BNB Fishing mag | Dec 2020 by bnbfishing

Festive fishing fun

450

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December 2020

Beachcombing Queensland

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Saumarez Reef sortie

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 3

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From the Bush ‘n Beach Fishing Editor

HAT a year! 2020 will be remembered for many reasons and, as per most of us, I’m looking forward to 2021. Though, I think the first half of the new year may resemble the past six months. That said, the boating and fishing industry has experienced what can only be described as a ‘crazy’ time. If you’re in the market for a secondhand boat, the pickings are slim, as it appears everyone has decided to spend their overseas holiday money on a vessel. It’s also important to remember when purchasing a used boat, what warranty will be available from private sellers and marine dealers. It might be worth spending a few extra dollars for peace of mind rather than being lumped with a boat that will need more money thrown at it. New boats are in

similar demand and if you’re wanting one before Christmas, you’d better hurry, as those still around will soon be gone. Given the influx of boat sales, I’m sure the waterways will be very busy over the silly season, especially if the weather is good. Unfortunately, many new boat owners will have limited knowledge on reversing trailers and getting boats on and off them. If possible – rather than giving the newbies a blast, which will only put them under more pressure – offer to lend a hand. I see myself as part of a massive boating and fishing community, which needs to support and look out for each member. I’m guessing this mindset stems back to maritime law where there was an expectation to help someone in distress – it was how I was brought up and is what I’m teaching my kids.

Fishing As last months’ edition hit the printer, I was boarding a barge to Fraser Island. Fishing was a little tough but once we were in the clean water away from weed, tailor and dart were on offer, particularly around dusk. Unfortunately, the wind was a little inconsistent and swung around in all directions, which moved the weed about. Despite this, most of the cleaner water was up north, slightly south of Indian Head. While this wasn’t a hard-core fishing trip, I still loved going to Fraser. It’s a special place for me and brings back plenty of good memories. Especially when having a pie and refreshment at the Orchid Beach shop and looking out at the ocean! Closer to home, I have been trying to nail a big snapper on the troll. On a recent trip with fellow scribe Sean Co-

lon, Sean hooked a big knobby – over 70cm, and managed to get it boat side – only to have one of the biggest sharks I’ve seen in the southern bay, come over the top of the fish and devour it. Given the number of sharks we see on sounders these days, I wonder if the current regulation of one shark under 1.5m is actually the right way

to manage them. It seems as though we are allowing big sharks to thrive, and they are becoming conditioned to our activities. I’m not saying we need to get rid of them altogether, as they are an important part of the marine eco system, but maybe they could be better managed. Merry Christmas Ben Collins

OUR COVER

SCOTT BENNETT from Bayside Bait & Tackle holds up a beautiful Robinson’s sea bream from a charter trip out to Saumarez Reef. You can read all about it in SEAN CONLON’S article on Page 56.

With luck this will be the view for many days over the Christmas period.

www.bnbfishing.com.au

NEXT EDITION: January edition will be on sale in newsagents from December 18. DECEMBER SUBSCRIPTION PRIZE: See subscription form on Page 89 to go in the draw to win one of 10 Gamakatsu Packs valued at $59.95 RRP. OCTOBER PRIZEWINNER: Congratulations to Luke Kenny, Everton Hills who has won a massive ZMan pack valued at $360.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 5

December 2020 contents

Brooke Lowther Flattie Bash round up. . . by Leeann Payne . . . . . . . . . . . . . P8 Summer options for Moreton Bay. . . . . . . by Brian Webb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P12 Tackling Moreton Bay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Mark Templeton . . . . . . . . . . P18 Benefits of a guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Sean Thompson . . . . . . . . . . P20 Navigation aids updated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Bill Corten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P24 T’is the season for big whiting . . . . . . . . . . by Clint Ansell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P26 Holiday fishing tips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Brad Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P30 Jump into summer jewfish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Ben Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P32 Lizards likely in December. . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Gavin Dobson . . . . . . . . . . . . . P34 Northern Rivers fishing well . . . . . . . . . . . . by Brett Hyde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P36 Recipe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Melissa Frohloff . . . . . . . . . . . P37

Techniques for summer species. . . . . . . . . by Justin Willmer . . . . . . . . . . . . P40 New fishing weapon from Horizon . . . . . . by Heath Zygnerski . . . . . . . . . . P44

Quick nip up The Narrows. . . . . . . . . . . . by Mick Clutterbuck . . . . . . . . . P45 La Niña shines on Sunshine Coast . . . . . . by Grant Budd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P48 Tips for catching a Christmas feed. . . . . . . by Chris Rippon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P50 Patience required for pelagics. . . . . . . . . . by Tri Ton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P52 Muddies, jack and mackerel active. . . . . . by Brad Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P54 Saumarez Reef sortie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Sean Conlon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P56

Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival . . . by Keith Stratford . . . . . . . . . . . P58

Options for a festive fish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Gary Churchward . . . . . . . . . P60 Readers’ Forum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P62 Charter Directory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P63 Stanage Bay perfect for a visit. . . . . . . . . . by John Glanford . . . . . . . . . . . . P66 Fitzroy River Barra Bash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by John Boon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P67 A thing or two about crocodiles. . . . . . . . . by Bazz Lyon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P69 The rewards of mentoring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Dave Donald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P70 Build up to the wet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Matt Potter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P72 Beachcombing the Queensland coast. . . by Paul ‘Chief’ Graveson . . . . . . P76 Hints for catching dam barra. . . . . . . . . . . . by Bob Thornton . . . . . . . . . . . . . P78 Catches in South Burnett dams. . . . . . . . . by Matt Langford . . . . . . . . . . . . P81 Schultz family Christmas tradition. . . . . . by Neil Schultz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P83 Natural recruitment a bonus. . . . . . . . . . . . by Brian Dare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P85 Using fishing data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Garry Fitzgerald . . . . . . . . . . . P86 Trading Post. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P88 Subscription form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P89 Page 6 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

78 www.bnbfishing.com. au

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The Team

EDITOR: ADVERTISING: PRODUCTION:

Ben Collins The BNB Team Jo Hendley, Lisa Jones Bob Thornton

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

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 7

Team Wigglers and Jigglers with Bash patron Brooke Lowther and V8 Supercar champion Russell Ingall.

Rob Payne with a point scoring fish.

Brooke Lowther Flattie Bash round up

I Team Wigglers and Jigglers with the Breast Cancer Lady mascot. The team had a lot of fun participating in the sail past.

Brooke presenting John with his prize in the bestdressed boy category. Page 8 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

T’S not very often I get to fish in a competition with Rob these days, but when the Brooke Lowther Flattie Bash was announced, it didn’t take much convincing to enter, and I was able to fish with Rob and both of my kids. The Brooke Lowther Flattie Bash was a fabulous competition, with the ultimate aim of raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation for its continued research into this dreaded disease. We’ve had friends and family in the past year who have been diagnosed, so we immediately jumped on board. Brooke Lowther, a well-known media personality and National Breast Cancer Foundation ambassador, was the patriot and spokesperson for the event. The Bash’s entry was

Fishing Australia by LEEANN PAYNE

very reasonably priced and kids under 16 were free, with loads of fun activities, food and prizes on offer, and by entering we were given the chance of winning a super cool $130,000 in cash! We entered as ‘Team Wigglers and Jigglers’, and on the Saturday morning we arrived at

the Jacobs Well boat ramp for an early mark on the water. After a long absence from the Jumpinpin region for most of the flathead season, we hit a few of our favourite haunts, trolling an assortment of Zerek Tango Shads and Lively Lures Micro Mullets. * continued P9

Luckily even wigglers such as this one counted on the scoreboard. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Brooke Lowther Flattie Bash round up * from P8

It took a while to get ourselves organised – with the windy conditions and four lines out, I could have quite easily changed our name to ‘Team Tangles’ – it was not an easy task. Poor Robert certainly missed his usual teammates because most of the morning was spent sorting out the boat and getting the programme happening before we finally started to catch a few flathead in the shallows. I was really proud of Selina, who persistently fished her little heart out and was totally starving before asking if she could have lunch – because she didn’t want to put her rod down and stop fishing.

You should have seen the relief on her face when she found out she was allowed to put the rod in the holder so she could eat and still fish. We concentrated our trolling efforts from the banks of Tulleen Island through to Gold Bank where we caught most of our fish, however the weed proved to be an issue. On multiple occasions I would turn to find a lure hanging in front of my face, with a request to remove the weed from it. It was certainly nonstop, keeping the lures in the water in an untangled fashion, but it was good to start catching a few more fish. Our mates from Millmerran joined us on the water later in

the morning, after having travelled most of the journey to the coast in the dark during a torrential downpour and managing only 40km/h for the bulk of the trip. It was awesome to see the dedication and keenness of Marty and Karen, as I’m sure most would have turned around in those conditions. The bite got better as the tide rose and Gold Bank started producing flathead, not large but any sized fish kept the kids entertained and for that I was grateful. When the western sky darkened to an ominous dark grey, we made the call to leave the bite and head back to the ramp, where the storm front hit and totally

This is not the view you want to see between yourself and the boat ramp. An afternoon storm descended quickly on the Jumpinpin area.

Ruby McKeown and Selina were thrilled with their prizes at the presentation.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 9

Brooke Lowther Flattie Bash round up * from P9

The Brooke Lowther Flathead Bash was very family-oriented and the kids loved participating.

smashed us with stinging raindrops. Though there was a presentation at the Gold Coast Game Fishing Clubhouse that evening, we decided to take the exhausted kids home for a hot bath and an early night before the next day’s event. Sunday started off in a very relaxed fashion, with the dressing up of

Karen and Marty from Millmerran battled adverse conditions to make it to the Bash and sail past.

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the boat for a sail past at Wave Break Island. We enjoyed watching fellow competitors motor in, with boats dressed in pink, sparkles, banners and a lot of unicorns, and anglers on board wearing an assortment of questionable garments for the judging of ‘best dressed’. Also on the line for $10,000 was a ‘hole in one’ competition held on the beach. All I can say is that at low tide a couple of golf balls may be found along the foreshore and a few teams might like to practice their swing for next year! Following the sail past and golfing competition, anglers hit the water again for the final session. Slow off the mark again, the fishing improved as the tide rose, however an even nastier storm front rolled in. A blustery wind stirred up by the incoming storm hit, though Selina wanted to keep fishing because she was smashing it with her choice of a Zerek Tango Shad in So Much colour. However, with bolts of lightning striking in the distance, we quit early and headed to the presentation at the clubhouse.

Generous prizes were on offer for a multitude of categories including land-based, jet ski, kayak, teams, families, individual and kids’ prizes, and we were lucky enough to have caught numerous fish to do well in a few categories. The highlight of the competition was to see who was in the draw to win the $130,000 cash prize, with a guaranteed consolation prize of $5,000. With a secret length of 49cm, Stephen Wilson was the lucky angler to choose one of the fifty envelopes and though he missed out on the big pot, he still walked away with $5,000. The Bash was not an easy task to pull off during COVID-19. I take my hat off to Wayne John-Smith, Brooke Lowther, the behind the scenes organisers, the generous sponsors as well as the Gold Coast Game Fishing Club who made the inaugural Brooke Lowther Flattie Bash a fun experience for both serious anglers and families, and raised money for breast cancer research. For more details and to check out the winners, have a look at flat tiebash.com.au

Selina was proud to give both the author and Rob a caning during the Bash, catching all the fish herself. www.bnbfishing.com. au

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S summer kicks into gear, species such as estuary cod, mangrove jack, threadfin salmon, snapper, grass sweetlip, spangled emperor, tuskfish, moses perch, trevally and other pelagics come into play. Most of the reef species can be found around the bay islands, artificial reefs and in the Brisbane River, while pelagics are found in more open waters. The shipping channel, Rous, Rainbow and Pearl channels are the fish highways into the bay, and the eddies that form around the beacons often hold bait as they shelter from the current. This is particularly true for school mackerel, and on occasions cobia and kingfish. The best beacons are those in 15m or more, but all beacons off Moreton Island are worth a try. If after a few passes you have not raised a fish, move to the next beacon because you can always come back later and give it a try. To fish these beacons, position the boat upcurrent so it drifts past the beacon by 5-10m, and when you near the beacon, drop your chrome slug of around 60g towards the bottom then crank it back as fast as possible. A high-speed spin reel on a 7’ rod is my gear of choice, and metal lures from Lazer Lures, Halco or Spanyid are

Moreton Bay by BRIAN WEBB

proven catchers. I find a single hook gives you a better hookup rate and most hits will come within the first 5m off the bottom. Occasionally you’ll get a hit halfway back to the boat, so be mindful to slow your retrieve down as you come close to the surface, otherwise you could damage your guides. You can also anchor up-current and float live bait or pillies back towards the beacon. Navigation aids from the Four Beacons north are the better ones to attack and the Measured Mile beacons are great if specifically targeting school mackerel. Beacons from Curtain north are the ones you have a chance of attracting cobia or kingfish, with floated baits or stick baits. The other areas to try for doggies are the Amity Bank drop-offs or the top and bottom of the Pearl, Rous and Rainbow channels. Spotted mackerel do not hang around beacons, but it is a little early to be finding spotties in the bay because they usually turn up from January onwards, when most other pelagic activity in the bay increases. Birds are the best option for finding feeding pelagics. If you find the birds, the fish will be below,

even if the birds are spiralling upwards in the one area or moving slowly looking down. Birds flying higher up means the fish are deeper. On occasion, birds may be feeding on bait without accompanying pelagics or the fish can be feeding with no feathers in sight. A few of the better places you will find birds are from the Sandhills across to Mud Island, the Rous across to Green Island or from the Measured Mile to Mud Island. A trip up the Rous or Rainbow channels can often see you coming across feeding pelagics. A month ago, a school of tuna was even feeding in the mouth of the river. Tuna are finicky feeders, so it’s usually better to use smaller slugs in the 30-40g range, but it pays to carry two outfits, one rigged with said weight and another rigged with about an 80g option. Tuna usually feed into the wind, and with this knowledge it’s easy to work out which way the feeding school is travelling. As a bonus, you’ll often find bonito in among the tuna schools. Both tuna and mackerel are surface feeders, and it is easy to tell the difference because tuna

* continued P14

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 13

Mackerel and tuna schools feeding look slightly different and you can notice the differences here.

Tim found this solid longtail tuna near Mud Island.

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* from P12

breach the surface more while mackerel stay below the surface. If you find a feeding frenzy, motor up and stay around 10m to the side with your motor running, cast to the edges of the school and retrieve like hell back to the boat. One thing about mackerel is that their feed and travel routine can usually be worked out easily and you can position the boat ahead of the school, so they come toward you. All mackerel once caught should be subdued with a donger, bled, then iced as soon as possible. Longtails should be turning up in better numbers between Coochiemudlo and Peel islands, the Rainbow Channel, Peel to the Sandhills, the shipping channel and from the Pearl Channel down to Mud Island. Work the edges of the drop-offs trolling pillies or live bait on a paravane or downrigger.

You could on occasion find them feeding on the surface and again birds will often help you find them. I was fishing on the 10m drop-off at Mud and had a longtail take a bait intended for snapper, so they are a fish that can pop up anywhere but they mainly herd bait up against the side of banks or dropoffs. Lures also work, with presentations such as 7’’ Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ in natural colours rigged on 1/2 or 3/4oz jig heads and 100-140m stick baits. If you cannot get your hands on some

livies, try the 220mm Zerek Affinity or Jackall Dowzswimmer swimbaits in natural colours. When targeting pelagics, especially longtails, make sure your gear is up to scratch, knots are well tied and you’re using a decent leader, as they will test your gear to its limits. I usually run 30lb braid with a 40lb leader, and anyone who has experienced the initial run will attest to their ability to make you wonder if you’re going to have enough line. You may need to follow the fish to retrieve * continued P15

Lee Edwards caught this mack tuna in the Brisbane River. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Summer options for Moreton Bay * from P14

a little line back, and if you intend to keep the fish, they need to be brain spiked, bleed, then put straight onto ice to retain their eating qualities. Snapper can be caught in a multitude of places in the bay but favour areas where structure is close by. During summer I like to fish the shallows, especially into the evening on a dark night and early morning before the suns come up. I prefer to use fresh bait. You may be lucky and catch a 70-80cm fish, but most will be in the 40-60cm range and these can easily be baked whole. There are plenty of

small sharks, barracuda and grinner around at present – keep the grinner for the snapper because they don’t mind a fillet of this fish. A few of the areas to try are: • West Peel Artificial Reef at Latitude (DDM): 27° 30.002’S; Longitude (DDM): 153° 18.715’E • The Tiwi Pearl wreck at Latitude (DDM): 27° 24.532’S; Longitude (DDM): 153° 18.304’E • Curtain Reef at Latitude (DDM): 27° 06.600’S; Longitude (DDM): 153° 21.750’E • Scarborough Reef • The area down towards the Grazier wreck around Mud Island at Latitude (DDM): 27° 18.757’S;

Longitude (DDM): 153° 15.028’E • Coochiemudlo Artificial Reef at Latitude (DDM): 27° 34.222’S; Longitude (DDM): 153° 20.961’E. By sounding around these marks, you will find more structure to search for snapper, grass sweetlip, spangled emperor, tuskfish and even the odd nannygai. Most of the artificial reef GPS marks are available on the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries website. The eastern side of Green Island, the Wellington Point drop-offs and the rock wall at the top of Macleay Island are other areas to try,

* continued P16

Dave’s nice blackspot tuskfish taken on an overhead outfit.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 15

Summer options for Moreton Bay * from P15

and there are a few isolated structures north of the Measured Mile to the southern end of the Pearl Channel. Even the edges of the shipping channel from Tangalooma up to Bulwer are worth having a sound around. Curtain Reef is holding a lot of trevally at present. The eastern side of the Rainbow Channel from Myora north along the drop-offs is best fished a few hours either side of the top and bottom tide due to the current,

and a downrigger will help fish the stronger current, where you can often find the odd tuskie or spangled emperor. All the above areas are great places for early morning or evening sessions, especially on tide changes during weekdays, otherwise you have to contend with crowds on the weekend. Even the shipping channel edges north of Bulwer are worth a try, as there are isolated coffee rocks structures all the way up to Caloundra and jig-

ging these areas when you find bait will put you in with a chance of finding cobia, spanish mackerel and kingfish. A couple of these structures hold snapper, tuskies and particularly grass sweetlip. Keep an eye on the weather though, as you are in open waters and not protected by Moreton Island. You’ll need to have the correct safety gear on board, and this applies to when you’re in Moreton Bay also, which has calm and partially smooth water.

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fied a gap in information for the boating public relating to care and service of lifejackets. The website life jackets.org.au is dedicated to providing boaters across the country with a single source of reliable information, especially regarding inflatable lifejackets. The website offers

access to several resources and tools that are designed to help people make an informed decision relating to the selection of lifejackets for their needs, and the care and servicing of inflatable lifejackets. These include a lifejacket selector tool, educational videos on conducting pre-wear checks and inspections, a retailer and service centre store locator, as well as the ability to register to receive maintenance tips and service reminders via email. Chair of ANZSBEG Laurence Adams said: “A great day out on the water is a safe day, and a lifejacket is perhaps the most important safety item on a boat after the boat itself.”

The Brisbane River is fishing better now than it has in years, with king threadfin salmon being caught as far up as St Lucia. Cod, snapper, bream and the odd summer jewfish are also there for the taking. Snapper have been found along both sides of the drop-offs from Clara Rocks down to the rock walls around the mouth. If you’re after live bait Boggy Creek, the small bay near the water treatment outlet, or the mouths of Bulimba and Norman creeks are good places to try. Pike can be jigged up near the Coffee Pots and its worth looking around the outer beacons towards the mouth, as there’s also the odd squid at the end of the rock wall. Plastics in the river have been doing a lot of damage and they are worth a try at a few of the above marks. Winter whiting are still available around Fishermans Gutter or the weed beds in the Rous Channel. Good quality summer whiting are around the Hope, Pelican and Chain banks, the southern corner of the Amity banks to the Rainbow Channel, around Hayes Inlet, the Pine River and Golden Beach at Bribie Island. While fishing around the entrance to the Rous Channel, you could have a go for squid, as the weed beds are still holding good quality models, mainly arrow squid. Sand crabs are around in reasonable numbers and can be found from

the Pearl Channel back towards Cockle Banks and the area around the Measured Mile down to the top of Mud Island. Even though winter is over, bream are still available and places such as the river, the eastern side in close and northeast corner of Mud, the western side of Green, the northern side of Coochie and the pylons around Dunwich, the Pine River, Hayles Inlet, and Lota and Tingalpa creeks are holding good fish. The further south you go past Macleay Island, the more bream you’ll find, with bream around most of the mangrove lined islands. There are still plenty of flathead on the flats at Wynnum, the western side of Green, King Island and the southern end of the boat passage, and the mouths of Lota and Tingalpa creeks. Though for better numbers of flathead head to Hayes Inlet, the Caboolture River, the Pine River, Nudgee, or the sand banks in Burpengary Creek and the mouth of Pumicestone Passage. So, get out early and chase reef fish, then go looking for pelagics, keeping an eye on the skies for circulating birds and you could come home with a mixed bag. Here’s hoping spotties turn up in better numbers this year, as they’re already in Hervey Bay. The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries have released a new app ‘Qld Fisheries 2.0’, which will give you all the relevant rules and fish identification.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 17

Tackling Moreton Bay over the silly season

Jake upgraded his personal best with a 79cm snapper.

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EALITY check – the big guy in the red suit is not far away. With Christmas destinations limited this year it can only mean one thing – more fishing! This is the perfect time to go to the shed, grab the fishing gear you’re going to take away with you and check it out for damage from the last trip – or damage from being stored without being serviced. The average timeframe for reel repairs is normally two weeks and with an influx around Christmas holiday time, you can expect this to blow out a little. You must remember that a lot of suppliers will be closing for Christmas and may have only a small crew on deck to send out parts. Rod repairs should stay on schedule with weekly pick-ups and drop-offs but remember, even a rod repairer will take time off with the family over the Christmas period, so don’t take the chance and wait – get those guides checked and repaired sooner rather than later. Sort your gear now and save yourself the frustration later. For those not planning a trip away, up or down the coast, who want to have fun with the family, we have a couple of ‘low cost, max fun’ ideas for you. One of my all-time favourite go-to activities

Northern Moreton Bay by MARK TEMPLETON

is angling for garfish. If you haven’t tried it before, now is the time to grab the light gear, basic tackle – and I mean basic tackle – a small amount of bait and an Esky for the catch. The basic tackle I mentioned would be along the lines of No. 12 longshank hooks, a small stick float or the old faithful red and white plastic clip-on float, a couple of small split-shot sinkers, half a dozen prawns, a few slices of bread for berley and a bag of giggles. Simplicity at its best – a very small piece of prawn on the hook (and you can get 10 or more baits from one prawn), flick out a couple of small pieces of bread to get the fish feeding and cast that line out. You will see them flicking about on the surface in schools and in most cases, you can

watch them take the bait as well. Once hooked, the fun begins. They will become mini airborne missiles, or as a few people call them ‘mini marlin’ because they’ll leap out of the water and put on a show that will get everyone excited. Once you’ve caught a few, turn them into bait for larger species, keep them as awesome table fish or do the old catch and release. If you would like more information, duck across to the Tackle Land website for a look, tackleland.com.au/garfishing-tactics Another low-cost activity I enjoy is walking the flats at low tide. This may sound a little deflating but once you’re out there it’s amazing what can be seen and learned when there is little or no water. * continued P19

Garfishing is a family favourite activity. Ivy with her ‘mini marlin’. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Tackling Moreton Bay * from P18

In the shallow pools, we quite often see things such as baby flathead and whiting, and there’s always toadfish to chase. It pays to take a bucket with you for little gems – empty shellfish, cool looking bits of wood and possibly a couple of old lures snagged in the rocks. If you do decide to go for a wander along the foreshore, remember to wear shoes and put gloves on to protect against sharp barnacles, broken glass or any other nasty out there. The items the kids collect can be turned into an art and craft project when the weather

turns and they’re stuck inside. In the Moreton Bay region, we’ve had a steady increase of catches of the bread and butter species. Bream catch sizes are on the increase, with a few people learning the value of fishing light and fishing structure where these fish feed. Glenn has made a few changes over the past few months – increasing his rod length from a 7’ to a 9’ rod, dropping the main line from a braid to a 6-8lb fluorocarbon straight through, and reducing the lead size down to 000, if any at all. Big bream can be very finicky and will often refuse a weighted bait.

I probably over-think the situation, but when I watch fishers who have finished for the day and throw little pieces of bait over the side, I then watch the boil of bream and other species feeding on it. Keep it simple and down-size your gear for better fish. Great catches of snapper are still available in the bay too. Jake managed to upgrade his personal best on snapper with a 79cm model, which was a great effort by Jake. Hopefully the weather will play fair and let us all out there a bit more often. Be safe in your travels and maintain the passion.

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Glenn has made a few changes to his setup for chasing bream.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 19

Benefits of a guide

F Nick can teach you a variety of techniques for fish including big threadfin salmon.

Nick has won three Gold Coast Flathead Classics with fish like this.

Good sounder knowledge can also put you onto prawns. You can see the cast net about to land on a couple of kilo worth of prawns.

OR the past 25 years or so of my life, I have been well and truly bitten by the fishing bug and have tried to learn as much as I can about our great sport. This includes subscriptions to magazines such as this one, reading books, watching videos and, with the advent of social media and subscription TV channels, following the more informed sources and shows through these. But on top of all that, I have benefited from what I regard as the steepest learning curve of the lot – face-to-face education. This has included attending TAFE fishing courses, specialist fishing presentations and – best of all – hired quality fishing guides. I regularly see online that quite a few people seem to think they know enough already and they don’t need to pay for a guide. That’s fine, each to their own I guess, but the problem is people don’t know what they don’t know. I have done a lot of fishing over the past couple of decades and

Nick can help you find isolated rubble patches and wrecks using your sounder. Page 20 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

Fishing Tips by SEAN THOMPSON

each time I’m on the water I continue to learn. Occasionally, your results are affected by what you’re doing wrong, and you may not realise this until an experienced guide points it out to you. These professionals are on the water for a couple of hundred days a year and often know their local areas like the backs of their hands, so I recommend to anyone who is thinking about hiring a guide, do it, as you will be wiser for it. As it turns out, there are a few southeast Queensland-based fishing guides who write for this great mag, and I have been out with Sean Conlon already, who I highly recommend. My most recent trip was with Nick Whyte from Tech Fishing, and Brad Smith Fishing Charters will be next on my hit list. My area of focus is bay and estuary fishing, as I can then put the lessons from this into practice in my own boat. So, let’s get back to my recent trip with Nick Whyte by way of example of the benefits. Tech Fishing and Nick Whyte Nick Whyte has been fishing for more than 30 years, socially and in tournaments. His success and knowledge speak for themselves, with multiple tournament wins and top five finishes, including an incredible three Gold Coast Flat-

head Classic wins. The great thing about Nick as a guide is his focus on teaching and not only catching fish. It is well and good to go with a guide or on a charter and catch a bunch of fish, but if you don’t walk away wiser then you have wasted your money in my view. One of the advantages with Nick is that he will take you out in your own boat. There are a few benefits to this. First, he will teach you how to read and interpret the sounder on your own boat and make adjustments as necessary. This was very valuable for me and as an example he set me up with a few extra multiple screen views – chart, sonar, down and sidescan – for when I’m travelling, trolling or searching an area for good structure and bait. Nick also walked me through parts of my Lowrance HDS Gen2 menu that I was not familiar with and this meant I was able to add and move more variables around my mixed screen that don’t come as a default. On top of all that, he kindly loaded the latest update onto my device! The other thing Nick offers upfront is to prioritise the areas you want to focus on in your session, such as your sounder and interpreting it, and fishing techniques for the species * continued P22

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 21

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Nick with a beautiful jewfish caught by paying careful attention to his sounder in the background.

Benefits of a guide * from P20

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you want to chase. I went with a combo of a little advanced sounder set-up with a focus on deep water tactics for flathead and jewfish. A good option for anyone from beginner to expert is the advice Nick offers in terms of interpreting your sounder – from bottom density to tracking bait, interpreting species of fish and everything in between, including adjusting your depth range and fishing in specific depth and current. When it comes to fishing, Nick has three key ingredients he looks for – clean water, bait and run. He will talk you through in more detail the target species and the best tide, time, wind and importantly position in the boat. As I said, in my session with Nick my focus was on deep water tactics for big flatties and jew. I have a lot of experience in shallow water lure casting and trolling but really wanted to take my knowledge on deep water techniques

to the next level, using the insights of one of the best in the business. Nick demonstrated his very successful deep tea bagging technique and how he maintains a tight vertical line using continual adjustments with the electric motor. This requires a bit of practice, using a combination of the electric and the sounder to position your boat while also taking account of the wind and current. If you don’t have an electric, don’t despair, Nick will talk you through other options and techniques. Nick also brought along all the tackle and lures, so you’re using what he uses. I took the opportunity to ask a lot of questions about line and leader choice in varying conditions, lure choice and actions, and a few others about species he specialises in. There was nothing out of the ordinary in Nick’s lure choices, with various Zerek and Z-Man lures being favoured – it’s what he does with them that makes the difference. All in all, it was a

very valuable session even though the weather didn’t do us any favours, with continual changes in wind direction and stronger wind than forecast. I can highly recommend Nick for his experience and knowledge, as I can the other guides who I have mentioned and who write for this magazine. Of course, there are others further afield who offer offshore fishing, and once again I recommend guides as a great way of improving your fishing, sounder and tackle setup knowledge to catch more fish. Nick can be contacted on 0422 213 669, on Facebook at Tech Fishing, or by email at nick@ techfishing.com.au Until next month, bag your mates not your limit, and as always I hope you take the opportunity to jump on Facebook and like and follow my Ontour Fishing Australia pages on Facebook and Instagram. I focus on bay, estuary, beach and flats fishing, as well as crabbing, prawning and bait gathering.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 23

Navigation aids in Moreton Bay updated

CCASIONALLY it’s necessary to make a bit of noise to get a job done, and that is exactly what happened with the recent upgrade of the navigation buoys in the Rous Channel. After a concerted effort with multi-agency support, the upgrade finally took place and the outcome has been considerably better than many people anticipated. The biggest problem with the Rous is the sandbanks are mobile, and it is an area that requires programming flexibility and vigilance to maintain safe navigation marks. Sadly, that had been lacking for well over a year and the delayed response was not a COVID issue. However, let’s give credit to Maritime Safety Queensland in recognition of the good job they have done. Also, a big thanks to

Offshore by BILL CORTEN

Marine Parks because without their input and assistance in the process, the boating community would not have received such a good outcome. The first item of importance to readers is that the Rous Channel itself is now well marked, and for the time being the navigation aids are accurate – given the changing nature of the sandbanks. As important is now an additional channel is clearly marked with red and green buoys, which cuts out the long tortuous horseshoe bend in the Rous and provides a relatively straight line. This links the western end of the Rous Channel near the junction with the Little Ships Channel to the existing green buoys at the eastern end of the Rous.

This is a massive game changer – the marked channel defines an area where a natural channel formed, previously declared as a goslow turtle and dugong protection area. It provides far more direct access to Amity and South Passage Bar, and now there is less risk of grounding on the sandbanks within the horseshoe area of the Rous. As the new channel is greater than 2m deep at low tide, the marking of its boundaries with both green and red buoys was strongly supported and insisted on by Marine Parks in the multi-agency process. We can now all law-

fully stay on the plane through there, providing we remain within the easy to read marked boundaries on both sides of this channel. Outside the whole of the new marked channel is still a go-slow area. This latter comment is critical for skippers to comply with, as being able to stay on the plane in the new channel is a major concession, granted to all of us in a sensitive area of the Marine Park. No doubt, there will be a need for tweaking the location of a few of the buoys over time, but it goes to demonstrate what can be achieved when there is a multiagency approach and a determined drive to get the job done. It is a big bonus for recreational and small

commercial vessel operators who traverse the Rous Channel. Getting the information out there is not quite so easy, and no doubt there will be eventual upgrades to electronic charts available from the various manufacturers. There are notices to mariners with latitude and longitude locations on MSQ’s website msq. qld.gov.au Or you can do what I did recently – go for a run through the area and mark all of the buoys in both channels as waypoints (using red and green icons, which I keep exclusively for marking navigation aids to prevent any confusion). Safe boating as we wind down to Christmas.

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Fish are in their element over the yabby banks.

The author captured a 40cm whiting on 2lb line.

T’is the season for big summer whiting

W Danny snagged his personal best 40cm whiting on a charter with the author.

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There is nothing better than getting away by yourself or with friends and family to wet a line. That’s how I escape it all anyway. Whether it’s in a boat offshore catching big fish or land-based chasing small estuary and freshwater fish, it doesn’t matter. Getting back to nature is so refreshing.

Leave the mobile phone on flight mode and focus on the fishing – nothing else will matter. On the Gold Coast at this time of year, mangrove jack and sand whiting are both cranking up their activity. Sand whiting are easily caught around sandbanks with fresh yab* continued P28

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Allan landed his personal best whiting of 38cm while wading the banks with the author using ultra-light tackle. www.bnbfishing.com. au

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www.tohatsu.com.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 27

T’is the season for big summer whiting * from P26

The author’s father-in-law Harry grabbed a 38cm sand whiting at Tallebudgera Creek.

Brendan’s personal best 38cm whiting scored on a day of strong northerly wind.

bies and bloodworms, and there are plenty of bream and flathead in the same areas. You can catch these fish by casting over the top of shallow yabby banks on a run-in tide and off the edges of banks on a run-out tide. All you need are 7’ 1-4kg estuary rods and 1000-2500 size spin reels spooled with clear mono or spinning fluorocarbon line in the 3-6lb range. Use the lightest sinker you can get away with while still keeping contact with the sandy bottom, and pin the yabbies or worms on small No. 4-6 baitholder hooks. Remember big whiting often have a very timid bite, so give them plenty of time to chew then swallow the bait before you set the hook. In Queensland sand

whiting have a 23cm size limit and bag limit of 30. They’re really only worth keeping for fillets at 30cm or more and I don’t see why anyone would need to keep 30 per person. They are a prolific fish and grow to around 35cm in about five years, reaching sexual maturity at around 20cm in length and two years of age. Sand whiting generally spawn two or three times a year between September and April. You’ll often find bigger whiting close to areas where stingrays are feeding – so, find the rays, find the fish! Another good way to catch big whiting is by anchoring at night along the shallow banks opposite Gold Coast City Council Chambers and using

bloodworms for bait. Massive flathead can be found hunting whiting in the shallows at this time of year. If targeting bigger flathead, quietly cover ground and cast glide bait lures that suspend to get their attention. A sweeping motion of the lures, with pauses in between, seem to work best. Big flathead will often be found in only only 20cm to 1m of water. A merry Christmas to you all and remember to enjoy family fishing time. To book a charter with myself or Brad, or if you have any fishing related questions, SMS 0432 990 302, email fishingwithclint@gmail.com, or find us on Facebook at Brad Smith Fishing Charters.

Lonnie and a nice duo of whiting and flathead. Page 28 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 29

Holiday fishing tips

Fishing around the yabby banks is fun for kids and you may find a big starfish like Kaiden did.

Joshua was stoked to catch his biggest ever flathead, which took a soft plastic lure.

Bradh's Smited Guiding Fishs Tour

’DAY everyone, in this month’s article I’d like to give you and your family a few holiday fishing tips. To start, you need only basic fishing equipment – which might be gift-wrapped under the Christmas tree – including a simple 2-4kg spin outfit with light 6-8lb braid on it. When it comes to lures, a few small plastics, matching light jig heads, a few small surface lures and a couple of blades will suffice. For bait, all you need are a few small different sized sinkers, a packet of swivels, a couple of No. 4 long shank hooks and a yabby pump. The yabby pump would be a perfect Christmas present, as pumping yabbies is fun for the whole family and yabbies are the best all-round bait you can use. Let’s look at several locations that might put a bend in the rods for you.

Gold Coast Guide by BRAD SMITH

To start, I would stay away from rock walls that have a lot of tidal flow along them. This might sound like a strange call as these areas do hold a lot of fish, but for years I have watched dads and their little kids try to fish these areas and it is hard work. The kids either wind their lines into the rocks or the current washes the lines into the rocks and the dads spend more time retying hooks than enjoying the fishing. The first place I would suggest would be around the banks that you are pumping your yabbies. The sandy banks here hold fish such as whiting, bream and flathead, and if the kids get a bit bored – as they occasionally do when

fishing – they can run around on the sand or have a swim in the shallows. This would give mum or dad a chance to have a fish with yabbies or lures. The way to fish the yabby banks is to pump them at the bottom of the tide then fish the run-in tide. Most fish take the opportunity to move out of the deeper channels to feed over the banks with the rising tide. This is also a good time to give everyone a cast with the surface poppers mentioned earlier, as the shallow water covering the yabby banks is one of the best places for surface fishing for whiting. Another small tip is to purchase a couple of sand spike rod holders * continued P31

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Mark caught this quality whiting on an MMD Splash Prawn in shallow water over a yabby bank. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Family holiday fishing tips to put your rods in if you are not fishing, as placing your rods on the sand will destroy the reels in no time. You can easily and cheaply make your own rod holder by purchasing a length of 50mm poly pipe, hack sawing it to an appropriate length and pushing it into the sand. There are public jetties and wharves in our rivers and creeks, and these are great platforms for the family to fish from because they provide good structure for fish. Once again, you could mix it up and try bait as well as casting and slowly hopping a soft plastic or blade lure along the bottom. When casting lures

from jetties, throw upcurrent and hop them back with the tide, as this will keep your lure on the bottom where most fish feed. The summer holiday period is one of the best times to take the family to fish the beautiful beaches we are blessed with along our coastline. When fishing beaches, always look for deep water running parallel along the shoreline, often called beach gutters. These gutters hold whiting, bream, flathead and swallowtail dart through summer. Yabbies work well here, as do live beachworms, and you can even get the kids to wiggle their feet into the sand in the shallow water for another great

bait called pipis. Wiggling your feet along the shallow beach water until you can feel the pipis with your feet is known as the ‘pipi twist’. Small rods that you use for rivers will still work for beach gutters, as long casts are not always required. In fact, I find most of the fish are in close range, particularly when fishing beach gutters on the run-in tide. Once again you can mix it up and try casting soft plastics or blade lures into the beach gutters, but remember to take your sand spike rod holders in case the kids decide to ditch the rods for the boogie boards. That’s it, and merry Christmas!

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With a bit of preparation and effort, solid jewfish can become regular captures.

Jump into summer jewfish

OW many of you have had the itch to chase one of those big silvery slabs you’ve seen all over social media and magazines lately? The appeal of feeling the line being pulled uncontrollably from your toughest gear as you hook-up. You’re locked up and giving it all you’ve got. With the adrenaline pumping, you know that at any second the excitement could end in disappointment. But the battle is on and you cannot give up until the monster is boat side. Shimmering as it rises to the top, it slips deep into the biggest net on the boat and the trophy now belongs to you. Mulloway – jewfish as they are commonly known around southeast Queensland – are the ultimate prize for many anglers and throughout November and into December they have appeared in our waterways in promising numbers. Jumpinpin and the Gold Coast Seaway have been producing not only good numbers of fish but quite a few extra-large specimens. The close offshore

Gold Coast by BEN SMITH

reefs have also produced, and big snapper have been a regular and very welcome bycatch. Even better is that the hotspots can be fished in almost any sized boat, with appropriate safety measures in place. So, now that you’re thinking about heading out to target one, let’s go through a few pointers to steer you in the right direction for success. First, you are going to need to think about bait or lures. Live bait is often the best and a big jewies love nothing more than a live yakka or slimy mackerel. Go and spend the time to jig a few of these up at known bait grounds and make sure you keep them in top health in a well set-up live bait tank. I can’t stress enough the importance of good live bait. I know dead bait are effective, but livies are the preferred option. I try to get at least 1020 baits in my tank, so

I don’t run out if pesky bream decide to attack them. Next is the rod. A lot of rod and reel set-ups are out there, but I seem to have the most success on a shorter spin rod around 5’6” (or 1.7m). I use a Shimano Grappler Type J S566 teamed and a Shimano Stella SW 8000, spooled with YGK Jig Man PE5 braid and Black Magic 80lb Supple Trace leader at the business end. I get good feel through the short graphite rod and can keep good contact with the bottom when on the drift. I like to use the monofilament trace rather than fluorocarbon because it is far more supple and presents the bait more naturally. The rig is simply a couple of 7/0 Owner Cutting Point SSW Octopus hooks snelled about 10cm apart on a leader of around 2m. A 4-5oz lumo egg sinker running down to the top of the first hook keeps the bait in the

* continued P33

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Jump into summer jewfish on the Gold Coast * from P32

zone where you can feel it, right on the bottom. Now, pin a live bait through the nose on one hook and through the back with the second hook, allowing the hook points to be well exposed. Do not sink or try and hide the point in the bait because you will miss the hook-up. Use your sounder and hunt around to find fish. They generally hold fairly close to the bottom, so zoom in if you need to. Once you’ve marked them, come back around for a drift. Drop the bait in the water and control the fall to the bottom so the sinker doesn’t overtake the bait and create a tangle.

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As soon as you hit the bottom, knock the bail arm over and tea bag the bottom. Generally, boat control can be an issue because you must keep vertical over the line. Never allow the line to become slack or form a belly. If it does belly out, you’re going to lose contact with the bait and sinker, and more than likely snag. Keep the bait in the zone, which is about 10cm off the bottom, and be ready. The eat is often brutal and because you’re so close to the bottom, you have to work hard to turn the fish early. As soon at that tip bends, go hard and if you survive the first 10 seconds, the chances of boating the brute will

increase by half. Now it’s up to you and if all goes to plan, you’ll be smiling after a solid fight. Where you catch one, you’ll often find another, so crack on and hopefully you’ll score a few more. Remember to always check the bag and size limits and release the

smaller fish. If you can’t get livies, another very successful way to hook-up is with big plastics. Use the same technique by jigging right on the bottom. Big plastics are good and fool many fish into a bite. I will talk about fishing for jew on plas-

tics later but for now, whichever technique you use to fish for this species, enjoy it and have fun. Hopefully in December we’ll start to see black marlin move in close and other awesome summer species with them. Until then, have fun and fish hard!

Mark North caught this 7kg snapper while chasing jewfish offshore.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 33

Lizards likely in December

Toby with a 91.5cm flathead which was the best of a good session.

A good-sized Brunswick River flathead caught by Hugh.

Hugh with 2kg of hard-fighting trevally. Page 34 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

ITH travel restrictions easing more, the upcoming holiday season is looking good for fishers. If you are thinking of coming to the Byron coast, the fishing has been decent. After storms and substantial rain, the river is a great place to be with all the warm water species now in full swing. Hugh recently came down to the caravan park for another stint. I enjoyed a couple of days on the river with him and we even caught a couple of sizable fish. Drifting around the mouth of the river on a slack low tide, we were hoping for a big flathead but only managed a just-legal model. On the last drift, Hugh had the big hook-up we were anticipating, and on 6lb braid he angled the fish gently to the boat. Once under the boat, the tell-tale slow nodding of the rod tip indicated it wasn’t the big flathead we were targeting but a trevally circling on its side. I’ve written before that I reckon trevally are a first-class sportfish and I will never tire of seeing them come to the boat. They don’t have to be the monster giant trevally that people pay huge bucks to chuck poppers at all day in exotic locations. The 1-2kg models that inhabit our local estuaries are a buzz on appropriate tackle. On a subsequent trip with Hugh, we once again chased big lizards. On the first cast, Hugh hooked a nice fish and

Tweed to Byron Bay by GAVIN DOBSON

upon seeing it was a good flatty we realised we’d left the net back at the caravan. There’s a manoeuvre called the comfort lift, and I’m sure you’ve seen it on TV. It involves gently lifting the fish into the boat by the belly and hoping it just relaxes and comes aboard with no fuss. Turns out I’m rubbish at the comfort lift! What I can do though is the discomfort lift. This involves lifting the fish aboard with a thumb grip that causes pain and lacerations from the fish’s raspy teeth and the possibility of the hook ending up in a digit. With the fish in the boat, we went back, got the net and headed back

up the river to look for trevally or flatties in the deeper holes at low tide. The trevally weren’t present but we jagged a few more flathead, with no monsters but a nice feed. Toby Hart had a redhot morning on the lizards, and I happened to be there to watch him land the biggest of the session. From my angle it didn’t look massive but as his dad Damien lifted it out of the water, it grew into a 91.5cm crocodile. I took a quick snap and the duo swam the fish carefully before releasing it. Flathead, trevally and whiting will continue to consume anglers’ atten* continued P36

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 35

Northern Rivers fishing well between storms

H Tom with a lure-munching mangrove jack.

Lizards likely * from P34

tion in the river this month. Mangrove jack will also be on the cards. Hugh and I drifted past the end of a rock bar hoping for a flathead and within the space of a minute we both got wiped out by jack. I’m sure people have landed them on light line, but we stood no chance – it was over in seconds. Mud crabs are starting to move around a bit more with the stormy weather and are quickly filling out their shells. A few of the crabs caught last month were green and empty, but a couple of rusties are beginning to emerge now. Offshore is usually a bit hard at this time, but by Christmas a few spotted mackerel might make an appearance, if the

water is right. There’s plenty of bait around – if it stays the mackerel will be there when the water gets warm and blue. Out wider, a few small marlin and mahi mahi are cruising the current. The other week I had a small black check me out. I threw an octopus out just to see what it would do – the fish swam over and checked it out but didn’t eat. In close, there are a heap of pike, slimy mackerel and tailor, and it always pays to stack a good amount of these in the freezer. On occasion, schools of little bonito will show up in December too and these are prime. I reckon I might dedicate a couple of bait fishing trips, so I’ve got something to feed the mackerel when they turn up.

Page 36 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

ELLO all and welcome to this month’s

edition. We’ve had another few interesting weeks around the Northern Rivers as far as fishing goes. The weather has continued to heat up and we have seen our first storms and rain for the summer. One big concern for the coming season is the amount of rain we are predicted to have. The Northern Rivers is known for flooding over the summer period and rain has been forecast across the board. For now though, we may as well enjoy a little clear water in the lower reaches while it lasts. The water temperature in the river has continued to rise, even with the recent rain and storms. We have seen an increase in the numbers and quality of whiting here too over the past couple of weeks. As usual, the run-in tide has been the best bet, and I am expecting the quantities to improve even more over the coming month – if we don’t get too much rain that is. Yabbies and worms have been the pick of bait, as you would expect, but several of the better-quality fish have been taken on surface lures over the shallow sandflats. North Creek, Mobbs Bay and a couple of the sandflats around Pimlico Island have been good spots to try your

Ballina Bait & Tackle by BRETT HYDE

luck with both poppers and stickbaits. Bassday Sugapen, MMD Splash Prawn, Atomic Hardz Pop 50, Ecogear PX, OSP Bent Minnow 76 and Bassday Backfire Popper lures have all been decent options to try lately. The warm weather has also had flathead on the move, with better numbers showing up from the mouth of the river to the ferry during recent weeks. The warmer climate has also pushed many of them into deeper water as they attempt to stay cool. The deeper sections in this part of the river will be worth targeting over the next month, particularly with live bait if you want to catch a few of the larger models. Areas like the breakwalls, the porpoise wall and behind the CBD up to Faulks Reserve will all be worth checking out. For those wanting to catch a feed for dinner, throwing a few soft plastics around the drop-offs from the sandflats on the run-out tide will still be worthwhile. Plastics around 70100mm will be ideal to use and I would suggest sticking with brighter colours. Nuclear Chicken, Lime Tiger, Killer Tomato, Electric Chicken and even Pearl White

will all be colours worth trying out. The other member of the warm weather family has also been making an appearance of late. There have been a few mangrove jack taken over the past couple of weeks, on a mix of both lures and live bait. Surface poppers in the early morning have been productive, along with soft plastics around rock walls in the afternoons. Wardell Bridge to Broadwater has been a little more consistent, which is largely due to the higher water temperature in this part of the river. I expect we’ll see more activity over the next month along a few of the rock walls closer to the mouth of the river, but for now you’ll have to go for a little drive either in the boat or the car. Bass fishing has started to kick along with the warm weather, which means there’s been plenty of success using surface lures early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Poppers, frogs, buzz baits, cicadas and stickbaits have all been producing fish in many different colours. With the warm weather, bass seem to be moving out into deeper water fairly early most mornings, so it would be worth trying a few deep-

* continued P37

www.bnbfishing.com. au

by MELISSA FROHLOFF

Skirted jigs have worked well on bass.

Northern Rivers fishing well between storms * from P36

diving hard-body lures or a couple of skirted jigs in dark colours. Both of these lures will get you down to where you need to be and hopefully in front of a hungry bass. The Wilsons River and the Richmond River arms have both had good numbers of fish in them, but the Wilsons is a little more discoloured from the recent rain, so I would recommend staying closer to Coraki than Lismore in that section of the river. Offshore the fishing has been a little inconsistent, with good catches of flathead and snapper one day and then very quiet the next. As is usually the case at this time of the year, most of the captures have been around the 32-fathom line, but the odd snapper have been coming from the close reefs like Riordans and Lennox. Bait such as squid and mullet have been

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the best bet, along with octopus jigs and slow pitch jigs in brighter colours for those who prefer lures. It has been a similar story with mahi mahi, with good quality fish one day and then nothing the following. I am hopeful that an increase in the current over the next few weeks should see a little improvement in the fishing. The wider you go, the better the fishing has been – with quality pearl perch on the 48-fathom line and a number of bar cod and blue-eye trevalla coming out from around the shelf. For the most part, it has been a mix of bait that has worked on these species, but a few pearl perch have fallen victim to well-presented slow pitch jigs in either silver pink or straight silver colours. Well that’s about all from me. Until next time, tight lines!

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 39

Even school size jewfish are great fun on light spin gear.

The author with a legal spotted grunter that was released to grow a little bigger.

Grunter love Z-Man 2.5” Slim SwimZ on 1/4oz 1-0 TT Lures DemonZ jig heads.

Techniques for summer species n Grunter n Jew n Trevally

ITH the war mer weather heating things up, many anglers turn their attention to mangrove jack. In fact, for quite a few it becomes a seasonal obsession. Much is written about mangrove jack during warmer months, so I thought I would cover a few other favourite fish that can be caught in the systems I frequent, while also covering the

Trevally love paddle tails including the Z-Man Slim SwimZ and MinnowZ. Page 40 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

Tackle Tactics by JUSTIN WILLMER

areas that attract these species and how I target them. Grunter Grunter or javelin fish are a very popular northern species that tend to make an appearance around southeast Queensland and even further south as the weather warms up. As they become more active and appear in larger numbers, they definitely become a viable target species. Key to targeting these fish are weed and rubble flats, whether fishing on the flats during higher stages of a tide or along the deeper edges on the lower stages of a tide. Good advice from a friend of mine in far north Queensland is that grunter are the last fish on the flats and first fish off during a high tide. This has proven true

time and again. Targeting mangrove edges and weed flats on the end of a run-in tide and start of a runout has produced 3550cm fish, along with a 70cm beast landed by a friend. If you can line up this tide period with an early morning or late afternoon, even better. Water colour and clarity can turn off several fish species, however I have sight cast grunter in crystal clear water and also landed them when water had washed hard onto the flat, turning it almost to mud. Average-sized grunter aren’t really built for eating giant plastics, and I’ve had the bulk of my success rolling and hopping Z-Man 2.5” GrubZ and 2.5” Slim SwimZ across weed, * continued P42

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07 5563 7733 Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 41

Techniques for summer species – grunter, jew and trevally * from P40

rubble flats and down drop-offs on the lower stages of a tide. I often rig with a 1/4oz 1/0 TT Lures jig head and fish quite fast, however if you prefer a slower presentation you could drop to a 1/8oz jig head. When winding plastic across flats, I’ve found that continuing the retrieve after a bite should see the fish continue biting until they find the hook. Grunter often travel in schools, so if you land one keep working

the area, reducing noise and disturbance to a minimum because they spook easily. It’s also important to be able to identify the difference between a barred and spotted grunter, especially if you are keeping fish for a feed, as they have different legal sizing. Jewfish I am yet to catch a monster jewfish, however in recent years I’ve spent more time targeting school jewfish with reasonable consistency. The lack of jewfish landed in the past was

A handful of spotted or silver grunter prior to release. Always check local regulations.

thanks to my obsession with flathead and the fact that I rarely fished in water deeper than 1.5m. I’m not saying you won’t catch them in shallow water, especially if there’s plenty of bait around, but most fish have come from deeper water in my local systems, ranging from 3-9m depths. The prime time to target jew on soft plastics is early morning and late afternoon, particularly if there’s minimal boat traffic in the area. Dramatically increasing your chances of catching fish is if plenty of bait is around. After rain, jewies are commonly found closer to mouths of rivers and estuaries. Following sustained periods of no rain, they will push further up into systems, holding on deep structure and in deeper holes of rivers and creeks. Jew love structure

Plenty of trevally of all types are landed throughout summer. Keep an eye out for bait being harassed.

Page 42 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

such as bridges and artificial lighting can make them a viable night target with soft plastics, mainly when mullet schools are around. I prefer to target jewfish using paddle tail plastics because they prefer eating mullet. I will start with a ZMan 3” MinnowZ because this will also land plenty of flathead and other species, stepping up to larger SwimmerZ and DieZel MinnowZ as focus develops more on jew. I tend to rig the 3” MinnowZ on a 3/8oz 3/0 TT Lures Big EyeZ jig head, make a long cast, allow it to sink to the bottom and then fish it back with a two or three hop retrieve, allowing it to hit the bottom after each set of hops. Bites can be as subtle as a bream bite and often on the sink, so set the hook if you feel a tap. Trevally Trevally are one of my favourite species and are available yearround, but in southeast Queensland rivers and estuaries we tend to catch larger fish in numbers during warmer months. Species include giant, golden and bigeye trevally, with other species mixed in. Trevally will usually be where you find them, meaning they are highly mobile and on the move frequently. However, they prefer structure, water movement and bait, making bridges, rock walls, deep structure and mangrove edges a

few favourite hunting grounds. Keep an eye and ear out, as many trevally are caught casting to bust-ups and disturbances around bait, often when the focus is on other species such as flathead and jewfish. They also don’t usually hang around for long before continuing on their bait-destroying journey, so if you see signs of them stirring up bait, get a cast in there. On the flats I have caught most fish on a Z-Man 2.5 or 3” Slim SwimZ, and 3” MinnowZ are the go-to for deeper edges. When targeting deeper structure and bait in around 3-9m, I run a Z-Man 4” Scented Jerk ShadZ rigged on a 3/8 or 1/2oz 4/0 TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jig head. The cool thing with this latter setup, is the number of snapper, jewfish, flathead and other species that love to eat this presentation too. The Jerk ShadZ rig is an excellent option in windy conditions, and when fishing deeper water and a heavier current, as minimal built-in action means less drag for a longer cast and faster sink rate. So, get out there and get stuck into a few jack. But don’t forget, if you can’t get them to bite, there are other cool species that will be looking to eat your plastics during summer, and all of them will put a bend in the rod. See you on the water…

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UMMER is here and that means it’s mackerel time! It’s been a long year and I haven’t spent nearly as much time on the water as I’d liked in the Aquaholic. But after doing the full brake service on her, I thought I’d show off the baby of the fleet Banter. Banter is a 435 Horizon EasyFisher that terrorises creeks and offshore reefs, usually with my young son Mitch aboard. The boat was bought as a bare hull, with a few minor modifications that the team from Horizon were only too happy to accommodate. We had the hatch up the front made to a specific size, allowing us to get a 40L fuel tank in there and ensuring that the weight would help in balancing the boat. There were also an additional step and handrail put on the rear and an electric motor mount fixed on the front.

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The boat is full plate, so for a 4.35m she is heavy – about 100kg heavier than the Quintrex 4.2m Dory and significantly wider. With the wide beam you get a solid, surefooted ride and the slapping is significantly reduced with the extra weight. The boat was originally fitted with a 30hp Honda outboard and while this pushed the boat along fine, once you loaded it up with an Esky, ice and another body, it soon become apparent it was under powered. The team at Silver Service Marine at Burleigh Heads set us up with a 50hp Honda, and wow, does it hook now! Fitted with a SOLAS stainless-steel propeller, the boat leaps to life when the throttle is put down. We made a modification to the tiler handle setup, with a 60hp handle being fitted so the trim and tilt were on the end of the handle, making single-hand operation simple. This is in contrast to the trim being on the side of the handle, requiring you to use either your other hand or release the throttle. Neither are ideal when crossing bars. The battery for the electric is also up the front and wired in, so it can be totally isolated from the main battery with a flick of a switch when using the electric. Again, the extra weight up the front balances the boat.

The 30L live well is fitted to the passenger side in the aft and provides ample space to keep big live bait alive. The water pickup and pump are external to the boat, mounted on the transom. In an open tinnie, if you cop water over the front, you want to be able to get rid of it quickly. The Rule LoPro 900 GPH automatic pump in the bilge does the job nicely, with a 1” outlet hose carrying any water quickly out of the boat. The boat is kitted out with good quality electronics, having a Garmin sounder, VHF radio and waterproof switches fitted. I cannot stress enough the flogging your gear gets in an open boat, so it’s better to step up a bit for better quality than trying to penny pinch. As they say, “a poor man pays twice.” On the transom, there are two LED blue squid lights fitted and these serve two purposes. The first is obviously for squidding at night, and the second is so boats can see you when you’re under way – especially when they’re right behind you, as the navigation lights become harder to see. Speaking of which, LED is the only way to go. The boat has lighting under the gunwales and the pockets, and these can be individually switched to give either full lighting or a nice glow, so you can * continued P45

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Quick nip up The Narrows

I The Scotty cutting board is probably the best thing added to the boat.

New fishing weapon * from P44

see what you are doing without being blinded. Also up the front, we have the anchor light socket fitted, along with the VHF antenna. I opted for the stubby antenna, so it wouldn’t be in the way when casting. The anchor well is big enough to fit the anchor and plenty of rope, and the bow sprit roller makes life easy for the drop and retrieve. Rod holders fitted on the both sides of the boat give many options, and the Scotty rod holders have every configuration imaginable. One of the best additions is a Scotty cutting board. If there was ever an accessory that is a ‘must-have’, this is it. With deep pockets, it is big enough to store your tackle and tools such as pliers and knives. The gaffs are mounted for easy access on the rear seat and the points are protected with caps. The boat is big enough to fish three people, but two would be preferable – particularly when carrying a 100L Esky and ice. www.bnbfishing.com.au

Mitch has started to lean towards a fish bag because this can be folded to save space, and when it’s full of fish, it doesn’t take up as much room as an Esky. The boat is extremely economical, with 40L giving more than enough reserve for big days on the water. It can be a bit daunting going from a 20’ offshore rig to an open tinnie, but once you get used to it the thrill of the ride, and the bigger thrill of a huge fish from a small boat keeps you going back for more. The local bars along the coast are ordinary. Tweed is still shallow and is catching any swell. Currumbin looks like a maze and your challenge is getting to the bar with the amount of sand that’s currently in the creek. Tallebudgera is much the same and would be worth giving a miss, especially if coming in on a low tide. The Gold Coast Seaway is the pick of the bunch. Until next month, screaming reels to you all!

N his retirement, Peter Butterworth spends quite a bit of time fossicking for gems and when having a clean-up recently, he found his old marks for ‘Tempest off Cape Moreton’ from the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was keen to find out if they still held a few scaly nuggets. So, he called fellow retiree Rob Schomberg and they headed off, with the sun cresting over Moreton Island. On arrival at the first mark, the sounder view was different to what Pete expected, but they had a drop anyway. After losing three rigs in three drops using a 6-ball sinker, a bottom basher was given a go. It worked straight away but the spot held only undersized snapper. They started looking at other old marks but got the same results. Slightly off course, the sounder began to show territory familiar to Pete. The ridge and gutter he remembered appeared and they started pulling good fish on board. Note to self – if you’re looking at old marks and nothing’s there, start a grid search – it might surprise you. While they weren’t setting the world on fire, the anglers got a

reasonable bag consisting mostly of snapper, pigfish and rosy jobfish. The fish held hard on the bottom all day and if the bait was sitting at 1m, the fish wouldn’t touch it. Lighter lines were also the way to go, out fishing the heavier stuff five to one. Curtis Island session More than keen to head out around Gladstone and wet a line, Brad Muckert and I launched early from the yacht club and headed up through The Narrows before dawn. The plan was to spend the day flicking plastics, with the target species being grunter, fingermark and threadfin salmon. Initially I used a 7’ 3-7kg spin rod and a 2500 size reel, a 14lb braid and 12lb leader, with a 1/8oz 1/0 jig head and a 4” Berkley Gulp Minnow. Brad used a 2-4kg spin outfit, 6lb braid and 10lb leader, with the same jig and soft plastic. On the first cast, I hooked-up to a nice fingermark of around 45cm at the back of the boat. It took me slightly off guard, as I was near the end of my retrieve but managed to set the hook all the same.

The fishing was steady throughout the day, with fish showing up in patches. I changed to one of Brad’s 2-4kg outfits to get a better feel and this increased my hook-up rate. We caught fish in good numbers, with the largest taken by Brad and hitting the 57cm mark. Other species caught were grunter, cod, salmon, moses perch and even a juvenile black jewfish. It was a brilliant day and I’ll have my boat up there over the coming weeks, and hopefully I’ll get out more regularly in future. Next meetings Meetings are back to the old schedule of the first Monday of the month at 6.30pm for 7.00 pm start. So, see you at The Club Manly (bowls club) at 26 Faine St in Manly. The last meeting for the year will be held on Monday December 7 before reconvening in the New Year on Monday February 1. On behalf of the Power Boat Anglers, I’d like to wish everyone a safe and happy festive season, and thanks for your support. Until next month, safe boating. Mick Clutterbuck

This fingermark was taken by the author on his first cast for the day.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 45

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 47

Nick Swan took this 49cm mangrove jack on a Keitech soft plastic in the Maroochy River. Photos: fishingnoosa.com.au

Shane Wright managed a 73cm saratoga in the freshwater.

La Niña shines on Sunshine Coast

HIS is the time of year when I start to get excited, not for the weather but for the fishing it brings to the coast. The two biggest targets for anglers now are tuna and mackerel, as they start to filter across our bays. They bring with them stories of being bitten off and the line-burning runs we all dream of. One of the easier ways to target these bigger fish is to troll dead or live bait along the inshore reefs, such as Halls Reef toward Double Island Point. You can also head south and once over the bar work from Sunshine Reef towards Castaways and Coolum.

Sunshine Coast by GRANT BUDD

Dead bait to use includes yellowtail pike, whole bonito, garfish, slimy mackerel and yakka. For live bait to swim, a stinger rig is suggested when mackerel are present. If using a dead bait, chin-weighted troll rigs are best, especially when dressed up with a squid skirt or tinsel rig over the lead hook. Cast net leads add extra weight if you want to troll with any speed, though remember to break the backbone of dead bait to help them swim.

For those not using dead or live bait, grab an assortment of Halco Laser Pro, Rapala XRap and Nomad Design DTX Minnow lures, as these will all catch spotted and spanish mackerel, tuna and wahoo. One thing you can try if you’re wanting to move quicker is a Black Magic Jet Head or pusher-style lure. These lures stay mostly on the surface and leave long bubble trails, which is something mahi mahi and wahoo love. When tuna and mack-

Spotted mackerel will be out in force in December and Jack Dekort will be trying to catch models similar to this one. Page 48 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

erel are hitting the surface, be sure to have a good supply of Halco Twisty, Gillies Baitfish in Blue Mackerel colour and Arma Metalik metal lures in your box. Do not go out to sea with anything less than half a dozen of these lures because bite-offs are common. Remember, tuna feed into the wind, so always go upwind and let the fish come to you – they’re less likely to spook this way. In the Noosa River, trevally are hitting small surface lures early in the morning during a high tide. Taking a range of 70-90mm walkers and poppers is the best option, with the Bassday Sugapen 95 an excellent lure that even whiting will hit. Speaking of whiting, they are a great surface target, particularly if fishing 2kg line on super light 1-3kg spin setups. One of my favourite spin rods has to be the Abu Garcia Rayrex 1-3kg. This rod is fully rigged with Fuji Fazlite guides and has a great

tip action that anglers will love. Put this with a new Shimano Vanford 1000 reel and you have a winning ultra-light combo. Other fish in the river currently are mangrove jack and flathead. For jack anglers, after dark is the better time to chase these prized sportfish. Live baiting is one technique that requires only a cast net, but using lures is by far the most satisfying method. These fish are apex predators and when they hit, it is super aggressive. Lures to use are weedless rigged soft plastics, soft vibes, hard-bodies and surface poppers. Your lure type will depend on the time of day and the current, but large soft plastics such as Keitech Swing Impact Fat work well at night, with poppers and weedless rigged plastics more useful during the day. Depending on rainfall, try the snags in the Noosa River between the lakes. The previously mentioned lures also work

* continued P50

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5346 9981 Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 49

Adam Clinch and a great redthroat emperor that ate a soft plastic.

La Niña shines * from P48

exceptionally well on flathead, and anywhere from the ski run down to the river mouth are great places to find one. For your best chance, try drifting and casting the banks and deep-water holes around the river mouth. While you’re out, be sure to drop crab pots because rain gets mud crabs on the move and they’ll be big. The freshwater will certainly be warming up, with water temperature around 25C. This only increases the chance of finding schooled up bass in search of cooler water, should it hit 26-28C. The low light bite will be on fire during hot mornings when wind is not a major factor. I always say one of the best surface lures is the Lucky Craft Sammy 65, as it has the kind of action all fish in the dam love. If you want to try other lures then small poppers work

very well – think outside the box when working them, as less is often much more. When fishing Lake MacDonald, ensure any weed on trailers is removed at the ramp. The weed is highly invasive and has choked many areas. The last thing we need is to have it spread. If you are trolling for deep water bass and yellowbelly, look at OSP Dunk and Rapala Shallow Rap Jack Deep lures – two super small lures that get down deep! For the latest information, jump onto fishingnoosa.com. au for up-to-date bar and fishing reports, and don’t forget to drop into Davo’s Tackle World, Davo’s Boating and Outdoors in Noosa and Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle in Marcoola for all the right equipment, bait and advice to get you catching. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, and remember, tight lines and bent spines!

Page 50 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

Mitch Martens jigged up this amazing coronation trout off Double Island Point.

Tips for catching a Christmas feed

HOPE you have all been keeping well and smacking a few for a feed lately. So, what’s happened in the bay this past month? Well, thumper whiting have been caught, with consistent catches of cracking fish up to 38cm. Customers fishing the mangrove lines at creek mouths on incoming tides have been doing well, but the first couple of hours of the runout tide has also been producing. Live yabbies and worms have worked a treat. Kauri Creek was the hotspot over the past few weeks, with plenty of fishers reporting that they had caught their bag limit of fish. Flathead have made themselves known recently and bigger models have bumped up their activity, with catches of nice specimens in the mid to high 80cm range. Fishing the last couple of hours of a run-out tide, as bait drains out of the mangroves or off the flats and targeting the draining points

Tin Can Bay by CHRIS RIPPON

should see you find a few fish. I also like the first few hours of the flood tide and targeting the flats as bait begins to move back onto the flats. The hot seller in the shop has been the Biwaa Deus Paddle Tail 4’’ in Pink Ice and rigged on a 3/0 size 1/4oz TTs jig head. For anglers who en-

joy trolling, the Samaki Redic Jerkbait MS60 has been getting the job done and the two stand-out colours have been Pink Lady and Pearl Perch. Mangrove jack are also starting to fire up as the temperature rises. Bird Rock has been producing the goods early in the season and * continued P51

This solid cobia was taken onboard Double Island Point Fishing Charters. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Tips for catching a Christmas feed * from P50

a few anglers have reported barramundi as by-catch. Good size estuary cod have been on the chew and mixed in with decent Queensland groper. Snag bashing the upper reaches of Teebar and Kauri creeks with hard-bodies and skipping soft plastics under structure has also been producing quality mangrove jack. Queenfish have been on the chew in the Great Sandy Straits and 1m models are being caught. Live baiting around Inskip Point on a bigger tide with lightly weighted bait has been working. Reports have come through of large numbers of both longtail and mack tuna along with school and spotted mackerel in the Straits. The bait has been small, so 10-15g Halco Twisty lures or a 1/0

Clouser Minnow are going to be the best bet for making your cast count. Mud crabs have been a little slow this month, with most fishers saying many are just undersized, though with full shells. This is good as they’re only a few weeks away from being legal, so muddies for Christmas maybe possible – sand crabs are a little patchy from all accounts. Offshore fishos were treated to quality catches of coral trout, with a mixture of slow pitch jigging and live baits around the Pinnacles ensuring success. Catches of tuskfish, snapper, redthroat emperor and nice reef mangrove jack have been coming from further afield. Pelagics have turned up too, with solid catches of cobia, amberjack and kingfish using live bait and knife jigs. There have even been

a few black marlin making an appearance out wide. Inshore wrecks such as the Taipan Star have been the go-to for cobia recently. Using slow pitch jigs or 5’’ jerk shad style soft plastics have resulted in anglers getting buckled by good fish. The trick is to try and get past the tea-leaf trevally – that can hang around in plague proportions at times – and if you do there’s a good chance of getting a few nannygai or jewfish. Well, that’s all from me for this month. Pop in and tell us your latest ‘the one that got away’ tale, or if you landed it throw your picture up on our Facebook page for your entry in our monthly fishing photo comp! The Chandlery Bait and Tackle has all your boating and fishing needs. Cheers and tight lines.

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Joey with a chunky spring longtail tuna.

Mawson cracked a monster cobia. His father Joey helped him with his trophy.

Patience required for pelagics

A well-deserved smile after Ange caught an awesome snapper.

Tom with his personal best golden trevally, which was well over 1m.

> Hervey Bay > Fraser Island > Sandy Strait

HIS month I found myself sitting around whinging about the weather. The spring northerly wind has given me plenty of time to get my article written and in on time! We’ve had plenty of storms, so I hope many areas are getting decent rain. Ironically, I spend most of my year hating rain because my house turns into a swamp, but back to fishing. Fishing over the past month hasn’t been great and big numbers of fish marauding bait on the surface haven’t been a feature.

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Fraser Guided Fishing by TRI TON

You would expect mack tuna by now or maybe even a few spotted mackerel. Tuna were seen near Rooney Point but mostly flighty and not easy to catch longtail and mack, with many sharks in tow. The marlin we catch by the point have been getting a short tow into the shallows for release. I don’t do the ‘anglerin-water’ photo because we aren’t fishing from the shore. Near Rooney Point particularly, I bring marlin into the boat because I can see sharks on the sounder. Lowrance side imaging often shows 3m and larger grey suits wait-

ing in water deeper than 6m, which is concerning when leading a marlin boat side. The unthinkable hasn’t happened yet, though I believe it is only a matter of time. We have had marlin eaten before but not at the boat. I feel sharks are less likely to eat marlin because they spend much of the fight on the surface, similar to longtail, but if you release a weak fish to swim deep, I’m almost certain of the outcome. Recently I found trevally roaming near the point and though they hooked up, not one fish was landed due to * continued P54

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Muddies, jack and mackerel more active

E have already had a couple of days over 30C in the Bundaberg area, leading to a corresponding increase in water temperature. In our region, this change is a signal to anglers to prepare for species that respond to a higher temperature. In estuary systems, it livens up mangrove jack and mud crabs, while offshore mackerel become more prevalent. Recently, a consistent northerly wind has limited opportunities for anglers to head offshore because the sea has been a little angry.

Bundaberg Region by BRAD YOUNG

The wind has had a negative effect on our rivers and creeks also, as there are areas where the breeze from this direction blows right along a stretch of the river. This combined with a high outgoing spring tide can produce rough conditions for smaller tinnies and uncomfortable blustery fishing conditions for all anglers. I haven’t targeted mangrove jack this season as yet but will be

endeavouring to do so this month. However, I have had a couple of crabbing trips – avoiding open stretches of water and looking for small drains and holes to drop my pots. On my first trip in late October, I saw only six jennies over my two pots after an overnight soak, with all released to continue producing future crab populations. As a side note, all six of these crabs had both claws – unlike the jennies we caught and

Reuben jigged up a horde of solid snapper and this one was the best of the bunch.

Patience required for pelagics * from P52

the sharks making sure the fights were very brief! I have spoken about it many times before – fish that battle deep are more likely to get taxed. So, with the no show of surface schools, I targeted fish deep. My only option was to search for small schools with a smaller shark school following. Occasionally, one

lone fish was targeted. The bigger the school of fish, the higher the probability of sharks. In saying that, we still lost fish. One day of note was when we had a big golden trevally eaten, though not long after a large snapper was landed by my wife. Speaking of snapper, they were making a strong show recently, with several

Page 54 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

quality fish hitting the deck. They were eating plastics, vibes and even jigs. We found them mixed in with schools of longtail, trevally and school mackerel. As it was a great last-ditch show by this species over October and November, I’ve included pictures of them. Be sure to scan the QR codes to watch the videos too!

released at Agnes Water Seventeen Seventy which had lost one or both claws – or more likely had their claws removed. At the time I set these pots, we had not had any rain and the temperature had not reached much higher than 25C. On my second trip, after a small amount of storm rain and an increase in temperature, I was hopeful of seeing more bucks appear. Unlike the first trip where there were many jennies, this trip saw only two jennies, two undersized bucks and an obvious keeper. The keeper crab was also very full, with my son even commenting on its heavy weight. I will set the pots again on another weekend in the near future and keep a track of what I catch in an effort to improve my crabbing results – I keep a fishing diary. One of the most successful crabbing trips I’ve had with my son was in late November, when our four pots scored seven keepers. I am hoping to have similar results later this month If you do want to have a go at catching your own tasty muddies, take the time to check the current regulations in terms of marking your pots, crab sizes and limits. With the amount of

unacceptable behaviour around – ‘share farming’, where other people check your pots and take your crabs, and ‘pot stealing’, where your whole pot is taken – it is wise to set your pots and fish nearby in sight of them. I know of a few successful crabbers who give their pots an hour or so and then check them, moving them to a new area if no crabs have been caught. If you do experience success with a number of crabs in one area, it is likely that you will catch more either immediately up or downstream of that area, so keep working your pots in the same area. One unfortunate prospect is that we will experience heavy rain, which will flush our estuarine systems out. While this rain is needed to keep our systems healthy, it will shut down crabbing for several weeks until they make their way back into the creeks and rivers. The bonus is that these fresh flushes will liven up fishing and also prawns, which have been very quiet lately. As always, I can be contacted via email at f ish nboat@big pond. com or via mail at PO Box 5812, Bundaberg West Queensland 4670. Until next month…

A lovely full buck mud crab from the Bundaberg region. www.bnbfishing.com. au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 55

Saumarez Reef sortie

T Spangled emperor are welcome on any bottom fishing session.

Scott A shows off the business end of a green jobfish.

HERE’S not much to report on my fishing charters because I’ve only been out once over the past month. We caught a couple of flathead and a few small snapper, but I just haven’t been able to line up with any good weather, so hopefully next month will be better – we’ll see how we go. On the flipside, myself and a couple of friends were lucky enough to head out with Reality Fishing Charters to Saumarez Reef. We headed off from Bundaberg on our 24-hour trip to the reef, with a nice 25-knot breeze from the east. A few people started to feel the ill effects of seasickness as the daylight faded, though the next day – after travelling over all that open ocean – the beautiful sand cays and reef appeared. We tucked in behind the reef and Bigcat Reality came to rest in

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relatively calm water. With the weather that was predicted for the coming week, we could not have been in a better place. The reef system ran north south, and the forecast was for 20-knot and higher wind coming from the east. As soon as we arrived, the crew deployed all the dories for us, and we were fishing in no time. As we’d never been there before, we did a bit of exploring and trolled hard-bodies up and down the inside of the reef, though not a lot of luck was had on the first day. We headed in for a lovely dinner and a good night’s sleep – ready for a big session the following day. For our morning session we started by trolling up and down the inside of the reef and throwing stickbait around isolated bommies, though to no avail. After a discussion over lunch on the boat, a few fishers decided to explore deeper at the 30-40m line. With a solid 25-knot wind, heading out would be difficult in small boats, but the fishos who braved the

conditions caught a few nice fish on jigs. With this newfound knowledge, a game plan was devised for the morning session, and as the anglers with me had a bit of gear, we headed out to the 30-40m line to jig for a few fish. Scott from Bayside Bait & Tackle and my client, also Scott, were with me – dubbed Scott A and Scott B respectively. Both Scotts had a designated jigging outfit and plenty of jigs, while I didn’t and would pay the price – but you can’t be prepared for everything in a new location. We were greeted by a stiff 20-knot easterly breeze and borrowed a sea anchor, which took our drift down to 0.70.8 knots – still quick, but slow enough to get to the bottom where the fish were. It didn’t take long for fish to come over the side – a mixture of Robinson’s sea bream, spangled emperor and longnose emperor to name a few – very soon after the bite went quiet. With our plan in place, the next morning we were into an amazing * continued P57

0432 386 307 seanconlonsfishing@hotmail.com Page 56 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

Cod give a good account of themselves and were a challenge for the author with no proper jigging gear. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Longnose emperor are another prize on the reef.

Sensational Saumarez Reef sortie * from P56

variety of reef fish and before long we headed back to the boat for lunch. For the afternoon session, we decided to do a little anchoring and bait fishing around isolated bommies. We caught a variety of fish, with the main being Japanese sea bream around 3-4kg, which had the 15-40lb Venom rod loaded with 50lb braid buckled over and the drag screaming. I was able to get into a few of these fish with the gear I had. The two Scotts and I had a ball getting into these lovely sea bream, a few trevally and a few unstoppables that buried us into the reef. The next morning, we headed to the 30-40m line and the fishers started jigging. Instantly, great 3-6kg fish came aboard in similar varieties as previous days, with the odd bigger model among them, and all fantastic table fish. After another amazing lunch, things changed a little. The wind dropped right out and so, for the first time, we were able to get to the front of the reef where the big pelagics usually hide. Our game plan was

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to run deep divers such as Zerek Pelagic Z out to the sides, and further back a rather large Zerek Zappelin stickbait on the surface to mimic the flying fish we could see everywhere. We hadn’t gone 100m before a Pelagic Z got hit on the outside – unfortunately it didn’t hook-up straight away, but suddenly a tuna leapt out of the water and grabbed the stickbait. Immediately all hell broke loose and the PE8 Venom rod buckled over with the drag screaming. We put the throttle down and got a bit of line back on the reel. The old yellowfin tuna fought hard and after a great battle, Scott B was happy with the 12kg of yellowfin tuna in the boat. We caught a few nice Japanese sea bream before heading back to Bigcat Reality for our last night on the reef. Unfortunately, as all good things must come to an end, all the dories were packed on board for our 24-hour steam home. All in all, we had a fantastic trip and even though the weather conditions were not favourable, our captain put us in a good place, so we

could actually fish and enjoy our week. A big thank you to the crew who looked after us – an awesome bunch who were free with knowledge of where fish were and the techniques that would work – ensuring we got the best out of our sevenday trip. A couple of musthaves if you decide to visit this place are a sea anchor to slow down drift, a good jigging outfit and a lot of 80200g jigs, and pelagic trolling gear. If you get the chance to go to this destination, make sure you cover all your bases with heaps of different tackle. I paid the price by not having a jigging outfit and caught nowhere near the amount of fish the other anglers did, but I still had a cracking time watching the fish hook-up. Until next month, stay safe on the water and if you’re interested in any of our off the water or on the water tuition classes, or you just want to do a fishing charter, don’t hesitate to give me a call on 0432 386 307, email seanconlonsfish ing@hotmail.com or check out the Facebook page Sean Conlon’s fishing charters and Tuition.

Scott B wasn’t shy about getting his hands dirty on the trip.

Coronation trout are always a special catch out on the reef.

Trevally also got in on the action.

At this size giant trevally are a handful on light jigging gear and many won their freedom before reaching the boat. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 57

Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival

T A small mangrove jack caught during the competition.

Ash with one of many trevally landed during the competition.

This slatey bream was a surprise for the author while chasing mangrove jack.

Even small fish kept the kids entertained. Page 58 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

HE Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival was held in September this year. I’ve never entered a family fishing competition before, though with my son’s sixth birthday looming it was a perfect time to have a go. Last year my partner Ash and I spent a few days on Baffle Creek staying at Rocky Point Retreat. While we didn’t have a lot of luck on that trip – with car problems putting a halt to our fishing expeditions – we thought the campground was excellent, so we booked a spot for the week of the fishing festival. With an overflowing ute and boat, we hit the road early on the Sunday morning to get there in time to set the camp up and get settled in. The festival started at lunchtime on the Monday and finished with a presentation on the following Saturday afternoon. This gave us plenty of time to try a lot of different areas and target a range of species. The Rocky Point Retreat, located on the southern side of Baffle Creek at Winfield, allows access to the mouth and the middle reaches of the creek. It has a boat ramp close by and huge campsites to spread out on. We took crab pots with us to try catching a few mud crabs and get among the prizes for biggest crab. Baffle Creek hadn’t had any rain in previous weeks, so the whole system was very clean. We decided to spend

Local Luring by KEITH STRATFORD

a bit of time up Bottle Creek, as we had caught a few mangrove jack and other species there before – it also looked reasonably good for crabs. We spent the first afternoon getting the pots in and pumping yabbies for the next morning. Yabbies looked to be plentiful but wherever we tried pumping for them was hard work. The gravelly sand was quite soft and in places we sank up to our knees. Early the next morning, I took the kids over to one of the big rock bars to float yabbies over. The action was redhot, with all sorts of species eating the yabbies and a few busting off the kids’ light outfits. Because the kids had a ball catching a range of species, we decided it was going to be our plan each morning. The crabbing was very slow, with only one crab weighed in on the competition app.

Each morning we took the pots further up Bottle Creek until we finally snagged a good crab. It measured a bit over 19cm and took our team straight to the lead of the crab section. We got to know Bottle Creek fairly well over the competition and started catching a few good fish on lures. However, I only managed to land one small jack there, with a few fish getting the better of me. We caught a variety of trevally, small jewfish, grunter, cod, tarpon and a solid slatey bream (also known as blubberlip) – all on plastics and blades. We were starting to rack up a good range of fish and were only slightly behind the leaders, so we started chasing a few other species out towards the mouth. The best part about fishing in this area is it’s great for a swim as well. * continued P60

Moses perch were plentiful around the rock bars in Baffle Creek. www.bnbfishing.com. au

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Plenty of options for a festive fish

ELL, it’s that time of year again when the jolly old fellow in red will soon be around to see us. Many people have their annual holidays around this time, which means the waterways will become extremely busy over the festive season. For a number of people, this can be one of the few times their boat sees water during the year, so my recommendation is to do a couple of basic checks at home before heading to the boat ramp. These checks could save you embarrass-

Gladstone Region by GARY CHURCHWARD

ment and frustration – if you drop the boat in the water and it doesn’t start or worse, a dodgy wheel bearing may be the cause for not getting to the ramp at all. Boat ramps will be busy, and people will need to be patient with others who aren’t as quick as they are, though a helping hand can get things moving quickly. Make sure you are ready to go when waiting in line to put your boat in or to retrieve it. The top of the ramp

Phil had a little luck chasing tuskfish, this one taking a vibe.

is not the place to be unstrapping and getting your boat ready. If you do this, you could hear a few unfriendly words meant for your ears. With the additional traffic on the water, you may find fish a little more reluctant to bite or that you’ve been beaten to the spot you want to fish. During this time of year, I prefer to fish early in the morning, late in the afternoon and into the evening, as

this will see less boat traffic and fish more willing to feed. On the fishing front, Awoonga Dam is firing, with multiple barramundi per session the norm and sessions of over 10 fish becoming more common. The fish have been of good size too, with plenty in the high 80s and a few unstoppable fish running anglers through the timber. These fish will continue to grow quickly and fish over the magic 1m mark will be more frequent in future. Fishing topwater early in the morning, late in the afternoon and into

Fingermark have been common and Sam scored this one on a Zerek Fish Trap in the Calliope River.

Baffle Creek Family Fishing Festival * from P58

In between swimming, we caught all sorts of things on yabbies, but we couldn’t catch whiting to save our lives. We ended up with 22 species of which 17 were legal – that’s a lot of varieties to catch in one system. We didn’t know what was going to turn up next. There were num-

berous excellent fish caught during the competition. Only one barramundi was captured though – probably due to the clean water – but solid jack up to 56cm were caught, along with excellent grunter. Plenty of nice flathead, whiting and bream were also landed.

Page 60 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

We struggled to find any numbers of flatties there and it took me a few days to land our first legal one. We ended up holding onto the crab section and my daughter Amelia also got an award for a mystery length bream. Plenty of cash and prizes were given away at the presentation and the com-

mittee did an excellent job keeping the kids entertained and the beers cold for the adults. We all had a great time staying at Rocky Point Retreat and our kids are very keen for the next adventure. If you’re looking for a great week away, check it out next year. We might see you up there.

the night is an awesome way to target barra, with loud visual takes to get the blood pumping. As the sun gets higher, try to fish slightly deeper with weedless soft plastics, hard-bodies or vibration lures. In the rivers and creeks, mangrove jack will fire up with the warmer temperature and bite better early morning and late afternoon. Heavy structure, whether it’s fallen trees, rock bars or artificial, will hold better numbers, though don’t ignore smaller isolated structure because these will commonly hold bigger lone fish. When fishing structure, concentrate most of your efforts on the pressure points, as fish sit facing into the current waiting for the bait to get pushed to them. Surface poppers and stick baits can be dynamite when fishing structure with strong current pushing through it, and a surface lure will allow you to get right to the back of the snag and pull it across the top. By speeding up your retrieve, you’ll get jack into reaction mode and a weedless soft plastic worked a bit quicker across the face of a snag will work well. The ever-present fingermark will still be around but in deeper water and fishing where the current has been disturbed by structure will give the best results. This could be bridge pylons, headlands or submerged rock bars but anywhere out of the * continued P61

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Plenty of options for a festive fish * from P60

current could hold fish. A live herring, mullet or prawn won’t last long if they’re around in these spots, so try using a paternoster rig to keep the bait slightly off the bottom and moving in the current. Blue salmon will be around in smaller schools and deeper water will hold more consistent numbers, with the harbour the best option. Targeting threadfin salmon at Port Alma and in the Fitzroy River will be a great option, with both areas holding large schools of goodsized fish. Bulky fish tend to come from the Port Alma area, with bigger schools haunting the city regions of the Fitzroy. Port Alma offers a few other species such as black jewfish, fingermark, grunter and blue salmon that are not overly common in the Fitzroy River. Both areas hold great numbers of barramundi too, so if you do hook one by mistake, treat these fish with care and release them quickly. Small queenfish and trevally will be harassing bait in the Calliope and Boyne rivers – these are great fun to chase on light tackle and small lures. Flathead are biting strong but don’t expect to catch too many large models. Plenty of mid-sized flatties can be found for a feed. Crabs will get a lot of attention for Christmas, so plenty of pots will be

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in the systems. Unfortunately, more and more grubs are share farming now. Not only are they checking pots, but they’re also either taking the pots or destroying them so you can’t use them. Hopefully, we receive more rain to give the systems a good flush and to get crabs and bait moving. Remember, it’s going to be hot out there, so pack plenty of water and cover up from the sun, don’t drink and drive, and enjoy the Christmas period. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from Gladstone.

Sue-Ellen found a few black jewfish around recently. Remember they are a no take species until next year.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 61

This is a solid snapper from an early morning fish, caught floating a live yakka off Yamba. Craig Engler.

Laura with her first ever snapper caught off Mud Island. A great result, as she caught it on a light kids’ rod. David Harris.

This jewfish was caught at Mud Island and released for another day. Brad Caloon.

Dash with his 46cm barred javelin. Downstream to right of the photo is where the fish picked up the bait out from the mangroves. The rig was a base model Alvey 500B Easy Cast reel, an old cheap rod, 5kg mono, no swivels, tied by a locked blood knot to a 2/0 long-shank hook with a whole peeled cooked prawn for bait. The tiniest of pea sinkers was flattened an inch or two up from the hook to stop it sliding along the line. Peter Layton.

Archie Richters is 5 years old and casts and retrieves by himself. He loves using the tail spinners from Hot Bite, as they are easy for the young fella to throw. This is his new PB, 49cm from Somerset Dam. Aidan Richters.

To have a photo of your catch featured in Readers’ Forum, simply email ben@ collins.media with a goodquality picture, your name and details or hop onto our Facebook page and send us a message. My brother Clint (in the middle) and I were fishing northern Moreton Bay for snapper. We were using live herring for bait on 50lb setups when I hooked a small fish (felt like a little snap). I nearly had it to the boat when this thing ate it and screamed back down to the bottom. We couldn’t believe it when we saw a cobia appear out of the dark, we were stoked! Josh Manteufel.

Page 62 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 65

Stanage perfect for a pre-Christmas visit Mud crabs are hard to find in great condition.

All 4 Adventure spent a few days filming, fishing and exploring Stanage Bay and surrounds.

I to everybody from Stanage Bay. The fishing during October at Stanage was very slow, with a heap of barramundi and fingermark being spotted, though not many actually landed. Several anglers found success using dead bait, however lures and live bait were also successful on occasion. Chris scored a dream catch saltwater barramundi in late October

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Page 66 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

Stanage Bay by JOHN GLANFORD

using a live mullet as bait. At 119cm in length the barra was returned to the water. The fishers continued to catch more barra and grunter, keeping a few for the table. Crabbing has been very quiet, but as we’ve had a bit of rain recently, they’ll be flushed out in time for the beginning of our real crabbing season. Outside and reef fishing has also been a little quiet, with only small suitable weather windows. Yet, we had a couple of guests catch fish every day bar one because they were touring around looking for new areas each time they went out. On a windy day, a few of the fishing groups that come to Stanage appear to sit and wish they could get outside in their boats. Though, it is well worth the effort of going for a walk along our wonderful beaches or taking a rod and chasing tuskfish and other delights off the rocks on the incoming tide. We have seen great fish being caught by anglers off beaches over the years, and what better pastime than relaxing on a deserted beach and maybe even catching a fish? You could explore our bat caves or meander on the rocks at Spider

Bay at low tide, searching the rock pools and around small rocky sections could reveal an abandoned spider shell. How cool that we can find these shells on our beaches? Earlier on this year, the team from All 4 Adventure – Jase, Simon and crew – spent a little time in and around Stanage and, as I understand it, this will feature in Series 12. Hopefully, they will be displaying footage of the local area and maybe even a bit of fishing – showing what Stanage did or didn’t produce while they were here. For what it’s worth, I spent a little time with the crew and found them very genuine down-toearth people, with a passion to show off what they see while they’re living the dream. Stanage had a bit of rain towards the end of October and, in preparation for the upgrade and future bitumen, the road in has had new culverts placed along part of it. Anyone coming to Stanage is welcome to call in and see me at Stanage Bay Marine, and I’ll let you know of the local catches where possible and what fishers have been up to. Until next time, tight lines and please remember the barramundi closed season currently in effect.

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Cameron Wellsteed with the biggest king threadfin salmon of the competition at 134cm. Benny Durkin with the biggest barramundi for the competition at 98cm.

Fitzroy River Barra Bash

T’S a sad time of year on the Capricorn Coast when barramundi are off the target list for three months. However, a sneaky Awoonga Dam trip may be on the cards for a fix. This month we are going to focus on the results from the Fitzroy River Barra Bash that was held in October. With COVID-19 messing with just about every other competition we look forward to throughout the Rockhampton region, it was comforting to get the news that the Barra Bash was going ahead. Restrictions meant that registration night was chopped down to a pack pick up and a quick individual debrief on the rules and regulations. I liked this idea, as everybody was keen to get home and sort their gear for the following day, rather than sitting around waiting.

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Capricorn Coast by JOHN BOON

I did miss catching up and having a yarn with good friends, which was the downside. The conditions were looking perfect for the two competition days, with light wind and warm days forecast. We spent the two days before the comp having a snoop around to see where the barra were, and also what the other boats were doing. It’s always a good idea to try and find a couple of spots away from the main crowds. Day one was what I would describe as one of the hardest days I’ve spent on the Fitzroy. We had perfect conditions, but the barra seemed to have done a 180 about-face and it became tough to get a bite out of them. I had only seen this happen when a change

or significant weather event had put them off. Most other teams I talked with encountered the same thing and were finding it difficult, but that’s the

* continued P68

Team Hi Vis took out the most metres of king threadfin salmon.

Craig Griffiths and Karim De Ridder of team Edge Rods took out first place. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 67

Third year for the Fitzroy River Barra Bash * from P67

beauty of comp fishing – everyone fishes the same arena at the same time in the same conditions. Good friends Tim Guy and Nathan Hooton of team ‘Renegade’ had a sneaky spot up their sleeves that produced the goods. They were sitting in first place after day one with 587cm of barra on the board.

The consistent ‘Beer and Bundy Boys’ also had a blinder, staying hot on the heels of team ‘Renegade’ with 548cm. Team ‘Edge Rods’ rounded out the top three with 352cm. Our team ‘Humminbird/Minn Kota’ were hanging in there at tenth place, as we had found a patch of small fish in the afternoon, which saved our day.

The rules were pretty simple – your biggest 10 barra were counted for each day, so if you caught 10, you worked on upgrades. To my knowledge ‘Renegade’ and the ‘Beer and Bundy Boys’ were the only teams to get a bag of 10, so well done to them. The job wasn’t done though, as day two would see the winners crowned.

Team Beer and Bundy Boys Quintin Maclean and Aaron Dial came in second place.

Two full-time local guides!

With day one being tough, we all knew day two would be harder still. Two of the biggest issues we encountered in the Fitzroy were the lack of tidal run and the insane water clarity. Several of the local anglers, who had fished the river for years, had never seen it that clean – so the thinking caps were donned to keep up. Our plan completely changed from what we’d had in mind after the pre-fish. We went chasing dirty water lines, but they were hard to find with the lack of wind and tidal run. Team ‘Edge Rods’ – consisting of Craig Griffiths and Karim De Ridder – absolutely killed it on the second day, to come from well behind to take the win with 687cm of barra on day two, for a total of

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

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1039cm. The ‘Beer and Bundy Boys’ weren’t far behind with 401cm for day two and 949cm total. Team ‘Renegade’ held onto third place with 334cm for a total of 921cm. Team ‘Gone Nuts’ – consisting of Mark Boss and Steve Nutall – came in fourth with a total of 628cm and ‘Tackle Happy’ – Andrew Harris and Mark Buckby – took fifth with 591cm. Cool prizes and cash were also up for grabs for king threadfin salmon catches. Team ‘Hi Vis’ took out champion team with 623cm and the biggest thready overall went to Cameron Wellsteed with a 134cm giant. With Iron Jack being one of the major sponsors, they came to the party once again with free beer for the presentation night, which was held outdoors at the Frenchville Sports Club. I honestly can’t speak highly enough of this competition, and all the staff who have made the event what it is today. A professionally run competition that ticks all the right boxes and is so much fun – you don’t even need to catch a fish to take home a wicked prize. The Fitzroy River Barra Bash is now the region’s premier barra competition. Keep an eye on the Barra Bash Facebook page for 2021 competition dates. This is definitely one hell of an event that more people need to be a part of!

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A thing or two about crocodiles

HE arrival of decent storms in October and November across much of the Cape signalled a likely early onset of the monsoon season – as predicted by the Bureau of Meteorology. Because the country is initially so dry at this time of year, the first runs in rivers and creeks are not usually sustained and levels drop over the following days. However, during a La Niña event, storms are much more likely to be frequent and intense, something to be mindful of this year. Anyway, this month I thought to cover an animal that is on everyone’s minds when on the Cape – the estuarine crocodile. A great deal of misinformation is out there and regrettably also a lack of respect for crocodiles in too many cases. It is notable that our estuarine crocodile (or ‘saltie’) is the world’s largest living reptile, growing to at least 7m and found around northern Australia as well as other parts of the Indo-Pacific region. Interestingly, both of these names are inaccurate, as not only does the saltie thrive in estuarine and saltwater habitats but also in freshwater rivers and billabongs, often hundreds of kilometres from the sea. They can and do live and travel along the Cape York coastline, and occur around most islands of the region. Even if you don’t see crocodiles along beaches, you will see their www.bnbfishing.com.au

Cape York by ‘BILLABONG’ BAZZ LYON

tracks in many places. Crocs often move between the sea and freshwater creeks (or soaks) slightly back from the beach, probably for a drink. These animals have lingual glands that rid their bodies of excess salt, however drinking freshwater may also help, though is not essential. Crocodiles have a third pair of eyelids that act as swimming goggles for underwater vision and their bodies are beautifully streamlined for swimming with minimal disturbance, with the scutes on the back acting as small solar panels. These collect heat from the sun and warm the blood, which is then transferred around the body. When a crocodile basks on the bank with its jaws open, it is cooling its head. There are plenty of people around Australia who hold great knowledge of crocodiles, however in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Steve and Terri Irwin commenced indepth research into crocs, and that research continues today in collaboration with the University of Queensland. In our early studies in Rinyirru National Park, we caught a number of crocodiles with callouses under their feet – slightly puzzling given they were living in very muddy estuaries. A couple were fitted with satellite trackers

and it was found that the relevant crocodiles were often leaving the river and travelling across country for a kilometre or so to isolated swamps or waterholes. Given the signs of pigs working over those particular water bodies, it’s likely the crocs were laying in ambush for a feast of fresh pork. Remarkable was that these reptiles apparently have the local landscape mapped in their brains. They were not wandering about looking for a waterhole but went straight to it! We also discovered that with the exceptional navigational and homing instincts of crocodiles, relocating problem animals didn’t work. Two crocs we had moved by helicopter out of the Wenlock River over a hundred kilometres away, returned unerringly back home. The most remarkable example though is of the 4.2m long crocodile called ‘Weldon’. Weldon was lifted

from the Wenlock River on the west side of the Cape to Temple Bay on the east, fitted with a satellite tracker and released. That big boy also made his way home, eventually swimming up to the tip, down the west coast and back up the Wenlock to exactly where he was caught! The ongoing research between UQ and Australia Zoo in the Wenlock has since revealed that crocodiles use tidal flow and current to help them travel and save energy, they can stay underwater for over three hours, and that large male crocodiles may have either an identifiable home range or are nomads and continually move about. The latter behaviour

is particularly apparent with males around the 3-3.5m mark. You can go to the Australia Zoo website australiazoo.com.au to follow the movements of individual crocodiles and the other amazing croc discoveries – it is well worthwhile! There is plenty to discover about these remarkable reptiles, including how they keep their ecosystems healthy and balanced – as they do. In my long experience, a body of water that offers great fishing always has a healthy population of crocodiles – the two go hand in hand. Until next month, stay safe and enjoy the magical Australian outdoors!

Crocodiles have a third pair of eyelids that act as swimming goggles for underwater vision and their bodies are beautifully streamlined for swimming with minimal disturbance.

Crocodiles use tidal flow and current to help them travel and save energy, and they can stay underwater for over three hours. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 69

There were heaps of brassy trevally smashing into the baitfish, the author managed this average-sized specimen.

Alex and Claire show off a nice fingermark taken on a Halco Scorpion. Fresh fish were definitely on the camp menu that evening.

The rewards of mentoring – more than catching fish

HE older you get, the greater the realisation that there is more to fishing than merely catching fish. In fact, helping others embrace and enjoy the experience is definitely number one in terms of personal satisfaction. If there’s one thing my 30 years as a professional guide has taught me, it’s that unless you’re able to enjoy the experience of your clients catching fish as much as you do yourself, you probably won’t last very long in the game. In my case, assisting others to find the fish of a lifetime and then revelling in the moment with them, has definitely helped me appreciate my own milestones more intensely.

Trip to the Tip by DAVE DONALD

If I had to recall my most satisfying fishing achievements, they would all involve mentoring young up-andcomers into the sport. This was highlighted recently when the COVID-19 travel restrictions inspired a couple of unexpected visitors to head northwards instead of south. Way back in 1976, I quit a career in medical technology to start a tackle shop in Yeppoon – one of those questionable life path changes that leads to the unknown. One of my first moves on arriving was to join the local sport fishing

TURKEY BEACH 2 Bedroom Villa Holiday Rental • Outdoor BBQ and pergola For • Fish cleaning facilities enquiries • Large yard with room and for the boat bookings • Undercover carport phone • Close to boat ramp 07 4974 2153 • Linen available Page 70 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

club, which was at that stage a mob of eager kids under the loose control of a person named Nev Wust. I became the second ‘senior’ in the club – essentially another vehicle and boat used to transport the kids up the beach to Fishing Creek, our usual spot for club competitions. During those years, I came across an enthusiastic young angler named Wayne Rich and ended up fishing with him frequently through his teen years. Thanks to an obscure tip from one of my tackle shop customers, I happened upon a local spot that produced big barramundi in the right weather and tidal conditions. It was there Wayne landed his first big pink eyes – a beautiful chrome salty that would’ve gone better than 110cm in today’s measurements. This fish was dwarfed by an absolute horse Wayne hooked a cou-

ple of nights later, but the trebles came loose when it leapt skywards and shook its huge head. The commotion actually caused a passer-by to come running when he heard the crash of the jump, to check that one of us hadn’t fallen in! Nowadays, Wayne’s a grandad and he dropped in with his extended family on the way back from a leisurely trip to the tip of Cape York. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to enjoy a day on the water with him, particularly as his son Alex and partner Claire would be coming along for the ride. Fortunately, grandma Tracey offered to stay home and mind their two grandsons. For the first time in weeks, the trade wind dropped off and produced perfect conditions for a day working the shallow reefs south of Weipa. We trolled a couple of my favourite spots and landed a procession of fingermark, cod, stripey snapper and small mackerel. Claire landed our

best – a lovely golden trevally that unfortunately didn’t make it to the camera due to the skipper trying to lift it aboard without using the landing net! Wayne was up to his usual tricks of course, losing my favourite lure to a freight train that rubbed the leader off on a bauxite bommie. Once we had a feed in the icebox, we headed out to the shipping channel and jigged up a procession of small mackerel and trevally around a few of the markers. Suffice to say that my father and son experts were out fished by novice Claire, who seemed to have the touch when it came to hooking trevally. It was an absolutely wonderful day with plenty of laughs – a journey more about reminiscing and renewing acquaintances than catching fish. Though we may not have seen each other for years, they rolled away quickly as I shared the boat with Wayne and his family. * continued P71

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The rewards of mentoring * from P70

The connection we cemented long ago was as strong as always – a bond founded on fishing. Closer to home, I’ve been fishing regularly with a young neighbour of mine, Tom Hockey. His dad is a fisheries officer and had to work during the recent Weipa Fishing Classic, so I offered to take Tom and his younger brother Charlie out for the day, to see if we could find a fish or two that were worthy of the leader board. As with half of Weipa, we got away early from the Evans Landing boat ramp and headed south towards a spot I’d hoped would escape the attention of the masses. A few hard-working queenfish schools caused us to make a halt just past the new Amrun Jetty, where the hits came thick and fast on cast poppers and metal slugs. We measured a couple of fish when the motor decided to stop due to running short of fuel. It took well over an hour to identify and sort the problem, so I made an executive decision to stay closer to home in case more complications arose. With a number of reasonable sized queenfish recorded and released, our focus was turned to big mackerel, so we headed to a spot where I thought a few might be found. As suspected, they were there, and Charlie dropped a 1m fish on a popper he was casting over bommies, which occasionally produced giant trevally. Tom then missed a

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good fish on a trolled garfish, hooking up for a second time on the very next pass. His elation quickly turned to disappointment as 1.5m of silver with a mean toothy grin broke the surface – rotten barracuda! Our attention then turned to birds working schools of feeding fish wide of the coast. Racing around after fairly spooky tuna schools, we came across one of Weipa’s favourite fishing ‘lollypops’ – a bait ball! The next three hours were a blur of action with queenfish, trevally, tuna, spanish mackerel and sharks smashing into a tightly packed mass of small baitfish until they virtually destroyed the school. We were constantly hooked-up to the various species, losing a heap of lures to bustoffs and bite-offs in the process. Spaniards proved elusive – managing to shed hooks or sever mono leaders. Most of the trevally were hard-fighting brassies – a cousin to GT, these fish fight as hard kilo for kilo. Mobs of mack tuna raced through the mass regularly, but only one was boated in the mayhem. In spite of our fuel hiccup, the day had eventuated in almost non-stop action and plenty of new experiences, especially for Charlie. One of his queenies ultimately scored second prize in the junior section of the Classic, a terrific result taking into account the number of highly experi-

enced junior fishers in town. There were plenty of smiles at the end of the day, and I can assure you the biggest was plastered over my weathered mug! What a joy it was to host a couple of future fishers to a day they’ll long remember.

The author mentored Wayne Rich when he was in his teens. Now he’s a grandfather. The bond of fishing transcending the ages.

We landed a heap of nice queenfish, mostly on poppers. This 860mm specimen put Charlie on the Weipa Fishing Classic leader board.

Tom and Charlie cast lures into a bait ball as predators busted along the edges. The action was continuous for over three hours. Putting a couple of keen youngsters on to a motherlode was extremely satisfying. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 71

The results of a double hook-up. The large-mouth nannygai were following hooked fish to the boat.

The tax man always takes his share.

Build up to the wet

When the water clears, crayfish can be speared on nearby reefs.

Clayton with a double on large-mouth nannygai caught in only 14m of water. Page 72 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

HE last third of the year produced memorable fishing around Thursday Island and the tip of Cape York. As the temperature climbs, the fishing fires up and there are more opportunities to push wider as the strong southeast trade wind begins to abate. As it’s been a while since I penned an article, here’s a quick summary of the fishing highlights from the past few months. September – barramundi fishing Cape York A crew of good friends embarked on an annual week-long pilgrimage in late September, to fish a remote stretch of Cape York. Dubbed the ‘Cape York River to Reef Classic’, there wasn’t a great deal of reef fishing due to the strong wind that persisted for most of the week. I certainly had a full boat for the trip, with my dad, father-in-law, nephew and another

Cape York & Torres Strait by MATT POTTER

good friend joining me in my 7m Fisher Maxi Cab. Several other crews joined us in their boats for the epic adventure, which covered over 280 nautical miles, or 518km. The target species for the week was of course barramundi. Plenty of banter was going around because there was a $50 buy in for the biggest barra from the 15 fishers, just to make things a little more interesting. While we managed a few salty rats around the mouth of one of the rivers, the better fishing was well upriver in the brackish water. All boats managed several great catch and release sessions, with two and three-way hook-ups on a couple of solid barra. A substantial number of quality fish in the mid 70cm to low 80cm

range were landed on our boat. The standout lure was the 12cm Classic Barra Ghost in Casper, in fact white was once again a standout colour for both plastics and hard-bodies. Towards the end of the week, my 12-year-old nephew Axel was confident he would walk away with the money for his 86cm barra. However, he was beaten at the finish line by 12-year-old Nash Stanley, who boated a trophy 1.01m on the final day and walked away with the cash. Great to see the young anglers loving their barra fishing and showing us all how it’s done. The by-catch in itself was enough to keep us entertained, with queenfish, estuary cod, trevally, giant herring and a few solid mangrove jack coming aboard.

* continued P73

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Build up to the wet * from P72

We ventured out one morning to chase a few reef fish and were rewarded with nice nannygai, coral trout and sweetlip. However, the weather soon had us heading back to the river for protection. With 35-knot gusts predicted, we packed up a day early and made the wild journey back across the Endeavour Strait to Thursday Island. We were glad we did because the following day the wind was absolutely howling. October – finding new ground The wind dropped completely for a handful of days in October. It was certainly humid, which had everyone predicting an early wet because we don’t usually experience doldrum-like weather until December. Luckily, the weather was glassy during the week, though picked up for the weekend. However, as it wasn’t as bad as what we’d been copping for most of the year, I put together a crew and headed wider to search for ground around a few shoals. I was specifically targeting large-mouth nannygai, which are one of my favourite fish to chase here in the tropics. We’d had a great session on nannygai about 18 months earlier in the same rubbly area, but

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as the fish don’t hold on any specific structure, they’re often not in the exact spot when you go back. This ended up being the case for us, and I’d spent a good 45 minutes sounding around. I almost gave up when I ran over a few specks about 400m from the original mark and told the crew to drop. After a few solid bites it was on and I was relieved to see the first large-mouth nannygai come aboard. We used slabs of spanish mackerel as bait on paternoster rigs and fished in only 14m of water. It was a great session, with the school rising to the surface and following hooked fish to the boat. When we had a few nice fish in the Esky, we switched over to an assortment of soft plastics and jigs. Feeding that hard meant the fish weren’t being too fussy and we were getting hit on the drop, which was a load of fun. A huge positive for finding fish away from structure or any main reef system was the lower number of sharks around – they’re a pesky nuisance here in the tropics. October also saw mackerel move in close to Thursday Island, and we had a great session on a few solid spaniards trolling Rapala X-Rap Magnum 30 lures on a nearby high point.

On the neap tide and with the cleaner water, they move in closer to TI and push wider on the new and full moon, when the current picks up. Spanish mackerel are such a great fish to target with blistering runs and great eating qualities. I’ve certainly enjoyed smoking spanish mackerel in the kipper. The pelagics will continue to fire over summer. November – spearfishing We had one of the best neaps of the year in early November, with the current dropping right out. When this happens the water clarity improves substantially, and rods are replaced with spearguns and masks. Crayfish – also known as tropical rock lobster – are abundant on the local reefs. * continued P74

Axel Lowe and a good-sized mangrove jack.

Nash Stanley with his 1.01m Cape York barra which won him $750.

Flying over beautiful Masig in the Torres Strait. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 73

Build up to the wet * from P73

Luke, Neville and Axel with a triple hook-up on Cape York barramundi.

A highlight of far north Queensland living.

However, as they have a bag limit of only six per boat and aren’t the most difficult of quarry to catch, the main focus is on targeting species such as blackspot tuskfish, mangrove jack, coral trout and spanish mackerel. The thrill of the underwater hunt and se lectiveness of spearfishing are certainly two of the reasons I’m addicted. It is quality over quantity, and quite often I’ll swap the speargun for the GoPro and follow a buddy around as they try to get a personal best fish. It requires teamwork, patience and safety considerations because of course it can be a dangerous sport. For this dive, after grabbing a few cray early, we turned our

attention to the range of fish species on offer and ended up with a nice mixed bag of reefies. I must have spent 45 minutes stalking a bommie that was home to a very solid reef jack, who proceeded to play hide-and-seek with me. That round went to the fish. Mangrove jack will push out to the nearby reef systems once they get to 50-60cm in length. They are abundant on the local reefs around the Torres Strait and being a challenge to hunt, they are a prized target species. Jack are often found swimming around with schools of slatey bream and can therefore be hard to spot. Also, you often get only a brief opportunity to spear them because they quickly wise up

Luke and Matt with pair of solid spaniards caught trolling Rapala X-Rap Magum 30s. Page 74 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

and seek shelter. December – doldrums So, what will December bring to the far north? Typically, early December is the most exciting time of year – it’s when the doldrums kick in! This transition period from the dry to wet season results in the wind completely dropping out and the water turning to a millpond. Jerry cans are filled, salt ice made up months in advance is loaded into Eskies and most of the heavier tackle is dusted off. We head wide, up to 115 nautical miles in search of mind-blowing fishing in untouched areas. Of course, with the imminent wet it can be a little nerve-racking because storms can brew quickly. The predicted weather events surrounding La Niña suggest we are in for an early and above average wet season over summer. While we certainly need the rain, fingers are crossed that a weather window presents itself for exploring the remote reefs and sand cays, which have been off limits for most of the year. Check out our remote adventures on the Fishing Missions Youtube Channel and Facebook page. Have a safe and enjoyable festive season fishing with friends and family.

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C AMPING & outdoors Photos: Grace Picot/Exploring Eden Media

Harry Fisher joins Exploring Eden Media

ROM the pindan red beaches of the Kimberley’s west coast, Harry Fisher has been steadily cementing his reputation with a pair of tongs around the campfire. Combining his passion for the Australian bush and great food, he’s made it his mission to prove that camp cooking doesn’t have to be dull cooking. Harry’s campfire cooking and distinct approach to recipe creations is simple and summed up by his personal brand – Fire to Fork. His meals are simple enough for any enthusiastic bush cook to prepare, and his focus on fewer but higher quality ingredients and the techniques learned from his chef mother, sets him apart in the camp cooking world. He’s often called on to develop campfire recipes for corporate clients. Fire to Fork has www.bnbfishing.com.au

amassed millions of views on YouTube and tens of thousands of followers on Instagram. As a result, Harry is becoming a popular authority on bush cooking – not only in Australia, but wherever good food and campfires are combined. He’s putting that passion into his first cookbook, which will be published in 2021 by Exploring Eden Media. “If you had told me 10 years ago when I graduated with a commerce degree that I would give it all up to write a cookbook, I would never have believed you,” Harry said. “But here we are and I have never been more excited or terrified about anything I have undertaken.” Co-founder of Exploring Eden Media Melissa Connell said, “As keen travellers and campers ourselves, we’ve been enjoying Harry’s recipes since he first caught our attention on-

line, with his amazing campfire cook-ups and scenic Kimberley backdrops.” “We’re really excited to be producing his first cookbook. “Harry offers amazing down-to-earth recipes and tips which are practical, tasty and fun.” Harry’s book is expected to go on sale in May 2021 and will include over 60 of his recipes, including favourites from his YouTube series plus plenty of new unpublished feeds. Harry will also be sharing his knowledge on fire preparation, essential tools of the camp kitchen and tips on stocking the pantry for time away from civilisation. Expect everything from hearty camp oven meals to campfire-inspired cocktails to enjoy under the stars. Find out more at exploringedenbooks.com/ harry-fisher

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 75

C ARAVANNING & adventure

Beachcombing the Queensland coast

The author took a better-than-average flathead from the surf.

HEN we first started this journey, we were travelling kilometres to meet up with family and friends, and racing the clock to reach areas such as Karumba in the gulf. Settling into the lifestyle, we’ve now found ourselves in what I like to call a nonchalant wandering of the Queensland coast – laidback, chilled and taking in the positive aspects of each location. We’re so lucky to have such a great rig with the Isuzu D-max and the On The Move Black Edition caravan. Two kayaks can be

If the weather turns nasty, the rum distillery in Bundaberg is an option. Page 76 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

Outdoors by PAUL ‘CHIEF’ GRAVESON

strapped to the truck roof racks easily and you can see the storage available in this offroad van in the picture. Surfboards, chairs and tables sit protected and safe in a massive lockable checker-plate box. You’ll notice above that box is another straight throw tunnel that holds a number of 7’ spin sticks, a couple of two-piece Garry Howard surf rods and all of my reels and lures. With a totally self-sufficient off-the-grid van and the lockable storage, we have the capacity to carry everything we need for an adventure in any situation. Most of you would be familiar with locations such as the Gold and Sunshine coasts and every major coastal town up to Cooktown, but it’s the hidden places and secluded little back beaches that offer so many simplistic experiences. Areas such as Woodgate, Moore Park Beach, Rules Beach and Deepwater are just a few, and that’s only between Hervey Bay to Agnes Water.

We’ve found fantastic locations such as Cape Palmerston, Forrest Beach and many others – all very unique in their own way. At the moment, we’re camped at Moore Park Beach, which is located 20km north of Bundaberg. A leisurely drive through sugar cane and crop farming country, it’s a small coastal community situated directly on a 20km stretch of sandy beach. Though it’s not considered a go-to surf location due to inconsistency, it can still turn on a few waves given the right conditions. I’ve had a number of fun days here, with 20km of beach all to myself. Due to its location, it isn’t affected by the light pollution of Bundaberg, so the recent full moon provided us with a few unforgettable nights on the beach. Moore Park Beach does have four-wheeldrive access on the northern side of the township, which runs to the mouth of the Kolan River.

* continued P77

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C ARAVANNING & adventure The crowds on a stretch of Moore Park Beach.

Beachcombing the Qld coast * from P76

It is a fragile environment, so driving responsibly and keeping off the sand dunes and vegetation is important to protecting the local ecosystem. The sand dunes along the stretch of beach provide a nesting location for loggerhead turtles, and it’s vital to stay alert at night and early in the morning for adult turtles, and hatchlings at times. I had the pleasure of seeing two massive endangered leatherback turtles just outside the shore break on the same stretch of beach, which only accentuates the message of taking it easy on the beach. The wildlife is so prolific around these secluded beaches – I paddled out on my board and saw a sizable jewfish suspended almost motionless in the green wall of the wave. Fishing offers a variety of species, with the Kolan River mouth earning a reputation as

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an area to target flathead. The beaches offer your regular surf species and to date I’ve encountered whiting, dart, flathead and jew. While we’re subsidising our diet with fresh fish, beachworms have been the go-to bait and an all-round enticer. High water around a full moon has produced the best results. Unfortunately, the recent run of wind has proved a dampener on fishing, so being on the spot for the right conditions is a factor for success. Of course, if the weather turns too nasty, a trip to the rum distillery in Bundaberg can help ease any disappointment. Moore Park Beach is a special location for families to visit. If staying in the area, it’s an easy drive to other beachside locations such as Bargara and Elliott Heads. During holiday season, a small band of

lifeguards set up a flagged area on the main beach to keep locals and visitors safe. The community is big enough to have a fuel location and a small block of shops. We’ve enjoyed walking the beaches, surfing, fishing and enjoying the wildlife when visiting the quiet little beach town. I must admit, we’re having a ball beach bumming around and exploring what Queensland has to offer, as we continue to fall in love with so many hidden and lesser known destinations. Thanks for reading during 2020, and I look forward to sharing more on the towns we discover as we travel. Let’s hope once COVID-19 restrictions ease, we’ll be able to travel interstate and continue to see more of Australia. Merry Christmas to you and your family, stay safe and get outdoors during the festive season!

Surfboards and fishing gear all stored away safe and sound.

A few flathead taken on the troll from the kayak. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 77

Tired and sore at 2am but still smiling. Fish in excess of 25kg are a real possibility in Queensland’s barramundi impoundments and they fight every bit as hard as their wild cousins.

With eyes on the top of the head and a large bony mouth, barramundi are a purpose-built predator.

Lures similar to this 100mm jerk bait are merely a snack to larger fish. This also demonstrates the need for tough leader material – barra mouths can wear through light traces.

Hints for catching dam barramundi E VERY year when December rolls around many barramundi anglers simply pack their gear away for three months and wait with bated breath for the season to re-open in February. What’s interesting is a good portion of these dedicated barra nuts choose not to tap into the many freshwater

Leaon Walker is definitely a victim of the dam barra bug and travels north from the Sunshine Coast regularly to tangle with these great fish. Page 78 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

Handy Hints

by BOB THORNTON

impoundments littered up and down the coast that hold fantastic numbers of big barra. Anyone who says dam fish don’t fight like their wild counterparts definitely hasn’t caught one, and I absolutely relish the challenge these exciting and enigmatic fish present. Gearing up Standard estuary barra tackle might not cut it in the dams. Depending on the waterway you choose, you may run into fish in excess of 25kg and 120cm, so it pays to scale things up a bit. As a general rule, I like to start with rods in the 3-6kg range at the absolute lightest – spin or baitcast – and I run braid of at least 30lb on my reels. Leaders are an im-

portant factor and my standard for impoundment 1m-plus specimens, which are common, is 70lb fluorocarbon or mono. I find monofilament is more hard-wearing around structure and it doesn’t scare barra off – a species that aren’t known to be leader shy. The allure of dam barra Lure choice is where the fun begins and having a decent range in your boat will put you in with a good shot at cracking a pattern on these fish. If I had to list lure types to have on hand at all times, I would class hard-bodies, topwaters, swimbaits, soft plastics and vibes as essential. From there it’s a matter of working out what * continued P80

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WWW.WILSONFISHING.COM Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 79

Hints for catching dam barramundi * from P78

the fish want, how they want it and when they want it. Knowing your battleground Each impoundment has its own character, so spending a bit of time at a particular venue will be of huge benefit in the long run. Unfortunately, success early on is far from guaranteed, and this caper could leave you scratching your head thinking about what you did wrong.

Talking to those who fish there regularly will be your best tool, but don’t be surprised if quite a few aren’t keen to divulge secrets and techniques they’ve worked hard to learn themselves. Local tackle shop staff are always a good starting point when it comes to networking, as these people are anglers and they want to get you fishing. Once you’re on the water, it’s then a matter of finding the actual fish.

While barramundi are considered a premier table fish, stocked impoundment fish don’t have the same reputation, so most anglers including the author choose to release them.

Lake Monduran

ing Charters h is F s e n li e id u G dates r the latest up

Understanding dam barra In all barramundi lakes there are a lot of fishless areas, and the first step when you’re on the water is to rule these out. Sounders with sidescan and even 360 sonar technology have been game changers on the barra scene over the past 10 years. Don’t be fooled however, even though you may see fish on the sounder, it doesn’t mean they’ll want to eat. Wind is a good indicator of where fish will be and usually it’s whichever direction the wind is blowing to. Wind generates current in dams, which pushes bait around and barra follow the bait. Barramundi are a fairly lazy fish and will swim with the current rather than against it. Cruising along and casting to likely areas is one way to fish, but seasoned anglers will often sit stationary in places and wait for fish to come to them. An electric motor with a spot-lock function, an anchor or a rope for tying off to structure are all perfectly suitable

for this ambush style of fishing. Casting repeatedly to an area that ‘funnels’ bait and barra is the key. These funnels could be the crest of a windblown point, the back of a bay, a channel between weed or a small cut through dense timber. Basically, you want an area where you know barra will be moving past at some point, and your sounder is your biggest help here. Sitting in locations and scanning for fish moving past is a great way to find them and work out what they’re doing. If you’re seeing fish cruise past and they aren’t chewing, one of two things is wrong – they don’t want what you’re throwing or they’re not eating yet and you’ll need to wait for a ‘bite period’. Bite periods occur around moon rise, high moon, low moon, tide changes in nearby river systems – and the list of things that make dam barra bite continues to grow as we learn more about them. Suffice to say, if you

find fish in an area, don’t leave them. An alternative to this is trolling deep divers in the main basin of the dam, which is particularly effective in the peak of summer. As thermoclines form in deeper water, barra seek refuge in these areas and will respond to trolled lures. Give it a go However you decide to go about it, remember you won’t catch big barra sitting at home dreaming of that telltale thump on the end of your line. Make sure you book a trip to one of these amazing places and stay a few days to get the most out of the experience. If you’re still not confident, many dams have guides who operate and live to teach others about their passion. With impoundments such as Awoonga, Monduran, Maraboon and Callide lakes, Lenthalls, Kinchant, Teemburra and Peter Faust dams – all within driving distance of Brisbane – what are you waiting for?

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Fishing late under the light of the moon can make you a little crazy occasionally, but the extra effort is often worth it. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Megan with a beautifully coloured yellowbelly from Lake Boondooma.

Cindy Schloss happy with the nice bass she caught in Bjelke-Petersen Dam.

Consistent catches in South Burnett dams

INCE the lifting of restrictions, the standout dam has been Lake Boondooma. I have the luxury of guiding on most dams in southeast Queensland, and Lake Boondooma has been turning up good numbers of Australian bass and consistent catches of yellowbelly. We are into early summer and water temperature is above 20C, so we have seen a thermocline develop in 6m throughout the dam. This area is holding good schools of bony bream. Red claw numbers also explode in late spring and early summer. After harbouring their eggs under their tails, they have now dropped them, and a lot of the smaller red claw have become a regular forage for resident bass and yellowbelly. Bonies certainly aren’t the only forage species in the lake, and red claw appear to be number one on the menu at present. The great thing about the bait scenario is that we have a few fishing options when it comes

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Freshwater Impoundments by MATTHEW LANGFORD

to targeting fish in both Bjelke-Petersen Dam and Boondooma. Lake Boondooma If you’re into trolling, now is the time to dust off the deep divers and troll among the fish hanging in the thermocline. The best hard-bodies are those that have a large bib and will dive anywhere from 4.5-6m. The areas I would focus on are the steep rock walls in the main basin of the dam, and anywhere that has a depth of over 9m through the middle of the dam. The fish are spread out and have not concentrated in one area yet, so it will pay to cover water slowly while trolling. When you do get a bite or a catch, it pays to troll around the area because you may find a concentration of fish that stay a while and keep biting. For the casters, I would start the day fishing the rocky outcrops and points of the dam with a skirted jig,

vibe or spinnerbait. Earlier I stated that bonies and red claw were the predominant bait in the dam and these presentations represent them well. If you spend time moving between differ-

ent rocky areas while casting until you find a productive bank, you’ll usually catch more than one once you get the first bite. As the water warms, it’s a good idea to move to deeper water around the dam wall and start casting 20g silver spoons and 1/2oz jig head rigged soft plastics.

The technique to use here is to let the lure sink for about 10 seconds, so it gets down into the thermocline before you start your retrieve. Remember, a steady wind is necessary because you want the bait to stay in the thermocline if possible, as this is where the fish are.

* continued P82

DAM LEVELS CURRENT AS OF 9/11/2020

DAMS

PERCENTAGE

JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV Atkinson 5 13 5 5 5 Awoonga 65 64 63 61 61 Bjelke-Petersen * 17 16 14 12 12 Boondooma * 34 34 32 31 30 Borumba * 93 92 82 84 82 Burdekin Falls * 92 90 84 79 73 Callide * 28 27 25 24 24 Cania * 58 50 49 45 43 Coolmunda * 28 29 32 29 29 Dyer/Bill Gunn * 3 3 3 3 3 Eungella * 87 87 86 85 83 Fairbairn * 12 11 10 10 9 Glenlyon * 14 14 15 15 14 Hinze* 93 93 91 89 87 Julius 88 87 85 82 80 Kinchant * 85 84 80 76 71 Leslie * 13 13 13 12 12 Macdonald* 102 102 101 94 94 Maroon * 56 56 54 51 42 Monduran/Fred Haigh * 58 57 55 54 52 Moogerah * 27 26 24 21 20 North Pine/Samsonvale * 60 59 57 54 53 Peter Faust/Proserpine * 67 66 65 63 61 Somerset * 78 78 77 76 75 Teemburra * 99 99 98 97 95 Tinaroo* 71 69 65 61 57 Toonumbar 67 68 67 63 61 Wivenhoe * 48 46 45 43 42 Wuruma * 60 58 57 53 50 Wyaralong* 95 95 94 93 93 For updates on dams, visit sunwater.com.au or seqwater.com.au *This symbol indicates that a Stocked Impoundment Permit is required to fish these dams.

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 81

Mick Johnson and a good-sized bass on a jig from Bjelke-Petersen Dam.

Consistent catches in South Burnett dams * from P81

The author with a cracking bass taken on a skirted jig worked around the edges.

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

Australian Freshwater Fishing Charters 0408 658 592 | australianfreshwaterfishing.com Page 82 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

Red claw are moving at the moment, so it may pay to drop a couple of pots in if you’re after a feed. Remember to have your float marked with your name, address and phone number. Bjelke-Petersen Dam The bait that inhabit BP are identical to Lake Boondooma. Trolling is a viable option because fish are also starting to suspend higher up in the water column. Spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits are good options here. BP is a shallower water body than Boondooma, so you don’t want to use divers that dive too deep. That’s why I like to use the above-mentioned lures if trolling is your go-to. Areas to target are the middle of the dam from the wall up to Bass Point. The edges are where most of the better fish have been caught. Skirted jigs, lipless cranks and spinnerbaits are the best lures to be casting at the edge. I’d be looking for edges holding a bit of struc-

ture because the dam is down, and fish are congregating around edges that have gravel, rock or any timber close to it. Fish prefer natural structure, so it pays to move around and cast at this type of edge. Cast in tight to the edges and start a slow retrieve back to the boat for best results. Skirted jigs are designed to be dragged along the bottom and if you have any, cast them up shallow and slowly drag them down the bank. Do this often enough and a hungry bass or yellowbelly will mistake it for a small red claw. Don’t forget, you can book a fishing charter with me on BP or Boondooma, as well as other dams in Queensland. If you’d like a great day out and all the information and knowledge to catch bass, yellowbelly and saratoga in our dams, give me a call on 0408 658 592 and I’ll take you out for a great day’s fishing. You can also check out our website at aus tralianfreshwaterfish ing.com Until next month, tight lines and bent rods!

www.bnbfishing.com. au

A Christmas tradition for the Schultz family

HOUGH my family and close acquaintances insist I’m ever evolving, seeking out new horizons and challenges as the years pass, I’m also a stickler for tradition. Several of my little family’s traditions are shared with a multitude, such as attending the dawn service every Anzac Day or flying the flag on Australia Day. However, others are rather unique, and I guess one of these occurs on December 25 each year. For the past 34 years, I’ve gone fishing every Christmas Day with only one exception – a morning spent sitting in the waiting room at the casualty department of the Ipswich General Hospital. This custom first began as an opportunity for our first-born son to use a few of his presents but evolved into an enduring family tradition. By necessity, the first Christmas morning fishing excursions were local outings, which enabled us to be home in time to get the kids organised to travel to Grandma’s house for the extended family gathering. Shark fishing in the Brisbane River was our chosen pastime of those festive mornings for the first couple of years, and saw a young angler grapple with juvenile bull sharks, or river whalers as they

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Fishing for Sport by NEIL SCHULTZ

were known back then. Once local lakes began producing, fat impoundment fish attracted our attention for many subsequent Christmas morning outings. Lake Somerset, a convenient 45-minute drive up the valley, was our most frequently chosen venue for field testing Christmas presents freshly torn from their decorative wrapping paper. Bragging-sized golden perch were the target during those pre-bass days and the photo album reveals that every morning of December 25 fish were caught by smiling boys. Later and even closer to home, it was the trophy bass of Wivenhoe that were the subject of our Christmas morning sessions. That was until one year when the gate was still locked at 08.30am, which forced a lastminute change of plan and a dash up the valley to Somerset. With a larger boat in the shed, we became a little more daring and spent a few Christmas mornings on Moreton Bay. The years when we spent the morning chasing longtail tuna were OK because we were able to fish fairly close to Mud Island and keeping an eye on the clock, happily racing back to the ramp to be

home in time for lunch. One year, when spotted mackerel were particularly cooperative, though a long, long way from the ramp, Tony and I were in the doghouse when mid-afternoon we apprehensively pulled up in the driveway. A decent feed of mackerel fillets in the icebox

didn’t help to lessen the ear bashing we deservedly received for missing Christmas lunch. After that episode we opted for freshwater venues and once again, the ever-reliable Lake Somerset was selected for several years. In contrast to relatively mundane targets, we chose to fish for Mary River cod, just to make any success that bit more memorable. We managed a hat

trick by scoring nice cod in Somerset on three consecutive Christmas mornings. All of those fish were photographed and released, as is our firm tradition with all freshwater cod – yes, another custom. I’ve not kept a single cod for the table in 43 years of fishing for them and I can’t see myself starting any time soon.

* continued P84

Recent years saw an early 5km run to kick-start proceedings, followed by the traditional fishing outing. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 83

The author’s kind of Christmas tree, hung with decorations by mother nature. Why would you want to be sitting indoors?

A Christmas tradition for the Schultz family

* from P83

Becoming uncomfortable and getting into a rut, we again looked for other venues, fishing various locations including Lake Cooby for Murray cod. More recent Christmas mornings have seen me out for an organised very early 5km running ‘race’, followed

by a short stint on local freshwater in the kayak. Our sons are grown and out on their own now, so I fish solo and leave the boys to spend time at their respective homes. At that time I was working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment with its peak season in the month imme-

diately prior to Christmas, so I tended to be a little short of stamina by Christmas Day. Instead of a pressing urge to catch memorable fish for my deckie as in previous decades, latter Christmases became more about rest and relaxation than the pursuit of angling success. To make the most of

Surface luring the Brisbane River for bass is a great way to enjoy Christmas morning. Page 84 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

the limited time available, I opt to throw the Hobie on the trailer and head to the Brisbane River, close to home. Each pool will usually see the resident platypus bobbing up, occasionally quite close to my kayak, as we eye each other for a moment before resuming our respective activities. High points of these mornings often come in the form of wildlife or bird watching rather than angling successes. Koalas are a common sight in the blue gums and ironbarks along the riverbanks, with those same towering eucalypts used as perches and hunting platforms by various native avian species. From awe-inspiring white bellied eagles and blindingly swift black

falcons down to diminutive red-backed wrens and beautiful firetail finches, all are welcomed diversions from the casting of lures. Using the pedal-powered Hobie gives a good cool down workout to rid the legs of lactic acid build up from the early run, while being a reasonable musclebuilding exercise too. Exercise, as with communing with nature, is good for the mind, body and soul. Tradition upheld each year, I often smile to myself while driving home, pondering on having come full circle from fishing the local river in 1985 to being in this millennium, and then wondering where I’ll be fishing on Christmas morning in another 34 years.

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Natural recruitment a bonus to fishery

E ST O C K I NG time is just around the corner for most stocking groups at dams and rivers in Queensland. It’s been 18 months since Glenlyon’s group have been able to purchase golden and silver perch. The drought and lack of flow in rivers in our region have put paid to stocking for a long time. It’s possible we may see good rain events this summer for a change, and this will be an added back-up to restocking via actual breeding within rivers and storages. Given that dams have minor and major streams flowing into them, chances of breeding are quite high if the rain comes. Due to a lot of hard work and great contributions by our visiting recreational anglers putting hand in pocket and adding to the kitty, we are able to spend around $63,000 to stock golden and silver perch, mostly through donations and raffles. Last season, we were not able to stock the above two species as hatcheries had a lack of water during the breeding season. However, we did stock around 15,000 Murray cod, as the storage had enough water for the cod to swim in at the time of them hatching. With restocking in mind, it is a good time to say thank you to all the recreational anglers who each year venture out on the impoundments and streams in our state.

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Glenlyon Dam by BRIAN DARE

These diehards, along with the saltwater rec anglers, contribute over $1 billion each year to our state’s economy. It might be hard for many to take that figure on board, but it’s correct. Accordingly, we need to see a better return in kind from our State Government fisheries department. The lack of contact from the fisheries department means we end up talking to office staff without having the chance of speaking with core fisheries biologists. Funding from the permit system has again been lacking in return

to stocking formats and it needs to be reviewed as soon as possible. Unfortunately, within our group there appears

* continued P86

Murray cod fingerlings ready to be stocked.

Ashley Miners shows off his best cod from a recent trip to Glenlyon Dam.

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Images sent in via Recreational Fishing Survey App.

Using recreational fishing data for better fishing management

N late 2019 and into 2020, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries rolled out new management plans for stocking groups. What quietly went under many groups’ sonar was the switch of monitoring requirement from DAF to the stocking groups. As if to go hand-inhand with this change in management plans, in early 2020 DAF engaged with several restocking groups to

undertake boat ramp surveys for much needed data on our stocked fisheries. Several stocking groups took up the task, working quite hard to adhere to the strict guidelines set out by DAF. These guidelines were soon discovered to be mostly unworkable or not suited to the nature of freshwater fishing. The tyranny of distance being travelled by group members several days a week, together

with hours spent at boat ramps at times that were not suited to the location, deflated a few groups’ will to “waste time sitting at the ramp when nobody is coming in.” The numbers quickly dropped off, to the point where the program was all but dead in the water – pardon the pun. That said, the Somerset Wivenhoe Atkinsons Dam group – with the assistance of Sweetwater Fishing and Aus-

Natural recruitment a bonus to fishery * from P85

to be a lack of support from younger rec anglers, and we could use their help with our stocking groups. Yes, we all purchase permits, but we need more input into our fishery than that. Have a close look at what is taking place. To put it bluntly, the good old recreational stocking group anglers are getting old and dropping off the perch. I ask the question, in 15 years who will

be stocking these fish? When it first started it was done by Fisheries Queensland, with truckloads of yellowbelly, silver perch and Murray cod arriving from NSW. We saw the start of the Amateur Fisherman’s Stocking Association of Queensland. Then the Freshwater Fish Stocking Association of Queensland took over the stocking format, as Queensland had

Page 86 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

started to stand out as the place to fish for recreational species. Our great hatcheries began to pop up around the regions, which made it more controllable when purchasing fingerlings. We don’t want to lose what we have, and I ask that all the younger up and coming recreational freshwater anglers think very seriously about the future of freshwater fishing in Queensland.

fish – came up with an online fishing survey. Recreational fishing data could be easily and freely shared by anglers while on the water, the data going straight to the stocking group – problem solved. Once the appropriate software was purchased, upgraded and tested, it was found that there were no limitations on the number of different forms that could be created. The SWFSA reached out to a couple of other groups for input. It was soon discovered that many locations needed to ask different questions to help them measure and monitor their fishery for better management – a onesize-fits-all approach simply would not work. So, it was decided to make customised survey forms for the various locations. At time of writing, there were over 20-stocked locations that have online surveys running, with more coming soon. Using recreation fishing data and the benefits • Average sizes – track

average sizes of your fish and find out which species grow better. • Harvest rates – discover the percentage of fish taken or released in your fishery. • Tourists or locals – learn where the anglers are coming from to fish at your waterway. • Monitor pest fish – find out if pest fish in your lake are increasing in number and size. • Fingerling growth and survival – measure how well your restocking program is going and find out if the fish you release are surviving and growing. • Angler catch rates – over time, the survey can measure the performance of the fishery, and whether people are catching more or less fish. • Community engagement – engage with the fishing community to help improve the fishery by completing a survey – in turn the data allows your group to share information with the community through a website or via social media and raise awareness of your groups’ work with the wider

* continued P87

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Using recreational fishing data for better fishing management * from P86

community, which can be used to recruit new members. • Upload photos and video – the surveys allow for images or video to be uploaded, and these can be used to promote your fishery on social media or group website. The more information received and the longer the time frame, the more accurate the data coming out the back end. Over time, you’ll be able to see if your average sizes, the numbers of fish caught, and whether the visitation rate is increasing or decreasing. Compare notes with other stocking groups to work out better stocking strategies. More information about the surveys can be found at survey.sweet waterfishing.com.au SWFSA and Sweetwater Fishing are able to assist other fish stocking groups with their own fishing survey form and gathering recreational fishing data. Cost Utilising the existing setup, no cost is involved to approved stocking groups. The software has been paid for and the server is kindly hosted at no charge by sweetwaterfishing.com. au with support from ausfish.com.au Data Your data is received in the form of an email to your group’s nominated address when an angler submits their data. The data is stored in a www.bnbfishing.com.au

database on the server, which can be periodically extracted into a spreadsheet for analysis or review. Should you wish to share your data with DAF as part of an annual report, I am sure they would appreciate it. This should satisfy your group’s obligation to conduct monitoring as mentioned earlier. Limitations For best results, one fish per entry is best. Surveys with multi-

fish entries were found to make the data messy when exported to a spreadsheet. To enter data when on the water, mobile phone coverage is needed. If out of mobile phone range, anglers can enter data later at their camp or home. Advantages Data can be entered from any smart phone, tablet or computer at any time. If groups also wish to do boat ramp surveys,

members can enter the data directly into their own form or app. No pencil or paper are required. The information collected is yours. You won’t be charged for it and you get the data straight away. Regarding privacy, no personal information is recorded on any survey forms and GPS marks are not recorded. Requirements All you need is a nominated email address and

a computer with spreadsheet software to analyse your data. It has been proposed that a detailed presentation of this will be made at the next DAF restocking workshop – due to be in Mackay during 2021. In the meantime, you can apply for your own customised recreational fishing survey app form at survey. sweetwaterfishing.com. au Garry Fitzgerald

The MAFSA and SWFSA survey apps. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 87

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Page 88 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 89

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V6 3.4L

*Based on testing done by Mercury Marine’s Product Research & Development team. Torque data collected on a Dynamometer at cruise speed, an average of 3500-4500 rpm. Fuel economy testing done using a 23 foot Centre Console boat for both 200hp engines, while a 21 foot Bass boat was used for the 250hp testing.

Go online or contact your nearest Mercury Dealer to find out more about the Mercury V6 / V8 range, taking performance, efficiency and reliability to the next level.

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www.bnbfishing.com. au 18/8/20 2:07 pm

Contact or visit us for more information.

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

CAIRNS Aussie Marine 5 Hannam St, Bungalow Q 4870 P: 07 4033 8800 E: sales@aussiemarine.com.au www.aussiemarine.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

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

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

BRISBANE Karee Marine 1776 Ipswich Motorway, Rocklea Q 4106 P: 07 3875 1600 E: sales@kareemarine.com.au www.kareemarine.com.au

GLADSTONE Ship & Sale Gladstone Gladstone Marine Centre, Gladstone Q 4680 P: 07 4972 7111 E: sales@shipandsail.com.au www.shipandsail.com.au

ROCKHAMPTON Rifen Boats 6 Dooley St, North Rockhampton Q 4701 P: 07 4927 9150 E: rifen.boats@bigpond.com www.rifenmarine.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

GOLD COAST Nitro Marine 167 Currumburra Rd, Ashmore Q 4214 P: 07 5532 5812 E: sales@nitromarine.com.au www.nitromarine.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

www.bnbfishing.com.au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020 – Page 91

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THERE’S STILL TIME to get on the water HUGE RANGE by Christmas! OF BOATS! Finance & Insurance available

UNBEATABLE 40-60HP FOURSTROKE

340 330 320

g/kWh

MERCURY 75-115HP FOURSTROKE RANGE

INNOVATIVE 115HP CRUISE SPEED FUEL EFFICIENCY TECHNOLOGY VS. CURRENT FOURSTROKE AND OPTIMAX PROVEN RELIABILITY POWERFUL PERFORMANCE 310 300 290 280 270

A POWERFUL PACKAGE

260

PREVIOUS MERCURY FOURSTROKE 1.7L

MERCURY OPTIMAX 115hp

NEW MERCURY 2.1L 115hp

* 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.kareemarine.com.au

1776 Ipswich Road, Rocklea | Call 07 3875 1600

Page 92 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2020