0.44 14 1030 0906 1.91 1.91 29 0916 0916 2.21 2.21 14 0912 1001 1042 2.50 14 0906 0912 2.13 2.13 29 0939 0939 2.45 2.45 14 usually 1001 2.41 2.41 29 1042 2.50 dif1030 2.57 2.57 29 1102 1102 2.44 2.44 far more 1509 0.43 0.43 FR 1530 0.23 0.23 TH 1509 FR 1530 SA TU TH 1526 0.48 0.48 SU 1604 0.40 0.40 1632 0.56 0.56 WE 1727 0.62 0.62 1715 0.55 0.55 FR 1749 0.68 0.68 TH SA 1526 SU 1604 TU 1632 WE 1727 TH 1715 FR 1749 2122 2.31 2.31 2133 2.50 2.50 2116 2145 2157 1.87 2245 1.69 2232 1.79 2309 1.71 2122 2116 2.16 2.16 2133 2145 2.09 2.09 2157 1.87 2245 1.69 2232 1.79 2309 1.71 ficult to approach are 0352 0.45 0.45 0408 0.18 0.18 0341 0403 0408 0.32 0437 0.40 0430 0.32 0455 0.49 0352 0408 0341 0.34 0.34 0403 0.21 0.21 0408 0.32 0437 0.40 0430 0.32 0455 0.49 their larger cousins, the 1115 2.58 15 0937 0937 1.97 1.97 30 1000 1000 2.30 2.30 15 0946 0946 2.20 2.20 30 1021 1021 2.49 2.49 15 1041 1041 2.43 2.43 30 1121 1121 2.43 2.43 15 1115 2.58 30 1137 1137 2.39 2.39 1545 0.42 1617 0.27 1604 0.50 1651 0.47 1717 0.59 1810 0.68 1806 0.55 1821 0.70 FR SA SU MO WE TH FR SA 1545 0.42 1617 0.27 1604 0.50 1651 0.47 1717 0.59 1810 0.68 1806 0.55 1821 0.70 longtail tuna.

FR SA SU MO WE TH FR SA 2151 2.29 2.29 2214 2.38 2.38 2147 2224 2238 2326 2323 2345 2151 2214 2147 2.09 2.09 2224 1.94 1.94 2238 1.79 1.79 2326 1.62 1.62 2323 1.77 1.77 2345 1.71 1.71 Those charismatic fish 0434 0530 0434 0.26 0.26 0530 0.55 0.55 31 1101 31 1211 generally run from about 1101 2.47 2.47 1211 2.33 2.33 1853 TU SU 1736 0.56 0.56 1853 0.72 0.72 TU 1736 SU 6-20kg in Moreton Bay, 2304 2304 1.78 1.78 with fish around 10kg © Copyright Copyright Commonwealth Commonwealth of © of Australia Australia 2021, 2021, Bureau Bureau of of Meteorology Meteorology being the average.

First Quarter New Moon Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide In the same areas, FullSymbols Moon Last Quarter First Moon Phase Phase Symbols New you’re likely to oc- A Watson’s Full Last leaping bonito couldn’t resist a Javelin Moon Full Moon Moon New Moon Moon First Quarter Quarter Last Quarter Quarter casionally encounter 50g Slug –99 a compact lure that casts extremely well.

Page 12 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Notes for Moreton Bay fishing novices * from P12

ic navigation charts will keep you clear of shallow banks and green zones.

Head towards any flocks of birds seen diving into one patch of water – not behind a trawler – and you should soon see tuna leaping clear of the water.

Mackerel tend not to leap completely out of the water but slash through baitfish with

only fins or tails breaking the surface.

Approach the feeding fish from upwind and kick the outboard into neutral once within casting range, but do not turn the motor off.

Finicky tuna will often disappear when the background noise of the motor suddenly stops.

Long casts and warpspeed retrieves with the rod tip held low will flick the switch for tuna

This is what you are looking for when in pursuit of tuna – a sight to get any angler’s pulse rate up.

and small mackerel.

Spinning gear is the most appropriate for this pastime, with a longish rod of 7’8” or so and a 600-700 size reel being perfect.

Metal baitfish profile lures are still my go-to for this style of fishing, with the locally made Javelin Lure Co’s range being firm favourites.

Their 50g Lazer lure is perfect for most spinning applications in Moreton Bay, though sometimes smaller baitfish sizes will require a switch to 35g or even 15g Lazers.

Longtail, bonito and mackerel tuna are all prime table fish if eaten fresh, however none of them keep well in the fridge or freezer, so limit your take to a feed or two.

Mack tuna are cooperative enough to target with fly gear at times and are great sport on any tackle.

A small longtail tuna Tony managed to tempt with a 50g Javelin Lazer.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 13

Little plastics get the attention of trevally.

Small giant trevally were in good numbers throughout the Pine River.

Small jewfish are everywhere at the moment. This one ate a Missing At Sea 3.25” Death Shad fished in a deep hole.

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Fantastic flatty, juvie jew and top trevally fishing

G

OODBYE winter!

And welcome to a few months of great fishing around southeast Queensland.

The air temperature will rise considerably in September, which will have the water temperature rising too.

This will encourage species such as mangrove jack and barramundi to fire up – excellent news for anglers who enjoy chasing these aggressive fish.

Meaning species that prefer cooler water, such as tailor and trevally, will start to thin out.

It’s been a fairly good winter around Brisbane for flathead.

I’ve had some great sessions in the deep water and also on the flats in very shallow water.

A lot of people think that flathead can only be caught in the shallows during colder months, finding warm-

Local Luring

by KEITH STRATFORD

er water in the sun.

This is far from true as some of the best flathead fishing will be in deeper water.

I spent the winter following bait schools instead of going to the spots I’d normally find lizards.

This was a bit of

an eye opener for me because we stumbled across some epic flatty fishing.

Casting plastics at angry fish that are feeding on bait in the shallows is a stack of fun.

It’s even better when you can sight cast * continued P15

Jake Bayliss landed a decent snapper when casting soft plastics in the Brisbane River pre-closure.

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Fantastic flatty, jew and trevally fishing * from P14

some of the fish, which doesn’t happen much for many species in the Brisbane area.

Plenty of trevally have been found in the middle reaches of the Pine and Caboolture rivers.

These little speedsters are a stack of entertainment when targeted on light gear with soft plastics.

They are generally found around bait schools and will aggressively eat most plastics thrown at them, from prawn imitations to small fish profiles.

They tend to feed on smaller bait, so keeping your plastics in the 2-4” range will get more bites.

For me, trevally are more of a by-catch when targeting other species such as jewfish, threadfin salmon and grunter.

All of these species can be found in similar areas at times, which can make for exciting fishing.

The one thing to look for when chasing all of these species is baitfish.

I prefer to target areas with smaller baitfish – small herring, poddy mullet, prawns and any other little bait species.

Compared to larger mullet, which have been everywhere during winter, jewies, threadies and grunter prefer to eat less substantial offerings.

And I also tend to keep my plastics on the small size in cooler months.

Any baitfish or prawn profile in the 2-4” range is perfect – 3” paddle tails and the Pro Lure Clone Prawn

www.bnbfishing.com.au

92mm are excellent choices.

The 3” Cast Prodigy are a good little baitfish imitation and the new Missing At Sea 3.25” Death Shad looks good too.

Rapala have also brought out some good-looking plastics and the Crush City The Imposter, which is a prawn imitation, looks amazing in the water and should catch plenty of fish.

I’ve used it only once and it got the attention of some small trevally and flathead.

The Brisbane River has been fishing well, with heaps of smaller jew about and some better fish mixed in with them.

These little jewfish are everywhere and are very aggressive.

The snapper season reopened on August 15, so they’re on the target menu this month.

I find that when jellyfish move back into the river, snapper follow them.

They love eating their tentacles for some reason.

If I score snapper from there when jellyfish are around, their stomachs are always full of them.

I’ve never caught so many lizards out of the Brisbane River as I did this winter.

Normally I’d only get one or two a trip, but for some sessions I was getting up to 10 fish, with a few of them going over 60cm.

Using previous years as a guide, towards the end of September a good run of quality jewies over 80cm should start turning up.

These fish feast

on the small school prawns running in the river during spring.

If I keep a fish, their stomachs are typically packed with them.

So, a prawn imitation such as the Pro Lure Clone Prawn 92mm will work very well when the fish turn up again.

I did hear whisper of a slightly smaller clone prawn coming out in the near future – between the smallest and the 92mm.

Hopefully it happens because it would be a perfect size to imitate smaller school prawns.

Well, that’s it from me this month.

Pack the jumpers away and get the sunscreen out, we’re rolling into the warmer months.

Hope to see you on the water.

Jake jigged up a nice flathead from the Brisbane River.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 15

Heaps of large tiger squid, though no one thought to pack a squid jig.

Eddie keeps raising the bar, a personal best with this wahoo.

Sneaky squid, tailor and wahoo

W Theodore cleaned up with whiting on a recent family outing!

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0402 703 519 Page 16 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

INDY, raining, sunshine and glassed out – all of that in only two days!

Welcome to Queensland and the incredible weather patterns.

Well, the snapper closure is over for another year and we’re well and truly back on the hunt for a feed.

Since the opening, there have been a number of great-sized snapper caught land-based around Redcliffe Peninsula.

During July and August, we saw the water quality improve, with the clarity ideal for bringing larger tiger squid in closer to shore, where they’re easily spotted.

Seeing them and getting sneaky squid to take a jig are two completely different things, though quite a number have been taken.

It’s not too late to get out for some land-based

Northern Moreton Bay

by MARK TEMPLETON

fishing and grab a feed.

I took Ian out to the Shorncliffe Pier a little while ago and the water clarity was incredible, we could easily see 3m down, which made the fishing a lot harder.

If we can see them, they can see us!

On that trip, I could not lose a bait, not even a bite.

However, Ian managed to nail a 38cm bream from under the pier.

On a hard day, this turned out to be the fish of the day – well deserved!

The bream was returned to fight another day.

Well done, Ian. As I said, the water clarity was phenomenal and we saw so much structure, together with unfortunately a lot of rubbish around the pier.

On those days, we usu-

ally zero in on where the fish tend to hide and where they congregate, plus mark several new flathead spots to try when the water is not so clear.

We counted about 17 very large tiger squid chilling around the pier, though none of us thought to pack a squid jig!

Theodore has become quite the regular in the shop and always has a great story to tell.

This time he’d been out on a family trip and cleaned up on whiting!

Theodore’s visits are always a pleasure and his morning greeting of “Gid-ay” always cracks us up!

We look forward to hearing more about his exploits and taking the booking of worms on Fridays. * continued P17

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Sneaky squid, tailor and wahoo * from P16

Well done, Theodore – keep up the great work!

Speaking of characters, Linc must be among the best of them.

Whether he’s out chasing bull sharks, running through mangroves looking for mud crabs or simply having fun in the boat with his dad Andy, Linc has a real passion for all things fishing.

A recent day out on Moreton Bay had Linc chasing tailor after seeing a school of baitfish showering the surface.

Not wasting any time, Linc was in the thick of it and produced a cracker in a short period of time.

It’s always great when we come across kids with such a passion for fishing, and it’s even better when they land an awesome fish and wear

a cracking smile to go with it!

Well done to Linc for showing us your great catch and a top job Andy for encouraging him to get out there and have a go.

Looking forward to your next batch of photos.

Eddie is not new to these articles – he pops up occasionally and with good reason.

This fisho enjoys pushing the limits and, if you know him, limits are only guidelines.

Eddie loves getting out there in his Polycraft, trying to set as many new personal bests as he can – be it snapper, marlin or even awesome fish such as the wahoo he’s pictured with.

Most of the time, it’s a solo trip, which makes everything that little bit more difficult, though I

Ian managed to nail a 38cm bream from under the pier. www.bnbfishing.com.au

think it sets a bigger personal challenge for him.

It is inspirational to see someone who has a passion for what they do and yes, while it is definitely riskier to go solo, it’s possibly more gratifying for Eddie to accomplish what he does.

Well done, Eddie – keep raising the benchmark.

I put the following together a year ago, but I think it is very important that it’s reiterated.

This is a super important message for those who assume people knows where the safety gear is stored on each boat.

There’s no real plan to follow because boat owners will set their boat up the way they want.

And unfortunately, safety gear is not always a priority to some people, and they’ll put it in a convenient place and out of the way of their other gear.

Placement of safety gear should be a priority – in a place you can reach it very quickly because things can go pear-shaped in seconds!

Your spare fishing rods, tackle trays or Esky are not going to save you.

Life jackets, flares and all the appropriate safety gear will give you a better fighting chance.

Ensure everyone knows where it can be found because it could be you that has fallen unconscious or overboard.

Explaining your safety equipment set up may be the difference between you all coming home safely or families worrying where you are.

Stay safe out there, come home and maintain the passion!

A recent day out on Moreton Bay chasing tailor and Linc was in the thick of it, producing this cracker.

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www.boatcovers.com.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 17

Spring in Queensland …

a perfect time to hit the water and throw in a line!

Our Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol state manager Greg counts down his 6 top tips for fishing at this great time of year.

Fish’n SIP$ … there’s still a lot of money out there!

There’s still tagged fish to catch … and a lot of cash to be claimed … in our Fish’n SIP$ tagged fish competition.

Anglers in 5 of our stocked impoundments across Queensland still have a great chance to claim their share of the $50,000 prize purse.

6.

Remember to carry a measuring rule r or crab gauge and immediately release undersize or unwanted fish unharmed.

5.

Make sure you have a current perm it if you are fishing in our freshwater stocked impoundments across Queensland.

4.

Only take what you need and mak e sure you’ve got your safe release techniques to min imise stress on the fish you put back.

3.

If you’re crabbing, be responsible . Mark your pots correctly, use modern crab pot des igns and set them in sufficient depths.

2.

Say hello to your local Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers … they will be out and about across the state.

1.

Download the Qld Fishing 2.0 app for more information on Greg’s top tips ... and so much more including fish identification, regu lations, closures.

Last but not least, stay safe on the water and enjoy your fishing.

Changing seasons

What you need to know Spanish mackerel

To be in the running you need to purchase a SIPS permit and fish for the tagged fish at either Tinaroo Dam, Lake Proserpine (Peter Faust Dam), Kinchant Dam, Callide Dam or Cania Dam. Anglers who hook the first 15 tagged fish caught and accurately reported to InfoFish by calling 1800 077 001 will win a cash prize.

The competition closes on 31 October 2023 so time is running out! So grab your permits and get fishing!

Visit www.fisheries.qld.gov.au for more information, including how to correctly report your tagged fish catch and claim your cash!

Mary River cod

MANAGEMENT CHANGES

CLOSED WATERS

East Coast Queensland tidal waters

Enhanced protections for Mary River Cod during breeding season.

From 1 July 2023

All fin fish CLOSED SEASON Closed to the take of all fin fish to protect Tailor spawning aggregations

K’gari (Fraser Island) Between Indian Head and Waddy Point.

Selected Queensland fresh waters 1 August 2023 – 31 October 2023

Murray cod CLOSED SEASON

All Queensland fresh waters in the Murray-Darling Drainage Division

1 August 2023 – 31 October 2023

1 August – 29 September 2023

Download the free ‘Qld Fishing 2.0’ app from the App Store or Google Play DAF2050 07/23

Page 18 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 2050 Bush and Beach September 2023.indd 2

LEFT

www.bnbfishing.com. au 25/7/2023 4:18 pm

The app recently underwent a suite of improvements, including: • ‘Can I fish here?’ updated so you can see when you are near or have reached a marine park zone • Hyperlinks created from ‘Can I fish here?’ to relevant ‘Know the rules’ sections • Symbols added for pest fish and species with temporary restrictions • Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) locations updated

Are you one of the

• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) Estuarine Conservation Zones added and headings updated in ‘Know the rules’ • Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme (SIPS) prices and Australia Post outlets updated

100,000?

If not, why not?

We’ve been speaking with recreational fishers to gather feedback about the app and recreational catch reporting for Spanish mackerel and shark depredation.

Anglers across Queensland are loving the Qld Fishing 2.0 app – with 100,000 downloads and counting!

It is now the number 1 recreational fishing app for all of Queensland. Why? Because the app is a one-stop shop for recreational fishers with a plethora of handy tools, including helping fishers to identify their catch, check the rules, and receive reminders about closures.

Keeping Queensland fish on the menu

Recreational catch reporting using apps is happening in other jurisdictions around the country and the world, and we’ve been collaborating with these jurisdictions to learn and share experiences about this work. Extra development work to add catch reporting has begun, and we will keep you updated about this exciting project.

The reporting function will be available in the Qld Fishing 2.0 app by 1 July 2024.

Scan the QR code and download the Qld 2.0 Fishing app here >>>>>>>

If you aren’t lucky enough to land it on your line, you can always order it off the menu!

SCAN ME FOR THE APP!

Queensland seafood was in the spotlight at foodie influencer The Fish Girl’s annual Meet the Catchers and Growers event in Brisbane.

Coral trout, barramundi, tiger prawns, cobia and grouper were all featured to the assembled event guests, including more than 100 producers, chefs, apprentice chefs and their teachers.

Our Fisheries Queensland team members were also there to support the industry, and ensure the state’s seafood continues to be the star of menus everywhere!

fisheries.qld.gov.au 13 25 23 FisheriesQueensland FisheriesQld DAFQld www.bnbfishing.com.au 2050 Bush and Beach September 2023.indd 3

RIGHT

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 25/7/2023 2023 – Page 19 4:18 pm

Ava Stephen took out the single largest fish.

Winner for the three largest fish, Gary Enklemann captured some stonker fish – the largest at slightly over 4kg!

2023 Gold Coast Tailor Fishing Classic wrap up

A

On the day, we had a few of the larger fish on display.

NOTHER year and another Gold Coast Tailor Fishing Classic done and dusted.

Anglers fished landbased in cool conditions with a small swell

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and wind increasing over the July weekend, from the NSW Queensland border up to the tip of North Stradbroke Island.

The fishing commenced at 4pm Friday and lines were out at 9am on Sunday.

Anglers came from northern NSW, the Wide Bay-Burnett and Darling Downs regions, and southeast Queensland, with more anglers choosing to fish North Stradbroke this year due to vehicle access on the beaches.

As most anglers chasing tailor would be aware, we’ve all struggled to catch a feed this year, with the beach run starting later than usual.

We knew it would make the classic hard going, however everyone who fished put in 110 percent and, surprisingly enough, 25 percent of entrants managed to weigh-in fish.

The overall report

was that it was very tough, and most anglers fished through both nights to try catching something.

The fish weighed-in came from all over the Gold Coast and South and North Stradbroke islands.

It was weird that many people came in empty-handed, though the person next to them had caught something.

Our overall combined winner for 2023 for the three largest fish was Gary Enklemann, with some stonker North Straddie fish – the largest of his coming in at slightly over 4kg!

Wayne Drescher took the prize for the single largest fish after Gary, in line with the terms and conditions of our competition.

In the junior division, Preston Rai took out the three largest fish and Ava Stephen took out the single largest fish.

On the day, we had * continued P21

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2023 Gold Coast Tailor Fishing Classic wrap up * from P20

some of the larger fish on display.

Ryan Green came down to give a quick talk on preparing your catch to smoke, along with the process of smoking fish in different smokers.

He gave us a taste of some freshly smoked tailor, which was delicious and sweet.

Bernie cooked up a feed on the barbecue, with sausages supplied

by Warwick Meats.

A big thank you to our sponsors – Tonic Eyewear, Assassin, Jarvis Walker Brands, Penn Fishing Australia, Bush ‘n Beach Fishing magazine, Gary Howard, Rapala Australia, Tru-Turn

and Wilson Fishing.

Thank you to everyone who entered and gave it a go.

And most of all, thank you to everyone from the Southport Amateur Fishing Club.

Don’t put your rods away yet – we’re hearing good reports of tailor being caught from Iluka south.

Hopefully in coming weeks, the beach scene on the coast and the islands north will fire right up.

If you haven’t chased tailor in the surf yet and are wanting to catch your first fish, come into the shop for all the gear and information you’ll need, or visit thebaitshopgold coast.com

We knew the conditions would make the classic hard going, however everyone who fished put in 110 percent.

In the junior division, Preston Rai took out the three largest fish.

Hydraulic boat steering for a hard day’s fishing Go wherever and whenever the fish are biting with confidence!

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Photo courtesy of Vindicator Boats.

For product information and to find your nearest authorised dealer contact Graham HyDrive Engineering Pty Ltd – Queensland Unit 12, 73-75 Shore Street, Cleveland 4163 T: 07 3821 6580 E: qld@hydrive.com.au W: hydrive.com.au www.bnbfishing.com.au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 21

Eli caught and released a heap of flathead with Brad Smith.

Clint and Kristy captured a couple of decent flathead on a charter with the author.

Classic trolling techniques n How to catch flathead on the troll

B Ian scored a quality fish using Z-Man plastics on a Gold Coast charter with the author.

Page 22 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

ECAUSE I enjoy the cooler weather, I always feel that winter goes by too quickly.

At least it doesn’t get too hot here in spring, plus the fishing is usually excellent.

Flathead will be fully on the bite this month, which is good timing for the Flathead Classic that starts on Tuesday September 26.

I know I wrote about flathead last month, but with the classic coming up, I thought I’d share a few more tips.

This year, I’ll be fishing the classic in a Bush ‘n Beach Fishing team with my friend Warric.

Even during peak season and ideal conditions, there are times when flathead are hard to catch.

It is during these periods that alternative tactics are needed to keep the scoreboard ticking.

During such times, trolling hard-body lures is a great option.

It’s surprising how well this can work if

Broadwater Guide

by CLINT ANSELL

other lures aren’t working and when the fish appear shut down.

It is also an effective method in windy weather.

This technique is definitely not new in the

world of flathead fishing – dating way back to the early years of the classic.

Indeed, many tournament winners have included it in their arsenal. * continued P23

Dane was stoked to catch his first fish on a lure.

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Classic trolling techniques * from P22

First, the best rod to use for flathead trolling is about 2-4kg and 6’6” – slightly under 2m long – and a 2500 size spinning reel spooled with PE 0.6 braid pairs with this rod very well.

Good quality Japanese-made 8-strand braid is one of the most important tools for trolling.

It’s smooth and the thin diameter means less drag through the water, therefore deeper diving lures.

And 1m of 8lb fluorocarbon leader works well attached to the main line with an Albright knot.

The main depths you’ll be trolling for flathead are in the 1-4m range.

For shallower areas, it’s hard to beat the Pontoon 21 CrackJack 48SP DR. For hungry flathead, these little weapons are hard to resist, and it’s often surprising how big the average-sized fish are that fall for them.

Pontoon 21s dive to over 2m and come in a great range of colours.

Our all-time favourite in most conditions is the Bloody Tiger Prawn colour.

In calm and clear water, Green Tiger Prawn and Bleeding Tiger Prawn do well.

In dirtier water and cloudy weather, Spanish Red and Ghost Tiger Prawn are deadly.

If these don’t work, it could pay to experiment with the other colours in the range.

Another lure that works well on flathead in shallow water is the Asari Sweeper Hard Body 7cm XD. This great-value lure has a rigorous swimming action and really puffs up sand well to attract the attention of

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hunting flathead.

Keep an eye out for new releases in the next few months too – Samaki is releasing a great-looking 50mm minnow hard-body, which will do well both for casting and trolling.

To fish water from 2-4m deep, there are a number of lures that are ideal, including the Hurricane Slam 47.

These 47mm lures swim straight and deep, and all the colours work well on flathead.

Our favourites are Demon Suji, Natural Prawn UV, Spooky Smig – which imitate white baitfish nicely – and Gold Digger, a killer on cloudy days and choppy or dirty water.

Then there’s also the classic Micro Mullet from Lively Lures – flathead love them.

Here’s a list of rules if you want to achieve maximum success trolling for flathead: • Troll at a speed of between 1-2 knots, which means your outboard is just in gear – slow is the go • Troll in the same direction as the tide to get more hits – flathead lie waiting pointed into the tide • When trolling shallow water, set the lures back 10-15m and in deeper water, set them back 20-30m • Always watch the lure action closely by keeping an eye on the rod tips – if the lures catch even the tiniest bit of weed, they must be wound in and cleaned immediately or they won’t catch fish • Experiment with different coloured lures to find what’s working • Keep a close eye on the fish finder to stay at the ideal depths for the lures you’re using – lures that are tapping

the sand every few seconds catch more flathead • Sometimes flathead are schooled in one area feeding, if that’s the case, keep repeating the troll run – when they’re scattered, you can troll many kilometres picking up only the occasional fish • Always keep checking the lures are swimming dead straight because even after catching a few flathead, they can be out of tune – to tune them, use finetipped long-nose plyers and very gently bend the tow point on the lure the opposite direction to which it’s swimming, then test next to the boat • Keep checking and retying the lures when the leader is frayed or eventually you’ll lose a big fish • Handle flathead very carefully when they’re caught on hard-body lures with trebles – there’s nothing worse than a treble hook imbedded in your hand * continued P24

Mick released his personal best flathead on a charter with Brad Smith.

Tim did very well, catching and releasing a few solid flathead when fishing with Brad Smith on the Tweed River.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 23

Kristy with her best-ever flathead, which she released to fight another day.

Classic trolling techniques * from P23

FISHING EVENTS EVENT

DATE

LOCATION

2023 Moreton Island Sep 6-9 Fishing Classic

Bulwer, Qld moretonislandfishingclassic.com.au

SCF Research and Sep 8-10 Fishing Competition

Sunshine Coast, Qld scfaustralia.com

Mackay Isaac’s Lucky Sep 9-Oct 8 Mackay Isaac Region, Qld Catch and Snap luckycatchandsnap.com.au Woodgate Beach Sep 15-17 Hotel Fishing Classic

Woodgate Beach Hotel, Qld woodgatebeachhotelfishing classic.com.au

Baffle Creek Family Sep 18-23 Fishing Festival

Baffle Creek, Qld bafflecreekfishing.com

Flathead Classic Sep 26-28

Gold Coast, Qld gcsfc.profishingtournaments.com

and a flathead thrashing around on the other hook – always net them first, lie them on the deck, then carefully remove the hooks and lure from the fish with plyers before handling, measuring and releasing • Keep an eye on the sounder for bait and structure – trolling along the edge of weed beds, water colour changes and drop-offs is very effective • Always keep an eye out for diving birds and pelicans – birds feeding on baitfish often means flathead are in the same spot

• Trolling is a great way to find where flathead are feeding – if there are lots, you can either keep trolling or stop and cast soft plastic and vibe lures • Stick with whatever’s working.

To book on a charter with myself or Brad, or if you have any fishing related questions, visit gold c o a s t r ive r c h a r t e r s. com, SMS 0432 990 302 or email fishing withclint@gmail.com – or find us on Facebook at Brad Smith Fishing Charters.

Catch you next month and tight lines!

ANSA Maryborough Sep 29-Oct 1 Maryborough, Qld Fishing Festival 2023 ansaqld.com.au Fitzroy River Barra Oct 5-8 Bash

Fitzroy River, Qld fitzroyriverbarrabash.com.au

Wyaralong Dam Oct 21 Carp & Tilapia Eradication Comp

Wyaralong, Qld lafma.org

Tinaroo Barra Bash Oct 27-29

Tinaroo Atherton Tablelands, Qld tinaroobarrabash.com.au

2024 Rainbow Beach Jun 1-8 Family Fishing Classic & Expo

Rainbow Beach, Qld rainbowsportsclub.com.au

To have your competition listed in the calendar, please phone (07) 3286 1833 or email ads@collins.media Page 24 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

Simon caught a nice feed of school-sized flathead in the Gold Coast Broadwater.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 25

Held in the Gold Coast Broadwater, the Gold Coast Flathead Classic 2023 will be returning from September 26-29.

2023 Gold Coast Flathead Classic

T

HE Gold Coast’s premier annual flathead cat ch-a nd-relea se tournament is back for another year of fishing fun.

The Gold Coast Flathead Classic 2023, held in the Gold Coast Broadwater, will be returning from September 2629, where anglers will fish it out for incredible prizes and the glory of winning.

Following a successful year held online during the pandemic and then returning to the precinct in 2022, the event welcomed a whopping 680 individual anglers itching to get back into it in person!

Fishos return year after year, making the classic part of their annual calendar, with countless teams travelling solely to enter.

The Gold Coast Flathead Classic is suitable for all anglers, from first timers to seasoned professionals – there’s something for everyone!

With our total prize value reaching $400,000, it will be hard to miss out on a prize.

We have nightly random lucky draws,

on-water giveaways and our major prize draw of a trip to the Solomon Islands, together with competition prizes for performance in the classic and a three-member angler team tournament bag valued at $700.

A massive thank you to Surf Coast Marine, Quintrex and Suzuki Marine for supporting the Gold Coast Flathead Classic every year, and for generously providing the two boat packages, with the senior angler boat prize valued at $24,490 and the junior angler boat prize at $9000.

With names such as Lowrance, XXXX Gold, The Mad Hueys, Wilson Fishing, Rapala, MMD, Switchbait and plenty more onboard, this is an event you won’t want to miss!

Pricing is $375 for a senior angler and $185 for a junior.

Get your team together and enter at gcsfc.profishingtour naments.com/tourna ment.php?id=347 Be sure to follow Gold Coast Flathead Classic on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with event news!

Page 26 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

Ed’s no stranger to float lining for rewards such as this, which was caught before July 15. Insert: Float line rigs are unspecific.

Targeting knobbies with SnappaSlappa

W

ELL, here it is!

The best half of the snapper season on the coast of Queensland for targeting those offshore donkeys we all dream of.

I hope the small closure was good to everyone and provided a bit of diversity for chasing some new species and learning new skills.

Though, let’s face it, there’s nothing like feeling the line peel through your fingers as it whirrs off your spool moments before you engage a set drag that zings away as a decent headbanger takes off.

You can probably tell by now that we love snapper fishing and, more importantly, it’s a shared experience, which makes it even more special.

And that’s what this month’s article is about.

Specifically floatlined bait on the 36-fathom reef lines – that’s 62-66m on charts if you work in metres.

Imagine a school of tuna up high smashing their way through a

Gold Coast

by ANDY MELVILLE

bait ball, following it and leaving a trail of missed pilchard in the current.

Now think about replicating the sink rate and angle of one of those pilchard as it sweeps across the strike zone of a snapper that’s sitting a bit higher off the reef and keeping a keen eye on

what’s going on above for an easy snack.

First, a spin outfit 7’2” medium action with a 6000 reel, paired with a 20-25lb mono and a 30-40lb trace, is ideal for chasing snapper and doubles up perfectly for spanish and spotted applications during warmer months. * continued P27

The author had great fun on a 12-20lb spin rod with 20lb line prior to the closure.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Targeting donkey knobbies offshore * from P26

Braid is fine but you’ll need to ease off the drag slightly to allow for less stretch than mono when those brutally short runs and huge head shakes stop you in your tracks during the initial stages close to the bottom.

Rig wise snelled offset suicide or circle hooks are a go-to for most keen float liners.

Especially BKK hooks in 6/0 or 8/0 – depending on the size of fish targeted on the day or to match the size of bait.

Outside a predicted bite time – the hour after a moon rise – flashers are always added for extra appeal when prospect drifting or during a hot bite to stir up the larger models that are more comfortable coming up higher in the column to smash a bait first.

Equally the SnappaSlappa triple assists – which are wide-gaped needle-sharp hooks on Kevlar-cored assist cord – penetrate easily behind the jawline into that sweet spot packed with tendons for quick clean hook-ups.

Particularly with live bait, thanks to the flexibility of the hooks that can be started through the nose of bait such as yakka or slimy, and the bottom two hooks pinned along the back ease movement and reduce stress on the livey.

When fishing with live bait, you’ll want to feather it down on a slightly heavier sinker to entice swimming into the current, so it doesn’t drown or foul the trace – which will result in drowning too but with any kind of presentation.

Trace-wise, a small-profile sinker and around 1m of fluorocarbon is acceptable.

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The small sinker sits directly on the bait, with the swivel acting as a stopper so the sinker can’t drag too much line down by sinking faster than the bait and twisting the main line.

We use fluorocarbon because of its abrasion-deflecting qualities, however a decent mono with rigging tube to protect the business end is recommended, even when using ganged hooks.

I haven’t talked about gangs because they do lack finesse for most bait when it comes to float lining.

Here’s the technical bit for dead bait.

Slow drifting with two or three people aboard using one rod each is probably the most practiced on the Gold Coast, so that’s a good starting point.

Sea anchors are a good way to keep to boat facing the direction you want to fish, particularly if the wind is variable at the same time as slowing down your drift, so you can sweep a bait down over the target grounds.

As a rule, a 45-degree angle to your rod tip while parallel to the surface is a great way to feather a bait down, and gauging where the bait is in relation to the bottom.

If you know the depth of your local reefs, a permanent marker at a set distance allowing for the excess because of the angle is a winner.

Or, if you have the discipline to overrule excitement during a hook-up, have a look at the level of line on the spool, so you know the strike zone to aim for.

Too much angle – somewhere around 30 degrees – can mean three things.

First – it’s too light

and the current has suspended the line carrying it mid-water, meaning you are never getting into the zone.

Second – you’ve reached the bottom not realising and there’s a huge belly of line with a possible snag happening.

Third – you have just enough weight without letting any further line out to sit in the zone on a closed bail arm but have little chance of responding fast enough before a snapper spits the bait out.

My downfall used to be the second scenario – I’d drag myself out the door a bit too wideeyed and bushy-tailed after a horrible weekend of chef work… and Monday morning does tend to induce a bit of laziness.

As much as I hate to admit it now, watching * continued P28

Pre-closure, Abe added one to the tally using Hollowcore flashers to get the bite.

Before July 15, Ben and Lachlan enjoyed explosive snapper fishing on sunrise.

www.suncoastskutes.com Flashers and pre-made rigs focused on SEQ water all year round Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 27

Awesome offshore snapper fishing

H The author captured a decent snapper on a 5” plastic.

A nice jewfish caught by the author fishing a dropoff in the main river.

Conor with a great river threadfin salmon.

ELLO everyone, I hope you’re enjoying the start of spring as much as I am.

It has been a great little opener, with the continuation of awesome offshore snapper fishing and some very healthy inshore fishing too!

Offshore, snapper were still eating very aggressively, taking to well-presented lures and trusty old bait.

When it comes to bait fishing, accounting for plenty of catches has been float lining a half or full pilchard with a small ball sinker and letting that slowly waft its way down the water column.

I’ve had great success starting my session off Southport on the 18-fathom line and at mid-morning, moving out to the 24s, with the preferred presentation being a 5” plastic with 1/4-1/2oz jig head.

Inshore, flathead fishing has picked up, and with warmer water

Nerang Rooster Report

by DARREN RAMA

coming back, bigger fish are preparing to breed and are feeding up well.

When it comes to plastic choices for them, the range is endless, however the most common and successful are any 3” paddle tail in an unusual or brighter colour – something that stands out to them.

Even though spring is great for flathead, we’ve also seen a few unusual fish caught more frequently in our rivers, such as threadfin salmon, jewfish and the occasional snapper.

These are more than welcome species because they are all great fun on light gear, and they’re good table fish too!

Fishing deeper ledges in main rivers that range from 3m plus are the more likely places to find these fish

and using prawn imitation lures or soft vibes seems to be key to recurring captures.

In freshwater, recently Hinze Dam has had some awesome fishing – small jerkbaits and crank baits on the edges have worked well.

Most fishos were not even looking for schooled fish because some banks hold good numbers of fish, which can be tricky when it comes to landing with the standing timber that surrounds the dam.

Saratoga will be a bit quiet as they start their spawn – due to them being mouth breeders, the thought of feeding heavily won’t be top priority for this species.

So, with the sun starting to rise earlier, hopefully you’ll find time to get out and give it a crack for yourself!

Targeting donkey knobbies offshore * from P27

Before the closure, the author drifted using a sea anchor over the 36-fathom line off the Gold Coast to capture a solid snapper.

Page 28 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

a hook-up next to me would wake me up… enough to get my act together and rethink my weight choices.

In which case, a heavier sinker will solve these problems if you slow the descent down while feeling for the bottom.

For beginners, aim heavier to find the bottom quickly and drop your size once you know how the current and drift conditions are affecting the bait.

Straight pilchard work best.

You can rig them headfirst or tail first, though I advise using a half hitch in the tail with the fins of the tail snipped off or… deadly.

Going back to the dead fish in the trail, if you’re trickling the line out in the bottom half of the water during your drift, a lightweight sinker will hold the tail up with the weight of the pilchard at the head counteracting the motion.

It’s a good idea to give a generous cast up-current and let it swing around, so you

don’t miss the mark if you have a smaller area to focus on.

Before I go, here’s a little gem on the northeast 36s that is always a good starting point during September and October, especially since the fish aggregating devices around it produce huge dollies early in the season when snapper are still around – Latitude (DDM): 27° 48.349’S, Longitude (DDM): 153° 36.436’E As always, tight lines and stay safe.

Cheers from sun coastskutes.com

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 29

Hopeful of elusive squire showing up in close this month.

Sunrise and sunset are always prime bite times and Toby and Damien made the most of the ideal conditions with a classic deep-water double.

Shut-down bite makes offshore fishing tough

H

AVE you ever experienced a shut-down bite?

I think we all have at some stage or other and, if you’re putting in a big fishing effort over a whole day, there will almost certainly be a period when the fish will shut down.

In the estuaries, the wrong tide is the biggest factor but even when the tide is right, the fish don’t always bite.

Mackerel are a funny species that seem to come off and on the bite as their mood dictates.

Tweed to Byron Bay

by GAVIN DOBSON

Out on the deeper reefs, I find the fish tend to have a quiet period in the early afternoon from 1-2.30pm, and this can vary a little either side.

I call this period ‘the doldrums’, as I never seem to do very well during this time.

I had a day’s fishing out wide recently and the fish were shut down for the whole session.

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Page 30 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

I headed out at 10am, when the southwesterly wind backed off and headed straight to the 42-fathom line.

I did get one run and was subsequently busted off in the reef.

The day spiralled downhill from there as I progressed to rock hop along the 42 and 50-fathom lines.

I kept persisting thinking that the fish would wake up and come on the bite at any moment.

I thought the tide change might possibly be the catalyst, yet it came and went with no improvement to the fishing.

The sounder was reading great shows of fish, so I stuck it out waiting for the sunset bite to change my fortune.

There are definitely prime bite times for fish, however in my experience, dawn and dusk are without doubt the best times to have a line in the water.

Whether you’re up a little creek or out in 50 fathoms, dawn and dusk

always give you that 30-60 minute window when the fish are more aggressive.

So, I ground my way through the afternoon and thankfully just before sunset, the fishing did improve a little.

Compared to the rest of the day, it was definitely a better bite period, though only just.

It was probably the worst sunset bite on record, still I did put a few in the boat at last.

I continued to fish after dark thinking they’d come on but, after 10 hours of fishing, I went home with a very sad looking ice box.

It turned out they did get on the bite!

To rub salt into the wound, my friend headed out late the next morning to the same areas and couldn’t get away from the fish.

The switch had been flicked and he caught some great pearl perch and snapper.

Shut down periods happen, sometimes for reasons we can’t understand.

I was expecting a great day because I’ve fished identical wind conditions on the exact same

moon phase at that time of year previously for excellent results.

The take home message is to get back out there.

Yes, it’s a hard pill to swallow after you’ve invested all that time and expense, you’ve put a big day in and come home with a doughnut.

Don’t beat yourself up because these days do happen.

Sooner or later the fish will come back on the bite.

Fortunately, I had a good afternoon soon afterwards, heading out with Toby and Damien onboard.

The plan was for Toby to hopefully jig some kingfish and, while that strategy was a total bust, we float lined some beautiful snapper.

The good days help take the pain away!

September won’t change things too much offshore from the past couple of months.

In the rivers though, flathead, whiting and trevally will begin their spring advance, so it’s a great time to get the lures and bait in the water after these critters.

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Springing into tailor, bream and flatties time around Ballina

H

ELLO and welcome!

I kept waiting for winter to arrive, but I don’t think it made it this year.

Now don’t get me wrong, we have had a few weeks of cold weather, though nothing I would describe as a ‘normal winter’.

So maybe it was one of those very mild seasons, when it doesn’t get particularly cold.

The water temperature was a good indicator of this, with it staying up at about the 20C mark up until recently.

It will be interesting to see how far the temperature drops over the next month, if at all.

For spring, we may have an early jump into some summer fishing.

At present, we’re seeing a very good example of the effect the water temperature is having on fish offshore.

We are yet to see any big numbers of snapper move onto the close reefs.

Every month I write my article thinking, it will be next month, but I’m beginning to wonder if it will happen at all this year.

Normally, the arrival of leatherjackets would encourage snapper to move away from the deeper water and into shallower grounds, however we haven’t seen any significant numbers of them either.

A few jackets showed up near the 42 and

Ballina Bait & Tackle

by BRETT HYDE

48-fathom lines, though certainly not in the plague proportions that we’re accustomed to.

I’m expecting this species to increase in numbers over the coming month, so make sure you have some extra terminal tackle if you’re heading out any time soon.

For the most part, the current has dropped right off.

This has allowed some boats to venture out onto the shelf in search of bar cod, blue-eye trevalla and bass grouper.

It has also meant that kingfish and amberjack have spread out a little more on the 42s and 48s.

Knife jigs and live bait work well for these species, and some anglers have reported a few captures of extra-large pearl perch that also showed interest in these offerings.

In closer, plenty of pansized snapper, flathead, teraglin and mulloway have been found on the 32-fathom line.

Slow pitch and octopus-style jigs have both been producing plenty of fish, with pink and pink/white being productive colour choices recently.

Unfortunately, the close reefs still aren’t producing any numbers of snapper, but plenty of

mack and longtail tuna were haunting the close reefs.

We’ve even had a couple of anglers land tuna from Seven Mile Beach at Lennox Head during recent weeks.

Live bait, soft plastics and bright-coloured vibes have all had some success on tuna, and there were a few captures from rock

platforms on stick baits when the weather conditions suited.

The beaches were a little inconsistent over the past few weeks.

We’re seeing some tailor on the beaches, though they’re still travelling and may show up one day and be gone the next.

Late afternoon and into the evening produced some of the better fish, with smaller choppers showing up in the washy areas around the breakwalls

and rock platforms.

Along with tailor, we’ve also seen quality bream.

With the water temperature remaining up, bream haven’t been as keen to move into the river, appearing to be in better numbers out on the beaches.

Cut bait such as mullet, bonito, pilchard and pipis have all been good options for them, particularly during a run-in tide.

A few flathead have

* continued P32

BALLINA BAIT & TACKLE Marlon caught a silver trevally from the Richmond River.

Ballina West Shopping Centre Pacific Hwy, Ballina NSW Recently, a few tailor have taken spinners from the rocks. www.bnbfishing.com.au

02 6686 2527 Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 31

Luddies, flatties and jewies

O Brisbane angler Mal Butchart caught a little turrum at the mouth of the trawler harbour on 6lb braid and a soft plastic lure.

Springing into tailor, bream and flatties * from P31

also shown up in similar gutters to the bream and, as you may then expect, they’re taking the same types of bait as well as a few smaller paddle tail soft plastics.

With tailor showing up on the beaches, we have also had a few mulloway cruising the beach gutters.

They’re obviously chasing a food source but, if you’d like to try targeting them, it may be worth trying some worms, squid or even a large soft plastic in the hopes of tempting one into grabbing something a little different to what they’ve been chasing.

Back in the river, the water temperature has been messing with the fish slightly, with bream numbers not as good in the lower reaches of the river as you would expect for this time of year.

A run-in tide was still the best bet for both bream and luderick though.

Luderick were showing up in the usual spots, such as Prospect Bridge, Mobbs Bay and al-

so behind the central business district.

The main issue was the lack of weed for bait for this fish, with many anglers still having to resort to using cabbage from the rock platforms.

Flathead were fairly good over winter and this was probably due to the slightly warmer water and air temperature.

Most of the fish were well upriver, with the area between Pimlico Island and Rileys Hill being the most productive.

The bulk of fish were caught in less than 2m of water, and some anglers even reported captures in only 0.5m.

Bait such as prawns, pilchard and herring all worked but it would be well worth trying a suspended hard-body lure or a small paddle tail plastic with a very light weight on it.

With the water being fairly clear at present, I would stick to more natural colour choices.

Well, that’s about all for me this month, until next time – tight lines.

Page 32 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

VER the past month, fishing along the Clarence Coast of northern NSW has anglers getting among the fish and managing to score themselves a decent feed.

Inside the Clarence River, luderick have been chewing their heads off, with all the usual locations turning it on, and the ever-reliable old ferry approach at Iluka being as productive as any of them.

On most days, anglers were virtually shoulder to shoulder when fishing a falling tide.

This was when the fish were biting well and, while green weed and cabbage bait accounted for plenty of fish, it was the somewhat scarcer black weed found in cane drains that was the better bait by a mile.

Catches will begin to taper off this month as the temperature starts to climb, signalling that winter is over, and the bulk of the fish will head back along the headlands and breakwalls for the summer.

Having said that, a feed of luderick is available in the river yearround, however the fish caught are usually a tad smaller and in poorer condition after their winter spawning run.

One thing that I have noticed over the past few years is the total lack of boats fishing for luderick along the middle, Turkeys Nest and Collis walls.

There was a time when these spots had boaties waiting for another to leave so that they could anchor and fish but, for whatever reason, nobody does that style of fishing these days.

Bream are another species that have been

Just Jew

by TYE PORTER

in no short supply in the river recently, however as for luderick, no one seems to put the effort in to chase them nowadays.

Similarly, up to about 10 years ago, the river would be aglow with red and green navigation lights at night, then come slack water, it was a virtual charge of the light brigade with everyone heading home from Browns Rocks at the same time.

Obviously, not many folks actually baitfish for bream at night these days, preferring to chase them during daylight hours on lures instead, which augurs well for bream stocks because a lot less fish are being caught.

The humble old flathead can be taken in good numbers yearround inside the river.

Brisbane angler Mal Butchart paid a visit to Iluka recently and had a ball landing countless

fish using 6lb braid and a mix of soft plastic and small vibe lures.

Mischa went for a run with Mal in his boat one morning to flick lures and they had an absolute whale of a time, landing plenty of decent flathead, micro-baby jewfish and the occasional small turrum trevally.

And while the NSW bag limit for flathead is 10 fish per person, the fishos put a 10-fish boat limit on themselves, keeping only five fish each and also releasing anything over 50cm.

Tailor have been a bit scarce along the beaches lately, however around the headlands has been another story, with plenty of fish around the 1kg mark keeping the spin crew happy.

A lot of anglers have actually been spinning up decent numbers of pan-sized choppers off * continued P33

Quality tarwhine have been plentiful along Ten Mile Beach at Shark Bay recently.

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Mischa landed a nice fish spinning with a hard-bodied lure in the surf at the Iluka breakwall.

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And we’re only about six weeks away from large cobia starting to show up in the warmer shallow waters of Shark Bay, around Jackys Bommie.

October should see the annual run of big yellowtail kingfish along the breakwalls – it sure is a sight to see a school of 20-plus brute kingies cruising around enjoying life, though that’s a way off yet.

All in all, September can be a funny sort of month fishing-wise – most of the traditional species are moving out of the rivers after winter before the summer fish such as whiting move back in.

Either way, a feed is always to be had… if you know how to fish.

Until next month, safe fishing.

or live mullet, during either change of tide at night.

Soft plastic 6” lures also work a treat along the breakwalls, especially at low water at night and, more often than not, it usually takes no more than only three casts with a plastic lure before we have a fish and are walking off the wall.

When I use soft plastics for jew, I only ever use paddle tailed lures and simply cast out along the wall, let it sink, then slowly wind it in.

It’s amazing how many fish will hit the lure as you’re about to lift it out of the water.

The offshore brigade are still getting among plenty of quality snapper, teraglin and the occasional big jewfish.

F

the beach at the top end of Ten Mile Beach too, with the occasional clever fisho putting a set of 10/0 hooks in a tailor and sending it back out for a nice jewfish – though more often than not, a tasty blacktip shark.

Iluka Bluff has been holding big numbers of small to just-legal school jewies on soft plastic lures on the reef at the front of the headland, while the southern end of the headland that abuts Main Beach has seen a handful of good jew landed using 14cm floating Rapala X-Rap hard-bodied lures.

Both the Iluka and Yamba breakwalls have fished well for jewfish on a variety of bait, from whole or sliced squid, live yellowtail

UV

* from P32

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 33

03 5022 7 03 5152 3 03 5562 6 03 5443 5 03 5822 2 03 5174 1 03 9397 6 02 6024 6

Angler’s Almanac October 2023

September 2023 DAY Above Below Fri.

2

Sun.

3

LAST GIBBOUS

Mon.

4

Tue.

5

Wed.

6

Thur.

LAST QUARTER

7

Fri.

8

Sat.

9 Sun.

10 LAST CRESCENT

Mon.

11

Tue.

12

Wed.

13

Thur.

14

Fri. NEW MOON

15 Sat.

16 Sun.

17 Mon.

18 Tue. FIRST CRESCENT

19 Wed.

20

Thur.

21

Fri.

22

Sat. FIRST QUARTER

23

Sun.

24

Mon.

25

Tue. FIRST GIBBOUS

26

Wed.

27 Thur.

28 Fri. FULL MOON

29 Sat.

30 ©

Sun.

12 Noon

1 Sat.

DAY Above

Notes

Mon.

2

LAST GIBBOUS

1.15am

1.41pm

2.05am

2.30pm

2.55am

3.21pm

3.46am

4.13pm

4.39am

5.07pm

5.33am

6.01pm

6.27am

6.53pm

7.18am

7.44pm

8.09am

8.32pm

8.54am

9.17pm

Tue.

3

Wed.

4

Thur.

5

Fri. LAST QUARTER

6

Sat.

7

Sun.

8

Mon.

9 Tue. LAST CRESCENT

10 Wed.

11

Thur.

12

Fri.

13

9.38am 10.00pm

Sat.

14

10.20am 10.41pm

Sun. NEW MOON

11.00am 11.20pm

15 Mon.

16

11.40am Midnight

Tue.

17

12.20pm

Wed.

18

1.01pm 12.41am

FIRST CRESCENT

Thur.

19

1.46pm

1.24am

Fri.

2.34pm

2.10am

Sat.

20 21

3.26pm

3.00am

Sun. FIRST QUARTER

4.23pm

3.54am

22

Mon.

23

Spring Equinox: Day & Night equal length

5.23pm

4.53am

6.24pm

5.54am

7.25pm

6.56am

8.23pm

7.55am

Fri.

9.18pm

8.52am

Sat.

10.10pm

9.45am

Tue.

24

Wed.

25

FIRST GIBBOUS

Thur.

26 27

28 Sun. FULL MOON

29

11.01pm 10.36am

Mon.

11.51pm 11.26am

Tue.

Minor Times: Add 6 hours

Page 34 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

30 31

©

Notes

12.17pm

1

12.25am 12.51pm

Below

12.42am

1.09pm

1.34am

2.02pm

2.28am

2.57pm

3.24am

3.52pm

4.19am

4.46pm

5.12am

5.39pm

6.03am

6.28pm

6.51am

7.14pm

7.35am

7.58pm

8.18am

8.39pm

8.58am

9.19pm

9.38am

9.59pm

10.18am 10.39pm 11.00am 11.22pm 11.44am 12.31pm 12.07am 1.22pm 12.57am 2.18pm

1.50am

3.17pm

2.48am

4.17pm

3.47am

5.16pm

4.48am

6.13pm

5.46am

7.07pm

6.41am

7.59pm

7.34am

8.48pm

8.24am

9.38pm

9.14am

10.28pm 10.03am Partial lunar eclipse

11.19pm 10.54am 11.47am 12.13am 12.42pm

Minor Times: Add 6 hours

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 35

BOATING & marine Insights into boat insurance

Homing in on boat insurance M OST house insurance companies carry a huge amount of data about the claims’ history in certain locations.

They can tell you which suburbs, in fact even drilling down to which streets, in a city are most likely to suffer storm damage.

They have a handle on a raft of other things too, such as where homes are more likely to be targeted by burglars.

Car insurance companies have data on the most likely models to be stolen and where from.

And likewise, marine insurance specialists have built up banks of information from claims’ history includ-

ing the most common types of claims.

That’s why they have conditions in their insurance policies that will, for example, demand that a boat on its trailer be properly secured with a locking mechanism or why it can’t simply be left on the street.

It’s why some insurers won’t provide cover for a vessel riding on a swing mooring.

While specialist marine insurers don’t delineate insurability based on the brand of boat, they certainly do on the types of boats they will insure.

And that’s good news because it means that prices for insurance premiums are not unduly inflated by the frequency of claims

being made by virtually uninsurable boats or people.

For example, if someone has had four total boat write-offs, you would have to ask whether the reason lay solely in accidental bad luck or was it due to a failing on the part of the skipper?

Similarly, would you like to be, in effect, subsidising the insurance premium of someone who has been convicted three times of drink driving offences on the water?

Another way to look at it is – would you be happy to lend your vessel and all its inclusions to these people or would you consider it too much of a risk?

Likewise, in years past, older fibreglass

Insurance policy conditions may demand a boat on its trailer be properly secured with a locking mechanism or can’t simply be left on the street.

boats may have required an inspection and a valuation before being insured, but with improved construction standards, upgraded materials, more inbuilt safety features and greater engine reliability, this has changed.

Nautilus Marine will now insure production-built fibreglass runabouts with outboard motors up to 30 years old without requiring special inspections.

That’s because statistically, some of the associated risks with owning a boat are now lower.

Lower risk equates to a lower premium.

Of course, it always pays to understand what is and what is not covered under your policy, particularly if you are new to boating.

Purchase an older imported American sterndrive boat and you’ll need to understand the idiosyncrasies of owning one.

You need to appreciate that the exhaust manifolds and risers on the engine may well be suffering from corrosion and that they are expensive to replace.

In a related vein, seasoned sterndrive owners know they should

raise the cushioned engine cover as well as the seat covers, to ensure everything dries out properly to lessen the possibility of mould growing.

Should those risers rust out or should mould grow in your vessel, their remediation won’t be covered under your marine insurance.

They will come under the classification of normal wear and tear.

It therefore makes sense that, if you’re purchasing from a reputable dealer, you request a full rundown on the maintenance required for such a vessel.

As always, what is and what may not be covered will always be decided in accord with the terms of insurance as defined in your insurance policy’s product disclosure statement.

That’s why it is so important to read it thoroughly and to note any special conditions and excesses, which should be explained clearly in your PDS. If you need further information, you can contact Nautilus Marine Insurance on 1300 780 533 for any boat insurance requirements.

Advice in this article is general and might not apply or be right for you. Before acting on it, consider its appropriateness having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

Nautilus Marine Insurance is a business name of NM Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 34 100 633 038 AFSL 227 186 (NM Insurance), the issuer of Nautilus Marine Boat Insurance. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement at nautilusinsurance.com.au before deciding whether to purchase a policy.

Page 36 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 37

Neil Moy caught a good-sized red emperor.

Jackson showed how to do it by snavelling a longtail tuna.

Squid, snapper and dozens of demersal

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Page 38 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

’DAY crew, I hope you have all been well and stayed warm over the past few weeks, though how nice have some of the days been?

Crisp mornings and blue skies are always a welcome sight, even if the air temperature is sitting on the lower side of 10C! So, what has everyone been catching recently?

As always at this time of year, squid and cuttlefish were on the chew and by the sounds of it, everyone has made the most of the good weather and great squidding.

We’ve definitely been out making the most of our days off and getting into a few.

Mixed in with squid, there were good catches of winter whiting too.

Good reports have come in of this species hanging around the moored boats in the bay, at the mouth of Kauri Creek and in the deeper water off Tinnanbar.

Small strips of fresh squid and beachworm have worked well, along with the Berkley Gulp Sandworm in Bloody and Natural colours.

Offshore fishos made the most of the good weather windows over the past couple of

Tin Can Bay

by CHRIS RIPPON

months and headed out wide, with awesome catches reported.

Pre-snapper and pearl perch closure, the fishing in close for snapper was on fire and plenty of good fish were caught inside the 10NM range.

Soft plastics, such as Molix RT Fork Flex and Z-Man Scented Jerk Shadz, produced the goods.

A standout winner on inshore snapper was the Pro Lure Clone Prawn 120mm, while not as durable as a 10x style plastic, who really cares when you’re bagging knobbies in the 7080cm size range.

Once the snapper closure kicked in, many crews started to head

further north up the island and much wider east to get away from snapper and chase other demersal species.

Red emperor, tuskfish, sweetlip, nannygai, mangrove jack, jewfish and cod were filling Eskies, with an assortment of fresh bait, jigs and plastics bringing home the goods.

There were plenty of pelagic in the mix too.

Schools of longtail tuna were everywhere, from Wide Bay Bar to out wide, and made for good fun and better sashimi.

A few spanish mackerel were still hanging about and a number of * continued P39

Shaun Falzon and a lit-up pre-closure snapper.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Squid, snapper and dozens of demersal * from P38

arm-stretching amberjack also reported, with plenty of cobia getting around some of the wrecks and bait schools.

Back inside the bay and up the creeks, a good number of flathead were caught on an ebbing tide around creek mouths and any drains off the flats in the bay.

Soft plastics worked well, as did smaller trolled hard-bodies.

Trolling is a great way to find fish and new ground.

The key to catching this species on the troll is to make sure your lures are scraping into the sand and kicking up puffs of dust to entice the flatties.

You will also get by-catch such as sole, bream, whiting and tailor.

If you want to increase the chances of hitting a few tailor, try tolling out from the drop-off in slightly deeper water.

Trolling at a brisk walking pace should see you catch a few these toothy treats.

Bream are well and truly in good numbers, with the water temperature down to 17-18C. Fishing any structure at this time of year – such as rocky drop-offs

and pylons – should see you take home a feed easily.

Smaller plastics and hard-bodies are a great way to catch bream, as is the humble peeled prawn.

If you want a bit more of a challenge, try targeting them up on the flats.

Suddenly, the aggressive bream that would crush anything that floats past becomes a spooky and extremely hard-to-target adversary that could send you home in a straitjacket.

You will need to be super stealthy when hunting these fish and lure presentation is key here.

Using long 4-6lb fluorocarbon leaders and light 4lb braid will give you a better chance of actually hooking into one.

Also, make sure your lure sinks as naturally as possible to avoid being detected as a fake.

Fly is also a great way to target them on the flats and allows you to land your offering a little lighter on the water’s surface.

To say I’ve pulled my hair out chasing this fish on our local flats is an understatement – I’ve frequently returned home demoralised and beaten – but they keep

you coming back and are a great challenge.

Trevally and queenfish have also been in good numbers.

While we have struggled to find the big golden variety over the past couple of months, we’ve found good-sized skinnies in creeks and schools of fish to 7080cm, and we’ve seen heaps of bigeye and giant trevally.

Our lures of choice have been Palms Bit Arts Miniature Dax in 14g and MajorCraft JigPara in 15g.

I love the Akakin red and gold coloured jig, but if you asked Chappo, he’s all about the Zebra Glow.

A few nice sized mud crabs were caught in the upper reaches of the locals.

While fishos haven’t found huge numbers, the quality was there.

On the sand crab front, I’ve not received too many reports, so I don’t have much to contribute on them.

Well, that’s it from me for another month.

Stay warm and get out to enjoy our little slice of heaven!

Tight lines.

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Megan boated a nice snapper from in close on a Z-Man Scented Jerk Shadz in Coconut Ice pre-closure. www.bnbfishing.com.au

Neil Moy captured a decent-sized cobia.

Dee Sippel was happy with a nice inshore jewfish.

Shaun Falzon with a hand full of cobia from an inshore wreck.

Neil hooked this tuskfish on the jig.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 39

Our two-bedroom apartment had a comfortable lounge and big TV.

A tailor hook-up in a gutter a short distance from the resort.

K’gari Beach Resort family fishing trip

W

A nice whiting captured by the author on the trip from the barge.

A hit of tennis is yet another option for guests when not out and about.

INTER and early to midspring is of course peak beach fishing time in southeast Queensland and for me there is no better place to do that for mixed species action than K’gari – previously known as Fraser Island.

My first trip to the island this season was with my family and some great friends – who came all the way from Perth to join us on our trip, once again staying at K’gari Beach Resort at Eurong.

The locality For those not familiar, K’gari Beach Resort – Eurong Beach Resort, as it was formerly known – is located centrally along the eastern beach.

It is a short drive of about 50 minutes or so at low tide from the barge landing at Hook Point on the bottom end of the island.

Alternatively, it is ap-

An aerial view of how close the resort is to the beach and it’s integration with the environment.

Page 40 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

K’gari Holiday

by SEAN ‘SKIP’ THOMPSON

proximately one hour across the island, if you take the ferry to Kingfisher Bay Resort via River Heads near Hervey Bay. Location wise, K’gari Beach Resort is then a short drive to some very popular locations, including Central Station, Boorangoora – previously Lake McKenzie – and Lake Birrabeen.

The huge advantage of staying here to visit these sites is that the track is directly behind the resort, so you don’t need to worry about tides on the beach.

Other locations nearby worth a visit include Lake Wabby, Eli Creek, the Pinnacles, SS Maheno and further afield, Indian Head (Tukkee Wurroo) and Champagne Pools.

The latter two are a longer drive – a general rule is that you should time your departure three hours or so before low tide and a return about three hours after low tide – depending on tide size and beach conditions.

The other advantage to the resort’s location is the access to plenty of good fishing spots, but more on that later!

The facilities One of the many great features of the resort is that you can be comfortable in the knowledge that the whole area has a fully fenced perimeter.

This means you can let the kids run around outside on the huge green lawn space and not worry about an unwanted visitor to your * continued P41

A beautiful view of the resort pool from our balcony.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

K’gari Beach Resort family fishing trip * from P40

tent or accommodation at night.

Other great features of the resort include the nearby shop, with fuel, and the yummy bakery with its delicious sweet and savory treats, and great coffee.

There are plenty of great souvenirs from the shop that are reasonably priced too.

Other facilities include a huge pool, tennis court, great restaurant and bar – McKenzie’s on 75 – and barbecue area.

Speaking of the restaurant, as for much of the resort, it has had an awesome facelift over the past year or so.

New furniture and huge photos of the island are a lovely touch, as is the comfortable lounge close to the bar, a

75” big screen television for sport and a free pool table, which our teenagers enjoyed.

If you want to take the hassle out of your stay, McKenzie’s on 75 restaurant is a great option for breakfast and dinner before and after you hit the tracks or the beach for a fish.

You can have the choice of a continental or hot breakfast, along with barista-made coffee.

Then when you are home after your big day out, you can either order-in pizzas to you room or go the all-new delicious a la carte menu option.

We were extremely impressed with our meals, including some huge steaks and plates full of sticky ribs, pasta with salmon and curries.

If your family decide

to hang around the resort around lunchtime while you are out having a fish or catching bait, there is also a ‘light bites’ menu to choose from while looking out over the lovely pool.

The accommodation When it comes to accommodation, K’gari Beach Resort has options to suit all budgets and preferences.

These include ‘resort’ and ‘king hotel’ rooms as well as ‘king two bedroom’ and ‘two bedroom’ apartments.

Even better is that most of the hotel rooms and apartments were part of the major facelift.

We stayed in the ‘king two bedroom’ apartments that in recent years have had a furniture upgrade, huge televisions added in the * continued P42

Jakey with his first tailor.

The author’s son Matthew with a flathead caught on a soft plastic from the western side.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 41

K’gari Beach Resort family fishing trip * from P41

The author’s monstrous steak meal at McKenzie’s on 75 restaurant.

The very spacious and newly renovated McKenzie’s on 75 restaurant.

The yummy choices at Eurong Bakery have to be seen to be believed.

The Eurong shop has plenty of souvenirs, food, drinks and fuel to top up with.

Page 42 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

lounge and main bedroom and, only in the past year, beautiful new bathroom renovations.

What we loved about our accommodation was that it was comfortable and relaxing, but also laid back.

So we could still carry some of the fishing gear through and rig it up on the huge balcony and enjoy either a very early coffee or a late afternoon beverage while overlooking the view.

And the resort usually has some great offers going, including seasonal specials, barge inclusions, $1 breakfasts, ‘Stay 5 Pay 4’ deals and early birds discounts as examples.

Finally, with the outdoor carwash, there’s also the option of giving your four-wheel-drive a decent washdown during your stay.

The fishing While our five-night trip was somewhat interrupted by a strong southeast wind and swell, there are always fish to be caught somewhere on the island, depending on the wind direction.

A westerly wind is perfect for the beach, to flatten out the swell and bring bait close to shore, while with a strong southeast wind, you’re better over on the western side of the island.

On our way up from the Inskip barge, I always have the rods rigged and ready for the low tide.

This is in case we see either schools of tailor or nice shallow whiting gutters.

On this trip, we tried a few of the latter and scored some fish on live beachworms.

As per the video on my Facebook page, On-

tour Fishing Australia – scan the QR code on page 40 – the best of these fish was a very thick 36cm whiting that took my bait on a razor sharp and fine Tru-Turn Finesse hook.

Whiting were found in shallow gutters of about 1m or so of water, running off a back sandbank and closing up to a blind end on the beach.

Light whippy beach rods, light line 6lb fluorocarbon trace and light gauge hooks were the trick in this very shallow water.

Then of course it would not be a K’gari winter fishing trip without a session or two chasing tailor.

With tailor season on the island running from about July through to October, there’s still plenty of time to get among them.

We were fortunate and found a deep gutter that was perfect within a couple of hundred metres from the resort.

While some people swear by a particular tide for tailor, I believe other factors are much more important – these include wind, swell, water colour and the presence of bait.

Dawn and dusk are often peak times, however don’t rule out a day session with the right amount of water and bait in the gutter.

Along with a couple of our friends, my son Josh and I scored some good choppers on individually quick-frozen pilchard on size 4/0 pre-made Tru Turn gang hooks.

Ganging up with these rigs is a breeze with the swivels between the hooks making it much quicker and easier to rig up than stiff gangs without the swivels.

The session was also

a good opportunity for my son to try out the new 11’ Crusis Synergy Surf Casting rod I bought from Viva Fishing.

It did not disappoint!

While a lightweight nano III graphite rod, it had enough strength for my son to fire off big casts with an 8 ball sinker and ganged pilchard to exactly where the tailor were feeding.

While we got a few more tailor on another session, soon after the sea and wind got up, so we headed over to the western side with our soft plastics and live worms, as well as using some yabbies we’d pumped over there.

This saw us catch a feed of whiting and flathead, with our last session being a very good catch-and-release-only stint on flathead.

White and pink combos were our best colours in the overcast conditions, with a mix of Z-Man’s GrubZ, Slim SwimZ and MinnowZ, and the Madeye 4” shrimp doing the damage.

To cast further with the wind behind our backs, we called on thin-gauge finesse TT Fishing jig heads in 1/6 and slightly heavier 1/4oz for the job.

Wrap up So, there you go.

Another successful and enjoyable trip to the island, staying at the very comfortable and family friendly K’gari Beach Resort.

If you haven’t been – or not for a while – be sure to give it a go and book in while beach-fishing season is still with us.

For more fishing tips and reports, be sure to jump on my Facebook and social media pages – Ontour Fishing Australia.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 45

Paul tackled an annoying bronze whaler shark on an 100lb outfit.

Rob and a nice queenfish hooked on a jig.

Jacob had a great session jigging golden trevally.

> Hervey Bay > Fraser Island > Sandy Strait

Bothersome bronze whalers

A

PPA R EN TLY it was winter recently, even though I was dressed as if it was spring.

At the time of writing, it was blowing from the southeast, so the windchill factor wasn’t too great.

Winter itself wasn’t too cold either.

It felt as if the water temperature was mild, and I think the fishing reflected that too.

Sharks – yes, those things – I thought would leave or at least slow down over winter.

There were definitely fewer, though still enough to pester us

Fraser Guided Fishing

by TRI TON

when we hooked nice fish.

Whether they simply decided to stay or hang around because of the warmer water temperature, either way was a downer.

Anyway, one of my clients enjoys sharking, so we rigged up and poked these bronze whaler sharks back.

It took some time to finally get a bit, but we got one whaler of about 1.8m long.

They are a fast fish and not lazy as per the bull variety – I imagine that’s why they’re still a menace in winter.

Even though it took us time to get a hook-up, it was amazing to see

how fast these sharks climbed all over anything we hooked out of the reef we were fishing.

I believe these smaller faster sharks follow the lure and boat, and once you hook up, they pounce instantly.

Drift a dead bait down, and it’s not always the same response.

Though in summertime, anything is consumed very quickly.

I use the Lowrance to make sure we stay in contact with the big predator, so I try to keep that bait in its face.

The warmer water did send mack tuna as a * continued P47

Get into the best fishing action!

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www.fraserguidedfishing.com.au > 0427 230 261 Page 46 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

Joey escaped the wind and got into some nice dusky flathead.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Bothersome bronze whalers * from P46

reprieve, and I could often find them at some stage during the day.

These were mostly caught by fast spinning a plastic and luckily, they proved to be not too fussy.

Other times we jigged them down deep.

Some solid specimens were hooked off the seafloor on smaller 60g jigs.

They are a joy to battle, and I will never stand for anyone bashing the entertainment factor of any tuna.

Other species such as trevally are often around mack tuna.

These mobile schools are less prone to shark attack, purely due to their mobility.

Sharks are lazy and

need to conserve energy as much as they can.

Unfortunately for me, it wasn’t always common to find trevally.

Throwback to earlier in the year when trevally were busting on the surface alongside the tuna!

When I find these mobile fish, I prefer to use jigs because they get down into the zone faster.

Sometimes they can be on the starboard side, next moment they’re on the port side but 20m off.

If the fish are directly under or to one side, you must respond fast.

On the windy days, we went chasing dusky flathead and anything else that haunts similar areas.

With the new marine zoning, I’m hoping this sort of fishing will flourish and put less pressure on areas where the sharks have been wreaking havoc.

Spread the fishing pressure throughout the region.

Finding fish and boats constantly in a small area will inevitably mean Bruce will make an appearance too.

Don’t be fooled though, if those barramundi and threadfin salmon school up and hundreds of them get hammered by recreational anglers, I don’t doubt that you’ll find estuary predators seeking out the same bounty as their bay-dwelling brethren.

Tide Times

AUSTRALIA EAST COAST AUSTRALIA, EAST EAST COAST AUSTRALIA, COAST – WADDY POINT (F WADDY POINT LAT LONG 153° 21ʼ E LAT 24° 24° 58ʼ 58ʼ S S SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER

Time Time

m m

Time Time

11

16 16

Time 0257 1002 WE 1644 2204 2204

0331 0331 0.35 0.35 0936 0936 1.71 1.71 SA 1521 0.44 0.44 SA 1521 2155 2155 1.97 1.97

0300 0313 0232 0300 0.49 0.49 0313 0.37 0.37 0232 0.35 0.35 17 0921 2 0949 0921 1.63 1.63 0949 1.96 1.96 17 0923 0923 1.92 1.92 1554 0.63 1528 0.64 SU 1507 0.60

0331 0331 1046 1046 1746 TH TH 1746 2252 2252

22

0237 0237 0.49 0.49 0851 0851 1.59 1.59 1432 0.53 1432 0.53 SA SA 2052 2052 1.73 1.73

SU 1507 0.60 2120 2120 1.65 1.65

0410 0323 0410 0.42 0.42 0323 0.50 0.50 1023 0955 1023 1.74 1.74 0955 1.66 1.66 1615 0.60 1544 SU MO 0.69 SU 1615 0.60 MO 1544 0.69 2239 2152 2239 1.77 1.77 2152 1.55 1.55

33

18

1

16

MO MO 1554 0.63 2155 2155 1.57 1.57

TU TU 1528 0.64 2117 2117 1.47 1.47

0347 0347 1035 1035 1701 TU TU 1701 2239 2239

0.48 0.48 1.95 1.95 0.78 0.78 1.40 1.40

0302 0302 0.42 0.42 18 1002 1002 1.92 1.92 WE 1618 0.72

WE 1820 2329 2329 0503 0503 1223 1223 1949 TH TH 1949

0.88 1.26 1.26 0.73 0.73 1.83 1.83 0.92 0.92

0039 0039 0608 0608 1335 FR 1335 FR 2130 2130 0234 0234 0734 0734 SA 1453 1453 SA 2236 2236 0411 0411 0901 0901 SU 1559 1559 SU 2316 2316 0506 0506 1014 1014 MO 1651 1651 MO 2346 2346 0543 0543 1106 1106 TU 1732 TU 1732

1.16 1.16 0.84 0.84 1.76 1.76 0.89 0.89 1.13 1.13 0.91 0.91 1.72 1.72 0.82 0.82 1.18 1.18 0.91 0.91 1.71 1.71 0.74 0.74 1.26 1.26 0.84 0.84 1.72 1.72 0.66 0.66 1.35 1.35 0.74 0.74 1.74 1.74

TH 1718 2242 2242 0411 0411 1134 1134 1835 FR 1835 FR 2339 2339 0501 0501 1243 1243 SA 2007 2007 SA

3

WE 1618 0.72 2157 2157 1.36 1.36

1

2

0411 0411 1133 1133 1850 FR FR 1850 2355 2355

3

0450 0450 0.52 0.52 1114 1114 1.75 1.75 MO 1720 0.78 0.78 MO 1720 2323 2323 1.57 1.57

0347 0421 0333 0347 0.54 0.54 0421 0.60 0.60 0333 0.51 0.51 19 1032 4 1125 1032 1.67 1.67 1125 1.90 1.90 19 1044 1044 1.88 1.88 TU 1627 0.80 WE 1820 0.88 TH 1718 0.80

0506 0506 1231 1231 2003 SA 2003 SA

0532 0532 0.62 0.62 1212 1212 1.74 1.74 1844 0.92 TU TU 1844 0.92

55

20

0014 0014 1.38 1.38 0622 0622 0.72 0.72 1323 1.72 WE 1323 1.72 WE 2029 0.98 2029 0.98 0123 0123 1.24 1.24 0723 0.81 0723 0.81 1.73 TH 1447 1447 1.73 TH 2228 0.94 2228 0.94 0307 1.16 0307 1.16 0837 0.86 0837 1.75 0.86 FR 1602 1602 1.75 FR 2335 0.86 2335 0.86 0450 1.17 0450 0.86 1.17 0952 0952 0.86 SA 1701 1.78 SA 1701 1.78

6

21 21

77

22 22

0134 0134 0629 0629 1340 SU SU 1340 2118 2118 0312 0312 0756 0756 MO 1451 MO 1451 2212 2212 0417 0417 0917 0917 1549 TU 1549 TU 2249 2249 0502 0502 1021 1021 WE 1635 WE 1635 2316 2316 0539 0539 1109 1713 TH 1109 TH 1713 2339 2339 0611 0611 1151 1747 FR 1151 FR 1747

44

TU 1627 0.80 2225 2225 1.45 1.45 0415 0415 0.59 0.59 1113 1113 1.67 1.67 1721 WE 1721 0.89 0.89 WE 2302 2302 1.33 1.33 0447 0447 0.65 0.65 1202 1202 1.65 1.65 1840 0.96 TH 1840 0.96 TH 2346 1.22 2346 1.22 0531 0.72 0531 0.72 1313 1.64 1313 0.94 1.64 FR 2041 FR 2041 0.94

0109 1.13 0109 0.78 1.13 23 0638 23 0638 0.78 SA 1441 1.68

1441 SA 2204 2204 0309 0309 0814 0814 SU 1552 1552 SU 2259 2259 0431 0431 1002 1002 MO 1652 1652 MO 2344 2344 0532 0532 1108 1108 TU 1743 TU 1743

24 24

0014 0.79 0014 1.23 0.79 25 10 0547 10 1.23 25 1054 SU 0547 0.81

Rob captured his first Hervey Bay snapper pre-closure.

Time Time Time m m 0239 0205 0239 0.28 0.28 0905 0847 0905 1.93 1.93 1500 0.48 SU 0.48 MO 1445 SU 1500 2114 2040 2114 1.74 1.74

m 0.32 1.88 0.57 1.56

99

www.bnbfishing.com.au

m m

0252 0252 0.32 0.32 0850 0850 1.65 1.65 1434 0.32 1434 0.32 FR FR 2112 2112 2.11 2.11

88

Mawson enjoyed tuna eating jigs and surface lures.

Times Times and and Heights Heights of High and Low Wate OCTOBER OCTOBER

1.68 0.82 0.82 1.13 1.13 0.78 0.78 1.78 1.78 0.67 0.67 1.21 1.21 0.69 0.69 1.90 1.90 0.52 0.52 1.34 1.34 0.55 0.55 2.01 2.01

1054 1.80 0.81 SU 1746 1746 1.80 0039 0.72 0039 1.30 0.72 0624 0624 0.72 1.30 MO 1141 1141 1.83 0.72 MO 1823 1823 1.83 0103 0.64 0023 0.39 0103 1.37 0.64 0023 1.48 0.39 0654 0618 0654 1.37 1.48 1220 0.62 1158 TU WE 0618 0.41 1220 1.85 0.62 WE 1829 1158 2.07 0.41 TU 1857 1857 1.85 1829 2.07 0128 0.58 0058 0.30 0128 1.43 0.58 0058 1.62 0.30 0725 0659 0725 0.54 1.43 TH 1243 0659 0.32 1.62 WE 1254 1254 1.86 0.54 TH 1911 1243 2.08 0.32 WE 1928 1928 1.86 1911 2.08 0152 0.53 0132 0.25 0152 1.49 0.53 0132 1.75 0754 0739 0.25 0754 0.49 1.49 FR 1326 0739 0.30 1.75 TH 1326 1326 1.84 0.49 FR 1951 1326 2.02 0.30 TH 1957 1957 1.84 1951 2.02 0215 0.50 0205 0.24 0822 0821 0215 1.54 0.50 0205 1.86 0.24 0822 0.49 1.54 SA 1412 0821 0.36 1.86 FR 1358 2024 1.79 2033 1.91 1358 0.49 1412 0.36 FR SA 2024 1.79 2033 1.91

11 11

26 26

5

66

77

88

99

10 10

20 21 21

12 12

27 27

12 12

13 13

28 28

13 13

14 14

29 29

14 14

15 15

30 30

15 15

0.72 0.72 1.78 1.78 0.80 0.80

0123 1.13 0123 1.13 22 0617 0.79 22 0617 0.79 SU 1406 1.78

SU 1406 2123 2123 0300 0300 0756 0756 MO 1517 MO 1517 2219 2219 0413 0413 0936 1618 TU 0936 TU 1618 2304 2304 0509 0509 1044 1710 WE 1044 WE 1710 2343 2343 0555 0555 1136 1756 TH 1136 TH 1756

23 23 24 24 25 25

0012 0.58 0012 0.58 11 0615 1.44 26 11 0615 1.44 0.64 26 WE 1145

1145 WE 1805 1805 0034 0034 0645 1220 TH 0645 1836 TH 1220 1836 0054 0054 0714 1254 FR 0714 1905 FR 1254 1905 0116 0744 0116 1330 SA 0744 1934 SA 1330 1934 0139 0814 0139 1406 SU 0814 2006 SU 1406 2006

0.80 1.25 1.25 0.62 0.62 1.82 1.82 0.83 0.83 1.16 1.16

1.78 0.71 0.71 1.19 1.19 0.79 0.79 1.83 1.83 0.58 0.58 1.32 1.32 0.70 0.70 1.89 1.89 0.44 0.44 1.48 1.48 0.57 0.57 1.93 1.93 0.34 0.34 1.64 1.64 0.47 0.47 1.93 1.93

0.64 1.75 1.75 0.49 0017 0.26 0.49 0017 1.54 0636 0.26 1.80 1.54 0.55 FR 0636 1224 1.80 0.41 0.55 1.75 FR 1224 1838 0.41 1.88 1.75 1838 1.88 0.42 0049 0.22 0.42 0049 1.63 0716 0.22 1.95 1.63 0.50 SA 0716 1310 1.95 0.41 0.50 1.73 SA 1310 1918 0.41 1.79 1.73 1918 1.79 0.36 0121 0.23 1.73 0757 0.23 2.06 0.36 0121 0.49 SU 0757 1357 2.06 0.46 1.73 1.69 SU 1357 1959 0.46 1.67 0.49 1.69 1959 1.67 0.33 0154 0.27 1.81 0839 0.27 2.13 0.33 0154 0.51 MO 0839 1448 2.13 0.55 1.81 1.63 2041 1.54 0.51 MO 1448 0.55 1.63 2041 1.54 0226 0.36 0921 0.36 2.14 0226 1543 2.14 0.65 TU 0921 2122 0.65 1.42 TU 1543 2122 1.42

4

55

66

77

88

99

10 10

0002 0002 11 0641 0641 11 SA 1230

1820 SA 1230 1820 0027 0027 0712 1309 SU 0712 1854 SU 1309 1854 0054 0054 0744 1350 MO 0744 1931 MO 1350 1931 0125 0820 0125 1435 TU 0820 2012 TU 1435 2012 0158 0858 0158 1524 WE 0858 2056 WE 1524 2056

27 27

12 12

28 28

13 13

29 29

14 14

30 30

15 15

31 31

© Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2021, Bureau of Meteorolo New Moon is Lowest Quarter © Copyright Commonwealth of First Australia 2021,Tide Bureau of Meteorolo Datum of Predictions Astronomical Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Full Moon Last Quarter Moon Phase Symbols New Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols New Moon First Quarter

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 47

Woodgate Beach Hotel Fishing Classic 2023 gears up this month

T

HE seventh annual Woodgate Beach Hotel Fishing Classic is almost here, and we are excited to announce that this year we have partnered with Queensland Fishing Classics to host our event.

With our prize pool reaching over $100,000, this family friendly event is sure to have something for the entire family!

The classic will take place over the first weekend of the school holidays, which will see the Woodgate Beach Hotel transform into the iconic tournament precinct, with the beautiful foreshore as its backdrop.

The hotel has undergone extensive renovations and offers more space than ever before.

Our young anglers’ kids day will be held

Dan and Steph – former MKR winners – are coming back to treat you with their cooking skills.

Page 48 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

on the Saturday, with face painting, colouring-in comps, fish-cart races with Mossy and much more.

Also included on the Saturday night are our kids’ major draw down prizes, which will see one lucky young angler take home a boating package valued at over $13,000.

We’ll also see the return of Dan and Steph – former MKR winners – showing off their cooking skills, plus live entertainment with Wal Nielsen later in the evening.

Sunday will feature our fishing category winners for both adults and cadets, along with the highly anticipated adults’ major draw downs.

This year, we have all the favourites returning along with some new

additions to the prize pools, so remember to pack your tow ball in case the 2023 top prize package heads home with you!

We have partnered with Bundaberg Trackset again, with our charity raffle prize being a brand new 2023 Seadoo Spark Trix.

This raffle prize is valued at over $15,000 and could be yours on Sunday 17, while supporting and raising money towards the Camp Gregory Veterans Retreat.

Information about this raffle can be found on our website, woodgate beachhotelfishingclas sic.com.au Fishing will be hot in September, so for the best chance of taking out WBHFC 2023 prizes, be sure to pop in and see Dane and

the team at Fisho’s Tackle World Hervey Bay for the gear you’ll need.

This year’s event will be the first time organisers have capped the event at 750 entrants – to ensure we can cater to everyone’s’ needs across the weekend.

This will be a year you don’t want to miss!

So visit our website and register to be part of the 2023 Woodgate Beach Hotel Fishing Classic.

The return of the Shimano Reef Science fishing show will also be at the classic.

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BRISBANE Neptune Marine Oceania Unit 1/3361 Pacific Hwy, Slacks Creek www.neptunemarine.com.au 07 3290 6370

MACKAY Phoenix Powersports 165 Paradise St, Mackay www.phoenixpowersports.com.au 07 4952 2436

TOWNSVILLE InTune Marine U4/179 Ingham Rd, Townsville www.intunemarinetownsville.com.au 0401 794 384

GLADSTONE Motz Marine 2 Enterprise St, Boyne Island mikemotzo@gmail.com 0401 697 295

SUNSHINE COAST Port O’ Call Boating 29 Production Ave, Warana www.marinecenter.com.au 07 5493 2255

WOODBURN Woodburn Marine 83 River St, Woodburn woodburn.marine@outlook.com 0402 512 603

www.bnbfishing.com.au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 49

Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival 2023

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Thanks to Bundaberg Marineland, this year we’ll be giving away an $11,990 boat package, which includes a Sea Jay 370 Nomad HS with a Yamaha F15LMHA on a registered Redco trailer.

This year’s Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival is fast approaching – time to get those entry forms filled out and book your accommodation.

ITH this year’s Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival fast approaching, it’s time to get those entry forms filled out and book your accommodation.

At the 2023 event, we’re giving away an $11,990 boat package, thanks to Bundaberg Marineland, which includes a Sea Jay 370 Nomad HS with a Yamaha F15LMHA on a registered Redco trailer.

As per previous years, we will provide Queensland registration, river safety gear, fuel tank, rod holders, drink holders and utility holder.

The main fishing prize of $500 cash for the biggest mangrove jack caught during the weeklong event is sponsored

by Tackle World Bundaberg.

We have 22 catego-

ries to fish for seniors, juniors and pre-juniors, with some great prizes on offer.

The Wednesday night catch up will be held at the Baffle Creek Sport and Recreation Grounds, we’ll have a scoreboard, update raffles – including a trip to Lady Musgrave Island – a lucky door prize and a few activities to keep the kids busy.

The Baffle Creek Men’s Shed will be doing hamburgers, hot dogs and chips, and the Baffle Creek Fishing Club will have the bar open from 5.30pm.

Don’t forget to bring your crab pots because the biggest mud crab also gets a prize.

The competition kicks off on Monday September 18 and you’ll need to come to the sport and rec grounds – at 569 Coast

Rd near the Wartburg State School – to pick up your goody bag and competition ID cards.

The ‘funday’ kicks off at 12.30pm on Saturday 23.

We’ll have rides for the kids, a mullet throw competition, stall holders, heaps to eat and drink, raffles, promo draws and the presentations, finishing the night off with the major draw prize for the senior, junior and pre junior categories.

BCFFF is a catchsnap and release event, so you’ll need to photograph all eligible fish and download to the app, which will be supplied on sign up.

Go to bafflecreekfish ing.com to sign up and for all relevant information.

See you all there.

Tight lines.

Enjoy a week of fun, fishing & adventure!

Join us for our Family Fun Day

Lots of family friendly activities including: Live entertainment, market stalls, food stalls, bar & more!

Mullet Throw Comp

Over $35,000 of cash & prizes to be won

Catch, Snap & Release

Thanks to our GOLD SPONSORS...

Fun for the whole family Seniors $50 Juniors $30/Pre-Juniors $20

Remax Coastal Lifestyle - Zinculumbar Bundaberg Marineland - CouplerTec Z-Man Lures - Mitchys Itchys - Baffle Hideaway Redarc Electronics - Boats Galore Roo Systems Australia - Tackle World Bundaberg

18 - 23 Sep 2023 Page 50 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

FREE ENTRY to our Family Fun Day Saturday 23rd Sept 12pm to 8pm

www.bafflecreekfishing.com

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The author and his son Braxton did well fishing for barramundi in the Fitzroy River – an excellent recruitment and a positive outlook for the future.

Sensational spring on Capricorn Coast

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HAT’S not to love about September?

Not only can you start packing the winter clothes away in the cupboard but – and this is the best part – the water temperature begins to rise.

And this year, we’ve had a very mild winter, with only a few minor cold snaps that have seen the Fitzroy River fish the best I have ever experienced it through the colder months.

With an excellent barramundi recruitment over the past two years, this entire area is going to be very exciting for how well the fishing will be.

Large numbers of juvenile barra have been fairly common for anglers in the know.

The Fitzroy had only recently come back online after some minor flooding as the weather started to cool.

We haven’t had a decent shot at the Fitzroy with good conditions and warmer water temperatures for quite a while – ex-

www.bnbfishing.com.au

The author with a nice school-sized flathead taken on 4.5” Molix RT Shad from Corio Bay.

Capricorn Coast

by JOHN BOON

citing times ahead.

It’s not full rip into the summer species just yet, so hold your horses.

We’ll see a very steady transition of species from winter over to summer.

A particular standout that is still biting well and is fairly easy to find is blue salmon.

Over the past few months, the schools of blueys have been incredible.

Sitting on a snag or rock bar and watching the sounder black out with dense schools of blues swimming past is cool.

If the conditions are good, they are relatively easy to catch.

Soft vibration lures are a great start, but they’ll eat almost everything, including hard-bodies, prawn imitations and small paddle tail plastics.

If you’re not a lure fisho, nothing beats a live prawn.

If you’re having trou-

ble getting them to commit and they are high up in the water column, try taking the sinkers off and running an unweighted live prawn.

If you’re unable to get prawns, herring and mullet will still have you in the race.

Blue salmon are a great option to eat fresh.

In my opinion, they don’t freeze well at all and tend to get very mushy once thawed.

Make sure you either brain spike them or bleed them straight away.

If you need to wash the fillets, always use salt water.

Flathead will still be biting well into September.

This winter was another great season for the flat fish.

On every trip, they seemed to want something different.

The first trip we did up to Corio Bay they wanted 3-4” paddle * continued P52

Blue salmon love a grub tail, including the Happy Rock Softies Grub.

Schools of blue salmon can get quite dense. This Humminbird Apex shot clearly shows a big school out to the right.

Nothing beats fresh crumbed calamari strips, especially when caught the same day.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 51

Spring on Cap Coast * from P51

tails, the next they wanted grub tails.

Everyone thinks the humble old flatty is an easy target, however they can be just as temperamental as any other fish.

Not long ago, I saw a video that Greg Lamprecht put up where they’d found a lizard laying in the sand in shallow water.

They were literally bouncing all types of lures on its head but it just laid there, showing no interest – it pays to keep mixing it up until you find something that works.

Squid numbers have continued as expected and some horses were among them.

We haven’t had to work too hard to get a good feed of tiger squid on the trips we’ve taken out to the Keppel Bay islands.

The Yamashita Egi Oh Live Warm Jacket squid jigs have worked well.

The better numbers were coming off the shallow broken coral patches.

By broken coral, I mean where there’s good sand patches separating the coral.

I’m not entirely sure why these areas have worked best, but it’s an observation I’ve

made when out chasing them.

For one trip, when the squid were hard to find in the shallows, an adjustment we made was to drift the deeper channels up to about 8m in depth.

If we can’t get them in the usual places, this is generally where I turn.

If you can locate weed beds with your sounder, that’s exactly where you want to target.

You may have to add a ball sinker to get the jigs down, depending on current.

Either spot lock and cast or just drift across and drop the squid jigs to the bottom.

I have found either a couple of short jabs or a nice easy lift and drop gets them to commit.

Well, that’s it from me for this month.

I’m off to start preparing for the Fitzroy River Barra Bash, which is coming up soon.

It’s my absolute favourite barramundi competition to fish and I’ll have a full report in due course.

Stay safe and make sure to get the kids out on the water during the school holidays.

Another big school of blue salmon coming through on the left. A curl tail plastic got the bite straight away.

Page 52 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

Scotty Williamson managed a solid coral trout.

Seventeen Seventy PBA sortie

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HE Seventeen Seventy trip came around very quickly this year, possibly because it was moved a few months forward to miss the dodgy weather that’s regularly experienced during October.

There had also been a blanket ban on checking the forecast a week out, in an attempt to not jinx the conditions.

All boats and crews made the trip north safely, and obviously someone had peeked because there was only one good window, with the most reasonable option being double overnighters from Monday to Wednesday.

The flotilla set sail and split, with some heading to Fitzroy, while others steered to Musgrave.

The blue-house crew of Salty and Frejya opted for the latter, as conditions on the day looked reasonable for the run out.

On arrival, they decided to stay in the lee of the reef for the afternoon, in the hope that the wind would abate while they had a crack

Power Boat Anglers

by MICK CLUTTERBUCK

in the shallows before a late pre-dark run out to Stuart Shoal.

While there were a few fish about, nothing of note made the Esky apart from a great redthroat emperor taken by Helaine.

Just Neat, Reel Em In and Craig joined them later and hadn’t actually missed out on any action.

The next morning, the breeze before sunrise was light and, while everyone was keen for a cuppa, the bacon and eggs stayed in the fridge because all were keen for a fish.

The first stop for the morning was slightly outside the reef, where they’d hoped to find more redthroat, but only hussar were found on the chew.

Next was out to the east in deeper water, where in 2022 saw some great trout boated near Stuart Shoal, so there was hope the area would produce again.

On arrival, it seemed that it wasn’t an isolated idea, with a number of club boats in the area landing some nice fish, though not the size of last year.

There were some nice legal wire netting cod or similar getting up to 50cm, which was strange because you don’t usually get a legal one.

Pete and Rob moved again, heading out even wider still for a look, The conditions were nice and there were fish on the sounder, nevertheless the unpredictable drift made it hard to stay on them.

They dropped the electric and locked on the fish and, after a few hits and misses, Rob finally hooked a nice fish.

Hoping for a big red emperor, he put in the big cranks to beat the men in grey.

He got the colour he wanted and, while a nice school fish, it wasn’t the

* continued P54

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 53

Seventeen Seventy PBA sortie * from P52

Dale McClurg was happy with a redthroat emperor.

A coral trout boated by Tim Tilbury.

Offshore reef fishing fanatics WANTED One of Brisbane’s oldest deep-sea fishing clubs 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 Darren (0413 511 436) or Tim (0436 625 590).

POWER BOAT ANGLERS REEF FISHING CLUB INC Page 54 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

big model everyone hoped for.

Soon after, Pete was on but somehow dropped it before things went quiet.

With things shut down and traffic heading their way, it was time for another move.

As often happens when travelling between marks, they drove over a little show that warranted further inspection.

Once back on the spot, they looked at the sounder and instantly high-fived because the shows were epic.

Pete dropped first and was smashed by a good fish, though marginally out of eyeshot it was slammed by sharks, which left him only the head of a very big tuskfish.

They managed a trout and another couple of tuskies, but the sharks were on fire, so they gave up and headed in closer to the reef.

Once again, there were some nice redthroat in the shallows, though few and far between, however the crew on Freyja showed everyone how it was done.

Finished for the day, all headed into the lagoon to raft up for the night and enjoy a feed and a beverage.

Next morning, the wind was up and it didn’t feel as nice as the previous day.

Pete and Rob decided to stay in the shallows trying for trout and managed a few for the Esky, while others were more suited to the kids’ fish tank.

A number of boats were around Stuart Shoal, while others had headed out wider again.

The fish were there, however the drifts were too fast and even those with electric motors found them constantly

tripping out, so reversing was the only way to get to the bottom.

With limited options, everyone persisted until the wind dropped, allowing a few other choices to be made.

Rob and Pete headed to the previous day’s new mark, hoping the sharks were full.

On sounding the area, no big streaks were evident, allowing for some cautious optimism.

First off the mark, Pete scored a nice red – his new personal best.

Next, Rob thought he had a good red, though it turned out to be a big tusky.

Pete had something solid that he assumed was a shark.

He decided to play it and was pleasantly surprised when a cobia came up to the surface.

They managed a few more tuskies before the grey men arrived, leaving no other option than to hightail it and head for the ramp.

The rest of the week looked dodgy, with maybe Saturday being fishable, leaving a couple of couch days.

A few of the boats stayed around and hit the water early on Saturday, headed for Boult Reef.

Conditions were fairly

sloppy and about 10km out, it didn’t get any better.

Smashing 55km out and back in 20-knot wind for a few hours of fishing wasn’t that appealing anymore, so they turned around.

Back at the ramp, Tim and Scotty had a look with Bruce and Stef and, if it backed out, were going to give it a go in the afternoon.

As it turned out, it did back off and they caught a few lovely trout – Scotty’s taking out the prize for the biggest of the species.

Rob’s red held on as well to take a trophy and Pete’s cobia may have been the biggest pelagic.

All in all, a good trip was had, with great friends and plenty of laughs… only 320 sleeps until the next one!

Any interested parties are invited to come along to our monthly meetings that occur on the first Wednesday of every month at ‘The Club Manly’ (bowls club), 26 Faine St Manly from 6.30pm for a 7pm start.

The next meetings for the year will be Wednesday September 6, followed by Wednesday 4 October.

Until next month, safe boating.

A decent red emperor captured by Scotty.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Lake Proserpine impoundment holds the most barramundi over 1m of any in Australia.

Freshwater fishing in the Whitsunday Islands provides a challenge to both novices and seasoned freshwater anglers.

Fishing paradise for all anglers

T

HE Whitsundays is a world-renowned fishing destination, offering a diverse range of options for beginners and seasoned anglers alike.

With stunning scenery and abundant marine life, the Whitsundays is the perfect place to catch your next big fish.

Freshwater fishing Freshwater fishing is not always the first thought for fishing in the Whitsunday Islands, but there are many estuaries on the mainland and islands that are accessible and provide a challenge to novices and seasoned freshwater anglers.

Exploring the estuaries is for the adventurous, as most involve a wet and muddy trek along creek beds.

Lake Proserpine is one of the best places for easy-to-access freshwater fishing in the Whitsundays.

This barramundi impoundment holds the most barra over 1m of any in Australia.

Making it the ideal spot for some friendly competition.

Lake Proserpine is also the newest campground on the Whitsundays, with unpowered grass sites and glamping tents available.

The site has amenities, barbecue facilities and campfire provisions on site.

Located on the water’s

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edge and with a floating pontoon jetty not far away, a couple of days camped out chasing big barra sounds mighty fine.

Saltwater fishing Saltwater fishing in the Whitsundays is something else – the fish are big, the scenery is top notch, and the thrill of the chase is interspersed with turtles, dolphins and humpback whales between June and September.

Fishing within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park means many green and yellow zones and the added hazard of snorkellers.

But with the right approach, these are easily navigated.

The general rule for snorkellers is to not swim where you fish or fish where someone else is swimming – this keeps everyone safe and ensures no finned species get too curious.

The easiest way to track your zones is with a zoning map – available online or in local tackle shops.

While you’re in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, you’re likely to see lots of marine life.

It’s exciting both the first time and the one hundredth time you spot a turtle or whale.

To assist with the tracking of marine life inside the marine park, the Great Barrier Reef

Marine Park Authority has put together the ‘Eye on the Reef’ app, which allows every user to log sightings and photos of marine life they see.

To help the Whitsundays marine life, we encourage everyone to download the Eye on the Reef app to track marine life sightings.

Live aboard fishing New to the fishing scene in the Whitsundays or want to extend your fishing time without hindering the holiday?

Chartering a bareboat – a crewless boat you hire for a week to take yourself out and about the islands – is the best way to get the most fishing into your holiday, while exploring the Whitsunday Islands.

Need something more ‘done for you’ and guided?

Charter one of the luxury yachts that call Coral Sea Marina home and spend your time fishing and relaxing in luxury.

Complete with a skipper, stewardess and even a chef if you want one, this is the most luxurious way to experience the Whitsunday Islands.

No matter your capabilities or budget, you’ll have a great time fishing in the Whitsundays.

So, what are you waiting for?

Book your trip today!

With snorkelling, the general rule is to not swim where you fish or fish where someone else is swimming.

With stunning scenery and abundant marine life, the Whitsundays is the perfect place to catch your next big fish.

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The event serves as a catalyst for showcasing the region’s amazing barramundi.

John Boon from the 2022 Team Humminbird Minn Kota winner of Biggest Barramundi at 128cm.

Humminbird Fitzroy River Barra Bash 2023

T

The Barra Bash, held October 5-8, will see competitors compete across three days for their share of over $90,000 in cash, prizes and giveaways.

The Fitzroy River Barra Bash highlights the thrill of fishing and generates wide-ranging benefits for the local community.

The 2023 event is poised to be the most spectacular showcase yet, with good by-catch and great-sized barramundi.

Page 56 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

HE countdown has begun for the highly anticipated 2023 Humminbird Fitzroy River Barra Bash, set to be the pinnacle of this remarkable annual event to date.

Hosted by the Frenchville Sports Club, this year’s tournament promises to be a celebration of fishing and camaraderie like never before.

The event, to be held October 5-8, will see competitors from around the country compete across three days for their share of over $90,000 in cash, prizes and giveaways.

When reflecting on the legacy of the Barra Bash, Frenchville Sports Club chief executive officer Damien Massingham said, “We are very proud to run the Fitzroy River Barra Bash each year.”

“With each passing edition, the tournament has grown in strength, attracting enthusiasts from across the region and beyond.

“The 2023 event is poised to be the most spectacular showcase yet.”

Rooted in a commitment to sportsmanship and community pride, the Frenchville Sports Club undertakes the Fitzroy River Barra Bash with a dual purpose – to highlight the thrill of fishing and to generate wide-ranging benefits for the local community.

The event serves as a catalyst for showcasing the region’s amazing barramundi.

Crucial to the success of the Barra Bash are the vital partnerships that ensure the tournament’s seamless execution.

The Fitzroy River Barra Bash would like to thank all sponsors, without whom the event would not be as successful – Frenchville Sports Club, Humminbird, Tourism and Events Queensland, Rockhampton Regional Council, Livingstone Shire Council, XXXX, Channel 7, Barra Jacks, Bluefin Sports, Diageo, Bidfood Australia, Bush ‘n Beach Fishing magazine, Coca-Cola Australia, CQ Today, Custom Building Improvements, Edge Rods, EJ Todd, Mor-

risons CQ Agencies, Reel Planning, Shanahan Swaffield Partners, Triple M, Venom Rods, Zerek Innovation, Zonca Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Electrical, Berkley, Castaic Fishing, Daiwa Australia, Guided Fishing Downunder, Horizon, Icey Tek, Mad Dog Productions, OSP, Rapala, Samaki, Shimano, Spotters Sunglasses, Tonic Eyewear and Yamaha.

The 2023 Humminbird Fitzroy River Barra Bash is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland event calendar.

If you are visiting for the competition, we encourage you to make time to explore the diverse tourism experiences on offer in this beautiful region.

For more information, visit fitzroyriver barrabash.com.au or contact event organisers Kaitlyn Graham and Dean Lill at fitz royr iverba r rabash@ fsports.com.au

www.bnbfishing.com. au

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 57

TOURING & exploring

Making sure your brake lights and indicators are working is an important procedure to check before you take to the highway.

Caravan and boat trailer safety

H

Align the ridge on the jockey wheel with the cradle groves, it may save your legs.

Straight safety chains can allow the drawbar to drop in contact with the road surface – not ideal.

Crossing the safety chains gives your drawbar a better chance of settling on top of the chains.

Page 58 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

I all, some of us may have, as a child, helped dad hook the caravan or boat up, and grew up with exposure to this.

We’ve been shown the basic procedures and take a lot of our knowledge for granted because it was the norm and now is second nature to us.

Over the past few years, I’ve crossed paths with many who have ventured into owning a new caravan, camper or boat for the first time.

This article is simply a product of the things I’ve seen and some of the dangerous situations I’ve encountered with fellow travellers.

The number one danger – and I continue to see this on our travels – is the misuse of the removable jockey wheel.

You’ll see the picture of my removable jockey wheel on the front of our caravan.

Welded to the drawbar is the locking bracket, which has a series of slots cut into

Talking Towing

by PAUL ‘CHIEF’ GRAVESON

the hinged collar.

The second component is the actual jockey wheel that has a series of horizontal raised ridges around the steel tubing.

When locking the jockey wheel into the collar, you must make sure these ridges align with the slots in the collar before tightening.

It is preferable, if possible, to get two of the ridges aligned for better safety, but sometimes due to terrain it simply isn’t doable.

I shudder every time I recall seeing someone’s caravan slip down the jockey and smash heavily to the ground.

Thank goodness I’ve never seen anyone’s legs under those drawbars.

I’m very surprised at the number of people who have no idea of the importance of locking the jockey wheel in correctly.

Please, if it’s something you’ve fluked and never been aware of, check it out and stay safe.

Towing your caravan or boat adds a level of responsibility to you as the driver.

Your total vehicle length now requires you to think ahead and have good communication with other road users.

Making sure your brake lights and indicators are working is an important procedure to check before you take to the highway.

If we have a problem with a blinker, we find that 99 percent of the time it’s a 2-second fix.

Check out the picture of my 12-point caravan plug.

The most common problem encountered is caused by wiggling the plug from side to side to disengage it. * continued P59

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TOURING & exploring

Choosing the right trailer for your boat

F

OR newbies to the boating scene, choosing the right trailer for your boat can be a little daunting.

Do you need a C-channel frame?

Or an I-beam?

What about a box section frame?

Move Boat Trailers offers C-channel and I-beam styles on their aluminium trailers and they each play their

part in different ways.

C-channel frames are more lightweight than I-beam frames – making them an excellent choice for those who prioritise affordability and ease of handling, and the perfect trailers for small to mid-size boats.

They are also highly resistant to corrosion and have a sleek modern appearance that

Move Boat Trailers offers C-channel and I-beam styles on their aluminium trailers and they each play their part in different ways.

many people find appealing.

I-beam frames, on the other hand, are heavier and more durable than their C-channel counterparts, making them an ideal choice for boaties requiring a trailer that can withstand heavy use with a larger boat.

They also offer superior load-bearing capacity, which makes them perfect for hauling much heavier loads.

Though box section frames are used on Move Boat Trailers’ alloy cross members, they are not available for use in the main framework of the trailer.

These are more commonly used on galvanised steel trailers and have a much higher water retention than C-channel or I-beam frames, which in turn raises the likelihood of corrosion occurring.

Made in-house from aluminium sheets to fit-out in Coomera on the Gold Coast by a team of local and dedicated trades people, MBT provides alloy trailers for aluminium, fibreglass and plate boats, as well as personal watercraft.

To find out more and to view the range, head to moveboattrailers. com.au

Providing alloy trailers for aluminium, fibreglass and plate boats, Move Boat Trailers are made in-house on the Gold Coast.

Fundamental caravan and boat trailer safety * from P58

Notice all the pins are split with a gap down the centre.

The blinkers are the two pins on the outside of the plug and are prone to closing due to wiggling.

Simply open the pins up a little by using a Stanley knife blade to spread them slightly apart to provide a firm connection.

It’s so simple, but nine times out of 10, after expanding the pins a little, you’ll plug it back in and all your signalling lights will be fully operational.

Many of our larger caravans and boats have two safety chains attached to the drawbar of the trailer chassis.

When attaching these to the towbar system of

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your tow vehicle, make sure to cross the chains.

Take the chain on the right and attach it to the left side of your tow bar receiver and vice versa, take the left chain and attach it to the righthand side.

In case of a major malfunction at the coupling where the trailer and tow vehicle may disengage, the drawbar and tow point should settle and cradle safely in the crossed chains, without drastic contact with the road surface.

Straight chains will allow the drawbar to drop to the bitumen or gravel, with the results being life changing for your family.

I’ve been guilty of straight chains after being distracted when hooking up, so double

check and make sure you’re taking every opportunity to travel safely.

You may be thinking ‘Chief, these are no brainers’, but believe me, I see these scenarios too many times when traveling and often the response I hear is ‘Crickey, I didn’t even think’.

If one person reads this and it provides safer travel for that family, it’s worthwhile.

I tend to write on events that I’ve seen or encountered during the month, so I’ll finish on this note.

If you do have a trailer, make sure to apply the handbrake or at least chock the wheels when it’s unattached from your car.

Don’t think ‘she’ll

be right’ or you could end up like the person I helped, we retrieved his runaway boat and trailer from down a slope entangled in twisted star pickets!

A strong wind had come through and actually pushed his boat over a flat section and onto a grassy hill.

I had seen this rig sitting happily on the flat

and then within minutes, it was gone.

Just a few things to keep in mind.

And while we may assume everyone knows the little safety things we grew up with, each could have devastating results if not actioned.

I hope you all stay safe and enjoy every moment with family and friends.

Opening the pins with a Stanley knife blade usually gets those touchy blinkers shining bright.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 59

TOURING & exploring

Amaya instantly fell in love with surfing the slow rolling waves.

Possibly the most beautiful shoreline I have ever driven on – Wharton Beach.

Basking in paradise n Exploring Cape Arid and Cape Le Grand

P The 7km walk had a perfect mix of bush and beach.

Flat out in one of the rock pools near Whistling Rock.

Page 60 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

RIOR to departing on our lap, we decided to book only two places.

One was Lucky Bay – which always seemed to be booked out – and the other was Exmouth, because we were going to be there during school holidays.

If you plan to stay at a national or conservation park in Western Australia, you need to make yourself familiar with Park Stay WA – this is where all camping can be booked online.

There are advantages and disadvantages to this system, both of which we experienced.

Unfortunately, you need internet to be able to book online and, for us while travelling, this made booking various spots challenging at times.

When access was

Family Adventures

by BEN COLLINS

available to the website, we were able to see how many spots were still available and pick the spot we wanted to camp at – a positive for us because it meant we could easily fit the 22’6” JB caravan onto a site.

Though I will flag a major issue with the current system that should be fixed and that is, if you book a site and don’t turn up, you should be charged.

Too often, we were * continued P61

A family holiday is a great way to strengthen the bond.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

TOURING & exploring Basking in paradise on WA coast * from P60

at places that were ‘booked out’, however there were several free spaces.

We think this was because, when the original booking of the spot was made, you could say that only one person would be staying and pay for that – which didn’t cost much – and you could adjust your booking to add more people later.

Since there was no penalty for not turning up, we found out that locals would book areas using the loophole and go if the weather was good.

If the weather was bad, they would only lose the small amount they had paid.

Plus, bookings could be made up to 180 days prior, so if you were booking only a few nights ahead, as we were, it was arduous.

Thankfully, several of the national parks we did manage to stay at on our trip were awesome

and worth the pain and frustration in the end.

Cape Arid – Duke of Orleans Located about 120km to the east of Esperance, Cape Arid National Park was truly a gem of a spot.

The mix of rugged rocky headlands, blisteringly white sand and crystal-clear aqua-coloured water simply took your breath away.

Another thing that helped with losing your breath was going for a swim – the water was a little on the chilly side, even during summer.

Thankfully, I had enough ‘insulation’ of my own and the kids were too excited to care, especially after recently being on the Nullarbor.

Though we did eventually invest in some wet suits for the girls and a foam surfboard for Amaya, who really took to the waves.

In terms of accommodation, our first port of call was Duke

Make sure you have a few supplies before setting out on hikes.

www.bnbfishing.com.au

of Orleans, a large campground with several permanent shelters that were apparently owned by people living in Esperance and other southern WA towns.

Not the flashiest place but the camp host was welcoming and it had a little store for topping up supplies if needed, plus you’re right next to an amazing beach.

Table Island was another fascinating spot at the end of the Orleans Bay beach.

There was also great fishing on offer here, so it’s understandable why people choose to frequent this place.

If you are in the area, it’s worth checking out Membinup Beach, as it has a two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive campground, but we found this out after we left – next time!

Cape Arid – Lucky Bay Thankfully, we managed to score a few nights here.

As you drive over the hill towards the campground, you’re greeted with the magical view of a stunningly white sandy beach and beautiful blue water.

It’s hard to put into words how amazing it was, and the photos do not do it justice.

This campground had two separate hosts for each section, and we decided to stay at the top section.

While having the better view, the site also received a little more wind because of the elevation, however our * continued P62

A plaque commemorated the assistance given by Captain Rossiter on the French whaler Mississippi in June 1841, which enabled Edward John Eyre to complete his expedition from Port Lincoln to Albany.

The author’s girls were pumped to tackle a leg of the Cape Le Grand hike on their own.

The day we decided to climb Frenchman Peak was the most overcast day of our stay – still amazing though.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 61

TOURING & exploring

Simply mesmerising, waves rolling in on pristine white sand.

A short four-wheel-drive from Wharton Beach was a very deserted Victoria Harbour Beach.

Basking in paradise on WA coast * from P61

The rock caves on top of Frenchman Peak were breathtaking.

We definitely want to come back to this neck of the woods.

Page 62 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

setup easily handled the breeze and allowed us to look out at the spectacular vista from the van.

Unlike other campgrounds where you were assigned a designated camp, this one allowed you to pick your spot from whatever was available.

It’s worth noting that the facilities for this offgrid campground were awesome – hot showers and drop toilets – plus they were the cleanest we had seen on our trip and each van site was immaculately kept.

The great thing about Lucky Bay was that you could spend your time either sitting on the beach reading a book, relaxing and taking in the breathtaking view or you could be active – surfing, swimming, going on bushwalks and 4WDing – or a combination of both.

As we were there for only a few days, we tried to do a little of everything.

If you’re into hiking,

and we love it – with its added bonus of burning off the few calories accumulated from having an occasional beverage or three – there’s plenty to keep you occupied in this area.

A must-do if you’re semi-fit is the Frenchman Peak walk trail.

This walk is a steep climb that weaves up a rock face until you reach the summit, where you are greeted with spectacular 360-degree panoramic views of the coast and inland.

The cave at the top is a great place to snap a few pictures and take a breather before beginning your decent.

Another great walk is the Rossiter Bay to Le Grand Beach coast trail, which we did bits and pieces of, leaving the full 20km trek for another visit.

The walk from Rossiter Bay to Lucky Bay campground was about 7km long, starting inland and ending on the beautiful white beach.

Unfortunately, I didn’t

manage to do this hike because of a deadline and trying to find internet, so the girls tackled this one on their own.

I did drive down the beach to meet them at the end and give them a lift back to camp, however they were determined to complete the trek on foot.

If these more adventurous walks aren’t your cup of tea, a leisurely stroll along the beach is also a must.

You might even come across one of the many local kangaroos that frequent these beaches.

For those who enjoy surfing, there are several options, depending on both wind and swell directions.

Hellfire Bay, Little Hellfire Bay, Thistle Cove and Lucky Bay Beach can all produce a bit of swell on any given day, and all have white sand and crystal-clear water – it’s hard to find better beaches anywhere else in Australia, or the world for that matter.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 63

TOURING & exploring

A fabulous view from the Bloomfield Track.

On safari on the Bloomfield Track in 1987 with a couple of American guests.

Tips for driving to the Tip

W

The beautiful Emmagen Creek at the southern end of the Bloomfield Track.

Wallaby Creek near Rossville.

Page 64 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

HAT a year it’s been for people visiting Cape York – I reckon it would have to be one of the busiest ever!

And most are having a ball, exploring all the hugely diverse places and landscapes.

Plus enjoying meeting new people along the road.

And often these former strangers become friends travelling together.

As well as having company, this is also a great help when negotiating tricky tracks or in the event of a vehicle drama.

A remarkable observation on the Peninsula this season has been the number of vans about.

We camped at Kalpowar Crossing in Rinyirru National Park recently and all the campsites bar two were filled with four-wheeldrives towing vans.

It seems the road conditions have reached the point where adventurous caravaners are keen

Cape York by ‘BILLABONG’ BAZZ LYON

to give the Cape a go.

Not that there no rough spots on the main tracks anymore but more that the bitumen seems to be expanding and the gravel sections capped with clay are holding up well as far as corrugations go.

Even if people are towing ‘off road’ vans, I strongly recommend carrying a selection of screws, silastic, duct tape and some type of quality glue or epoxy.

The chassis and suspension might be ‘off road’ designed, however the cupboards and most of the interiors generally aren’t, and things rattling loose are definitely on the cards.

As far as trip itineraries go, of course they will vary according to available time and vehicle and driver capability.

The thing is, you can drive all the way to the

Tip – and many other top destinations as well – in a two-wheel-drive, so long as it can handle the rougher sections.

However, a 4WD gives you more options and greater peace of mind, especially if there’s unexpected wet weather.

The extra ground clearance is also an advantage!

I’m a firm believer in taking the road less travelled and it’s a shame that so many visitors do basically only the Peninsula Development Rd up to the Tip and back again.

So, over the next couple of months, I’m going to cover some side roads and other destinations.

Coming from the south, one of the most obvious routes is the Bloomfield Track, from Cape Tribulation all the way up to the Mulligan * continued P65

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TOURING & exploring

Fuel to sustain kayak fishing in far north Queensland

J

ACKSON Williams has been fishing around Australia for 20 years and loves his home region of far north Queensland.

Here he gives his take on the best fuel for a day on the water kayaking.

When I am in the kayak paddling and fishing, I want my food on the fly.

Everything has to be about convenience.

But at the same time, paddling is exhausting work and, when you

are out all day, it can be a good workout.

Finding the balance between healthy energy-dense food and convenient snacks is not an easy one.

For me, the days of petrol station beef jerky and a packet of crisps are over.

I have realised that if I eat like a king, I fish like a king – and I am in a better mood, more focused and can stay out longer.

Unprocessed is better Aside from being nutritionally inferior,

eating processed junk food all day does nothing for your energy levels and recovery times.

Unprocessed whole healthy foods will leave you with less soreness and stiffness in your arms the day after a long paddling session.

It might be a little more expensive and harder to source, but you really should make the effort to get unprocessed food for your kayak fishing trips.

Grazing Three square meals won’t cut it if you are

Tips for driving to the Tip * from P64

Highway, about 28km west of Cooktown.

This must be one of the most beautiful drives in Australia, weaving through lush tropical rainforest, with fabulous mountain and coastal views and crystal-clear jungle streams.

There’s always a good chance of seeing a cassowary along here, especially at the southern end.

You can also park up at Cowie Beach, between the Cowie and Donovan ranges, and walk out to explore a beautiful sandy beach there.

Swimming in any of the mountain creeks is fine – they are crocodile free in the higher country.

Signage at the start of the track recomwww.bnbfishing.com.au

mends 4WD only for the Cape Trib to Wujal Wujal section, which is also stipulated as not suitable for caravans.

This is because of two very steep hills and one-way sections.

Some do tow through regardless, however it’s risky and you’re probably not covered by insurance because of the advisory signage.

After you cross the beautiful Bloomfield River (Banner Yearie) – the road is now all bitumen – veer left and a few kilometres down you’ll reach a carpark, and the spectacular Bloomfield Falls is only a few hundred metres walk away.

There’s definitely no swimming here!

Keep your eyes peeled for crocodiles further on when driving beside the

Bloomfield again.

There are two great caravan parks at the small township of Ayton, with the beautiful Weary Bay within easy walking distance.

There’s also a vehicle track south to the mouth of the Bloomfield River that offers good fishing in a nice secluded tropical setting.

Further north, the bitumen ‘track’ again travels through some spectacular rainforest and mountain country, the rainforest largely petering out around Rossville.

HomeRule Campgrounds east of Rossville offers great camping beside Wallaby Creek, in grassy areas surrounded by lush rainforest.

Our journey continues next month!

spending a lot of the day paddling.

You are burning off energy at an elevated rate.

Therefore, you will need to refuel every couple of hours with calorific foods.

An hour of paddling will burn off 400-600 calories, depending on the intensity.

You’ll need to replace these calories for the energy to get through the next stage of paddling.

Snack ideas • Peanut butter balls* • Chocolate-coated peanuts • Granola bars • Trail mix • Bananas – the easiest food to transport because it has its own carry case • Dried fruit • Pretzels • Cured meat • Olives • Boiled eggs • Sunflower seeds *Peanut butter balls aren’t only delicious, they’re energy-dense, making them perfectly suited for kayak fishing.

Mix peanut butter with oats, honey, raisins, salt and chocolate chips.

Then blend the mixture until you can roll the mixture into balls.

Once you have them rolled, refrigerate the PBBs for a couple of hours until they’re set.

Lunch and dinner ideas • Sandwiches – the outdoor favourite for trails and fishing trips alike • Soup • Chilli – it tastes better if you have a small stove to heat it on • Dehydrated meals • Multigrain bagel with cottage cheese or peanut butter • And, of course, your catch!

To wash it all down, make sure you have plenty of water and a thermos full of coffee.

Ditch the energy and sugary sports drinks.

Water is the best hydrator, so don’t even waste your liquid space on anything else.

Jackson Williams For OnDeck by Dinga Online

A rundown of the best fuel for a day on the water kayaking and fishing. Photo: Kal Visuals Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 65

TOURING & exploring

Check out Ocean Eco Adventures for an exceptional charter if you’re visiting Exmouth and wanting to swim with whale sharks.

Exploring Ningaloo Coast

A

Five Fingers Reef at Coral Bay produced a number of large squid.

On a trip out with Blue Horizon Fishing Charters in Exmouth, the author captured red and spangled emperor.

Page 66 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

S the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun.

My family and I are now halfway through our eight-month trip travelling Australia.

We’ve been enjoying Western Australia and, after departing 14 Mile Beach, which is a stunning coastal camp at Warroora Station, we headed to Coral Bay for a handful of nights.

Coral Bay Coral Bay is a small coastal settlement and popular tourist destination on the Ningaloo Coast.

Here our family enjoyed snorkelling directly off the beach and spotting marine life on a glass-bottom boat tour over the coral gardens.

The main beach is a sanctuary zone and the

Travelling Oz

by MATT POTTER

spangled emperor here know it – swimming straight up to your dive mask with confidence.

I was booked on a Seaforce Fishing Charter that I was certainly looking forward to, unfortunately the weather had other plans and the charter was cancelled, so I spent some time checking the area out.

We headed to Five Fingers Reef, where I dropped the tyre pressure because the track to this spot was soft sand and very corrugated.

This location is a popular snorkelling spot, with fishing and spearfishing also permitted.

I took the kids for

a snorkel and, as we were exiting the water, I spotted several large squid.

Regrettably I didn’t have any rods or my speargun, though I did happen to find a Yamashita Egi 3.0 squid jig and 20lb leader in the back of the car.

I went back out snorkelling, dragging the jig around and, sure enough, a large squid grabbed the jig.

This was sight-fishing at a new level – I played it doing my best not to rip the prongs through its tentacles.

I’m sure the other snorkellers were baffled to see plumes of * continued P67

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TOURING & exploring Exploring and fishing Ningaloo Coast * from P66

squid ink in the water.

I dispatched the squid and snorkelled off with the jig trailing behind and again, another large squid soon grabbed the jig.

The car was parked on the beach and as I made my way back to it, I removed two sizeable squid from the sleeves of my wetsuit – my wife simply shook her head and laughed.

The next day I was more prepared – dropping the kayak in with a couple of rods rigged.

I attached a float 1m above the jig to keep it from snagging in the coral and put it in the rod holder on the yak.

The motion of the kayak rocking was enough to work the squid jig, so I flicked a plastic around with another rod.

It didn’t take long before I had a squid on the floating rig.

After getting doused in ink, I dispatched the squid with a chop to the head and paddled back to the area.

I repeated the process, drifting parallel to the beach, and before long a second and then third squid were landed 40m from the beach.

I’ve found it pays to spend a few more dollars on good quality jigs because you can encounter big squid along the WA coastline, and cheaper jigs seem to fall apart with the prongs, swivel and or weight detaching.

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I processed the squid back on the beach and that night marinated them for an hour in lemon juice – which makes large squid all the more tender – before crumbing some of the rings and frying them up for dinner.

The rest made their way into the freezer for another meal.

With the wind kicking up, there wasn’t too much more fishing to be had and we soon moved on from Coral Bay, making our way further up the Ningaloo coast.

Exmouth and Cape Range National Park After a 105-minute drive, we arrived at the well-known fishing destination of Exmouth.

Exmouth is an ocean enthusiast’s playground, offering diverse fishing and diving opportunities.

Surfers also flock to surf some of the wellknown breaks such as Dunes Beach and Wobiri Access Beach on the Ningaloo Reef.

With the continental shelf and Muiron Islands in close range, many keen fishos tow their 6-8m boats from places such as Perth to target game fish, tropical demersal species and escape the cold of the south.

We did a quick shop on arrival before heading 30 minutes further around North West Cape to Yardie Homestead, which was our base for the next two weeks.

This caravan park is in a prime location – located close to the stunning gorges, pristine beaches and snorkelling spots within Cape Range National Park, such as Oyster Stacks, Turquoise Bay, Lakeside and Sandy Bay. There are some amazing coastal camps such as Osprey Bay, Mesa and Yardie Creek, unfortunately though, they book out 5-6 months in advance – so if you know your arrival dates, book well ahead. * continued P68

Fishing with the kids has been a highlight.

Spangled emperor are one of the most common species encountered along the Ningaloo Coast. These were in a sanctuary zone swimming happily under a glass bottom boat.

The beautiful Turquoise Bay is a popular snorkelling location within the Cape Range National Park.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 67

TOURING & exploring Exploring Ningaloo Coast * from P67

Bundegi Beach and its boat ramp produced nonstop fishing action for the author’s daughters, with bream, spanish flag and golden trevally keeping them entertained.

Page 68 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

The marine life in the region is truly incredible and the migrating humpbacks put on a great show, passing behind the fringing reef.

The big drawcard is of course the whale sharks.

The Tantibiddi Boat Ramp – only a 5-minute drive from Yardie Homestead – was where the dive charters operated from, and the whale shark industry is big business.

I wasn’t initially phased about not swimming with the biggest fish in the sea but, after speaking with a fellow camper who was ‘blown-away’ by the experience, I called a few operators who were as expected… all booked out.

After being placed on a waiting list, I was fortunate to score a spot to jump onboard with Ocean Eco Adventures and swim with a couple of these gentle giants, which is certainly something I will never forget.

With six crew onboard including a photographer, Ocean Eco Adventures run a superb operation and, unlike most other charters who share a spotter plane and therefore wait in turn to swim with a shark, these guys have their own plane, so as a result we were diving with our first whale shark within minutes of leaving the reef.

Over the course of the next two weeks, we continued to explore Cape Range National Park and the Exmouth area.

A highlight for the kids was getting to drive the boat on the Yardie Creek Boat Tour, where they spotted over 40 black-footed rock wallabies.

With the forecast looking good, I made a booking with Blue Horizon Fishing Charters.

Unfortunately, for the first half of the day, the weather didn’t quite play the game and after a two-hour steam, we tucked in behind the Muiron Islands and fished the shallows, where spangled emperor were the main catch.

Eventually, the weather settled somewhat and we headed wider, fishing 50-80m of water.

Passengers soon bagged some better quality fish including redthroat and longnose emperor, goldband snapper, red emperor, various cod species and again, the ever-present spangled emperor.

Bag limits are strict in WA and the size limits for species such as red emperor at only 41cm are also significantly different to Queensland.

The deckies and skipper on Blue Horizon had their work cut out for them and

I was impressed with their willingness to continually handline 80lb braid for clients who were struggling with the 70m of water to wind fish in.

Overall, it was a great day of fishing among migrating whales.

I also hired a boat, aptly named Bush Chook, from Exmouth Boat Hire and in the morning took the family out from Tantabiddi to spot marine life.

They had a blast – spotting whales, turtles, sharks, manta rays, dolphins and even the tiny but deadly Irukandji jellyfish slightly outside the reef.

We trolled up a couple of school mackerel that attracted a couple of big bull sharks, which made my wife nervous.

The girls had fun catching spanish flag – also called seaperch and stripies – one after the other back inside the reef and continue to hone their fishing skills as we travel Australia.

I dropped them back to the ramp at lunchtime and our neighbour from the caravan park, Dwayne, who was also a keen fisho and spearo, jumped in.

We headed wider to do a bit of trolling with the hope of catching a wahoo but to no avail.

We did manage a couple of undersized spanish mackerel on * continued P69

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TOURING & exploring Exploring and fishing Ningaloo Coast * from P68

the Rapala X-Rap Magnums before having a bottom bash in 60m.

We were on straight away with two solid spangled emperor coming aboard, which I gladly donated to Dwayne.

We were trolling back home when the butt of Dwayne’s $1200 combo snapped, and the rod and reel disappeared into the drink.

Ouch!

The swell at the Tantibiddi ramp can make launching and retrieving a challenge.

Ensuring you have a rope attached to both the bow and stern can help lead the vessel alongside the jetty and avoid banging into other boats or the pylons.

The great thing about this area is, if it is windy on the Ningaloo Coast, it can often be glassy on the other side of the North West Cape in the Exmouth Gulf.

This is where most fishers launch to avoid the tourist crowds at Tantabiddi.

Later in the week, Dwayne’s brotherin-law arrived with Dwayne’s tinnie.

I joined them for a spearfishing trip out of Exmouth Marina.

We dived the coast, but visibility wasn’t great, and the water was considerably colder in the gulf.

We managed a trout,

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mangrove jack, tuskfish and Dwayne grabbed a monster ornate rock lobster before we headed wider in glassy conditions to troll some hard-bodies around a shoal.

In hindsight, the water was probably too cold for mackerel.

After marking some fish holding on a pressure point, we dropped bait and soft plastics.

I told the crew I’d drop the ever-faithful ‘trout lolly’ – aka Zerek Live Shrimp 127mm – and sure enough bagged a nice barcheek coral trout straight off the bat.

Second drop was another greedy trout, though it wasn’t much bigger than the lure.

The team got a few grass sweetlip – called black snapper in WA – on bait before we pulled the pin and headed home in magic conditions.

With so many sanctuary zones along the Ningaloo Coast, it can be hard work fishing land-based because the areas you can fish receive a fair bit of pressure.

An incoming tide early morning or late afternoon will yield the best results, with spangled emperor and golden trevally the most common captures.

My favourite landbased spot with the kids was Bundegi Beach and its boat ramp – the kids caught fish after fish on

peeled prawns on their little Ugly Stik Tackle Ratz combos, with a pea sinker running onto a whiting hook.

Species included spanish flag, golden trevally, whiting, garfish and some very solid bream, which came home for dinner.

It was a great little spot!

Departing Exmouth, we headed into the Pilbara region to Gnoorea Point, known also as 40 Mile Beach.

This would have to be one of our favourite coastal camps yet, with mud crabs, oysters, painted crayfish and mangrove jack making it to the dinner table.

I’ll share more in the next issue.

The author with a coral trout taken in the Exmouth Gulf on a Zerek Live Shrimp 127mm.

You can expect to encounter a lot of marine life on the Ningaloo Coast.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 69

TOURING & exploring

Our camp with solar panels in the sun and shelter under the shade of the big sheoak trees – the perfect spot.

The set up near the Pennefather River.

Back in Queensland for a quick Cape York trip

H

I, here’s part three of my Northern Territory and back sortie.

After crossing back into Queensland, I headed to Mt Isa. Once there, I rang my wife Donna to ask if she could find out if the Cape York road was open to travel on legally.

I was tired and the miles had started to get me down, so I decided to head for home when I was about 30km from McKinlay.

It was at about 9pm that I pulled up at a gravel pit and went to bed.

Wow, what a difference a good sleep makes!

After a complete rethink, I was out of bed heading north and not south to home.

I’d spoken to a person at Mt Isa when fuelling up the Toyota LandCruiser 80 Series and they thought the

Touring Queensland

by CRAIG TOMKINSON

Peninsula Development Rd to Weipa was open.

So, I’d turned around to head back to Julia Creek and off towards Cape York.

At about 9.30am, Donna called and said the PDR was open and that Woolworths at Weipa would be closed on Sunday – as it normally is – and Monday for the public holiday, so I’d better stock up with food and water on my way through Atherton, which I did.

I made it to Lakeland that day and had another great sleep in the Kamp-Rite Cot Bed I’d bought for only $50 before I left home.

Out of bed early, I made it to Weipa at about midday.

I fuelled up the Cruiser and bought 80 litres

Page 70 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

of petrol for the boat, then headed off to the Pennefather River.

At the end of the red road, the swamp was full of water.

I’ve never seen so much water there – it looked deep and about 100m across – I was not keen to cross it.

As was I airing down to around 12psi hot, a person in a four-wheeldrive Hilux drove through the water.

I asked him about it after he’d pumped his tyres up.

He said the bottom was hard and that I’d have no worries towing my boat through the water.

So, in second gear low range, I headed across steadily.

It was deep – up to the base of the top bar on the bull bar.

If I went quicker, it would have come up to the bonnet, but I just poked along slowly – thank goodness the snorkel worked.

Once on the other side, I pulled up to check if my air cleaner had any water in it, but it was fine.

It felt great to be returning to one of my favourite places on the Cape once again.

I got to where I was going to camp, and my friend Rex and his son in-law Tim were there cleaning fish.

A few people on a day trip were preparing to leave – so I waited… and after about two hours they did leave.

They were in no hurry to pack up, which I could understand – no one wants to leave this spot.

Once they were gone, I set up my camp, which took me the rest of the day.

It was wonderful to have a hot shower and a great feed of steak and vegetables.

I headed off to bed early as I was exhausted.

The next day was spent setting up camp a little more and getting the boat ready for a fish, plus I put some 1.5-litre bottles of water in the freezer to make ice.

I normally buy a few bags of ice at Woolies, but it was shut, and I’d forgotten.

The next day, I took the boat for a run in the river and slipped out the front trolling for mackerel, though had no joy.

So, I went chasing reef fish and caught a lovely blackspot tuskfish and a nice coral trout, then it was back to camp for an awesome lunch of fresh fish.

Until next month, be safe.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 71

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Contact Bill Corten M: 0447 233 247 / 0447 ( a f f a i r ) E: reel_affair@yahoo.com Page 72 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

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0428 753 293 Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 73

The proliferation of weir pools in Australia’s irrigation systems is having an impact – they make up 40 percent of the Darling River.

Re-establishing river flow crucial to saving native fish from extinction

I

F we truly want to save native fish from extinction, the first step in the process is making sure all the rivers in Australia run.

Highly respected river ecologist Dr Martin Mallen-Cooper has warned that we are at a crucial juncture when it comes to protecting our native fish popula-

tions from further losses and in some cases extinction.

“We are absolutely at a very low point of native fish,” Dr Mallen-Cooper said.

“I think we’re close to losing quite common species… we’re at a pivotal time.

“The first step is we’ve got to guarantee

some minimum flows in these rivers.”

Dr Mallen-Cooper has spent decades in aquatic sciences, with a passion for freshwater ecosystems.

He has done extensive research on the design of fishways – structures to get migratory fish past dams and weirs – as well

The weir at Cockle Creek.

Page 74 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

as freshwater fish migration in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Challenging accepted thinking has been a hallmark of his career.

There had been an accepted view that historically the Murray River naturally dried to a series of pools in droughts.

However, using ar-

chival data and research in old library files and books, Dr Mallen-Cooper and colleagues found that it was an exaggerated myth.

Significantly, this meant a flowing river is the norm and that the fish are actually adapted to these conditions – this has since become a major theme, ecohydraulics, in environmental flow management.

“We can’t let what happened in the Darling last time, with these huge periods of zero flow and hot weather, which is predicted to get even hotter,” he said.

“We cannot let that happen again, otherwise the Darling is going to die, and that’s not an exaggeration – fish will die, mussels will die, the ecosystem will die. * continued P75

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Re-establishing river flow crucial to saving native fish from extinction * from P74

“This is not a scientist exaggerating.”

In the Murray-Darling Basin in particular, he believes the five main issues that have incrementally killed aquatic life over the past century are cold water pollution, fish barriers, weir pools, de-snagging and the introduction of carp.

But there are solutions, and he is optimistic about the future.

On a recent episode of the Ozcast podcast for OzFish Unlimited, Australia’s fishing conservation charity, Dr Mallen-Cooper said, “This is not a hard thing.”

“Add flow and add habitat – that’s snags, that’s rocks – and then we start to get benefits back.

“You start to get a flowing river, this complexity of hydraulics.

“Native fish love it.

“There is a vision where you have agriculture, you have town water supplies.

“There is a vision here for massively improving native fish.

“It is not going to get back to what it was, but it will be such a massive improvement on what it is now.

“We as a community need to say we want to do this.

“We want buy-in.

“There’s actually a lot of good politicians who are keen on that sort of vision and so we need to keep influencing them,” he said.

The proliferation of weir pools in Australia’s irrigation systems is a particular bugbear for Dr Mallen-Cooper,

www.bnbfishing.com.au

as they make up 40 percent of the Darling River.

“Weirs create a series of pools, so your flowing river becomes a series of pools,” he said.

“They are not a storage of water – they’re just sitting there as a pool.

“They create a still-water habitat.

“That’s a huge impact.

“They’re actually really impactful to fish populations.”

He added that there wasn’t an anti-irrigation or anti-dam theme, there was simply a smarter way of managing the rivers.

“The science around this is done and dusted,” he said.

“We know that if you fix that, you will get better outcomes for native fish.

“And we know if you have a flowing river and not a series of weir pools, it’s better for native fish.

“We need the community to understand that we have the tools to do it and they need to make the choice.

“Some of those weirs can be taken out, some are used to divert agriculture water, large amounts in big diversion weirs – we’d love to keep some of those, but we need to stand back and have a vision of what we want for fish and healthy rivers.

“And it’s not bluegreen algae, it’s not fish kills, it’s not full of carp and we’re smart enough to do it.

Dr Mallen-Cooper also pointed out that we’re basically running on a 1960s water management paradigm and

that it would take a commitment.

“We can do this better,” he said.

“I’m incredibly optimistic about the future because I see a vibrant agriculture and vibrant rivers.

“We need to tell our politicians there are choices.”

Paul Suttor OzFish Unlimited

River ecologist Dr Martin Mallen-Cooper warns that we are at a crucial juncture of protecting native fish populations from further losses or extinction.

Wentworth Weir, with evidence of OzFish Unlimited’s advocacy.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

CREATING BETTER HABITAT FOR BETTER FISHING Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 75

The Murray cod closed season is designed to coincide with the species’ peak breeding period.

Murray cod is a no-take species August 1 to October 31

M

URRAY cod is a no-take species from August 1 to October 31 in the Murray-Darling drainage division.

This safeguards them during their breeding season and is a vital conservation measure implemented to protect the population of this

The drainage divisions for Queensland. Photo: Queensland Government

Page 76 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

iconic Australian fish species.

It’s illegal to deliberately target Murray cod during the closure, as the stress of capture may prevent fish from spawning or protecting their nest.

Any Murray cod caught accidentally must immediately be returned to the water unharmed.

However, you can still chase this species during the closure by heading to any of the dams below, where you can catch them with a stocked impoundment permit: • Beardmore Dam • Beehive Dam • Connolly Dam • Cooby Dam • Coolmunda Dam • Glenlyon Dam • Leslie Dam

• Storm King Dam. The Murray cod closed season is designed to coincide with the species’ peak breeding period, usually from September to November.

During this time, the cod migrates upstream to spawn, making them vulnerable to overfishing, and gives the potential for caught fish to not be able to breed properly.

By implementing a closed season, authorities aim to safeguard the reproductive process, allowing cod populations to replenish.

So, by not fishing during this period, anglers contribute to the conservation efforts and help promote the growth of cod populations.

Murray cod play a critical role in maintaining

a balanced aquatic ecosystem.

As top predators, they help control the population of smaller fish and pest fish, maintaining a healthy fish community, preserving the delicate balance of the waterways and promoting overall biodiversity.

The Murray cod closed season is a vital conservation tool that aims to protect this iconic fish species that we love to target.

By adhering to the closed season, anglers contribute to the longterm viability of Murray cod populations and ensure a thriving fishing industry for future generations to enjoy.

More information can be found at each state’s fisheries website.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Protect Mary River cod during breeding season

M

ARY River cod are a nationally listed endangered species in the wild and may only be taken in certain stocked dams or weirs outside of the Mary River catchment.

To further protect the population during breeding, you must not possess or use a fishing line from August 1 to October 31 at the following locations: • Albert River, upstream from the junction of Canungra Creek and Albert River – includes Canungra Creek • Christmas Creek • Coomera River, upstream from the junc-

tion of Guanaba Creek and Coomera River – includes Guanaba Creek • Mary River and adjoining waterways, upstream of its junction with Six Mile Creek at the creek’s northern bank, other than waters up to the full supply level of Baroon Pocket Dam, Borumba Dam and Lake MacDonald • Running Creek Stanley River, above Neurum Creek and Stanley River junction.

A person must also not possess or use a fishing line in Obi Obi Creek all year round between the Baroon Pocket Dam wall and the shortest

line across the creek at the downstream side of Obi Obi Creek crossing 4, Manuel Hornibrook Bridge.

For more information on closed waters, download the Qld Fishing 2.0 app.

Mary River cod may only be taken in certain stocked dams or weirs outside of the Mary River catchment.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 77

The author landed a 105cm barramundi on a 5” Shads Lures Hollow Shad.

Primed for big barra

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07 4157 3881 or email info@lakem.com.au www.lakem.com.au Page 78 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

I

T was quite a successful finish to the winter season on Lake Monduran.

There was a marked increase in big fish hitting the deck for anglers willing to put in the long hours needed to successfully target winter barramundi.

This was a great sign, particularly as we head into the best time of year to catch big numbers of Monduran barra.

As the water warms across the lake, the metabolic rate of the fish increases drastically.

Lake Monduran

by SAM ROWLEY

This means the fish need much larger amounts of food to maintain their size.

The increased need for food makes these barra far more opportunistic and far less fussy.

The majority of barra in Lake Monduran will be drawn to the shallows over the next couple of months, in search of warm oxygenated and bait-rich water.

It is not uncommon to find huge numbers of fish in some bays during periods of consistent wind.

As always with impoundment barramundi, it is important to follow the wind.

Points inside and out the front of bays will be your starting point during the morning.

As the day progresses, the fish tend to move further back into * continued P79

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Primed for big barra * from P78

the bays and can often be found in less than 1m of water.

It is still very important to be as quiet as possible while the fish are holding in shallow water.

Noise carries very well underwater, so any unnatural sounds will spook and put fish off feeding for a period of time.

Having a quality electric motor will allow you to sneak up within casting distance of fish without disturbing them.

Tying off to trees or anchoring, as opposed to spot lock on the electric motor, are very effective when possible.

Paddle tail soft plastics are easily my go-to lure in September.

A general rule I go by is – the warmer the water, the bigger the plastic.

For me, this time of year is the crossover between the 5” and 6” plastics.

Frequently, I’ve found the smaller presentations more effective in the morning during this month, with the afternoon providing better conditions for the larger bait.

Some brands to

look for in this size are Shads Lures Hollow Shad and Pristine Lures PT150.

It is important to have a variety of jig head weights and sizes – a mix of weights in sizes 6/0 and 8/0 should have you covered for most situations.

Retrieve speed plays a large role in your success rate during this period.

It’s no secret that barra often prefer a very slowly retrieved lure.

And though this is quite often the case, it is important to experiment with faster retrieves, particularly during periods of increased fish activity.

A good way to recognise these situations is to keep an eye on what depth the fish are holding in the water column.

The higher the fish, the more chance you have of enticing a bite with a faster retrieve.

If the fish are holding on the bottom, then a slow retrieve will often get the bite.

Good luck to anyone making the trip up to the dam, hopefully we’ll see some huge fish landed this season on the lake!

Chris Goodinson with a 65cm barramundi captured on a 5” Shads Lures Hollow Shad.

Cooper Makin used a Jackall Squirrel 79 Hank Tune to boat this 97cm barramundi.

Lake Monduran Fishing Charters What’s the mission?

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0432 420 034 themondyman.com Bruno Merlini was stocked with a 65cm barramundi hooked on a 5” Shads Lures Hollow Shad. www.bnbfishing.com.au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 79

Closed season for cod on rivers

A

From 9:30am to 12pm, the author and his wife are at the dam wall watching male cod set up their nesting sites.

N O T H E R lure and tackle show is over and, with that said, it’s time to recognise the Fernvale team who made it happen.

A special thanks to all those who gave their time to make it work and a big shout out to Gary, with his usual commitment ensuring a successful Australian Lure and Fly Expo.

Yet again, the lure makers excelled, and it was good to see all the stands with cashed up people looking to purchase that special lure.

Given that it’s spring and conditions are good – with most storages up in the high 80 percent capacity – fishing should be good for the next six months.

There’s movement

DAM LEVELS CURRENT AS OF 16/08/2023

DAMS Atkinson * Awoonga Bjelke-Petersen * Boondooma * Borumba * Burdekin Falls * Callide * Cania * Coolmunda * Dyer/Bill Gunn * Eungella * Fairbairn * Glenlyon * Hinze * Julius * Kinchant * Leslie * Macdonald * Maroon * Monduran/Fred Haigh * Moogerah * North Pine/Samsonvale * Peter Faust/Proserpine * Somerset * Teemburra * Tinaroo * Toonumbar Wivenhoe * Wuruma * Wyaralong *

PERCENTAGE APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

84 63 89 88 97 101 23 35 101 94 100 43 98 93 98 83 93 82 99 99 94 58 72 79 100 101 98 75 90 96

80 61 89 87 96 97 23 35 99 86 100 42 98 92 95 78 94 82 99 98 92 57 71 80 100 98 99 74 89 96

77 60 87 85 95 94 21 34 99 80 99 41 98 90 93 74 92 85 98 97 90 55 70 79 100 95 100 73 88 96

73 59 86 83 94 90 21 31 98 71 99 40 98 87 97 72 90 86 97 96 88 53 70 79 100 91 100 71 87 95

69 58 84 81 92 87 20 30 96 61 100 38 97 86 95 77 89 84 97 95 86 51 69 78 100 89 98 70 86 94

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.

Page 80 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

Glenlyon Dam

by BRIAN DARE

along the rock ledges around those storages, which have Murray cod on hand.

The surface water temperature is now about 18C and this will rise over the next two months – bringing the big males out to feed after breeding is over.

Brendan Vendt caught a nice 101cm cod that was tagged at 64cm in 2017 – that’s a growth rate of 37cm in five years and eight months – it was first tagged November 26, 2017, then caught July 29, 2023 at about nine years old.

When we sat down and worked out the growth rate – Dr Stuart Rowland made comment on Glenlyon in his book The Codfather – this growth is still the same at 1.52lb a year or close to 0.5-1kg a year, which indicates good storage food supplied on a regular format.

Most storages have

different catch prime times.

With Glenlyon, it’s been found that there are three prime times.

From a 5:30am rise and at your selected sight through to 9:30am, then return for a quick breakfast.

Back on the water again at 11:30am until 2:45pm, then head in for lunch.

Evening is a late start, from 5:45pm through to 9pm, and finally back to camp.

Quite a few anglers don’t fish in the middle of the day, that’s their choice.

But I, along with other regular anglers, do.

This is because I’ve found humidity to be a prime inducer for cod to rise up and take hard-body lures, which troll well at 4m below the storage surface.

With Glenlyon at near-full level, you need to fish in close to ledges that have a drop-off of 5m. * continued P81

If you want to see these big fish, you’ll need to bring a good pair of polarised sunglasses that take the glare off the water and a small pair of binoculars to zoom in on the fish you’re watching.

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Closed season for cod on rivers * from P80

The best formats to use are casting morning and evening and trolling lures or surface – both at a distance of about 7m behind the boat at roughly 2-3km/h – keeping both styles of lure working hard.

With spinnerbaits, willow blades are best to troll at a weight of 2-2.5oz or mumblers in the middle of the day.

I guess you could say that both Debbie and I are blessed at this time of year.

Using the morning sunlight from 9:30am to 12pm, we are at the dam wall watching male cod set up their nesting sites.

As well as watching the large females move out about 5m wide to

look for a clean site to lay their eggs, with the males moving out to entice them to their individual nesting locations.

This occurrence will take place for about eight weeks, and the same takes place on the local rivers and streams.

So, if you want to see these big fish, you’ll need to bring a good pair of polarised sunglasses that take the glare off the water and a small pair of binoculars to zoom in on the fish you’re watching.

Have a look at the photos of what we’re seeing at the wall.

These give an insight into why we’re not at the kiosk… and why you have to phone us to come back!

The large females move out about 5m wide to look for a clean site to lay their eggs, as the males move out to entice them to their individual nesting locations.

Brenden Vendt with a monster 101cm Murray cod that was tagged at 64cm in 2017 – good fishing on Glenlyon.

GLENLYON DAM TOURIST PARK A great place to fish!

• Powered and Unpowered Sites • No Domestic Pets or Generators • Kiosk • Ice • Gas • Petrol • Amenities Blocks and Laundry • BBQs • Hire Boats • EFTPOS • Fishing Permits

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GLENLYON DAM TOURIST PARK via STANTHORPE 4380 Contact Debbie or Brian Dare for more information or for bookings Ph: 02 6737 5266 E: glenlyondamtouristp@bigpond.com Visit our new website at glenlyondamtouristpark.com.au www.bnbfishing.com.au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 81

TRADING POST sic estuary and impoundment fishing rig! Only $8995. John Crawford Marine, Queensland’s Used Boat Specialists since 1964. Call JCM on 07 3890 2322 www. johncrawfordmarine.com.au

REBEL 7600 HARD TOP – 6mm bottom sheet, freshly serviced Suzuki 300hp 4S, alloy HD trailer, Furuno TZ2 15” & TZ3 16” NavNet, autopilot, radar, VHF, Minn Kota Ulterra, lithium 36V battery, suspension seats, outriggers and so much more.

Great value at $149,995. John Crawford Marine, Queensland’s Used Boat Specialists since 1964. Call JCM on 07 3890 2322 www.johncrawfordmarine.com.au

STESSCO AMBERJACK 485 – A terrific boat for all your fishing, family and cruising adventures. Whether you’re a fishing enthusiast or a family looking to spend quality time on the water, this boat was designed with you in mind. The spacious deck combined with ample storage makes it perfect for fishing trips, while the rear folding lounge makes it ideal for family outings. $19,990. Contact AMC Boats on 07 3808 7333 or visit amcboats.com.au

STESSCO CATCHER 430 – If you enjoy boating, it’s hard to beat the great Aussie tinnie. Easy to store, launch and retrieve, this is an ideal boat for a relaxing day fishing or cruising the many and varied waterways. With a large amount of fishing room, a front casting platform offering storage and plenty of rod holders, you’re bound to get a good catch! If you’re ready to hit the water, it should be worth considering! $14,990. Contact AMC Boats on 07 3808 7333 or visit amcboats.com.au

QUINTREX 390 HORNET TROPHY – Honda 30hp 4S electric start and freshly serviced by JCM, special trailer, new bimini top, casting deck fore and aft, carpeted floor, full travel cover, Humminbird sounder, plumbed live bait tank. Clas-

GLASSCRAFT FISHERMAN 3.65M – A terrific little first boat. With a Suzuki 6hp, folding bimini and refurbished trailer, it will be easy for a couple or small family to get around your local river, dam or protected waters. This little boat is a gem! $3500. Contact AMC Boats on 07 3808 7333 or visit amcboats.com.au

KELLERCRAFT 1980 – 5.5m half cabin in good condition. 130hp Yamaha 290 hours, Savwinch, perfect tandem trailer. $26,500. Ph: 07 4693 1478

October Edition Copy Deadline – Advertisements must arrive NO later than August 31, 2023

POST TO PO BOX 162, Wynnum QLD 4178 or EMAIL with a photo to ads@collins.media When completing this form please leave one square of space between each word (Hyphens, full-stops, commas, word spaces count as one letter) ALL ADS MUST BE PRE-PAID 1 1 2

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Cost per insertion: 2 lines $15, $1.10 per line thereafter. Contact details must be included in ad.

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Page 82 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

LATE MODEL TRAILER BOATS WANTED – We are seeking premium condition trailer boats to purchase. Brands wanted Quintrex, Signature, Cruise Craft, Stacer, Surtees, Stessco and Sea Jay. Make selling your late-model trailer boat simple and hassle free through John Crawford Marine, Queensland’s Used Boat Specialists since 1964. Call JCM on 07 3890 2322 www.johncrawfordmarine.com.au

ADVERTISERS – To organise a classified ad in the Trading Post, call 07 3286 1833 or complete the form and post it to the address provided or email it through to ads@collins.me dia

www.bnbfishing.com. au

I scored this 22kg amberjack on a live yakka chartering with Fish ‘n’ Cruise recently.

Pearce Brown

Scored this stonker of a flathead recently on a 3” plastic.

Dom Godbold

I was very happy with the bream and trumpeter I pulled from Littabella Creek north of Bundaberg using yab- Bill caught a 53cm flathead in Moreton A nice brace of coral trout about 58cm caught on a Bay recently. recent charter aboard MV Iron Joy to the Swain Reefs. bies.

Pearce Brown Kim Pascoe Fe Reck To have a photo of your catch featured in Readers’ Forum, simply email ads@collins.media with a good quality picture, your name and details or hop onto our Facebook page and send us a message. www.bnbfishing.com.au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 83

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Card No: ................................................................................... Expiry date: .................... Phone: �������������������������������������������������������� Name: ............................................................................................................. Signature: ���������������������������������������������������������������������

GIFT CERTIFICATES

❑ Merry Christmas

❑ Happy Birthday

❑ Happy Father’s Day

❑ Happy Mother’s Day

❑ Happy Fishing

To: ................................................................................................ From: �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Subscriptions are non-refundable. They can be transferred to another subscriber.

Page 84 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

www.bnbfishing.com. au

WATCHING THEM LEARN. IT’S A STACER MEMORY WORTH KEEPING. For more than 50 years we’ve been building strong, reliable, aluminium boats you can depend upon, right here in Australia.

Whether for fishing or family fun, the Stacer range has an enviable reputation for not just affordability but also great re-sale value. Have a talk to your local dealer – and start creating your very own Stacer memories.

Creating Stacer Memories is easy with the all NEW boat packages.

Build your perfect boat in just three easy steps.

For more information contact your local Stacer Dealer:

WYNNUM | WYNNUM MARINE 31 Fox St, Wynnum P 07 3396 9777 E info@wynnummarine.com.au wynnummarine.com.au

www.bnbfishing.com.au

See stacer.com.au for details.

BOONDALL | NORTHSIDE MARINE 2294 Sandgate Rd, Boondall P 07 3265 8000 E info@nsmarine.com.au northsidemarine.com.au

ROCKHAMPTON | RIFEN MARINE 6 Dooley St, North Rockhampton P 07 4927 9150 E rifen.boats@bigpond.com rifenmarine.com.au

CALOUNDRA | NORTH COAST BOATING 22 Enterprise St, Caloundra West P 07 5493 9376 E sales@northcoastboating.com.au northcoastboating.com.au

BUNDABERG | ADRIAN’S MARINE 28 Ritchie St, Bundaberg P 07 4153 1819 E admin@adriansmarinecentre.com.au adriansmarinecentre.com.au

ASHMORE | WHITE WATER MARINE 10 Hinde St, Ashmore P 07 5532 4402 E sales@whitewatermarine.com.au whitewatermarine.com.au

MACKAY | PHOENIX POWERSPORTS 165 Paradise Street, South Mackay P 07 4952 2436 E admin@phoenixpowersports.com.au phoenixpowersports.com.au

STB&B 006

Stacer.

Memories for a Lifetime.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 85

LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE…

INTUITIVE

CONTROL

The game has changed… The ALL NEW Mercury 15-20hp FourStroke battery-free EFI range changes the way you will think about portable outboards.

• 13% lighter than previous model • Battery-free EFI for fast, reliable starting • New exclusive multi-functional tiller handle, adjustable for left or right handed operations Page 86 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Available now from:

Available now from:

AIRLIE BEACH Whitsunday Outboard Centre 17 William Murray Dr, Cannonvale Q 4802 P: 07 4946 7286 E: woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au www.whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au

GOLD COAST TR Marine 167 Currumburra Rd, Ashmore Q 4214 P: 07 5532 5812 E: elle@trmarinegc.com.au www.trmarinegoldcoast.com.au

BRISBANE NORTH Holt Marine 25 Queens Rd, Everton Hills Q 4053 P: 07 3353 1928 E: info@holtmarine.com.au www.holtmarine.com.au

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

BRISBANE SOUTH Australian Marine Centre 3491 Pacific Hwy, Slacks Creek Q 4127 P: 07 3808 7333 E: info@amcboats.com.au www.amcboats.com.au

ROCKHAMPTON Rifen Marine 6 Dooley St, North Rockhampton Q 4701 P: 07 4927 9150 E: rifen.boats@bigpond.com www.rifenmarine.com.au

BUNDABERG Adrians Marine Centre 28 Ritchie St, Bundaberg Q 4670 P: 07 4153 1819 E: sales@adriansmarinecentre.com.au www.adriansmarinecentre.com.au

SUNSHINE COAST North Coast Boating 22 Enterprise St, Caloundra West Q 4551 P: 07 5493 9376 E: sales@northcoastboating.com.au www.northcoastboating.com.au

CAPALABA Mike’s Marine 9 Smith St, Capalaba Q 4157 P: 07 3390 3418 E: admin@mikesmarine.com.au www.mikesmarine.com.au

YEPPOON Sea Breeze Marine 150 Scenic Hwy, Yeppoon Q 4703 P: 07 4933 6366 E: info@seabreezemarine.com.au www.seabreezemarine.com.au

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

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023 – Page 87

SALE

IN STOCK

450 FISHABOUT PRO - 60HP

550 FRONTIER - 135HP

Includes: Mercury 60hp ELPT, painted sides, live bait tank, alloy trailer

Includes: Mercury 135hp, transom door, hydraulic steering, alloy trailer

NEW INTO STORE

SALE

590 CRUISEABOUT - 150HP

530 RENEGADE CENTRE CONSOLE - 115HP

Includes: Mercury 150hp, live bait tank, bunk infill board, alloy trailer

Includes: Mercury 115hp, bimini, painted sides, Lowrance sounder, hydraulic steer, alloy trailer

IN STOCK

NEW INTO STORE

540 OCEAN SPIRIT PRO - 135HP

460 RENEGADE SC - 60HP

Includes: Mercury 135hp, live bait tank, bimini and envelope, alloy trailer

Includes: Mercury 60hp CT, raised front cast deck, alloy trailer

Finance & Insurance available

* Mercury Finance terms and conditions apply. Photos for illustration purposes only.

Can’t make the yard? Shop online! For quality new and used boats! www.brisbaneboatingleisure.com.au 1743 Ipswich Road, Rocklea | Call 07 3875 1600 | Formerly Karee Marine Page 88 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, September 2023

www.bnbfishing.com. au